Malazan Empire: Reading at t'moment? - Malazan Empire

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Reading at t'moment?

#20361 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 08:57 PM

Im really struggling to motivate myself to read any more of the Dubliners, I've read the first two stories and it all just seems so pointlessly meandering.
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#20362 User is offline   End of Disc One 

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 09:04 PM

On the third Powder Mage book right now. It's alright but doesn't really feel like a final novel of a trilogy. I'm in the minority who thinks the first book is the best.
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#20363 User is offline   worry 

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 09:05 PM

I keep meaning to read that, since Araby is one of my favorite short stories. Maybe try that one before you drop out.
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#20364 User is offline   polishgenius 

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 09:56 PM

View PostAbyss, on 06 June 2017 - 01:56 PM, said:

View PostWhisperzzzzzzz, on 06 June 2017 - 11:48 AM, said:

Finished A Wizard of Earthsea yesterday. While I did enjoy it (and am starting The Tombs of Atuan now), I am not sure why it's so beloved by so many. The world has depth, but that depth is under-explored. The characters are distinct, but shallow (even Ged). Le Guin's prose and pacing are, as expected from previous works I've read, great. For 1968, it was likely very novel; for today, it's just okay. It's a good book, but I could never see it being my favorite.
...


I have similar feelings towards that series. It can see why it was a big deal for when it was written, i appreciate that it set down a lot of the tropes we see all over genre lit now - notably magic schools, and 'true name' magic - but i don't hold it as a timeless classic the way i do THE HOBBIT.



I really like the ideas in the first Earthsea, but did find it largely dry (even though in parts the prose was great). On the other hand Tombs of Atuan was much better written but had what I thought was a completely nothing plot. The Farthest Shore combines the two and is really very good (though I only ever read it once), then Tehanu is... just terrible.




Me, I started a re-read of Gardens of the Moon for the first time in time. Having to re-buy them all on ebook if I'm going to do the whole series but...
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#20365 User is offline   worry 

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 10:11 PM

There's that one ebook that is all 10 books, but it's like $80. Still, might save you money overall.
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#20366 User is offline   polishgenius 

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 10:22 PM

Doesn't seem to be available on Kobo, sadly. Although Kobo has all the books for a fiver (except the first for two quid at the mo, which is why I bought it now), so probably wouldn't save me much anyway.
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#20367 User is offline   Salt-Man Z 

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 10:25 PM

View Postworry, on 06 June 2017 - 07:07 PM, said:

Wizard was a bit dry and very 'introductory', but Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore were both great reads imo.

Atuan was easily my favorite of the three. (I remember basically nothing about the other two, it being 10 years now (!) since I read them.) I'd probably get more out of them if I were to reread them now.
"Here is light. You will say that it is not a living entity, but you miss the point that it is more, not less. Without occupying space, it fills the universe. It nourishes everything, yet itself feeds upon destruction. We claim to control it, but does it not perhaps cultivate us as a source of food? May it not be that all wood grows so that it can be set ablaze, and that men and women are born to kindle fires?"
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#20368 User is offline   Puck 

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 11:21 PM

View PostAbyss, on 06 June 2017 - 01:56 PM, said:

View PostWhisperzzzzzzz, on 06 June 2017 - 11:48 AM, said:

Finished A Wizard of Earthsea yesterday. While I did enjoy it (and am starting The Tombs of Atuan now), I am not sure why it's so beloved by so many. The world has depth, but that depth is under-explored. The characters are distinct, but shallow (even Ged). Le Guin's prose and pacing are, as expected from previous works I've read, great. For 1968, it was likely very novel; for today, it's just okay. It's a good book, but I could never see it being my favorite.
...


I have similar feelings towards that series. It can see why it was a big deal for when it was written, i appreciate that it set down a lot of the tropes we see all over genre lit now - notably magic schools, and 'true name' magic - but i don't hold it as a timeless classic the way i do THE HOBBIT.


I generally share the sentiment that by today's standards it's nothing special and though I would never call A Wizard of Earthsea one of my favourites, I cannot stress enough how much it did for the genre. It was the first fantasy book of it's kind that centered on a non-combatant (namely a wizard) as the main character and it was the first to resolve it's central conflict without violence (and LeGuin keeps that pattern with the following books as well). It's also worth keeping in mind that it's a YA book, as are at least the following two, so as an adult, especially after having read what the genre has to offer today, it's not surprising that you're not particularly surprised ot awed. I personally find the writing in A Wizard of Earthsea barely readable, but I find it great to see how much it improves in The Tombs of Atuan and peaks, imo, in The Farthest Shore, which is actually one of my favourite books. I would still wholeheartedly recommend those three books to a teen/teenager starting out with reading fantasy even today, because the themes and plots are timeless because they have more to do with personal conflict and growing up and solving conflicts without violence.

