[Tatterdemalion]

Here's the holiday haul bought today / was given to me for Christmas. The following is copied from my website so you don't have to be lazy and ignore the link I would provide:

Closing out 2016, I put together a pretty impressive book haul. Then I displayed it with beauty! If only my time was as free as my staircase to imagination.

It is my goal to read most of these in 2017… but the problem is I will likely get hooked on most if not all and then try to push ahead in those before reading others. Not to mention re-figuring Forge of Darkness before tackling Fall of Light. My pace on my current read has not exactly been impressive. What I want and how the cards fall never seems to align. What happened to all those summers I had as a kid where I had all day to do whatever I wanted day-in, day-out? Sacrilege, as they are lost.

I enjoyed Forge of Darkness, so I should be more excited for Fall of Light than I am. I think my hesitancy stems from the fact that for years – years – I read a diet almost exclusively Erikson/Esslemont, with a dash of Abercrombie. Now, after the initiation of Purge of Ashes, my horizons have broadened considerably and I relish new books, new authors, new opportunities. Plus the aforementioned recollection required.

Lawrence I'm keen to start in on his second trilogy, if just to see how I take it not being a Jorg fan from the start. I'm keen to read some of his clever wordplay for myself and not just hear it out of context from his Facebook account. Sounds like Osheim is amazing, too, so it's easy to get going on.

Gwynne, meanwhile, I've never heard a bad word about and his books are big and beautiful. I am more confident I will enjoy his series than anything previously unread. But it's a lot of reading if I get hooked into that one, as I'm certain I will. I still have a baby and threenager at home, if no longer a newborn and toddler.

Then GGK. Some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read is in his previous books. I missed an opportunity to meet him at a book store earlier this year, and I want to get myself back into his vein. Tigana is often considered his best, and as such I am certain it will delight with a majesty even superior to The Lions of Al-Rassan (which my dad pitched to me, oddly enough).

Django Wexler's Book 1 I picked up on a whim, and the fact it was recommended by an Indigo staff member. It was just sitting there alone on a little pedestal and I recognized his name from Reddit and the like. I read the back and the final few lines sold me to it. I look forward to trying something unprecedented. Last time I did so I read Sean Rodden's Whispers of War and look at me now: eagerly awaiting his sequel Roars of War and the rerelease come April. Oh, gods! More to read! Eek!

Finally, Neil Gaiman. Just heard too much to not pick it up.

Wishing everyone a lovely end to 2016 and dawn of 2017. May books come swiftly to your enemies!

(So they can learn something and smarten up!)

JM.

This post has been edited by Tatterdemalion: 31 December 2016 - 06:17 AM

[Andorion]

Having read three of those books - Thorns, FoL and Thousand Names, that looks like a seriously great haul!

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Tatterdemalion, on 31 December 2016 - 06:16 AM, said:

Here's the holiday haul bought today / was given to me for Christmas. The following is copied from my website so you don't have to be lazy and ignore the link I would provide:

Closing out 2016, I put together a pretty impressive book haul. Then I displayed it with beauty! If only my time was as free as my staircase to imagination.

It is my goal to read most of these in 2017… but the problem is I will likely get hooked on most if not all and then try to push ahead in those before reading others. Not to mention re-figuring Forge of Darkness before tackling Fall of Light. My pace on my current read has not exactly been impressive. What I want and how the cards fall never seems to align. What happened to all those summers I had as a kid where I had all day to do whatever I wanted day-in, day-out? Sacrilege, as they are lost.

I enjoyed Forge of Darkness, so I should be more excited for Fall of Light than I am. I think my hesitancy stems from the fact that for years – years – I read a diet almost exclusively Erikson/Esslemont, with a dash of Abercrombie. Now, after the initiation of Purge of Ashes, my horizons have broadened considerably and I relish new books, new authors, new opportunities. Plus the aforementioned recollection required.

Lawrence I'm keen to start in on his second trilogy, if just to see how I take it not being a Jorg fan from the start. I'm keen to read some of his clever wordplay for myself and not just hear it out of context from his Facebook account. Sounds like Osheim is amazing, too, so it's easy to get going on.

Gwynne, meanwhile, I've never heard a bad word about and his books are big and beautiful. I am more confident I will enjoy his series than anything previously unread. But it's a lot of reading if I get hooked into that one, as I'm certain I will. I still have a baby and threenager at home, if no longer a newborn and toddler.

Then GGK. Some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read is in his previous books. I missed an opportunity to meet him at a book store earlier this year, and I want to get myself back into his vein. Tigana is often considered his best, and as such I am certain it will delight with a majesty even superior to The Lions of Al-Rassan (which my dad pitched to me, oddly enough).

Django Wexler's Book 1 I picked up on a whim, and the fact it was recommended by an Indigo staff member. It was just sitting there alone on a little pedestal and I recognized his name from Reddit and the like. I read the back and the final few lines sold me to it. I look forward to trying something unprecedented. Last time I did so I read Sean Rodden's Whispers of War and look at me now: eagerly awaiting his sequel Roars of War and the rerelease come April. Oh, gods! More to read! Eek!

Finally, Neil Gaiman. Just heard too much to not pick it up.

Wishing everyone a lovely end to 2016 and dawn of 2017. May books come swiftly to your enemies!

(So they can learn something and smarten up!)

JM.

Btw, using white means I don't see any text if I'm reading the site on my phone. (Mobile skin has a white BG).

I removed your color tag from the quoted post.

[Tatterdemalion]

Thanks. I only changed it because copy pasting from my blog came in the same colour as the BG and was impossible to see.

[Loki]

I bought another Lovecraft collection today. At this rate, I'm going to have an entire bookcase dedicated to nothing but Lovecraft by the time I'm in my mid-30's.

