[Mark Lawrence]

I read The Night Circus and then Ready Player One. Next up The Passage by Cronin continues my streak of wildly successful crossover novels.

[Abyss]

Mark Lawrence, on 30 April 2018 - 01:46 PM, said:

I read The Night Circus and then Ready Player One. ...

How did you like (if you want to say... i get it if an author doesn't want to comment publicly on another author's work)?

[acesn8s]

Finished The Flame Bearer. Another solid Uhtred novel by Cornwell.

Starting Green Rider by Kristen Britain.

[Mark Lawrence]

Abyss, on 30 April 2018 - 02:23 PM, said:

Mark Lawrence, on 30 April 2018 - 01:46 PM, said:

I read The Night Circus and then Ready Player One. ...

How did you like (if you want to say... i get it if an author doesn't want to comment publicly on another author's work)?

I reviewed them both!

https://www.goodread...show/2359403698

https://www.goodread...show/2369569017

[End of Disc One]

Nice to see a positive review for Ready Player One. That book has received some fierce backlash this last year or so.

[QuickTidal]

End of Disc One, on 30 April 2018 - 05:37 PM, said:

Nice to see a positive review for Ready Player One. That book has received some fierce backlash this last year or so.

Indeed. I think anyone who complains about it super harshly is either seeking to be "edgy" or is just dog piling on the idea that it's pop-culture fluff and not worth the hype.

I personally loved the book.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Chance, on 30 April 2018 - 12:29 PM, said:

Re-reading Dust of Dreams and enjoying it unsure if re-reading the Chained God or starting up my Esslemont read again is next.

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 30 April 2018 - 12:05 PM, said:

Finished Brust's Book of Taltos omnibus. When I read the first two Vlad books, I thought they were going to be fun sword & sorcery, in the vein of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Standalone quests, little continuity. As I read more Vlad, I am getting the impression that I was wrong — there is serialized continuity between stories, and beyond that, it seems like Brust is building to a major climax. I ordered the final omnibus (and then will have to read the uncollected books too).

Started Banks' Excession.

Gods you have some really good books to read queued up. Towards the current tail end of books the Taltos stories get a bit meandering but more or less always good but some are clearly Brust indulging himself a bit.

Once I finish the Book of Athyra omnibus (collecting Athyra and Orca), what do I read next and in which order? Do I just read the rest of the House books in publication order?

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 30 April 2018 - 06:42 PM

[worry]

Finished Fitz & the Fool last night. In BK parlance, that would be Fitz 9, or Elderlings 16. The end of the whole shebang!

No major spoilers, but still cautious:

Spoiler

There's been a lot of Robin Hobb talk lately so I won't belabor the point. It was everything I hoped for and more. The finale of maybe my favorite series outside of Malazan. I admire Hobb for her absolute honesty and integrity with every character, warts and all, and especially in this final trilogy. Nobody let anybody else off the hook.

Also I loved how this trilogy made a tour of everything that had come before, but so organically it just felt right. Like it was fan service, I suppose, but in the best possible way, and still never easy or comfortable in how the parts interacted. Felt like a master doing a career retrospective while also pulling out some amazing new tricks. And I especially loved getting these Fitzian first person, character-rich perspectives on the characters and events of the Elderglings books that were in third-person.

Anyway: Fitz, the Fool, Nighteyes, Bee, and everyone else...saying goodbye to them was always gonna be hard, but with this finale I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now I'm doing a palate cleanser with some non fantasy: Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere.

[worry]

Well I read the first two trilogies as they came out so it's been a long time, but I still think this was my favorite. The cumulative effect is just so potent. Everything that has happened in all her RotE books leads up to what happens in these ones.

Which leads me to want to tell you a couple things:
1: Fitz 7 is "slow" in the way folks here tend to use that word, so be warned, but 8 & 9 more than make up for it if 7's not your thing. (To be clear, it very much is my thing, just not everybody's).
2: I know you want to read all the Fitz books in a row, but I will tell you that you should probably read the Liveship books before getting to this last trilogy, if you haven't already. Rain Wilds quad can be skipped if you have to because you can at least figure out the gist, but the Liveship stuff is integral if you want maximum impact. Just a suggestion!

[Mentalist]

I suspect I'll be taking a break after "Assassin's Quest". I can understand the love for these books, but they can be "heavy and ponderous", too.
-That being said, it did pick up somewhat with Kettle actually saying stuff.

[Maark Abbott]

acesn8s, on 30 April 2018 - 02:35 PM, said:

Finished The Flame Bearer. Another solid Uhtred novel by Cornwell.

Starting Green Rider by Kristen Britain.

Green Rider is some absolute fluff, however I personally love the series. The first book is a bit naff but after that it gets pretty decent. Blackveil especially was a good ride.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Luv2B_Sassy, on 30 April 2018 - 09:23 PM, said:

Finished Fitz & the Fool last night. In BK parlance, that would be Fitz 9, or Elderlings 16. The end of the whole shebang!

