[Abyss]

stone monkey, on 19 April 2018 - 12:02 AM, said:

Briar King, on 18 April 2018 - 08:27 PM, said:

I read and enjoyed Magician so much I bought the next 4 or 5 books. Then I read Silverthorne and was like Yawn till the end iirc. Haven't bothered to read more yet and it's been years now. Will try again but I will have to start all over instead of jumping in Seth-anon(or whatever bk 4 is called) straight away.

I think A Darkness At Sethanon is probably the best of the original trilogy. It feels desperate and dangerous in a way that the earlier ones don't manage. The stakes are huge and the main cast are actually in real peril.

Finished American Elsewhere in electrobook format (unfortunately, but at least it was cheap) on the way home tonight. I'm actually amazed he stuck the ending; just the right amount of epic. Very enjoyable. Just started reading Origamy by Rachel Armstrong, on the recommendation of, I think, Warren Ellis (who has been wrong before - The Void Witch Series was pretty awful)

Agreed re DARKNESS tho i liked SILVERTHORNE and don't really see why it gets slammed as much as it does.

Re AMERICAN, yeah, i was also impressed with the finale/end. There were a few ways that could have gone sideways and Bennet stayed nicely solid for the payoffs.

I look fwd to your thoughts on ORIGAMY... i picked it up on Ellis' reco as well.

[QuickTidal]

You know, I've only ever read the first half of MAGICIAN (the Apprentice book), but I recall liking it. I should read the rest of the first trilogy at least. I have MAGICIAN: MASTER somewhere in my TRP.

[Andorion]

Abyss, on 19 April 2018 - 05:56 PM, said:

stone monkey, on 19 April 2018 - 12:02 AM, said:

Briar King, on 18 April 2018 - 08:27 PM, said:

I read and enjoyed Magician so much I bought the next 4 or 5 books. Then I read Silverthorne and was like Yawn till the end iirc. Haven't bothered to read more yet and it's been years now. Will try again but I will have to start all over instead of jumping in Seth-anon(or whatever bk 4 is called) straight away.

I think A Darkness At Sethanon is probably the best of the original trilogy. It feels desperate and dangerous in a way that the earlier ones don't manage. The stakes are huge and the main cast are actually in real peril.

Finished American Elsewhere in electrobook format (unfortunately, but at least it was cheap) on the way home tonight. I'm actually amazed he stuck the ending; just the right amount of epic. Very enjoyable. Just started reading Origamy by Rachel Armstrong, on the recommendation of, I think, Warren Ellis (who has been wrong before - The Void Witch Series was pretty awful)

Agreed re DARKNESS tho i liked SILVERTHORNE and don't really see why it gets slammed as much as it does.

Re AMERICAN, yeah, i was also impressed with the finale/end. There were a few ways that could have gone sideways and Bennet stayed nicely solid for the payoffs.

I look fwd to your thoughts on ORIGAMY... i picked it up on Ellis' reco as well.

I am going to be picking up the rest of Riftwar soon, probably next month.

It seems that I should be giving American Elsewhere a try as well.

BTW Bennett has a new book coming out this year.

QuickTidal, on 19 April 2018 - 06:06 PM, said:

You know, I've only ever read the first half of MAGICIAN (the Apprentice book), but I recall liking it. I should read the rest of the first trilogy at least. I have MAGICIAN: MASTER somewhere in my TRP.

Definitely read the rest QT. It's pretty good, and if you haven't read the Empire Trilogy.

[Salt-Man Z]

Andorion, on 19 April 2018 - 06:25 PM, said:

It seems that I should be giving American Elsewhere a try as well.

Well, DUH.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Briar King, on 18 April 2018 - 10:55 PM, said:

Finished Fitz 3. Total time 13 days. During the duration of Fitz 1-3 roughly a month has passed and I haven't read more 20 pages of Crimson Guard I wager.

Starting Fitz 4 & also considering starting Expanse 6 but my burning desire to get to Fitz 7 asap will probably stop this from happening.

Enjoy - all the Fitzs are excellent. Don't completely disregard the Liveship books though - they get mixed press but I thoroughly enjoy them. I introduced both parents to Hobb and Mum still says Liveship are her favourites to this day.

[stone monkey]

Origamy is quite strange so far. I'm not quite sure whether it's strange=bad or strange=good just yet.

With the Feist books tbh I'd probably say you should read the oginal trilogy and the Empire trilogy and stop there. The Empire trilogy is by far the best thing Feist has ever been associated with imo. How much of it was him and how much was Wurts is a mystery for the ages. He's certainly never been that good again.

[Macros]

Now now stonkey, I've already laid out what shouldn't worry with feist, don't go trying to undermine my recos.
At the very least you simply have to read Honoured Enemy afternoons empire trilo. It's just the best book he has written (novella but whatever)

Regarding Silverton, yes Jimmy's panic in the cave is brilliant and one of the best scenes with one of the best characters in all of feists work.