I read those books rather late, namely last year, but I can imagine that if I'd had read them in my teens I'd have a healthy dose of nostalgia filter regarding them. The themes blew me away even reading them this late. I wish I could unread Tehanu, though. Still planning on reading The Other Wind someday.
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#20369 User is offline   Andorion 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 04:12 AM

View PostMacros, on 06 June 2017 - 09:29 AM, said:

View PostAndorion, on 05 June 2017 - 11:52 PM, said:

View Postacesn8s, on 05 June 2017 - 08:19 PM, said:

That is a risky issue. I checked my amazon account. I ordered my Kindle on June 21st 2015 and it is still going strong. Don't know if that helps you or not.


That actually frames my issue really well. On the Amazon.com page, generally the PW has great reviews. The issue I have seen is only in the Amazon.in page. Which makes me wonder about the quality of goods being shipped to India.

Its really tempting otherwise. I even have a coupon code which would get me 10% off.


Is it an option to order off .com and import?


It might be. Iam not entirely sure on the import prices and stuff, it would really help if I knew someone who has done it. But I could try.
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#20370 User is offline   Andorion 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 04:15 AM

View PostPuck, on 06 June 2017 - 11:21 PM, said:

View PostAbyss, on 06 June 2017 - 01:56 PM, said:

View PostWhisperzzzzzzz, on 06 June 2017 - 11:48 AM, said:

Finished A Wizard of Earthsea yesterday. While I did enjoy it (and am starting The Tombs of Atuan now), I am not sure why it's so beloved by so many. The world has depth, but that depth is under-explored. The characters are distinct, but shallow (even Ged). Le Guin's prose and pacing are, as expected from previous works I've read, great. For 1968, it was likely very novel; for today, it's just okay. It's a good book, but I could never see it being my favorite.
...


I have similar feelings towards that series. It can see why it was a big deal for when it was written, i appreciate that it set down a lot of the tropes we see all over genre lit now - notably magic schools, and 'true name' magic - but i don't hold it as a timeless classic the way i do THE HOBBIT.


I generally share the sentiment that by today's standards it's nothing special and though I would never call A Wizard of Earthsea one of my favourites, I cannot stress enough how much it did for the genre. It was the first fantasy book of it's kind that centered on a non-combatant (namely a wizard) as the main character and it was the first to resolve it's central conflict without violence (and LeGuin keeps that pattern with the following books as well). It's also worth keeping in mind that it's a YA book, as are at least the following two, so as an adult, especially after having read what the genre has to offer today, it's not surprising that you're not particularly surprised ot awed. I personally find the writing in A Wizard of Earthsea barely readable, but I find it great to see how much it improves in The Tombs of Atuan and peaks, imo, in The Farthest Shore, which is actually one of my favourite books. I would still wholeheartedly recommend those three books to a teen/teenager starting out with reading fantasy even today, because the themes and plots are timeless because they have more to do with personal conflict and growing up and solving conflicts without violence.

I read those books rather late, namely last year, but I can imagine that if I'd had read them in my teens I'd have a healthy dose of nostalgia filter regarding them. The themes blew me away even reading them this late. I wish I could unread Tehanu, though. Still planning on reading The Other Wind someday.


Regarding Wizard of Earthsea, I was quite disappointed when I read it. I loved the basic idea, I loved the world and the framing concepts, I was quite startled to see the number of fantasy tropes it laid down, but the actual writing and the depth of the book left much to be desired. I have never gone back.
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#20371 User is offline   amphibian 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 04:26 AM

Ando, if you're willing to wait a while, I'll get one from the USA when I come to KTM and send it to you that way.
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#20372 User is offline   Andorion 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 06:27 PM

View Postamphibian, on 07 June 2017 - 04:26 AM, said:

Ando, if you're willing to wait a while, I'll get one from the USA when I come to KTM and send it to you that way.


That is very very kind of you to offer! I might take you up on that.




In other news, I finished House of Leaves.

Still not entirely sure what to think of it. Its just too big. Thats the feeling I got. In terms of concepts its extraordinary.

