[Solidsnape]

 QuickTidal, on 10 November 2011 - 04:27 PM, said:

 Solidsnape, on 10 November 2011 - 04:18 PM, said:

I've just finished 'The Chick with the Eleint Tattoo.'
A bit rough....

A Bit?

Spoiler

You mean you don't like your murder mysteries with a bit of rape and dildo sodomy?

Man, I loathed that book.

As long as it's tastefully done. Lol.

[QuickTidal]

Just finished ALLOY OF LAW and it was suitably excellent (as per Sanderson's usual for me) and I enjoyed every minute, even though it Is a bit short and I finished it quickly. As with his other book, the end has some good revelations and some killer action and mysteries. A solid, solid mistborn outing.

Now, I think I am prepared to move on to my second Iain M. Banks novel USE OF WEAPONS.

[McLovin]

Queen of Sorcery (Belgariad #2)

STILL dragging through AFFC. I've basically been sick on and off for 6 weeks so I cannot stay up to read. Not much more to go though.

[Dolorous Menhir]

 QuickTidal, on 10 November 2011 - 06:17 PM, said:

Now, I think I am prepared to move on to my second Iain M. Banks novel USE OF WEAPONS.

Please let us know what you think.

[JLV]

I know I'm late to the party, but I wouldn't let other people's opinions stop you from reading Sword of Truth, Tattersail. I read all of them at the time, I don't know if others have come out, but it seemed like the series ended. I enjoyed them in the way I enjoy the Wheel of Time. Not particularly inventive, but somewhat entertaining.

Of course, my fantasy reading life was like this:

Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings to Dragonlance/Forgotten Realms to Wheel of Time to The Dark Tower to GRRM (From my 10th grade English teacher) to Malazan (Lucky random buy from my mother's boyfriend).

Maybe reading higher quality fantasy would taint it, but I'm not sure. Either way, form your own opinions.

[amphibian]

 JLV, on 10 November 2011 - 11:07 PM, said:

I know I'm late to the party, but I wouldn't let other people's opinions stop you from reading Sword of Truth, Tattersail. I read all of them at the time, I don't know if others have come out, but it seemed like the series ended. I enjoyed them in the way I enjoy the Wheel of Time. Not particularly inventive, but somewhat entertaining.

Of course, my fantasy reading life was like this:

Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings to Dragonlance/Forgotten Realms to Wheel of Time to The Dark Tower to GRRM (From my 10th grade English teacher) to Malazan (Lucky random buy from my mother's boyfriend).

Maybe reading higher quality fantasy would taint it, but I'm not sure. Either way, form your own opinions.

Geeeez, you made me feel old with the Harry Potter being your first introduction to fantasy thing.

[ShadowRaven]

Just started Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Finished Lord Foul's Bane yesterday and now continuing to Illearth War. Pretty promising stuff so far, although Covenant's inner thoughts sometimes feel a bit too repetitive.

[Tattersail_]

 JLV, on 10 November 2011 - 11:07 PM, said:

I know I'm late to the party, but I wouldn't let other people's opinions stop you from reading Sword of Truth, Tattersail. I read all of them at the time, I don't know if others have come out, but it seemed like the series ended. I enjoyed them in the way I enjoy the Wheel of Time. Not particularly inventive, but somewhat entertaining.

Of course, my fantasy reading life was like this:

Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings to Dragonlance/Forgotten Realms to Wheel of Time to The Dark Tower to GRRM (From my 10th grade English teacher) to Malazan (Lucky random buy from my mother's boyfriend).

Maybe reading higher quality fantasy would taint it, but I'm not sure. Either way, form your own opinions.

Well I really enjoyed the first book. I did. So I will read the second, and then continue until I don't like them anymore. Wheel of Time is my second favourite series of all time after Malazan. We each have our own tastes.

[QuickTidal]

Started USE OF WEAPONS last night, and before i knew it I was already 100 pages in. Huh. The first few Zakalwe chapters confused me a great deal, but the Sma chapters were always straightforward. At 100 pages in Zakalwe's chapters still are dense, but are less confusing...but I think something trickery like is going on...

Spoiler

not sure if this is spoilerish but I put it here anyways. I've already noted that Sma's chaps are normally forward-moving numbered and Zakalwe's chaps are in reverse Roman Numeral's...leading me to believe we are moving backwards through his timeline? I dunno, grasping...straws...

Anyways, I'm obviously digging this one since I can't put it down, and the Drones and Ships are still the best thing about the Culture!

[Tapper]

 QuickTidal, on 11 November 2011 - 01:52 PM, said:

Started USE OF WEAPONS last night, and before i knew it I was already 100 pages in. Huh. The first few Zakalwe chapters confused me a great deal, but the Sma chapters were always straightforward. At 100 pages in Zakalwe's chapters still are dense, but are less confusing...but I think something trickery like is going on...

Spoiler

not sure if this is spoilerish but I put it here anyways. I've already noted that Sma's chaps are normally forward-moving numbered and Zakalwe's chaps are in reverse Roman Numeral's...leading me to believe we are moving backwards through his timeline? I dunno, grasping...straws...

Anyways, I'm obviously digging this one since I can't put it down, and the Drones and Ships are still the best thing about the Culture!