I just couldn't help it. I fell in love with the cover art and the rough-cut pages.

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Number of downloads: 0
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[Abyss]

Needs more human skin binding. And everyone knows Old Ones wear contact lenses.. that monocle is just an affectation.

[Mentalist]

Couldn't do it. can't put down 35 bucks for a hardback of Bakker's TGO.

TPB is out in July. So I'll start re-read of the second trilo in June.

Meanwhile, grabbed a lovely TPB by Reynolds "Beyond the Aquila Rift: The Bet of Alastair Reynolds". I checked, and it has both The Great Wall of Mars and Diamond Dogs , so that should allow me to complete the required Galactic North reading.

[Abyss]

Audible free trial and TGO earbook.You know you want to.

[Mentalist]

Abyss, on 08 January 2017 - 05:16 AM, said:

Audible free trial and TGO earbook.You know you want to.

I don't absorb stuff in earbook. I'm a very visual-oriented person.

[Macros]

have read 5/6 of your christmas haul.
I loved Wexler and Lawrence is always good. Americans gods is superb.
Wasn't overly a fan of Malice, felt like Gwyne was trying too hard to be GRRM or something.
Havent finished FoL yet.

and Tigana, ah Tigana, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.... oh zero? that was quick

[polishgenius]

Malice felt really weird, like Gwynne was inspired by both R Scott Bakker and Eddings/early Feist and decided to ram both inspirations into one book.
I always intended to read more, I didn't dislike it, but I haven't yet.



Tigana is awesome, and don't let the hateful weirdos haunting this forum tell you otherwise.

[Imperial Historian]

I read the second one and it was a significant step down in quality. Was also ambivalent about the first one.

And agreed ignore the Tigana hate. And to continue the board splitting antics... You should try Robin Hobb she's great.

[Abyss]

TIGANA. Just say no.

[Mentalist]

"Tigana" is mediocre
Wexler is great fun, Book 2 even more so
Wurts has VERY slow-paced prose, but ultimately quite compelling, although I find her to be intellectually more exhausting than Erikson
Wolfe is likewise a tough, but rewarding read. Keep a thesaurus handy
"Consider Phlebas" is quite good
"Grace of Kings" is great if you like old-school epics style a la Illiad. Otherwise the prose may seem way too dry. It's very much a tragedy in the traditional "Gods mess up fates of men who make history in the name of their petty machinations" sort of way, but it can be dry as a history textbook at times. Very much a matter of taste, but if you like the "history textbook-like" exposition tone, it's awesome, and it's got warriors on kites and airships in it!
"Pandora's Star" is a slow-build but good read.
I keep hearing that the Fencer series is good, but the first book and a half of teh engineer trilogy made me very biased against K. J. Parker.

I only read the first of Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings", but I liked.

Stavely, Castell and Jemisin I've bought but not read yet.

[Salt-Man Z]

Tigana is beautiful. Y'all can suck it.

This post has been edited by Salt-Man Z: 10 January 2017 - 04:55 PM

[Morgoth]

My man Z has the right of it.

[Andorion]

Mentalist, on 10 January 2017 - 04:12 AM, said:

"Tigana" is mediocre
Wexler is great fun, Book 2 even more so
Wurts has VERY slow-paced prose, but ultimately quite compelling, although I find her to be intellectually more exhausting than Erikson
Wolfe is likewise a tough, but rewarding read. Keep a thesaurus handy
"Consider Phlebas" is quite good
"Grace of Kings" is great if you like old-school epics style a la Illiad. Otherwise the prose may seem way too dry. It's very much a tragedy in the traditional "Gods mess up fates of men who make history in the name of their petty machinations" sort of way, but it can be dry as a history textbook at times. Very much a matter of taste, but if you like the "history textbook-like" exposition tone, it's awesome, and it's got warriors on kites and airships in it!
"Pandora's Star" is a slow-build but good read.
I keep hearing that the Fencer series is good, but the first book and a half of teh engineer trilogy made me very biased against K. J. Parker.

I only read the first of Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings", but I liked.

Stavely, Castell and Jemisin I've bought but not read yet.

Wexler is great. Excellent military fantasy with good character work.

I like Wurts. Finished her second book and I think she is pretty underrated.

Anything by Banks is good

Pandora's star and the saga it inaugurates is very enjoyable space opera. Far better than Reality Dysfunction

I couldn't finish Hobbs' first trilogy. I want a more proactive and intelligent protagonist.

Castell is great if you like swachbuckling action and witty dialogue.

Jemisin - especially the 5th Season is excellent. Some of the best stuff I have read

[Abyss]

Salt-Man Z, on 10 January 2017 - 04:42 AM, said:

Tigana is beautiful. Y'all can suck it.

Morgoth, on 11 January 2017 - 11:45 AM, said:

My man Z has the right of it.

What else do you think is beautiful?Communism?

[polishgenius]

Hey, Abyss, as a Tigana hater I should really be ostracising you for the sake of good taste and decency, but do you know that the fourth Col Buchanan book is out at the end of February? I mention it now because if the publishing situation for the series over in the colonies hasn't fixed itself I'm aware you may want to get the pre-order in.

[Abyss]

polishgenius, on 12 January 2017 - 09:32 PM, said:

Hey, Abyss, as a Tigana hater I should really be ostracising you for the sake of good taste and decency, but do you know that the fourth Col Buchanan book is out at the end of February? I mention it now because if the publishing situation for the series over in the colonies hasn't fixed itself I'm aware you may want to get the pre-order in.

Hey thanks PG, no I didn't know that. Looks like Amazon.ca is in sync w .uk for a change so I'll get it easily enough, which is nice considering how stupid difficult it was for bk 3.