Macros, notes that:
Jimmy the Hand is like a cool, ruthless likeable Silk

[Andorion]

stone monkey, on 19 April 2018 - 09:18 PM, said:

Origamy is quite strange so far. I'm not quite sure whether it's strange=bad or strange=good just yet.

With the Feist books tbh I'd probably say you should read the oginal trilogy and the Empire trilogy and stop there. The Empire trilogy is by far the best thing Feist has ever been associated with imo. How much of it was him and how much was Wurts is a mystery for the ages. He's certainly never been that good again.

I can tell you that Wurts was very influencial in the third book. The dialogue, chapter names and character interactions all bear her stamp

[Abyss]

Macros, on 20 April 2018 - 08:25 AM, said:

...
Jimmy the Hand is like a cool, ruthless likeable Silk

Yes, in the first trilo, he's a great character. And arguably he did not suck in SERPENTWAR.

....but he suffers as much as anyone in the later 'prequel' books.


Also, Mac, Silk is entirely cool, ruthless and likeable, and lest we forget, was a full grown adult for the entire Belgariad while Jimmy had his best run when he was barely a teen and

Spoiler

If Silk had been in charge of the defence of Krondor, he would have lived, because noble heroic sacrifices are for idiots who didn't plan better.

[Macros]

Nah, silk would have been too busy making 'witty' quips and getting schooled by velvet and the whole thing would have sucked because Silk is the epitomy of 'comic sneaky foil' douchebaggery

[stone monkey]

Macros, on 20 April 2018 - 08:25 AM, said:

Now now stonkey, I've already laid out what shouldn't worry with feist, don't go trying to undermine my recos.
At the very least you simply have to read Honoured Enemy afternoons empire trilo. It's just the best book he has written (novella but whatever)

iirc the last one I read was the one where Pug

Spoiler

drops a moon on the Big Bad and wipes out Kelewan in the process

Epic? Certainly. Well written? No.

I'll be starting The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (in electrofiche format) at some point in the next few days (or when I can be bothered). It seems pretty High Concept on first glance - the blurb reads like it's a mashup of an Agatha Christie Style Stately Home Murder Mystery and Groundhog Day. I'm informed by a well-trusted source that it's a pretty decent read. We shall see.

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 20 April 2018 - 10:28 PM

[Dolmen 2.0]

Jim Butcher writes well, really well. So I wanna just take a moment to share my review of The Aeronauts Windlass:

Butcher is a remarkably thorough world builder. The setting is interesting and layered with plenty of back-story. Having read both the full Dresden series and the Codex Alera I have seen enough Jim Butcher to know where this is going and with that knowledge I know this book is all about set up. As a standalone, it would be likable, but as the first step into a much-beloved Genre, I find it extremely promising.

Having read the first third I was quite certain I had a good idea where the story was going and what the key plot items would be and I wasn't far off in my guesses upon completion. This did not make a disappointing read, in fact, I would suggest it let me enjoy the execution of the plot which is where Butcher shines. The characterization in Jim's books are everything and here we see several very interesting characters, self-motivated and self-reliant.

I must admit experiencing a bit of a stumbling block with the take on Cats.

I haven't really read much about them and I'm more of a dog person more than anything...

Still, I enjoyed the thorough panning of viewpoints and I feel Butcher actively appeals to the imagination describing breathtaking scenes. I look forward to more. Worth a read if you are enjoying his other work. The book is a pure action adventure, I'd read it to popcorn.

If you're looking for depth and contemplation I suggest you look elsewhere.

[JPK]

I'm about 30% into Mad Ship now (Liveship 2) and this story had really came into itself. I've come to look forward to New chapters from every pov, even the teen girl that makes early books Sansa look like a master of social intrigue. Seriously though, she's horrible but the events happening to her and around her are intensely interesting.

I'm really excited to get past the 50% mark because almost every spoiler-free review I've read says that book 2 suffers from pacing issues in the first half and then explodes around the halfway mark. I've not personally found what I've read so far to be difficult at all though, so I'm expecting this to go from really good to fucking epic.

[Tiste Simeon]

Dolmen 2.0, on 21 April 2018 - 04:07 PM, said:

Jim Butcher writes well, really well. So I wanna just take a moment to share my review of The Aeronauts Windlass:

Butcher is a remarkably thorough world builder. The setting is interesting and layered with plenty of back-story. Having read both the full Dresden series and the Codex Alera I have seen enough Jim Butcher to know where this is going and with that knowledge I know this book is all about set up. As a standalone, it would be likable, but as the first step into a much-beloved Genre, I find it extremely promising.

Having read the first third I was quite certain I had a good idea where the story was going and what the key plot items would be and I wasn't far off in my guesses upon completion. This did not make a disappointing read, in fact, I would suggest it let me enjoy the execution of the plot which is where Butcher shines. The characterization in Jim's books are everything and here we see several very interesting characters, self-motivated and self-reliant.

I must admit experiencing a bit of a stumbling block with the take on Cats.