It isn't spoilerish, it is exactly what happens

[Dolorous Menhir]

 ShadowRaven, on 11 November 2011 - 07:50 AM, said:

Just started Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Finished Lord Foul's Bane yesterday and now continuing to Illearth War. Pretty promising stuff so far, although Covenant's inner thoughts sometimes feel a bit too repetitive.

Repetitive? HE'S A LEPER.

Seriously, excellent books.

[polishgenius]

 Dolorous Menhir, on 11 November 2011 - 09:23 PM, said:

Repetitive? HE'S A LEPER.

What's that got to do with the price of fish?

 QuickTidal, on 11 November 2011 - 01:52 PM, said:

and the Drones and Ships are still the best thing about the Culture!

You are gonna love Excession.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 12 November 2011 - 01:13 AM

[QuickTidal]

Finished USE Of WEAPONS...

...I feel I should point out that I was made aware (through a commenter on my blog) that the ending packed a twisty gut punch...so I was EXPECTING it...which kind of diminished me enjoyment a tad when I got there.

That said, totally stellar book with a really fucked up non-linear storytelling mode that I couldn't fully comprehend till I was done. at which point it melted my brain.

I enjoyed it A LOT...but I'd be lying if I said i thought it better than PLAYER OF GAMES (which I flat out adored).

A really great Culture book, and another Banks book under my belt. Any suggestions as to which Culture I ought to read next when I get back to Banks again?

[polishgenius]

 QuickTidal, on 12 November 2011 - 05:51 PM, said:

A really great Culture book, and another Banks book under my belt. Any suggestions as to which Culture I ought to read next when I get back to Banks again?

Either Excession or Consider Phlebas. I think Look to Windward, although my favourite, probably works best after all the books previous, and certainly after Consider Phlebas to which it's ... sequel is too strong a word, but it's connected.

Or you could read Against a Dark Background, a very good non-Culture (I've not really got into any of his other non-Culture/maybe-Culture SF).

[Dolorous Menhir]

 QuickTidal, on 12 November 2011 - 05:51 PM, said:

Finished USE Of WEAPONS...

...I feel I should point out that I was made aware (through a commenter on my blog) that the ending packed a twisty gut punch...so I was EXPECTING it...which kind of diminished me enjoyment a tad when I got there.

That said, totally stellar book with a really fucked up non-linear storytelling mode that I couldn't fully comprehend till I was done. at which point it melted my brain.

I enjoyed it A LOT...but I'd be lying if I said i thought it better than PLAYER OF GAMES (which I flat out adored).

A really great Culture book, and another Banks book under my belt. Any suggestions as to which Culture I ought to read next when I get back to Banks again?

Got to second what polishgenius said. The most recent pair of Culture novels, Matter and Surface Detail, are good, Surface Detail in particular, but I would not rank them with Use of Weapons and The Player of Games.

This post has been edited by Dolorous Menhir: 12 November 2011 - 07:16 PM

[QuickTidal]

Coolio, thanks for the input folks, will look into those suggestions.

[Chance]

 QuickTidal, on 12 November 2011 - 05:51 PM, said:

Finished USE Of WEAPONS...

...I feel I should point out that I was made aware (through a commenter on my blog) that the ending packed a twisty gut punch...so I was EXPECTING it...which kind of diminished me enjoyment a tad when I got there.

That said, totally stellar book with a really fucked up non-linear storytelling mode that I couldn't fully comprehend till I was done. at which point it melted my brain.

I enjoyed it A LOT...but I'd be lying if I said i thought it better than PLAYER OF GAMES (which I flat out adored).

A really great Culture book, and another Banks book under my belt. Any suggestions as to which Culture I ought to read next when I get back to Banks again?

I tend to recomend publishing order...

But the only books that might get up to Player or Use of Weapons is possibly Excession or Surface Detail...

Windward is to quiet but good, Matter and Consider are rather so-so compared to the rest not bad but not brilliant.

This post has been edited by Chance: 13 November 2011 - 01:16 AM

[QuickTidal]

After the heady/complex nature of USE OF WEAPONS I needed something that abyss might refer to as typical widget-quest style fantasy, so I thought I'd give James Barclay's DAWNTHIEF a go.

[MWKarsa]

Finished Empire of the Summer Moon and enjoyed it- nothing new in how the native americans were treated and cheated from their own lands but this involved more of what happened right here in Texas and in certain areas near were I live. Definitely discovered a few places I must visit when I make road trips near them. Quanah Parker was a very interesting man.

Started A Feast for Crows this morning- I've heard the not so positive reviews of this book but I'm still loving getting back into this series.

[McLovin]

 MWKarsa, on 13 November 2011 - 07:57 PM, said:

Started A Feast for Crows this morning- I've heard the not so positive reviews of this book but I'm still loving getting back into this series.

Let's face it, it's tough to follow ASOS. So there's that. Plus, GRRM decided to split the books by characters, not time, an experiment which I think we can all now agree was a failure. No Tyrion or Dany = fail.

Still, GRRM at his worst is light-years better than a lot of authors at their best. So depending on how ADWD turns out, I'll forgive him AFFC.