[Chance]

Going through Wind and Truth, its pretty decent but Sanderson should probably prune the character gallery. We don't need the POW of every secondary character and that is one of the reason these books bloat and could probably be half the length with much the same result. At the same time this series is an impressive deep dive in another world and probably the closest we get to Wheel of Time in these days both the good and the bad.

polishgenius, on 16 January 2025 - 11:52 AM, said:

Now I'm reading In a Garden Burning Gold, by Rory Power, a book which early doors is coming off like a cross between Guy Gavriel Kay and The Library at Mount Char, and if that seems unlikely to you, well, try it yourself and tell me otherwise.

On that recommendation its added to the reading list.

[Abyss]

Chance, on 16 January 2025 - 02:02 PM, said:

...

polishgenius, on 16 January 2025 - 11:52 AM, said:

Now I'm reading In a Garden Burning Gold, by Rory Power, a book which early doors is coming off like a cross between Guy Gavriel Kay and The Library at Mount Char, and if that seems unlikely to you, well, try it yourself and tell me otherwise.

On that recommendation its added to the reading list.

hells yes!

[Tiste Simeon]

I finished Unsouled, the first book in the Cradle series and you guys were right. It really ramps up after he meets a certain character.

The whole world building and mythos in this world is fantastic and the revelation at the end was great and set up the rest of the series nicely. I shall be carrying on with it throughout the year.

[Abyss]

Just Finished Charlie Stross' A CONVENTIONAL BOY. Some weirdness here, it's a Laundry book, but a flashback that takes place circa 2010, and it's packaged with two stories, OVERTIME and DOWN ON THE FARM, that have been around for years and were packaged w ATROCITY ARCHIVES, i think. Then as a bonus there's a piece at the end w Stross discussing the crossover between Dungeons n Dragons and the rise of the radical right. All of which is to say, it's a good thing i really enjoyed BOY because an entire Audible credit for a five hour story and some repackaged stuff i already owned might have otherwise annoyed me, tho the Stross discussion piece is in fact very interesting.

BOY is great. A relatively straightforward story about Derek, a man who was arrested i error by the Laundry when he was 14 for playing DnD during the Satanic Panic, who spent the rest of life in a detainment camp but decides to go on the run to attend a TTRPG convention. It's.... honestly its brilliant, the kind of writing that yanked me into the Laundry stories way back and kept me there even when the series goes thru dips. There are easter eggs and call backs and references right thru to various DnD and other gaming elements, and little nuggets for the rest of the series. Derek is at once sympathetic and a victim and thoroughly engaging as a gamer on a mission with a few things he's learned from years in a Laundry prison camp. The choice of past/future High Priestess of the Black Pharaoh Iris as a second pov works well too. It's a very satsfying Laundry story, worth the time/money, and i hope like hell Stross plans to bring Derek back in a future book because dammit the guy still has a few dice left to roll.


Next up, back to Martha Wells and the STORIES OF THE RAKSURA vol 1.

[QuickTidal]

Finishing up David Estes FATEMARKED and just really know I've started something special with this series. I really like that the 1st book proper ends and there are 6 short stories (Postludes) each diving into back stories of some of the characters, which is a nice little extra primer for the rest of the series without getting in the way of the main story with info dumps or flashbacks. Anyways, I have TRUTHMARKED on my kindle and ready to join me on vacation (along with Andre Norton & Sasha Miller's TO THE KING A DAUGHTER).

[Abyss]

 QuickTidal, on 28 January 2025 - 12:54 PM, said:

Finishing up David Estes FATEMARKED and just really know I've started something special with this series. I really like that the 1st book proper ends and there are 6 short stories (Postludes) each diving into back stories of some of the characters, which is a nice little extra primer for the rest of the series without getting in the way of the main story with info dumps or flashbacks. Anyways, I have TRUTHMARKED on my kindle and ready to join me on vacation (along with Andre Norton & Sasha Miller's TO THE KING A DAUGHTER).

Interesting, and i see, completed and available in earbook. What brought this series to your attention QT?

