[Tsundoku]

Recently read Of Shadow and Sea by Will Wight after seeing recco's upthread. Not bad. Interesting concept, solid action, passable tropey characters, very little padding.
Seven out of eleven sleep-deprived psychopaths.

I'm thinking things will get a bit less tropey in the subsequent books and I'm on to the companion book Of Sea and Shadow so we'll see how that goes.

[stone monkey]

Thin Air was okay. It felt somewhat like Morgan-by-the-numbers to me, lacking the in-your-face, angry kick of most of his earlier books - especially something like Black Man (which gained the title Thirteen in North America, and then elsewhere... for reasons). I'll be interested to see if he can get that back in the sequel. Although reading the blurb for it, I'm not at all confident he will, as it seems like more of the same. Maybe he just got older, and is less of the angry young man he once was.

I do find his Rowling-like stance on trans issues somewhat perplexing, especially given his unabashed railing about structural societal injustices in the past.

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 06 April 2021 - 09:54 PM

[Abyss]

I thought THIN AIR recaptured a lot of the feel and attitude of BLACK MAN that i really enjoyed, and i liked his Mars. It was dirty and real and broken.

The transgender thing... for whatever reason he went all in, publicly, on the 'do whatever you like but men have a penis women have a vagina it's science' pov that triggered a tidal wave of hostility.

[Maark Abbott]

 Abyss, on 07 April 2021 - 04:41 AM, said:

I thought THIN AIR recaptured a lot of the feel and attitude of BLACK MAN that i really enjoyed, and i liked his Mars. It was dirty and real and broken.

The transgender thing... for whatever reason he went all in, publicly, on the 'do whatever you like but men have a penis women have a vagina it's science' pov that triggered a tidal wave of hostility.

Sounds like a 'reap what you sow' moment.

3/4 into Lord Foul's Bane now and who are these cheeky little fellows showing me where Erikson got the name the Rope form? They're adorable!

[Stalker]

 Abyss, on 06 April 2021 - 04:42 AM, said:

Hey did anyone else know Richard Morgan had a sequel to THIN AIR coming out this month?

Where do you see it’s releasing this month? I can’t find it anywhere other than your link, which looks more like a placeholder for a far off release. Not in my library for recommending they purchase it, no cover, etc.

I’ll be looking forward to it when it comes though,

[Abyss]

 Abyss, on 01 April 2021 - 04:05 PM, said:

Midway into Nikki Drayden's PREY OF THE GODS.

This came to my attention fairly randomly in a twitter thread asking new BIPOC authors to promote their work. Bought it on a whim based on her response. Am very enjoying it. The cast is wide and interesting, a peculiar girl from a rural village, a teen from Capetown, a struggling pop star, a politician / drag queen / musician, a fading goddess / nail technician with a diabolical master plan, an awakening AI... each has their own storyline. The author does an excellent ... exceptional even... job of weaving the different stories together. It's really quite fun to read an event and see it matter pages later... and not a different pov on the same event... two characters meet in one storyline, that meeting has real consequences later in a different storyline.


It's more sci fantasy or urban fantasy than sci fi, set in near'ish future South Africa and digs in nicely, very much not North American in setting, culture, etc. There are neat elements of African myths worked in, adapted and classic. Overall the fantastical elements are nicely original.

The earbook narrator sets the tone beautifully w voices and accents.

At the halfway mark, it's building nicely. All the characters have already evolved and continue to. If this book can stick the landing i will be looking for more from this author.

Just finished.

Totally stuck the landing. Went full comic book in a great way. Will absolutely try something else by this author.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Reading Jacka's first 3 Alex Verus novels — Fated, Cursed, and Taken (?). They're a lot of fun. I'd love to read a Dresden/Verus team-up.

[QuickTidal]

MAGE’S BLOOD by David Hair...super slow burn at first...but then chapter 8 hits at about the 20%mark and HOLY SHIT what an action sequence, and now I’m all in.

[Abyss]

 Whisperzzzzzzz, on 08 April 2021 - 11:29 AM, said:

Reading Jacka's first 3 Alex Verus novels — Fated, Cursed, and Taken (?). They're a lot of fun. I'd love to read a Dresden/Verus team-up.

Amusing aside: Not Butcher, but Peter Grant series author Ben Aaronovitch and Jacka have both said they'd love to do a crossover, but their magic systems are incompatible and they couldn't figure out a way to make it work.

[Abyss]

About 1/3rd into Myke Cole's LEGION VERSUS PHALANX.
It's a historical study of the six battles where Greek/Spartan style phalanx armies (ie 300 but in armor, not loincloths and capes) faced Roman Legions (ie the beginning of GLADIATOR).
So far he's broken down both styles of army by brief history, lines of battle, equipment, common tactics. About to start getting into the battles.

Unlike what i usually read (listen) and i'm really enjoying it. The books is written towards a non-academic, non-military audience, and the narrator delivers the text as if you were sitting in a bar with a buddy telling some interesting stories.