I haven't really read much about them and I'm more of a dog person more than anything...

Still, I enjoyed the thorough panning of viewpoints and I feel Butcher actively appeals to the imagination describing breathtaking scenes. I look forward to more. Worth a read if you are enjoying his other work. The book is a pure action adventure, I'd read it to popcorn.

If you're looking for depth and contemplation I suggest you look elsewhere.

I haven't read this yet as there are enough complete series that I have to read. Do we know when the next one is coming out? More importantly, when is the next Dresden coming out? Feel like I'm going to have to reread the entire thing by the time it does...

[amphibian]

We don't know when the next anything Butcher is coming.

If you want tower and airship stuff done better than the enjoyable level that Butcher writes at, check out Josiah Bancroft.

[JPK]

Briar King, on 21 April 2018 - 08:23 PM, said:

I myself didn’t like it for the majority of the book. Despite an excellent opening chapter reminding me of Skies of Arcadia the book just stalled hard and I wasn’t a fan of the characters. Enjoyed the ending. Will read the next just cause it’s Butcher but that was easily the worst Butcher I have read.

Really? I thought it was hands-doelwn better than Storm Front, Fool Moon, or
Furies of Calderon. Let's face it though, Butcher's opening books are not one of his strengths.

Edit to add my voice to Amph's Bancroft recommendation. Chris Wooding's Tales of the Ketty Jay were also really enjoyable.

This post has been edited by JPK: 21 April 2018 - 08:34 PM

[QuickTidal]

With all the chatter about Feist, I have begun to re-read MAGICIAN: APPRENTICE so that I can actually move on with the rest of the series...and I forgot how fun and "classic fantasy" this book is. Such a fun ride!

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 23 April 2018 - 12:14 PM

[Mentalist]

Aeronaut's Windlass was certainly better then "Furies of Calderon" (which I hated, and it put me off reading Alera for like 4 years), but it had serious pacing issues for me. The ending creates a set-up for a cool story, but overall, it's a weaker book than "Storm Front". I regretted buying the hardcover.

[Abyss]

Briar King, on 21 April 2018 - 08:23 PM, said:

I myself didn't like it for the majority of the book. Despite an excellent opening chapter reminding me of Skies of Arcadia the book just stalled hard and I wasn't a fan of the characters. Enjoyed the ending. Will read the next just cause it's Butcher but that was easily the worst Butcher I have read.

You likely haven't read the GOBLIN/GHOUL or DOWN TOWN GNs.
I am a Butcher fan to the point that i can forgive even FURIES, but those were just flat out bad.

JPK, on 21 April 2018 - 08:30 PM, said:

Briar King, on 21 April 2018 - 08:23 PM, said:

I myself didn’t like it for the majority of the book. Despite an excellent opening chapter reminding me of Skies of Arcadia the book just stalled hard and I wasn’t a fan of the characters. Enjoyed the ending. Will read the next just cause it’s Butcher but that was easily the worst Butcher I have read.

Really? I thought it was hands-doelwn better than Storm Front, Fool Moon, or
Furies of Calderon. Let's face it though, Butcher's opening books are not one of his strengths.

Edit to add my voice to Amph's Bancroft recommendation. Chris Wooding's Tales of the Ketty Jay were also really enjoyable.

Yeah... FURIES... without the collective forum groupthink about that v the rest of the series, i wouldn't have finished the book. I'm glad i did because i utterly enjoyed the rest of the series, but wow, FURIES is weak.
I waver on putting Bancroft as quite high up as that... tho bk 2, ARM OF THE SPHINX is pretty great.
No hesitation in echoing the KETTY JAY reco. Great series.

QuickTidal, on 23 April 2018 - 12:13 PM, said:

With all the chatter about Feist, I have begun to re-read MAGICIAN: APPRENTICE so that I can actually move on with the rest of the series...and I forgot how fun and "classic fantasy" this book is. Such a fun ride!

It is! And MASTER really does raise the series pretty nicely.

Mentalist, on 23 April 2018 - 02:14 PM, said:

Aeronaut's Windlass was certainly better then "Furies of Calderon" (which I hated, and it put me off reading Alera for like 4 years), but it had serious pacing issues for me. The ending creates a set-up for a cool story, but overall, it's a weaker book than "Storm Front". I regretted buying the hardcover.

I find it hard to compare the two... even leaving aside the different subgenre slots they occupy, STORM FRONT was published in 2000, WINDLASS in 2013 and more than 20 books later.




Cruising along through Liu's GRACE OF KINGS. I like. Can't quite say love at the 50% mark, but i'm definitely enjoying it.

[End of Disc One]

I actually kind of enjoyed Furies of Calderon, mostly because it was an introduction to an interesting world. Then I got tired of the series towards the end.

I'm about 250 pages into Wall of Storms. I can see why BK struggled with this book...it's quite preachy and they sure are spending a lot of time on the education system. However I am not bored at all. The writing and storytelling are just as delightful as in Grace of Kings. I guess it just feels great to be back in this series.