[amphibian]

I finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Ruin (the sequel to Children of Time). Now I understand why he had to sequence the first book the way he did. This book comes off much, much more sci fi-ish as opposed to "bug stuff" that he was doing in the Empire series.

His writing has gotten better, although I wish he had put a little more into sustaining the exploration of how humans were understanding the Reach, Crown, and Mantle interactions. It moves too quickly from non-comprehension to communication for me - but perhaps the story just had to get past that to conclude.

Well worth reading this series.

[acesn8s]

I finished The Magicians, as I was warned it is a lot different than the series. I have a lot of other books in my queue, so I'll probably wait before picking up book 2. I'm going back to Lawrence's The Liar's Key. I'd like to finish up that series next.

[Abyss]

Aptorian, on 03 September 2019 - 07:48 AM, said:

You've reminded me that I want to read Eddings malarion sequel series.

QuickTidal, on 03 September 2019 - 01:56 PM, said:

That's the one with fantasy Malaria that you get from Dragons, right?

Mono actually.

Eddings was doing dragonfucking way before it became trendy.

[QuickTidal]

Finished Islington's AN ECHO OF THINGS TO COME. It was, aside for some MINOR nitpicks about "middle book syndrome" a stellar continuation of the trilogy and sets up the final book with aplomb. Very much in the wheelhouse of Sanderson and Weeks fans.

I stalled out on taking a stab at Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series...because good cripes, nothing happens in the book I tried to read.

Not sure what is tickling my fancy for reading right now fiction-wise, so maybe it's time for some non-fic palate cleanser.

[RACHEL]

I actually gave away all my Mercedes Lackey books a while ago. I read the first Valdemar book and it was boring and felt really childish. I had read the last trilogy in the Valdemar books as a young teen and remembered really liking it but adult me was less than impressed. Her books are good for teens or people starting out in the genre but an adult, first time reader, who has read Malazan is going to find these simplistic.

[Abyss]

Agreed. Lackey also writes very much in the 'slow build to a single event at the climax of the book' style, where the event frequently isn't even that much of an event. I tried her work a few times but not to my tastes.

[Abyss]

Coming off of the emotional torment that was Pierce Brown's DARK AGE, i felt a need for something light and fluffy, thus...

Abyss, on 28 June 2019 - 02:44 PM, said:

I seem to be on a creature feature run... something called SHADOW BEAST by Luke Philips, earbook was $3, some pos comments.
Based on the blurb and nothing more I'm betting on sabre-tooth tigers.

...this was not bad. It was not good, but it held my attention and filled a need for some utterly frivolous reading.

The author really goes out of his way to keep the characters guessing about what is going on, at times to the point of making them look dumb, but, yah, sabre-tooth tigers. Wholly unsurprising. The entire book is really just loaded with predictable twists, stereotypes so obvious they're painful, and dialogue copied from a 'writing screenplays 101' book. Also, entire chapters where new characters are introduced for the sole purpose of being eaten by the beasty. To be fair, the author plays this trope well because the few times someone isn't actually eaten, it comes as a surprise.


Earbook narrator does well enough with what he has to work with.


In need of something similarly frivolous, i might actually get the sequel.


Now, on to Claire North's THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST.

[QuickTidal]

RACHEL, on 05 September 2019 - 03:44 PM, said:

I actually gave away all my Mercedes Lackey books a while ago. I read the first Valdemar book and it was boring and felt really childish. I had read the last trilogy in the Valdemar books as a young teen and remembered really liking it but adult me was less than impressed. Her books are good for teens or people starting out in the genre but an adult, first time reader, who has read Malazan is going to find these simplistic.

I read a trilogy of books she wrote with James Mallory (Obsidian), which I recall thinking were "fine" to a certain extent (I liked the concept of a dissident half-demon character in it)...but I also didn't move onto the next trilogy in that world because I found them largely plodding. But the other night I was in the book store just casually and saw a nice cover to the latest Valdemar book, and read the synopsis and it sounded "fun", so I dropped into the library and backtracked to the beginning of the series and started that...and yeah, it was really plodding with weird extraneous sex and brooding. Not for me, I think.

[QuickTidal]

BfuckinK, on 05 September 2019 - 04:49 PM, said:

You could retry 1st Man in Rome. Historical fiction may work.

I also have some Sharpe and or Uhtred to dive back into on my Kindle. Lots of choices.

[Tiste Simeon]

UTHRED!!

[Mentalist]

Finished the short story collection "Galactic North". Reminded myself once again that I really need to read more Reynolds.

Next up I'll tackle the 3rd "Traitor Son" book, dread wyrm

[Andorion]

Started The Hum and the Shiver, the first of the Tufa books

[Maark Abbott]

Tiste Simeon, on 05 September 2019 - 05:10 PM, said:

UTHRED!!

ARSELING

[Macros]

QuickTidal, on 05 September 2019 - 04:51 PM, said:

BfuckinK, on 05 September 2019 - 04:49 PM, said:

You could retry 1st Man in Rome. Historical fiction may work.

I also have some Sharpe and or Uhtred to dive back into on my Kindle. Lots of choices.

SHARPE!!



Also, have you tried any of Scaffolds Eagle series yet? It's Sharpe/Uthred in the Roman Legions.

I'm sure we've talked about it before, but I think you and BK (BK especially) woukd love the series. Starting with the first book obviously

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 06 September 2019 - 08:35 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 05 September 2019 - 04:51 PM, said:

BfuckinK, on 05 September 2019 - 04:49 PM, said:

You could retry 1st Man in Rome. Historical fiction may work.

I also have some Sharpe and or Uhtred to dive back into on my Kindle. Lots of choices.

SHARPE!!



Also, have you tried any of Scaffolds Eagle series yet? It's Sharpe/Uthred in the Roman Legions.

I'm sure we've talked about it before, but I think you and BK (BK especially) woukd love the series. Starting with the first book obviously

Yep, I read the first book in Scarrows series and loved it!

But yes, Sharpe won the coin toss, so I’m about 15% into SHARPE’S TRAFALGAR, which is definitely scratching the itch.

[Tiste Simeon]

Booo, Uthred over all!

And Maark if we're being correct, it's ærsling...

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 06 September 2019 - 11:47 AM

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 05 September 2019 - 04:28 PM, said:

...

Now, on to Claire North's THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST.

Y'know, for the level of praise this book has generated, it starts surprisingly slow.

[Tiste Simeon]

Abyss, on 06 September 2019 - 02:04 PM, said:

Abyss, on 05 September 2019 - 04:28 PM, said:

...

Now, on to Claire North's THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST.

Y'know, for the level of praise this book has generated, it starts surprisingly slow.

Oh man I have so much love for this book. Stick with it. If you're doing it via Earbook too, the narrator is ace.

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 06 September 2019 - 02:32 PM

[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 06 September 2019 - 02:32 PM, said:

Abyss, on 06 September 2019 - 02:04 PM, said:

Abyss, on 05 September 2019 - 04:28 PM, said:

...

Now, on to Claire North's THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST.

Y'know, for the level of praise this book has generated, it starts surprisingly slow.

Oh man I have so much love for this book. Stick with it. If you're doing it via Earbook too, the narrator is ace.

He iS, it's just there is so much 'life for a poor child in 1900s England' and minimal sf/f that i showed up for.
Hints, sure, the intro bit was interesting, but right now i feel like i'm listening to a Jane Austen novel. Maybe Dickens.

[Aptorian]

Subsequent lives itterate on the first one so it pays off.