[amphibian]

I finished Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint by Sing Shong. It's a 551 chapter series of short novels that revolve around a reader of a crappy web novel finding out that the world within it becomes real. It immediately moves past the "this is just wish fulfillment" stuff into "why is this important to this or that character", "build up very credible adversaries", and above all "create a worthwhile end goal with fun characters".

I found it to be powerfully affectionate and very willing to play around with familiar myths, settings, and what the nature of stories that last in human memory end up being.

I strongly recommend it for those looking for an offbeat, satirical, and propulsive story.

[worry]

I usually set a hard limit at 550 chapters, but that does sound intriguing!

I finished The Way of Edan by Philip Chase, who seems like the Ryan Seacrest of SFF Booktube -- not that he's slick, just that he's everywhere. It's the first book in a trilogy, and the most surprising thing -- at least to me -- is how much more Wheel of Time than Malazan it feels. In fact it feels pre-ASOIAF, let alone MBOTF. Which isn't a knock, per se, it's just -- again -- very surprisingly conventional.
It's essentially a farm boy (or a farm young man in this case) with a destiny story so far. It's got a few more POVs, including some among the 'bad guys' -- who in this case aren't Dark Lord types so much as true believer religious fundamentalists. Which is also the main theme, I guess you might say, and maybe the one thing that modernizes it. The whole 'the bad guys don't consider themselves the bad guys' thing. It's taken seriously here. Anyway, it's not super ambitious so far but it's readable, has a couple good action scenes (including the climax), and does more or less stick the landing -- however predictably. I'll continue the series hoping for a few more surprises in the next book.

[QuickTidal]

THE COMBAT CODES was a bit dense to get into, so I'll get back to it later.

Jumped into PAWN'S GAMBIT by Rob J. Hayes instead, and I don't think I was expecting it to be about a side character from NEVER DIE and a not-sequel to that book (by way of being 5 years after the denouement of that first book, concerning as character of that book and living in the world that the events of that book wrought)...it's great. I truly love Hayes' writing. It's clever without being overly verbose, and evocative without being flowery. Glad I grabbed all four of these when I bought NEVER DIE as I fee like I'll just keep reading them till I'm done.

[worry]

Pawn's Gambit! One of the craziest Dave Eddings books for sure. Sorry don't have time to read more than the first four words, will return later to see how you liked it.

[Tiste Simeon]

 worry, on 17 July 2023 - 12:26 PM, said:

Pawn's Gambit! One of the craziest Dave Eddings books for sure. Sorry don't have time to read more than the first four words, will return later to see how you liked it.

I preferred THE MAGICIAN QUEEN'S ENDGAME PROPHECY but that's subjective taste for you!

[Abyss]

 Tiste Simeon, on 17 July 2023 - 02:18 PM, said:

 worry, on 17 July 2023 - 12:26 PM, said:

Pawn's Gambit! One of the craziest Dave Eddings books for sure. Sorry don't have time to read more than the first four words, will return later to see how you liked it.

I preferred THE MAGICIAN QUEEN'S ENDGAME PROPHECY but that's subjective taste for you!

The crossover w the Malazan books was better.

[QuickTidal]

Halfway through DAGGERSPELL by Katharine Kerr.

Um....where has this book been all my life? Like seriously, this is GOT level stuff for me. I'm as engrossed as I can recall being in a book recently. Just wow.

I struggled a BIT at first to get ahold of names and places and the time jumps, but once I got it and it clicked, I was off to the races. She's a wonderful writer and this is a fantastic book!

[Abyss]

Just finished Stross' SEASON OF SKULLS. Good enough end, weak book. Not the note i had hoped to see the spin-off series end on. The interesting characters are mostly sidelined, the MC was better as a supporting character, and her plotline is a tiresome series of escapes. If you're reading the LAUNDRY series and have read the spinoffs, this is worthwhile for some of the worldbuilding but otherwise meh.

Now... Ilona Andrews' MAGIC TIDES/CLAIMS.... BRING ON THE KATEMINE!!!!!

[Abyss]

 Abyss, on 20 July 2023 - 04:05 AM, said:

Now... Ilona Andrews' MAGIC TIDES/CLAIMS.... BRING ON THE KATEMINE!!!!!

Just Finished and that was some damn fine Kateamine. Comments in the ded thread.

Started Sanderson's 'secret project' #3, YUMI AND THE NIGHTMARE PAINTER, was quite enjoying it but then Pierce Brown's latest Red Rising book, LIGHT BRINGER landed so Brandon gets punted. 3 chapters in, it is so good to be beack in this world even if everything is utterly fncked for the good guys.

[Tiste Simeon]

Currently listening to The Silmarillion as read by Andy Serkis. There's a lot of names to keep on top of but I'm more or less following. Melkor is nasty and Varda sounds like a hottie.

Why Manwe never squished Melkor I don't know. I feel like between all the good Valar, they had enough firepower to make Melkor very not alive!

[Macros]

Finished Assassins Quest.

