[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Andorion, on 17 May 2018 - 12:55 PM, said:

To be perfectly honest, the principal reason I always wanted to read that series was the name - The Darkness That Comes Before - it sounded so cool.

That's how I found Malazan initially - I'd seen Toll the Hounds a couple of times and kept thinking both the title and the painting of the hound on the UK paperback were really ominous and interesting.

Almost at the end of House of Chains, will start Midnight Tides this evening I expect.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 17 May 2018 - 01:09 PM

[Andorion]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 17 May 2018 - 01:08 PM, said:

Andorion, on 17 May 2018 - 12:55 PM, said:

To be perfectly honest, the principal reason I always wanted to read that series was the name - The Darkness That Comes Before - it sounded so cool.

That's how I found Malazan initially - I'd seen Toll the Hounds a couple of times and kept thinking both the title and the painting of the hound on the UK paperback were really ominous and interesting.

Almost at the end of House of Chains, will start Midnight Tides this evening I expect.

I picked up Malazan because of the series name - Malazan Book of the Fallen sounded different and I thought that the Crippled God had good cover art. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

[QuickTidal]

Um....so halfway through THE WINDS OF KHALAKOVO by Bradley Beaulieu...this is REALLY good. Such meaty world building but such quick pacing. Loving it!

[Macros]

Grey Sister arrived today.
Will be stopping all other reading and starting it tonight.

Hey Abyss, you probably should get on this series....

[Tiste Simeon]

End of Disc One, on 17 May 2018 - 01:10 AM, said:

Luv2B_Sassy, on 16 May 2018 - 11:57 PM, said:

Now I'm starting...dundunDUN...The Darkness That Comes Before. We'll see what all the hubbub is about.

Have some tissue nearby!

I'd suggest having a pillow nearby. Because you'll fall asleep. Cos it's so intensely boring. Literally nothing happen. And there's only one character who is anyway redeemable. And all the women are just there to end up as sex objects.

It's terrible is what I'm trying to say.

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 17 May 2018 - 05:34 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 17 May 2018 - 01:10 AM, said:

Luv2B_Sassy, on 16 May 2018 - 11:57 PM, said:

Now I'm starting...dundunDUN...The Darkness That Comes Before. We'll see what all the hubbub is about.

Have some tissue nearby!

I'd suggest having a pillow nearby. Because you'll fall asleep. Cos it's so intensely boring. Literally nothing happen. And there's only one character who is anyway redeemable. And all the women are just there to end up as sex objects.

It's terrible is what I'm trying to say.

^^This.

[Abyss]

Macros, on 17 May 2018 - 03:12 PM, said:

Grey Sister arrived today.
Will be stopping all other reading and starting it tonight.

Hey Abyss, you probably should get on this series....

Die.
I mean that in a nice way.

QuickTidal, on 17 May 2018 - 05:37 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 17 May 2018 - 05:34 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 17 May 2018 - 01:10 AM, said:

Luv2B_Sassy, on 16 May 2018 - 11:57 PM, said:

Now I'm starting...dundunDUN...The Darkness That Comes Before. We'll see what all the hubbub is about.

Have some tissue nearby!

I'd suggest having a pillow nearby. Because you'll fall asleep. Cos it's so intensely boring. Literally nothing happen. And there's only one character who is anyway redeemable. And all the women are just there to end up as sex objects.

It's terrible is what I'm trying to say.

^^This.

Everything they just posted is entirely accurate.

...on Bizzaro World.

[polishgenius]

Finally at The Crippled God on my Malazan re-read (though I'll still be finishing up with Blood and Bone and Assail, plus FoD and a first read of Fall of Light). Gotta say, a lot of the issues I had with it and the latter half of the series in general are much mitigated when taken as part of a 10 volume story than as part of one book, or even the two-parter with Dust of Dreams, with a wait between.
Though it still has its issues, the main one in this case being that the Bonehunters doubt and uncertainty plotline seemed to have been resolved and while it coming back up isn't unrealistic, it never acknowledges that it had been dealt with in the first place.

Also, I was quite surprised to see

Spoiler

Gruntle taking a cameo pitstop in genocide-era colonial America

or is that just me?

[Slow Ben]

Tiste Simeon, on 17 May 2018 - 05:34 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 17 May 2018 - 01:10 AM, said:

Luv2B_Sassy, on 16 May 2018 - 11:57 PM, said:

Now I'm starting...dundunDUN...The Darkness That Comes Before. We'll see what all the hubbub is about.

Have some tissue nearby!

I'd suggest having a pillow nearby. Because you'll fall asleep.

Or to smother yourself to take away the shear awfulness.

[Tiste Simeon]

Slow Ben, on 18 May 2018 - 01:56 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 17 May 2018 - 05:34 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 17 May 2018 - 01:10 AM, said:

Luv2B_Sassy, on 16 May 2018 - 11:57 PM, said:

Now I'm starting...dundunDUN...The Darkness That Comes Before. We'll see what all the hubbub is about.

Have some tissue nearby!

I'd suggest having a pillow nearby. Because you'll fall asleep.

Or to smother yourself to take away the shear awfulness.

Exactly!

[Maark Abbott]

Tiste Simeon, on 17 May 2018 - 05:34 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 17 May 2018 - 01:10 AM, said:

Luv2B_Sassy, on 16 May 2018 - 11:57 PM, said:

Now I'm starting...dundunDUN...The Darkness That Comes Before. We'll see what all the hubbub is about.