Trying to decide what to start next.

I usually parallel read 2 ebooks, 1 classic in any format, 1 print book, and 1 audiobook.

I just finished HoL in print, considering starting Bakker's White Luck Warrior.

As for the 2 ebooks I am very tempted to jump into Masters of Rome and Master and Margarita.
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#20373 User is offline   Dadding 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 07:03 PM

Finally finished Caine's Law this weekend ... fucking wow. It was substantially fucking different from the rest of the books, but I fucking liked it. I still feel like I'm missing a lot of the more intricate fucking details of what scene comes first and how fucking badass Caine is by fucking figuring shit out, but a bit of fucking confusion aside, I fucking liked the hell out of it.

Just starting Lies of Locke Lamora now, so far so good.
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#20374 User is offline   JPK 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 07:22 PM

View PostDadding, on 07 June 2017 - 07:03 PM, said:

Just starting Lies of Locke Lamora now, so far so good.


Ooh, that's a damn good book Dadding. It's a pity that it's a stand-alone though, the universe had such potential.

Joking aside, tLoLL is amazing, but it's sequels failed to reach the same levels of awesomesauce, though I still found them enjoyable reads m
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#20375 User is offline   Abyss 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 07:51 PM

View PostDadding, on 07 June 2017 - 07:03 PM, said:

Finally finished Caine's Law this weekend ... fucking wow. It was substantially fucking different from the rest of the books, but I fucking liked it. I still feel like I'm missing a lot of the more intricate fucking details of what scene comes first and how fucking badass Caine is by fucking figuring shit out, but a bit of fucking confusion aside, I fucking liked the hell out of it.



Fucking right.

View PostJPK, on 07 June 2017 - 07:22 PM, said:

View PostDadding, on 07 June 2017 - 07:03 PM, said:

Just starting Lies of Locke Lamora now, so far so good.


Ooh, that's a damn good book Dadding. It's a pity that it's a stand-alone though, the universe had such potential.

Joking aside, tLoLL is amazing, but it's sequels failed to reach the same levels of awesomesauce, though I still found them enjoyable reads m


There were no sequels.
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#20376 User is offline   Slow Ben 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 08:56 PM

View PostBriar King, on 07 June 2017 - 07:53 PM, said:

View PostJPK, on 07 June 2017 - 07:22 PM, said:

View PostDadding, on 07 June 2017 - 07:03 PM, said:

Just starting Lies of Locke Lamora now, so far so good.


Ooh, that's a damn good book Dadding. It's a pity that it's a stand-alone though, the universe had such potential.

Joking aside, tLoLL is amazing, but it's sequels failed to reach the same levels of awesomesauce, though I still found them enjoyable reads m


Bk 2 is still fun but not near on the lvl of 1. Bk 3 was an utter waste of my time and the trees that gave their lives to have that garbage printed on it.


I agree. 2 was still enjoyable. But I still cant believe how bad 3 was. I mean, like staggeringly boring. If i didnt care about the characters i would have ditched it early on.
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#20377 User is offline   QuickTidal 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 10:40 PM

View PostAbyss, on 07 June 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

View PostJPK, on 07 June 2017 - 07:22 PM, said:

View PostDadding, on 07 June 2017 - 07:03 PM, said:

Just starting Lies of Locke Lamora now, so far so good.


Ooh, that's a damn good book Dadding. It's a pity that it's a stand-alone though, the universe had such potential.

Joking aside, tLoLL is amazing, but it's sequels failed to reach the same levels of awesomesauce, though I still found them enjoyable reads m


There were no sequels.


This. SO much this.
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#20378 User is offline   worry 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 10:52 PM

I heard there were two sequels, each book better than the one before it.
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#20379 User is offline   JPK 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 11:00 PM

Republic of Thieves was FAR from the worst book I've ever read. No, it didn't live up to the heights set by tLoLL or even the loeer bar of RSURS, but it folded in more of the backstory and set the stage for book 4 rather nicely. I'll admit that I know I'm in the minority for this one, but can't we agree that the series is still holding itself better than the Demon Cycle at least?

Speaking of controversial books, I'm a little under halfway through Blood of Elves, and you guys greatly exaggerated the flaws of this work. It's not perfect, but as long as it's read as book 3 and not book 1 characters and events make perfect sense.
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#20380 User is offline   End of Disc One 

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 11:31 PM

Yeah I'd put Gentleman Bastard way ahead of the Demon Cycle
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