[QuickTidal]

 Abyss, on 28 January 2025 - 02:27 PM, said:

 QuickTidal, on 28 January 2025 - 12:54 PM, said:

Finishing up David Estes FATEMARKED and just really know I've started something special with this series. I really like that the 1st book proper ends and there are 6 short stories (Postludes) each diving into back stories of some of the characters, which is a nice little extra primer for the rest of the series without getting in the way of the main story with info dumps or flashbacks. Anyways, I have TRUTHMARKED on my kindle and ready to join me on vacation (along with Andre Norton & Sasha Miller's TO THE KING A DAUGHTER).

Interesting, and i see, completed and available in earbook. What brought this series to your attention QT?

I kept seeing the covers on Amazon (They are cool) of this series and all the adjacent series in this world, and then I saw someone post on reddit a year or so ago about the sequel series and how much they enjoyed it. So I looked and it was cheapish, so I gave it a go....It's like a little bit of GOT (much less overall bleak though) with WAY more magic (most of which is tied to markings showing up on random people gifting them specific powers; but making them somewhat outlawed or feared depending on the location), more diversity of countries, races, and people. Some really stand out "Oh, I didn't see that coming" moments in book 1 actually (which I've heard is the weakest book of the series). The characters are interesting...you've got one guy who has been cursed since birth and can teleport and is inexplicably taking out kings, another who is a huge hulking brute in a suit of armour with bulging black veins, translucent skin, and seemingly unstoppable strength (and a morning star as a weapon) who seems to contain "something" inside him that talks to him (Think the Venom Symbiote, or Nightblood/Sword Nimi) and is gleeful about killing, another who is a thief with a hidden past on the run but has the ability to heal that gets him in places he'd rather not be, an assistant to a king who has ice powers that can freeze people solid in minutes, a snarky female elf (they aren't called elves, but are elves) with Flash levels of speed and agility, a deeply religious sect of warriors who hunt and kill those who are marked....ect. You get the point.

I can't vouch for the earbook narration mind you (But it's Derek Perkins, who did the Mary Stewart's THE CRYSTAL CAVE, which I enjoyed). It's classic fantasy for the most part where the characters do a lot of the heavy lifting by being interesting, in a world with neat powers and magic and some decent surprises early on.

Anyways, there are three series, FATEMARKED, KINGFALL HISTORIES, and the latest is the FORSWORN OATH series.


 Estes.png (1.41MB)
Number of downloads: 1

[worry]

Do the dragons talk?

[HoosierDaddy]

Do you need to start with one of the series? You mention Fatemarked but Kingfall is listed first in the picture.

[QuickTidal]

 worry, on 28 January 2025 - 03:29 PM, said:

Do the dragons talk?

Not that I recall....but it could be a development in future books. There is only a brief dragon moment in this one (a prison is on an island infested with dragons and has no guards due to the fact that to escape the dragons would require you to be superhuman) and I don't recall talking amongst them.

 HoosierDaddy, on 28 January 2025 - 03:50 PM, said:

Do you need to start with one of the series? You mention Fatemarked but Kingfall is listed first in the picture.

So as I understand it FATEMARKED is chronologically before KINGFALL (but I don't know how much character crossover there is, so I dunno if it matters anyways), I think KINGFALL is first on his site as it was published second and thus is newer so it ended up on top in that collected volume photo....but the series publish order was FATEMARKED, then KINGFALL, and then OATHSWORN....so I feel like that would be a fine order to read them in.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 28 January 2025 - 04:16 PM

[Abyss]

All noted, solid reco, adding to The List, tnx!

[worry]

 QuickTidal, on 28 January 2025 - 04:13 PM, said:

 worry, on 28 January 2025 - 03:29 PM, said:

Do the dragons talk?

Not that I recall....

 Abyss, on 28 January 2025 - 04:27 PM, said:

adding to The Bin, tnx!

[Macros]

Dammit QT
I've been good this year not buying books

[QuickTidal]

Re: FATEMARKED/David Estes recommendation is not just me, Milla Jovovich loved it too.

https://www.instagra...g_web_copy_link

[QuickTidal]

Started TRUTHMARKED by David Estes, already really good. Being introduced to a few new characters now too. Got Bday money so I nabbed the rest of the series on eBook as well.