Have some tissue nearby!

I'd suggest having a pillow nearby. Because you'll fall asleep. Cos it's so intensely boring. Literally nothing happen. And there's only one character who is anyway redeemable. And all the women are just there to end up as sex objects.

It's terrible is what I'm trying to say.

Simeon, roll me a charisma saving throw right this very now. My disgruntlement level increased on reading this silliness.

On my part I think Bakker is right up there with Erikson. Big influence on my own stuff (characters, primarily).

[End of Disc One]

I was also just going to say that I put Second Apocalypse on the same level as Malazan

[Abyss]

polishgenius, on 17 May 2018 - 09:08 PM, said:

Finally at The Crippled God on my Malazan re-read (though I'll still be finishing up with Blood and Bone and Assail, plus FoD and a first read of Fall of Light). Gotta say, a lot of the issues I had with it and the latter half of the series in general are much mitigated when taken as part of a 10 volume story than as part of one book, or even the two-parter with Dust of Dreams, with a wait between.
Though it still has its issues, the main one in this case being that the Bonehunters doubt and uncertainty plotline seemed to have been resolved and while it coming back up isn't unrealistic, it never acknowledges that it had been dealt with in the first place.

Also, I was quite surprised to see

Spoiler

Gruntle taking a cameo pitstop in genocide-era colonial America

or is that just me?

I have this vague recall that scene had sufficient fantasy elements that would disprove your theory, but am not certain.

[polishgenius]

Abyss, on 19 May 2018 - 04:05 AM, said:

polishgenius, on 17 May 2018 - 09:08 PM, said:

Finally at The Crippled God on my Malazan re-read (though I'll still be finishing up with Blood and Bone and Assail, plus FoD and a first read of Fall of Light). Gotta say, a lot of the issues I had with it and the latter half of the series in general are much mitigated when taken as part of a 10 volume story than as part of one book, or even the two-parter with Dust of Dreams, with a wait between.
Though it still has its issues, the main one in this case being that the Bonehunters doubt and uncertainty plotline seemed to have been resolved and while it coming back up isn't unrealistic, it never acknowledges that it had been dealt with in the first place.

Also, I was quite surprised to see

Spoiler

Gruntle taking a cameo pitstop in genocide-era colonial America

or is that just me?

I have this vague recall that scene had sufficient fantasy elements that would disprove your theory, but am not certain.

There aren't, really.

Spoiler

Gruntle mentions that Poleil was unleashed but that doesn't necessarily mean literally. He also says the world feels more evil but that just felt like some on-the-nose commentary on our world, Matthew Stover style. All the other magic in the scene comes from Gruntle himself and Trake.
There definitely aren't enough details to make it definite that it is our world but it definitely feels like he left the possibility open on purpose.

[Tiste Simeon]

I have no idea which bit you two are talking about but I'm on TTH right now so I imagine I'll get there eventually (though I've got DOD/OST before I get to TCG...)

[Macros]

A John Me Carre novel 'Legacy of Spies'
Not my usual fare, but it was on offer in Asda and I did enjoy The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, so giving it a whirl, about 30/40 pages in, it's still all set up, but very different in its approach that in from the cold.
We'll see how it goes

[worry]

You're zooming through these.

[acesn8s]

On the downward slope of Leviathan Wakes. It's really good. I'm going to end up getting the rest of the books in the series as soon as I finish.

[QuickTidal]

Finished THE WINDS OF KHALAKOVO by Beaulieu...and I have thoughts.

spoilers.

Spoiler

Solid first half with lots of world building and intrigue and a great pacing. Though I'm not sure I understand why Victania was shown to be such a bubbly, and nice person to her older brother at the beginning....but was a reprehensible WITCH to Atiana from moment one. Atiana was nothing but nice to her, and she's this vile hag to her. It simply didn't jive with how Victania was written for the first few Nikandr chapters.

Anyways. Second half is a bit of a stumble for me. I mean, it's fine...and it goes somewhere eventually...but the amount of times that Nasim is kidnapped (against his will or not really) in the book numbers like 3 or 4 times...and taking Nasim, moving him, asking him questions and getting mild/cryptic answers, moving him again, someone else takes him, uses him to do ________ magic thing...by the end I kind of hoped someone would kill him just so I didn't have to watch the various characters try to shift him around like the stories macguffin.

Everything else is fine...the Duke's politicking is...a little off kilter. The Vostroma VS Khalakovo politics plot line is especially strangely constructed. One moment Zabhyn and Borund are fine with Nikandr (if brusque), and the next they've ALWAYS been plotting a coup. One moment Borund banters with Nikandr like the childhood friends they were, the next he is ranting about Nikandr not wanting to marry Atiana...and then later back again to friendly. I got whiplash from the character tone switches sometimes.

I'll be reading the next one (I got all 3 for $3 after all)....but I hope that the next volume gets more accomplished, doesn't rehash the same plot line over and over...and hopefully keeps one narrative voice and personality for each character.

It's an interesting world, that's for certain!

[pat5150]

Just read and reviewed Jacqueline Carey's Starless.

The Middle Eastern/Islamic setting was fascinating early on and this looked as though it would be the fantasy book of the year. But one of the main characters is thoroughly annoying, and the plot sags in the middle and peters out toward an ending that failed to live up to its potential.

Could have been great, but is merely good in the end. A bit disappointing because of that.