[Mentalist]

Was camping the whole weekend.

Started and finished "Breaking Hel", the last Age of Bronze book.

Back home as of today, so back to the Wax & Wayne re-read.

[Tiste Simeon]

 TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 15 July 2025 - 09:00 AM, said:

 QuickTidal, on 08 July 2025 - 05:57 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 08 July 2025 - 04:30 PM, said:

 Macros, on 08 July 2025 - 03:43 PM, said:

 Macros, on 01 July 2025 - 02:29 PM, said:

Here's a quandary for the forum.

Have made an agreement with a friend, that I would read the first 2 crown of Thorns and roses books, the trade of was that I could give her 2 books to read.
(She then insisted one was the book I am forever writting(read not))

What books to issue?
Do I go for something epic and classic like magician? straightforward like Legend? Grubby and fun like Low town? Dark and a great into like the Blade itself?

Gave her The Blade Itself

See i knew this was a sex thing Interesting choice, not JAs best work, but a decent grim n gritty intro level book. I found it took til well into bk 2 for that series to really kick off but BLADE ITSELF does have enough going to draw a reader in that was not a sex thing comment.

There's some dark shit in that book too, so it will be a good litmus for what level of grimdark she likes.

Maybe this and Legend for some difference?

Another sex thing! Ah the Gemmell novel, yes.

[Tiste Simeon]

I tried to read Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen Donaldson and I just couldn't really get into it. I'm not sure why. It just didn't really interest me - I got about 150 pages in so it's not as though I didn't give it a good go.

I may come back to it if I feel inclined but I have so many books to read I just want to read something that actually interests me.

So I'm going to read The Mortal Word, book 5 in Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series.

[worry]

Tiste Simeon, on 16 July 2025 - 09:24 PM, said:

Invisible Library series.

I didn't see this coming!

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

 worry, on 16 July 2025 - 09:49 PM, said:

 Tiste Simeon, on 16 July 2025 - 09:24 PM, said:

Invisible Library series.

I didn't see this coming!

Or going!

[worry]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 16 July 2025 - 10:57 PM, said:

worry, on 16 July 2025 - 09:49 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 16 July 2025 - 09:24 PM, said:

Invisible Library series.

I didn't see this coming!

Or going!

I'll have to borrow this one.

[QuickTidal]

Is it about John Cena?

[Tiste Simeon]

 QuickTidal, on 17 July 2025 - 12:29 PM, said:

Is it about John Cena?

Yes it's about his alternative life as a librarian!

[Mentalist]

Finished re-reading "Allow of Law" last night.
Onto "Shadows of Self"

[HoosierDaddy]

Tiste Simeon, on 16 July 2025 - 09:24 PM, said:

I tried to read Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen Donaldson and I just couldn't really get into it. I'm not sure why. It just didn't really interest me - I got about 150 pages in so it's not as though I didn't give it a good go.

I may come back to it if I feel inclined but I have so many books to read I just want to read something that actually interests me.

So I'm going to read The Mortal Word, book 5 in Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series.

Donaldson is slow burning. Covenant is... quite the character. I get tempted to reread from time to time, and then immediately realize why it is a slow-burner. I read this during my first year of law school and it was actually quite enjoyable as an escape from case briefs.

Still haven't finished the last series but overall it has some wonderful concepts. It's magic the old school way and not the Sanderson way where it's more science than art.

[JPK]

 HoosierDaddy, on 17 July 2025 - 07:20 PM, said:

 Tiste Simeon, on 16 July 2025 - 09:24 PM, said:

I tried to read Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen Donaldson and I just couldn't really get into it. I'm not sure why. It just didn't really interest me - I got about 150 pages in so it's not as though I didn't give it a good go.

I may come back to it if I feel inclined but I have so many books to read I just want to read something that actually interests me.

So I'm going to read The Mortal Word, book 5 in Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series.

Donaldson is slow burning. Covenant is... quite the character. I get tempted to reread from time to time, and then immediately realize why it is a slow-burner. I read this during my first year of law school and it was actually quite enjoyable as an escape from case briefs.

Still haven't finished the last series but overall it has some wonderful concepts. It's magic the old school way and not the Sanderson way where it's more science than art.

It's such an interesting series and it can be hard to read with the levels of bleakness and despair that it drops to. The highs of that series are so damn high though. I think a lot of the philosophy and themes of Malazan were laid out for me through the Covenant books and set the stage for me to be much more appreciative of Malazan when I got there later. My love for Foamfollower set the stage for my love of Itkovian, for example.