[Abyss]

 Abyss, on 23 January 2025 - 08:31 PM, said:

...
Next up, back to Martha Wells and the STORIES OF THE RAKSURA vol 1.

It takes a certain level of confidence for an author, whose series is completed, to only-just-ok sales, to continue it for two anthologies, so i'm having some retro-retro-awe or Martha Wells because not only did she do this, but the anthology stories are some of her best writing in the Raksura series, which was already enjoyable. Just Finished the STORIES OF THE RAKSURA vol 1 and vol 2, collectively about seven stories, jumping around in the Raksura series, and in a few cases shifting away from series MC Moon to two of his supporting characters and a completely new set. It's all fun, well written, good pacing, and really does what you want this kind of thing to do by adding to the bigger story nicely.

All to say, if any of you have enjoyed her MURDERBOT or other more recent work and are on the fence about RAKSURA's bisexual monkey dragon shapeshifter people, the entire seven books series is consistent enjoyable and i think worth your time/money.


Next up, i have some MIDNIGHT BURGER to catch up on, possibly some SILT VERSES too.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

A Tale of Two Cities

Turns out I do like Dickens after all. The prose is beautiful, and occasionally genuinely funny (though I can't tell if it's supposed to be or not.)

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 07 February 2025 - 10:48 AM

[HoosierDaddy]

Just want to give a final verdict on Dungeon Crawler Carl through Book 7.

It's so good. And I've heard that the audiobooks are even better due to the voice acting.

The LitRPG nature of the series is always present, but it isn't at the forefront after book 3 or so. It provides the foundation for the story and helps provide plot points to move it forward, but in the end it is a much larger story.

It reminds me somewhat of Malazan in that the story and plot are one thing, but the theme is the important part.

It is hilarious though. Great fun. 9 out of 10. Tempted to reread immediately as I know I missed on little details that help make the story even better.

Can't wait for book 8.

[Abyss]

HoosierDaddy, on 07 February 2025 - 02:04 PM, said:

Just want to give a final verdict on Dungeon Crawler Carl through Book 7.

It's so good. And I've heard that the audiobooks are even better due to the voice acting.

The LitRPG nature of the series is always present, but it isn't at the forefront after book 3 or so. It provides the foundation for the story and helps provide plot points to move it forward, but in the end it is a much larger story.

It reminds me somewhat of Malazan in that the story and plot are one thing, but the theme is the important part.

It is hilarious though. Great fun. 9 out of 10. Tempted to reread immediately as I know I missed on little details that help make the story even better.

Can't wait for book 8.

godsdammit it's converting malazfans now????

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 03 February 2025 - 02:59 PM, said:

...
Next up, i have some MIDNIGHT BURGER to catch up on, possibly some SILT VERSES too.

On the audiodrama front....

i've said this before, but podcasts are free, and MIDNIGHT BURGER is brilliant and wonderful and you're cheating yourselfveses if you don't give it a chance. The spinoff, WELCOME TO THE HORIZON, has now raised its game to the same level and is carrying on a parallel story that's just as compelling. The complexity they bring to the plot and incredible character arcs are better than many published authors could hope for.

SILT VERSES remains amazing, i have six eps left, the buildup to the finale has been steady, i am utterly clueless how they're going to finish this and i love it.

DERELICT popped out two more eps. Each is more or less a 90min James Cameron space action film in audio. The pause they took to upgrade their audio was worthwhile.

And a new one, OBSERVABLE RADIO. 8eps in, a man in a tower somewhere collects stray broadcasts from parallel Earths, all of which are going through some form of apocalypse or downfall... credit where due, the audio equivalent of 'found footage' is far from new, but they make it work nicely and the realities are well planned... sure 'mysterious annual purge' and 'everyone lives underground' and 'digital afterlife' have been done many times, but they keep them interesting, and i could have listened to an entire series about the worldwide dynastic poisoning war or the truce that led to an annual arena battle of naughty children vs Santa and his elves. They run from suspense to scifi to humour, and writing is solid. The eps are less than 30min, worth a listen.


Elselistening ONE DAY ALL THIS WILL BE YOURS is a fun time travel short story by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The basic plot of a man at the end of time hunting time travellers isn't wildly original but it's so creatively executed (pun intended) i didn't care.