No major spoilers, but still cautious:

Spoiler

There's been a lot of Robin Hobb talk lately so I won't belabor the point. It was everything I hoped for and more. The finale of maybe my favorite series outside of Malazan. I admire Hobb for her absolute honesty and integrity with every character, warts and all, and especially in this final trilogy. Nobody let anybody else off the hook.

Also I loved how this trilogy made a tour of everything that had come before, but so organically it just felt right. Like it was fan service, I suppose, but in the best possible way, and still never easy or comfortable in how the parts interacted. Felt like a master doing a career retrospective while also pulling out some amazing new tricks. And I especially loved getting these Fitzian first person, character-rich perspectives on the characters and events of the Elderglings books that were in third-person.

Anyway: Fitz, the Fool, Nighteyes, Bee, and everyone else...saying goodbye to them was always gonna be hard, but with this finale I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now I'm doing a palate cleanser with some non fantasy: Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere.

I think that sums up succinctly everything I thought after reading it. It's just a wonderful book.

In the last third of Memories of Ice.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 01 May 2018 - 08:29 AM

[Maark Abbott]

Carrying on with Kings of the Wyld. It's decent, but something isn't clicking for me - it feels very brief, the description is kind of light and the moments alluding to humour or drama don't really have enough of either.

After this I think I'm going to crack on with some more Kate Elliott.

[Chance]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 30 April 2018 - 06:41 PM, said:

Once I finish the Book of Athyra omnibus (collecting Athyra and Orca), what do I read next and in which order? Do I just read the rest of the House books in publication order?

Publishing order is the way to go. Many of the later books are more or less one long story arc at least from Issola and onwards reading them out of order spoils stuff. Brusts jumps about a bit in time however so chronological could work as well I guess.

This post has been edited by Chance: 02 May 2018 - 10:31 AM

[Andorion]

Finished Lightbringer 1, really really liked it.

[Abyss]

End of Disc One, on 26 April 2018 - 06:14 PM, said:

Abyss, on 26 April 2018 - 06:07 PM, said:

Abyss, on 23 April 2018 - 02:59 PM, said:

...
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.

Ok, i was all in til Ch 34... but

Spoiler

the banquet where Kuni and Mata finally sort of have it out over who did what during the end of the rebellion... the trite speeches, the most incompetent assassination attempt ever (sword dancing! oh hey, i'll just dance my way over here in front of this crowd and try repeatedly to accidentally stab this guy in the face, wow i wish he'd stop dodging, and now i wish this other guy would stop dancing with me and repeatedly blocking my accidental stabs!), the butcher-soldier interrupting the entire mess by howling at the room for no particular reason...

... was, to me, silly, hamhanded writing that made both protagonists look like morons.
Hopefully the rest of the book reverts to where it was.

Maybe it was written nonsensical but it actually happened in the real life version of the story.

https://en.wikipedia...st_at_Hong_Gate

I wouldn't read too much of the history for spoilers though.

Abyss, on 26 April 2018 - 06:33 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 26 April 2018 - 06:14 PM, said:

...

Maybe it was written nonsensical but it actually happened in the real life version of the story.

https://en.wikipedia...st_at_Hong_Gate

I wouldn't read too much of the history for spoilers though.

I suspect the 'real life' version of the story may have changed in the telling, but based on the book to that point, i think that the author could have made it work better.

Just finished GRACE OF KINGS.

It did recover from that 'silly moment'. Overall i really enjoyed the book. Nicely constructed Asia based setting, interesting characters, good pace, subtle/limited magic, sneaky games between gods, airships...yah, i enjoyed.
There were definitely a few points like the one i ref'd upthread where events felt forced or poorly constructed when the author was trying maybe too hard to reproduce alleged historical events, but that's a minor point, overall it was a solid, enjoyable book.

Starting the sequel WALL OF STORMS now.

[Slow Ben]

Finished GotM, on to Memmmmorrrrieeeesss ooooofffff IIIIIIcccccceeeeeeee!!!!!!!



Re reads take a hell of a lot longer when you have a full time job, wife, and kids.

[worry]

That's why you should sit your family down every night and read it TO them. Like in the old days.

[Yllana]

started the first Witcher book. I don't know if it's because of the German translation, but the language kinda jumps between very modern and archaic. Like a fairy-tale on speed. And I'm pretty sure Geralt doesn't talk this much in the games. XD

[Abyss]

Slow Ben, on 03 May 2018 - 02:04 AM, said:

Finished GotM, on to Memmmmorrrrieeeesss ooooofffff IIIIIIcccccceeeeeeee!!!!!!!



Re reads take a hell of a lot longer when you have a full time job, wife, and kids.

Luv2B_Sassy, on 03 May 2018 - 02:13 AM, said:

That's why you should sit your family down every night and read it TO them. Like in the old days.

This is excellent advice.

And please video the night you get to certain events at Pale. Just leave the audio on you and the video on their faces.
Then post it here.