[worry]

I always shipped Mentalist and Sexy Lady, or Man. Dream fulfilled!

I finished Fionavar Tapestry. Very satisfying conclusion, and an all around lovely series, derivativity (that's a word!) notwithstanding.

[Tiste Simeon]

Abyss, on 18 July 2024 - 03:40 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 18 July 2024 - 12:00 PM, said:

Abyss, on 18 July 2024 - 03:01 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 17 July 2024 - 04:30 PM, said:

Abyss, on 17 July 2024 - 02:15 AM, said:

cool story bro. tell it again. only this time, add dragons and shit.

Yeah so he started a book - I believe called "The Last Mortal Bond" - presumably aiming to read quite far. Only, get this, he couldn't! Because these blackflies, they were swarming! And there was also dragons and whatnot involved somehow.

And that's the story.

Needs sex.

*Sigh*

Yeah so he started a book - I believe called "The Last Mortal Bond" - presumably aiming to read quite far. Only, get this, he couldn't! Because these blackflies, they were swarming! And there was also dragons and whatnot involved somehow.

And once they'd all gone, he was about to get back to his book but a sexy lady, or man, was all like "ooh you wanna have sex?" And he threw the book away cos honestly that's the correct response. So they bumped uglies til the break of day.

And that's the story.

loved it, no notes, prep a pitch and we'll hit the studios.

That was certainly the best thing I've ever written. I bet Netflix will pick it up.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 03 July 2024 - 04:32 PM, said:

...Also just finished SUICIDE KINGS, the latest Eric Carter Necromancer book from Stephen Blackmoore. This was the Graphic Audio full cast version i had been waiting for. Great fun book, i was worried the reset in the last book had taken some of the wind out of the series, but nah, the action, the witty dialogue, the violence, the drug use, the clever use of Mexican mythology in necromancy, all there and better than ever. To my very pleasant surprise, the next two books, CULT CLASSIC and HATE MACHINE, are both already out in audible narrator format, so two credits launched and yay, more fun ahead! ....sorry Graphic Audio but you snooze you lose (unless the narrator is bad but i think i recognize the name as good).

Just Finished HATE MACHINE and CULT CLASSIC. More of the same fun, it's not brilliant but it is clever, fast paced, and entertaining. The magic is played pretty fast n loose but the necromantic elements are nice original. Narrator is good tho his Latina accent gets pretty brutal at times. Anyhoo, great fun. It's not clear whether CULT was the end of the series, it certainly could be. If the author writes more, i'll read more.

Starting THE DAUGHTER'S WAR, Chris Bhuelman's sequel/prequel to THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF. Looking fwd to this.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Taken up earbook more recently, and finished a couple:

Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart. Read by the author, it's a very good listen, aside from routinely making your despair/rage in equal measure about the state of UK politics. There are definitely people in Westminster who will never speak to Stewart again, but I never felt it comes over as an attack piece and Stewart is self-deprecating enough about his own mistakes and naivete in his career that it doesn't feel like a blind "everyone is wrong but me" at any point. Thanks for the recommendation, Tiste!

Towers of Midnight. Had a long break from listening to Wheel of Time but finished this one this week. More enjoyable than I remembered, except I still cringe every time Mat ventures any opinion about women. If there's one criticism I could make of Sanderson, he could have toned down the sexist nonsense without losing the characters, but he runs right on with it. Otherwise, he's a vast improvement over the last couple of Robert Jordan books in particular.

An hour or so into Memory of Light now, and I seem to remember actually really enjoying it when I read it on release. We shall see!

Non-earbook I'm about half way through Becky Chambers' A Psalm for the Wild Built. It's very her, and it's lovely. A shame it's only short.

[polishgenius]

I've had a pretty slow year so far to be honest. Most recently I finished Ann Leckie's Translation State, which is an excellent book in its own right but, for me, quite a weird fit into the series. Not sure quite why.


Now I'm reading The Dance of Shadows, by Rogba Payne, and this is terrific. It's an Africa-inspired fantasy by a Nigerian-British author. Got themes of colonisation going on, cultural and religious impact and all that, the clash of African(based) religion and cultural practice with a fantasy-Christianity, but also turns that into a proper epic fantasy story. Also: it approaches it's magic (or juju, as the story makes clear), gods, and action in an almost Malazan-like way, but there's also a musical, performance component to the story that is definitely inspired by Patrick Rothfuss.

I think it'd go down well with you lot to be honest.

Mind you, I'm only 100 pages in, but yeah this shit rocks.

[worry]

That sounds great but apparently does not have a North American publisher!

[polishgenius]

Man that's a shame. Hopefully it gets one.

