[Gabriele]

Abyss, on 04 February 2019 - 06:06 PM, said:

Gabriele, on 04 February 2019 - 05:11 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 04 February 2019 - 04:39 PM, said:

Alternative Goose, on 04 February 2019 - 03:47 PM, said:

The protagonist Holden Caulfield is an insufferable idiot who embodies the worst traits of a teenager. I imagine this is interesting to read about when you're coming of age but as a thirty something Caulfield just makes me angry

Yep. It's reason #1 why I've not read it. It seems like the type of book you need to be a youth to enjoy.

I didn't even enjoy it back then. I met that sort of characters at school every day, that was bad enough. Went back to the much more interesting array of characters like Thomas Buddenbrook, Nikolaj Stavrogin, Daniel Deronda, Lucien de Rubempré, Ivanhoe, Aragorn and Athos.

I preferred Jack Ryan and Silk.

Silk, that was the merchant with a side business of spying and assassination and a dislike for porridge, right? Can't blame him about the porridge, I hate that stuff, too. Eddings' books came out past my teenage time, but I enjoyed them as light hearted snacks in between the heavier stuff. Feist's Magician was quite fun, too. Fortunately, Fantasy now offers some main courses with Erikson, Martin and their ilk - those are keepers as much as Thomas Mann, Tolkien or Dostojevsky.

[Gabriele]

Cyphon, on 06 February 2019 - 05:20 PM, said:

Finished the Arm of the Sphinx. Excellent book and I'm looking forward to reading the Hod King when I get around to it.

Reading The Ringed Castle, 5th one of Dorothy Dunnetts Lymomd Chronicles. So far as intriguing as the previous books and there are sections where I get completely lost on what is going on.

Dunnett is an author who requires rereading.

[polishgenius]

I read The Poppy War by RF Kuang this week, interesting debut. It starts off with very much a feel of a Chinese-set Red Sister or Blood Song, but quickly moves on from there. Perhaps a little too quickly- in its hurry to get to the pointy end, there are events and character developments skimmed over that could definitely use more time- but where it's going is worth the effort and sets things up very interestingly for the rest of the series. Worth a look for those who like their fantasy stabby.


Now I started Black Leopard, Red Wolf, genre debut by Brandon James of Brief History of Seven Killings fame. As might have bee expected the 'African Game of Thrones' tag means absolutely nothing- it's got no similarities to aSoIaF, at all- but nonetheless James is a hell of a writer and I'm enjoying it so far. It's not really similar to anything I've read, but in terms of its narrative structure the closest comparison is probably Wolfe's New Sun- it's also a meandering PoV from an unreliable narrator that's told piecemeal and you don't always know what's going on (though it's a lot less dense and deliberately obtuse than BotNS).

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

I lied. I'm going to reread Red Seas Under Red Skies. It kept nudging me with the tip of its spine whenever I passed.

[Andorion]

polishgenius, on 07 February 2019 - 12:14 AM, said:

I read The Poppy War by RF Kuang this week, interesting debut. It starts off with very much a feel of a Chinese-set Red Sister or Blood Song, but quickly moves on from there. Perhaps a little too quickly- in its hurry to get to the pointy end, there are events and character developments skimmed over that could definitely use more time- but where it's going is worth the effort and sets things up very interestingly for the rest of the series. Worth a look for those who like their fantasy stabby.


Now I started Black Leopard, Red Wolf, genre debut by Brandon James of Brief History of Seven Killings fame. As might have bee expected the 'African Game of Thrones' tag means absolutely nothing- it's got no similarities to aSoIaF, at all- but nonetheless James is a hell of a writer and I'm enjoying it so far. It's not really similar to anything I've read, but in terms of its narrative structure the closest comparison is probably Wolfe's New Sun- it's also a meandering PoV from an unreliable narrator that's told piecemeal and you don't always know what's going on (though it's a lot less dense and deliberately obtuse than BotNS).

Yeah the tonal shift of Poppy War is really quite jarring. Its like the author realized midway that she wanted to tell a different story.

Has anyone read Peter Hamilton's new book Salvation? I have started, and it started well, but then there was this huge digression.

[Macros]

Rereading The Straight Razor Cure by Daniel Polanski

[QuickTidal]

Horus wasn't hitting the sweet spot, so I jumped over to I SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT by Pratchett....gods, every time I read a new (to me) Discworld book I've not read...the part of me that is STILL so sad that he's gone realizes that one day I'll run out of books by him that I've not yet read.

That said, Tiffany books are always joy, and this one is no slouch in that department!

[Abyss]

Macros, on 07 February 2019 - 08:18 AM, said:

Rereading The Straight Razor Cure by Daniel Polanski

Ah. Just started his LOW TOWN.

[polishgenius]

Abyss, on 07 February 2019 - 04:53 PM, said:

Macros, on 07 February 2019 - 08:18 AM, said:

Rereading The Straight Razor Cure by Daniel Polanski

Ah. Just started his LOW TOWN.

That's the same book.

I should catch up on that series. I enjoyed Straight Low Razor Town but never read more. I did try Those Above the first of his more recent series but there was a plot point in it that REALLY FUCKING ANNOYED ME though I cannot now remember what it was... think it was either some kind of mindless sexism or something really classist, though. Just remember being uncomfortable reading it.

[Macros]

Yah, Those above I've stalled out on a 1/4 way in.

The Low Town trilogy is great stuff. The warden is an excellent character.

As an aside I had this conversation with Loki a long time ago in the pictionaty thread.