Was a slow read due to lack of reading time more than anything else. An excellent finale to the trilogy, so glad I gave Hobb another chance after the Soldier Son trilo

[QuickTidal]

Re-started THE BLACK COMPANY again (want to get further in the series as I own it all now in the tOR omni's) by Cook, and this time I've finally gotten sucked right in. I think the thing I bounced off the first time I tried, the short and to the point prose, is the thing that's sucked me in this time...I've been bouncing off the longer more depth-y prose in this last few months so Cooks more straightforward approach is ABSOLUTELY hitting me the right way this time. Anyways, the first omni will be my cottage read for the next week I have off.

[worry]

Glad to hear that! There's something about the approach to world-building, or lore or what have you, that kinda feels wrong-headed at first cuz it seems so perfunctory and distanced. But it's cumulative (and of course, not as distanced as it seems initially), so once you sync with the POV it really starts to feel right, for this story at least. It just sneaks up on you. Even among other first-person narratives, Black Company has a really unique flavor.

[QuickTidal]

 worry, on 26 July 2023 - 03:37 PM, said:

Glad to hear that! There's something about the approach to world-building, or lore or what have you, that kinda feels wrong-headed at first cuz it seems so perfunctory and distanced. But it's cumulative (and of course, not as distanced as it seems initially), so once you sync with the POV it really starts to feel right, for this story at least. It just sneaks up on you. Even among other first-person narratives, Black Company has a really unique flavor.

Yeah, I think that's what's hitting me this time in a sweet spot. I wasn't prepared for it before, but I must be in the right place in my life/reading to get the fullest experience out of this. I also feel that the first 50-100 pages of the first book leap around a LOT, but after that it seems to have calmed right down...like Cook was working out the kinks of what and how he wanted to write this story and settled into a nice even pacing.

[Abyss]

 QuickTidal, on 26 July 2023 - 03:42 PM, said:

 worry, on 26 July 2023 - 03:37 PM, said:

Glad to hear that! There's something about the approach to world-building, or lore or what have you, that kinda feels wrong-headed at first cuz it seems so perfunctory and distanced. But it's cumulative (and of course, not as distanced as it seems initially), so once you sync with the POV it really starts to feel right, for this story at least. It just sneaks up on you. Even among other first-person narratives, Black Company has a really unique flavor.

Yeah, I think that's what's hitting me this time in a sweet spot. I wasn't prepared for it before, but I must be in the right place in my life/reading to get the fullest experience out of this. I also feel that the first 50-100 pages of the first book leap around a LOT, but after that it seems to have calmed right down...like Cook was working out the kinks of what and how he wanted to write this story and settled into a nice even pacing.

This is funny to me because when he 'settles down' circa SHE IS THE DARKNESS is where he loses me. The move into the 'bigger' story and the history of the company threw me right out. I liked the misfit mercenaries sometimes working for/with the bad guys in events out of their depth just trying to survive, being pulled in different directions. The whole history/destiny/chosen one thing was a step backwards too far into trope-land, for me.

[amphibian]

He sure did step backwards out of writing too.

[pat5150]

 QuickTidal, on 19 July 2023 - 06:10 PM, said:

Halfway through DAGGERSPELL by Katharine Kerr.

Um....where has this book been all my life? Like seriously, this is GOT level stuff for me. I'm as engrossed as I can recall being in a book recently. Just wow.

I struggled a BIT at first to get ahold of names and places and the time jumps, but once I got it and it clicked, I was off to the races. She's a wonderful writer and this is a fantastic book!

Good to know! Bought it this spring and looking for an excuse to read it!

Regarding the Black Company, personally everything after the Books of the South omnibus got to be more and more subpar. Whatever you do, DO NOT READ Port of Shadows. Yes, it's that bad and should never have been written!

Reading Jacqueline Carey's Banewreaker (which I bought at a used bookstore in Golden, BC) right now, after which I'll probably move back to Michelle West.

[QuickTidal]

I own it and so I'm going to read it...and to be fair there has been more than one book over the years that you didn't like that I enjoyed a lot.

[worry]

I think the series gets better as it goes, and the last two books are the best. I haven't read the midquel yet though. It'll be exciting to see where you land, given what a Land Of Contrasts this board turned out to be.


Personally, I'm back to it with Michelle West -- House War book 2, City of Night. I love her writing, her character work, and the sense of foreboding that's building. I also like how cranky everyone is. It remains a slow burn in terms of plot momentum, and I don't know if I care about the antagonists much, but so far that's fine with me.

[QuickTidal]

 worry, on 27 July 2023 - 12:22 PM, said:

Personally, I'm back to it with Michelle West -- House War book 2, City of Night. I love her writing, her character work, and the sense of foreboding that's building. I also like how cranky everyone is. It remains a slow burn in terms of plot momentum, and I don't know if I care about the antagonists much, but so far that's fine with me.

CITY OF NIGHT is amazing. It's Rath-tacular!