[Tsundoku]

Tsundoku, on 05 October 2020 - 09:53 AM, said:

Just finished Son of a Liche - The Dark Profit Saga 2, by J Zachary Pike.

Book 1 was "Orconomics: A Satire".

Dear God, so much fun. Takes the piss out of the GFC, standard fantasy tropes, politics, marketing, racism, etc etc etc. Some hilarious pop culture nods to Lassie, Vader and Luke, Trump and the list goes on.

Underneath it all is also a very entertaining read. It's fast paced and doesn't any more time than necessary on introspection but it's still in there, as is character development and a very engaging plot.

Thoroughly recommended. The third book "Dragonfired" isn't out yet but here's a tracker:

https://www.jzachary...ks/Dragonfired/

Eight introspective zombies out of nine.

Finally got to start Book 3: Dragonfired. 21% in and it's so far just as much fun as the previous 2.
Heartily recommended and it would make a fucking brilliant 3 seasons of TV. Or 3 long-form graphic novels.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 25 July 2024 - 07:34 PM, said:

...
Starting THE DAUGHTER'S WAR, Chris Bhuelman's sequel/prequel to THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF. Looking fwd to this.

Very enjoying this. Bhuelman's goblins are probably my favoritest fantasy monster race since the K'chain.

[Tsundoku]

Tsundoku, on 27 July 2024 - 02:12 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 05 October 2020 - 09:53 AM, said:

Just finished Son of a Liche - The Dark Profit Saga 2, by J Zachary Pike.

Book 1 was "Orconomics: A Satire".

Dear God, so much fun. Takes the piss out of the GFC, standard fantasy tropes, politics, marketing, racism, etc etc etc. Some hilarious pop culture nods to Lassie, Vader and Luke, Trump and the list goes on.

Underneath it all is also a very entertaining read. It's fast paced and doesn't any more time than necessary on introspection but it's still in there, as is character development and a very engaging plot.

Thoroughly recommended. The third book "Dragonfired" isn't out yet but here's a tracker:

https://www.jzachary...ks/Dragonfired/

Eight introspective zombies out of nine.

Finally got to start Book 3: Dragonfired. 21% in and it's so far just as much fun as the previous 2.
Heartily recommended and it would make a fucking brilliant 3 seasons of TV. Or 3 long-form graphic novels.

Forgot to add the obligatory map:

https://www.jzachary...img/ArthMap.gif

[polishgenius]

polishgenius, on 26 July 2024 - 08:55 PM, said:

I've had a pretty slow year so far to be honest. Most recently I finished Ann Leckie's Translation State, which is an excellent book in its own right but, for me, quite a weird fit into the series. Not sure quite why.


Now I'm reading The Dance of Shadows, by Rogba Payne, and this is terrific. It's an Africa-inspired fantasy by a Nigerian-British author. Got themes of colonisation going on, cultural and religious impact and all that, the clash of African(based) religion and cultural practice with a fantasy-Christianity, but also turns that into a proper epic fantasy story. Also: it approaches it's magic (or juju, as the story makes clear), gods, and action in an almost Malazan-like way, but there's also a musical, performance component to the story that is definitely inspired by Patrick Rothfuss.

I think it'd go down well with you lot to be honest.

Mind you, I'm only 100 pages in, but yeah this shit rocks.

Finished this. The comparison to Rothfuss got even stronger when he went to magic school.


Very good though. Also nice because although it's the first part of a trilogy and there'll clearly be more, it's also got a full arc in the first book. But anyway the recommendation stands for if it ever becomes available in America.

[champ]

My reading has been severely lacking of late. Anyone have any recommendations for a relatively new author / series that is awesome? If it is from the last couple of years I more than likely won't have read it.

[Abyss]

champ, on 31 July 2024 - 09:54 AM, said:

My reading has been severely lacking of late. Anyone have any recommendations for a relatively new author / series that is awesome? If it is from the last couple of years I more than likely won't have read it.

Did you read Chris Buehlman's THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF? Because if not, that, and if yes, then the sequel THE DAUGHTER'S WAR is excellent.

[polishgenius]

Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans (and its sequel Shadow Baron) is probably the most out-and-out fun new fantasy author/series I've read in the last couple years. Notable to me in part because there've been a couple of others that I really enjoyed the first book of but, for whatever reason, struggled to get into the sequels (though I'll go back to the ones in question) but Shadow Baron dragged me in just as quickly as the first one. Third one hits in December, really looking forward to it.


Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, a murder-mystery political-intrigue type thing, albeit with a lot more goofy charm than that description allows for, that I read earlier in the year is getting a US release next week, I recommend that.


eta:

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez is probably the 'best' new fantasy I've read in the last couple years. Don't get me wrong, it is also fun, but it's a slightly tougher read and has a bit more fucked up and weird shit than the above, so it's not as immediately recommendable to just anyone in any mood. Really good though. I described it on first read as somewhere between Acts of Caine and Book of the New Sun in tone and style, and while it's not an airtight comparison, I stand by it as a general guide to what you'd be getting. Though it'll take a few years and at least one reread before I can say if it's quite up with those, quality-wise.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 31 July 2024 - 09:17 PM

[champ]

Abyss, on 31 July 2024 - 06:10 PM, said:

champ, on 31 July 2024 - 09:54 AM, said:

My reading has been severely lacking of late. Anyone have any recommendations for a relatively new author / series that is awesome? If it is from the last couple of years I more than likely won't have read it.

Did you read Chris Buehlman's THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF? Because if not, that, and if yes, then the sequel THE DAUGHTER'S WAR is excellent.

Appreciated for the suggestion, I've picked up this up!

polishgenius, on 31 July 2024 - 08:47 PM, said:

Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans (and its sequel Shadow Baron) is probably the most out-and-out fun new fantasy author/series I've read in the last couple years. Notable to me in part because there've been a couple of others that I really enjoyed the first book of but, for whatever reason, struggled to get into the sequels (though I'll go back to the ones in question) but Shadow Baron dragged me in just as quickly as the first one. Third one hits in December, really looking forward to it.


Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, a murder-mystery political-intrigue type thing, albeit with a lot more goofy charm than that description allows for, that I read earlier in the year is getting a US release next week, I recommend that.


eta:

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez is probably the 'best' new fantasy I've read in the last couple years. Don't get me wrong, it is also fun, but it's a slightly tougher read and has a bit more fucked up and weird shit than the above, so it's not as immediately recommendable to just anyone in any mood. Really good though. I described it on first read as somewhere between Acts of Caine and Book of the New Sun in tone and style, and while it's not an airtight comparison, I stand by it as a general guide to what you'd be getting. Though it'll take a few years and at least one reread before I can say if it's quite up with those, quality-wise.

Thanks too, I picked up Voyage of the Damned, liked how that sounded!!

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 28 July 2024 - 03:43 AM, said:

Abyss, on 25 July 2024 - 07:34 PM, said:

...
Starting THE DAUGHTER'S WAR, Chris Bhuelman's sequel/prequel to THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF. Looking fwd to this.

Very enjoying this. Bhuelman's goblins are probably my favoritest fantasy monster race since the K'chain.

Just Finished.

It's brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The shift to Galva as protagonist for a prequel story was a curious one but the author assembles it all so beautifully any doubt i had was lost after a chapter or so. The pace is steady, the characters engaging and compelling, the setting, an army on foreign land trying to save an ally nation from a goblin horde, a fantastic ebb and flow of tension. The goblins are an exceptional creation, utterly inhuman and threatening and effective in ways the humans have to work hard to match. The corvids - giant war ravens partnered with human soldiers - are a glorious creation, leaving the reader wanting one and terrified of them at the same time. And I was not expecting Galva's family drama to be as central or interesting as it was.

This would also read fine by itself without BLACKTONGUE THIEF, which is another impressive step by the author. I'm way overdue to check out his older works.


Next up, Carol Berg's SONG OF THE BEAST.

[JPK]

Abyss, on 05 August 2024 - 04:22 AM, said:

Next up, Carol Berg's SONG OF THE BEAST.

I've actually got this one queued up for the near future as well. I'm curious to see your thoughts on it because it's a reread for me, but it's been 15-20 years since I read it so my recollection is limited to vague positive vibes.

As for myself, I'm all over the place as usual but I've been working my way through VanderMeer's excellent AREA X books again in preparation for the new book due out in Oct (stateside) and I'm currently working on THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES narrated by Stephen Fry. Fry did a narrated omnibus of the Holmes books and while the books themselves are good, his narration just elevates the whole thing.

[polishgenius]

lol speaking of Area X

Currently reading a recent debut, The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands, by Sarah Brooks. In premise it's something of a cross between said Area X and Snowpiercer (ya know, a train running through said mysterious, mutating wasteland). Given it's set in Belle Epoque times on the trans-Siberian express, there's also a touch of Victorian mystery about it.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying it, Brooks is a very confident writer.

[polishgenius]

edit: forum broke.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 05 August 2024 - 07:38 PM

[Mentalist]

Another long weekend, another book finished. "Last Mortal Bond" this time.

Needed more heroic sacrifices, but decent overall.

Read the prologue for "Skullsworn" and... Not feeling it. An assassin trying to figure out what love is just ain't a topic to hold my interest RN.

Probably gonna do an Abercrombie re-read binge instead.