[worry]

I started Addie LaRue. Ebook became available from my library earlier than expected. Dunno if I can finish it in two weeks but I'll give it a go.

[Maark Abbott]

Tonight on Thomas Gear:

We mug off a horse...

Our friend is too girthy to fit into this hole...

And an old man called Mhoram ejaculates.

[Tiste Simeon]

 worry, on 12 April 2021 - 04:43 AM, said:

I started Addie LaRue. Ebook became available from my library earlier than expected. Dunno if I can finish it in two weeks but I'll give it a go.

You can finish it in two weeks no problems.

[Abyss]

 worry, on 12 April 2021 - 04:43 AM, said:

I started Addie LaRue. Ebook became available from my library earlier than expected. Dunno if I can finish it in two weeks but I'll give it a go.

 Tiste Simeon, on 12 April 2021 - 12:29 PM, said:

You can finish it in two weeks no problems.

Counterpoint: You are doomed to a life unfulfilled.

[Tiste Simeon]

 Abyss, on 12 April 2021 - 12:54 PM, said:

 worry, on 12 April 2021 - 04:43 AM, said:

I started Addie LaRue. Ebook became available from my library earlier than expected. Dunno if I can finish it in two weeks but I'll give it a go.

 Tiste Simeon, on 12 April 2021 - 12:29 PM, said:

You can finish it in two weeks no problems.

Counterpoint: You are doomed to a life unfulfilled.

Theory: worry is actually Addie but a bearded Californian dude rather than a beautiful French peasant girl.

[Abyss]

 Tiste Simeon, on 12 April 2021 - 02:56 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 12 April 2021 - 12:54 PM, said:

 worry, on 12 April 2021 - 04:43 AM, said:

I started Addie LaRue. Ebook became available from my library earlier than expected. Dunno if I can finish it in two weeks but I'll give it a go.

 Tiste Simeon, on 12 April 2021 - 12:29 PM, said:

You can finish it in two weeks no problems.

Counterpoint: You are doomed to a life unfulfilled.

Theory: worry is actually Addie but a bearded Californian dude rather than a beautiful French peasant girl.

who is worry?

[worry]

Did somebody say Californian?

[Maark Abbott]

 QuickTidal, on 12 April 2021 - 12:40 AM, said:

MAGE'S BLOOD by David Hair...super slow burn at first...but then chapter 8 hits at about the 20%mark and HOLY SHIT what an action sequence, and now I'm all in.

I dropped the series after the second book. There's using the grimdark for shock purposes and then there's using it to say "I'm not a YA author now!" and for me the second book fell into the latter. Shame because I did enjoy the first one.

On the last 15% odd of Lord Foul's Bane. You can really see where Donaldson influenced Our Steve. And hot damn this guy wields words like some sort of iado master. By the time you notice him cut with the pen, you're already dead. NANI

[polishgenius]

I read a recent debut, The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson. It's a good debut, very promising, slightly compromised by the fact that for the first half of the book the main character is unbearably and idiotically reckless in almost every decision. She does learn and it's obviously a deliberate choice but the author did go a bit OTT with it.

Still, other than that, it pops- the world is fantastic, ships sailing on top of a miles-deep sea of grass, magical fires make them go, lots of weird and wonderful supporting cast, piracy, mystery, conflict and derring do. Plus a framing story that puts an added impetus to the main narrative.


Worth reading, but also worth noting that it is a literal plot point that it doesn't really finish properly.

[QuickTidal]

 Maark Abbott, on 13 April 2021 - 07:40 AM, said:

 QuickTidal, on 12 April 2021 - 12:40 AM, said:

MAGE'S BLOOD by David Hair...super slow burn at first...but then chapter 8 hits at about the 20%mark and HOLY SHIT what an action sequence, and now I'm all in.

I dropped the series after the second book. There's using the grimdark for shock purposes and then there's using it to say "I'm not a YA author now!" and for me the second book fell into the latter. Shame because I did enjoy the first one.

Sorry, but wot?

That's a really bizarre take man. Especially considering one of your fave series (also about Fantasy Crusades) is written by a guy who always wants out outgrimdark himself with Uber-grimdark with scads of navel gaze...just because he can and not because it's relevant.

Also, how does "has written YA books, and also writes Adult books" translate for you into "I'm not a YA author now so here's some grim dark to prove it!"...I'm afraid you'll have to walk me through that one mate.

------

On the side I'm also re-reading SAILING TO SARANTIUM (still great!) as a comfort read, and the 4th Flavia De Luce Mystery (I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS) by Alan Bradley because I've ordered the next 3 books in that series as well.

Oh and lastly, I've found this site: Literature Map on which you plunk in an authors name and the algorithm throws up a compass of all the closest authors who write similar stuff....and it's QUITE accurate. And works better than stuff like "Similar Reads" lists on GoodReads which are never very accurate.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 13 April 2021 - 03:35 PM