This post has been edited by JPK: Yesterday, 09:00 PM

[JPK]

Apparently they just launched a DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL webcomic up on webtoons. I just finished the first episode and am pretty much guaranteed to binge everything available immediately. If you've been on the fence about trying this series this is a great opportunity to dip your toes in.

Just in case it wasn't clear, that means you Abyss.

[Macros]

So the friend reading the Blade itself is about 40% in.
Has declared 'its such a boy book!'

[Tiste Simeon]

 JPK, on 17 July 2025 - 09:00 PM, said:

 HoosierDaddy, on 17 July 2025 - 07:20 PM, said:

 Tiste Simeon, on 16 July 2025 - 09:24 PM, said:

I tried to read Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen Donaldson and I just couldn't really get into it. I'm not sure why. It just didn't really interest me - I got about 150 pages in so it's not as though I didn't give it a good go.

I may come back to it if I feel inclined but I have so many books to read I just want to read something that actually interests me.

So I'm going to read The Mortal Word, book 5 in Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series.

Donaldson is slow burning. Covenant is... quite the character. I get tempted to reread from time to time, and then immediately realize why it is a slow-burner. I read this during my first year of law school and it was actually quite enjoyable as an escape from case briefs.

Still haven't finished the last series but overall it has some wonderful concepts. It's magic the old school way and not the Sanderson way where it's more science than art.

It's such an interesting series and it can be hard to read with the levels of bleakness and despair that it drops to. The highs of that series are so damn high though. I think a lot of the philosophy and themes of Malazan were laid out for me through the Covenant books and set the stage for me to be much more appreciative of Malazan when I got there later. My love for Foamfollower set the stage for my love of Itkovian, for example.

Hmm you guys are making a compelling case to return, I just was not enjoying it though. I'll read some other stuff and see how I feel.

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 18 July 2025 - 04:38 AM, said:

So the friend reading the Blade itself is about 40% in.
Has declared 'its such a boy book!'

I mean, that's totally fair.

[HoosierDaddy]

Tiste Simeon, on 18 July 2025 - 05:20 AM, said:

JPK, on 17 July 2025 - 09:00 PM, said:

HoosierDaddy, on 17 July 2025 - 07:20 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 16 July 2025 - 09:24 PM, said:

I tried to read Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen Donaldson and I just couldn't really get into it. I'm not sure why. It just didn't really interest me - I got about 150 pages in so it's not as though I didn't give it a good go.

I may come back to it if I feel inclined but I have so many books to read I just want to read something that actually interests me.

So I'm going to read The Mortal Word, book 5 in Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series.

Donaldson is slow burning. Covenant is... quite the character. I get tempted to reread from time to time, and then immediately realize why it is a slow-burner. I read this during my first year of law school and it was actually quite enjoyable as an escape from case briefs.

Still haven't finished the last series but overall it has some wonderful concepts. It's magic the old school way and not the Sanderson way where it's more science than art.

It's such an interesting series and it can be hard to read with the levels of bleakness and despair that it drops to. The highs of that series are so damn high though. I think a lot of the philosophy and themes of Malazan were laid out for me through the Covenant books and set the stage for me to be much more appreciative of Malazan when I got there later. My love for Foamfollower set the stage for my love of Itkovian, for example.

Hmm you guys are making a compelling case to return, I just was not enjoying it though. I'll read some other stuff and see how I feel.

Oh it might not be what you want to read at all, you might never enjoy it. I'm trying to figure out when I started to enjoy it. I was working off of Erikson's influence and it's place in history of fantasy. Maybe towards the middle of the first book is when I started to enjoy it? Book #2 is my favorite in the entire saga, but once again you have to read through Covenant being miserable for a while before it kicks off.

It gets better at that part each successive book. But it was never a page turner, can't put the book down to read the next chapter until the very climaxes of each novel.

[HoosierDaddy]

JPK, on 18 July 2025 - 02:04 AM, said:

Apparently they just launched a DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL webcomic up on webtoons. I just finished the first episode and am pretty much guaranteed to binge everything available immediately. If you've been on the fence about trying this series this is a great opportunity to dip your toes in.

Just in case it wasn't clear, that means you Abyss.

I saw the quick overview from Donut's perspective and it looked and sounded pretty good.