Its called the Low Town trilogy here, with 3 novels (straight razor cure, Tomorrow the Killing and She Who Waits) but with her the first book is just called Low Town

[Abyss]

polishgenius, on 07 February 2019 - 09:03 PM, said:

Abyss, on 07 February 2019 - 04:53 PM, said:

Macros, on 07 February 2019 - 08:18 AM, said:

Rereading The Straight Razor Cure by Daniel Polanski

Ah. Just started his LOW TOWN.

That's the same book.

I should catch up on that series. I enjoyed Straight Low Razor Town but never read more. I did try Those Above the first of his more recent series but there was a plot point in it that REALLY FUCKING ANNOYED ME though I cannot now remember what it was... think it was either some kind of mindless sexism or something really classist, though. Just remember being uncomfortable reading it.

Macros, on 08 February 2019 - 10:04 AM, said:

Yah, Those above I've stalled out on a 1/4 way in.

The Low Town trilogy is great stuff. The warden is an excellent character.

As an aside I had this conversation with Loki a long time ago in the pictionaty thread.

Its called the Low Town trilogy here, with 3 novels (straight razor cure, Tomorrow the Killing and She Who Waits) but with her the first book is just called Low Town

Certainly enjoying it so far. Great earbook narrator, interesting protagonist.

[Salt-Man Z]

Cyphon, on 02 February 2019 - 12:30 AM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 01 February 2019 - 09:35 PM, said:

Currently reading Beneath the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng. I'm only a chapter in, but it's already got its hooks in me. We've got another alternate-history England here, but in this one, travel to the land of Faerie ("Arcadia") has been achieved, and Christian missionaries sent over. The story so far is that our narrator has traveled there to track down her missionary brother. Looking forward to where this goes.

I picked this up to read but couldn't face more missionaries and potentially more bleakness after finishing the Sparrow. I'll be interested to hear what you think.

About halfway through and I'm loving it. It's just mystery after mystery: where's Cathy's brother? Where did the castle come from, who lived in it before it was given to the Mission? What happened to the previous missionary? What's up with the secret journal? And now you've got Queen Mab mixed in with everything, and what does she want? It's also got a great alternate-history vibe, like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell but much easier reading. It's fantastic.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Zuboff's The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. This is a book I could devour rapidly, but can only emotionally handle in short bursts. Equal parts fascinating, horrifying, and lucid bucket of cold water. Only about 1/5 in but everyone should read this.

It's stuff I know already as disparate notions, but the way she weaves it all together creates a bleak narrative.

—

"Lighter" fare: Doctorow's Little Brother. Lighter in quotes because it's not really — first 30 pages have the protagonist being heavily surveilled, witness to a massive terrorist attack, his friend stabbed, people trampled, and then he's illegally detained by DHS.


F U N S T U F F

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 13 February 2019 - 02:48 AM

[worry]

Lord almighty, Whisp.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

worry, on 13 February 2019 - 05:10 AM, said:

Lord almighty, Whisp.

My motto: "Don't half-ass hopelessness."

[Mentalist]

"Brass God" is good. Like, really, really good.

"The Terror" , otoh, is creepy. And it's descriptions of eternal cold are not helping my personal ongoing struggle with a cold.

[Andorion]

Mentalist, on 14 February 2019 - 04:38 PM, said:

"Brass God" is good. Like, really, really good.

"The Terror" , otoh, is creepy. And it's descriptions of eternal cold are not helping my personal ongoing struggle with a cold.

Is that Simmons' Terror?That is one of my all time favourite books. Second to none for creation of atmosphere.

[Cyphon]

Gabriele, on 06 February 2019 - 06:10 PM, said:

Cyphon, on 06 February 2019 - 05:20 PM, said:

Reading The Ringed Castle, 5th one of Dorothy Dunnetts Lymond Chronicles. So far as intriguing as the previous books and there are sections where I get completely lost on what is going on.

Dunnett is an author who requires rereading.

Yup. Good book but so much goes past you I think. Certainly I think I'd appreciate some of the more thematic stuff on a reread that I just don't get on q first read through. Perhaps when I finish the series I might go back to the beginning. Great scene in that book with the play of 'L's.

Came back to under the Pendulum Sun which is shaping up nicely.

Haven't got to Queen Mab as yet but the questions about what the hell is going on nicely. While it's a book 'about' the Fae I liked the reference to Enochian... I suspect some nice foreboding there.

[Salt-Man Z]

Cyphon, on 14 February 2019 - 06:03 PM, said:

Came back to under the Pendulum Sun which is shaping up nicely.

Haven't got to Queen Mab as yet but the questions about what the hell is going on nicely. While it's a book 'about' the Fae I liked the reference to Enochian... I suspect some nice foreboding there.

Just finished the other night. It definitely took a couple of turns I was not expecting! Very good.

[Mentalist]

Andorion, on 14 February 2019 - 05:41 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 14 February 2019 - 04:38 PM, said:

"Brass God" is good. Like, really, really good.

"The Terror" , otoh, is creepy. And it's descriptions of eternal cold are not helping my personal ongoing struggle with a cold.

Is that Simmons' Terror?That is one of my all time favourite books. Second to none for creation of atmosphere.

Yeah, that's the one. Downright oppressive at times. Frankly, I don't want to imagine weather cold enough where blinking is dangerous for your health. I've experienced negative 40s trudging through small snow-covered wastelands, and I'm not excited by descriptions of conditions several times worse. But it's certainly strong atmosphere-building.

Also, finished "Brass God". I need the next book in my life. Like, now. Right now. So, so good in going disparate ways with its storylines and having people make just absolutely terrible decisions seem halfway reasonable as opposed to just downright obtuse.

This is almost MoI level good. I am very impressed.