What Are You Reading, Part 2

[Straw he/him]

Update on my goal to read ASOIAF, Discworld, The Malazen Book of The Fallen, The Lightbringer, and Wheel of Time. I am currently on A Game of Thrones, Witches Abroad, Midnight Tides, The Blood Mirror, and A Crown of Swords. 

 

[Adurna]

3 hours ago, Straw said:

Update on my goal to read ASOIAF, Discworld, The Malazen Book of The Fallen, The Lightbringer, and Wheel of Time. I am currently on A Game of Thrones, Witches Abroad, Midnight Tides, The Blood Mirror, and A Crown of Swords. 

 

Are you reading all of these simultaneously? Or switching between series or whatever? If so I admire your ability to keep all the names straight, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it.

As for myself, I'm torn between starting Malazan or the Dark Tower series... Any suggestions on that?

[Orlion Blight he/him]

2 hours ago, Adurna said:

 

As for myself, I'm torn between starting Malazan or the Dark Tower series... Any suggestions on that?

Depends on your mood. Want something lighter? Read Stephen King. Want something heavier? Read Malazan.

I've known people who love both. I've only read the first two books in the Dark Tower and the entirety of Malazan.

[Briar King]

I've read both. Love both. Read Malazan

[Dunkum he/him]

15 hours ago, Andarist said:

Actually that is because Erikson has a certain philosophy towards his storytelling. Everything is set in a huge world where lots of things are happening. Some of those things maybe entirely relevant to the story and we get to see their resolution, some are partially relevant, they enter the story and then leave on their own journey and some are irrelevant so maybe we will only hear allusions about them. 

To put it in the context of our world, say we are reading a story about the second world war, and one of the many PoVs is a Brazilian kid. In 1939 the german pocket battleship the Admiral Graf Spee fought the battle of the River Plate against the British and then was scuttled. Lets say the Brazilian kid befriends and takes care of an injured german sailor. And we never see them again. Would you say this is a wrong thing to happen in the story?

I am reading the Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan. Its really quite good. 

that was sort of the feeling I was getting, and while I do think it may be a more accurate portrayal of life and so forth, from the perspective of the reader (well, this reader anyway), it just isn't very satisfying.  I still enjoyed the series overall, but I think this is a much bigger flaw (maybe not the right word...downside, lets say) than whatever people are talking about when they recommend that newcomers read gardens of the moon 2nd or 3rd.

[Mistbornwithakitty she/her]

Just saw this conversation and immediately had the urge to post.  I love exchanging book knowledge!! 

Been reading a couple things lately:

The Dragon Prince series, by Melody Rawn (I cannot stress how good these books are, if you're looking for a good fantasy it's for you)

The Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling (a re-read, but still fantastic)

Mistborn: Secret History (just finished this actually and loved every bit)

Hmmmm...I just realized that's a shorter list than usual.  TIME TO GO TO THE LIBRARY. 

[Adurna]

Thanks for the tips guys! 

[Andarist he/him]

On 03/09/2016 at 1:44 AM, Dunkum said:

that was sort of the feeling I was getting, and while I do think it may be a more accurate portrayal of life and so forth, from the perspective of the reader (well, this reader anyway), it just isn't very satisfying.  I still enjoyed the series overall, but I think this is a much bigger flaw (maybe not the right word...downside, lets say) than whatever people are talking about when they recommend that newcomers read gardens of the moon 2nd or 3rd.

I understand how people would want everything to be knit up tidily in the ending but one of the major features of Malazan is challenging commonly held assumptions and making the reader uncomfortable. 

I am going to spoiler code the next few lines for those who have not finished the series

Spoiler

 

Consider the main storyline of Malazan - the Crippled God. At first it looks like the Crippled God is your typical fantasy Big Bad - a world threatening evil force - but as the story progresses your assumptions are inverted and the protagonists are not on a quest to destroy the CG but to free him. 

Consider the interaction between Itkovian and the T'lan Imass in Memories of Ice - the idea that compassion should be freely given - I will be honest, when I was reading the book and came to this part I had to put it down and think and question some of my major life assumptions. 

I don't know if you read the poems before the chapters, but in Reaper's Gale, there is a Shake poem which says - And the Sea does not dream of you. I loved that line and the ideas and thoughts it provoked. 

So what I am trying to say is that Malazan does not only seek to tell a satisfying story, it seeks to disturb, to ask and raise questions, to jolt comforting ideas. 

 

I totally get why some people may not like this as it may not be what they were looking for in a fantasy series. I firmly believe that reading and the enjoyment derived from it is a subjective experience, but, this is one of the reasons why I love it. 

[Zathoth]

I really need to pick up Malazan one day... one day.

At the moment I am reading Clive Barker's Books of Blood, I am very impressed with it so far and Mort, which has sent me into about 5 laughing fits so far and I have barely started.

EDIT

In the Hills, The Cities.... wow... favorite so far.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Morzathoth

[Zea mays]

For a while I have been listening on and off to a very comprehensive history of the ancient world, covering the vast area from ancient Rome to China.

 

For a change of pace I decided to check out the Bartimaeus trilogy I have been hearing good things about. The glory of this series is the hilarious snarky narration by the title character (performed magnificently by Simon Jones in the audible version). I think Bartimaeus read the same history book as me. He kept making references to it. What I was not ready for was the ending. Are (so called) YA authors allowed to do that? No, no,  talk amongst yourself now, I... I've got something in my eye.

[StormingTexan he/him]

Just finished The Gathering Storm. Wow story has really picked up since the last book can't wait to start Towers of Midnight! 

 

Also my respect for Brandon has increased (didn't know that was possible) after reading The Gathering Storm. To take over the work Jordan did had to be a daunting task. Honestly had a hard time telling it was a different author besides a few changes with a couple character's POV. Oh and a little less descriptive. Really great work though and looking for to the last two books. 

[Dunkum he/him]

4 hours ago, Andarist said:

I understand how people would want everything to be knit up tidily in the ending but one of the major features of Malazan is challenging commonly held assumptions and making the reader uncomfortable. 

I am going to spoiler code the next few lines for those who have not finished the series

  Hide contents

 

Consider the main storyline of Malazan - the Crippled God. At first it looks like the Crippled God is your typical fantasy Big Bad - a world threatening evil force - but as the story progresses your assumptions are inverted and the protagonists are not on a quest to destroy the CG but to free him. 

Consider the interaction between Itkovian and the T'lan Imass in Memories of Ice - the idea that compassion should be freely given - I will be honest, when I was reading the book and came to this part I had to put it down and think and question some of my major life assumptions. 

I don't know if you read the poems before the chapters, but in Reaper's Gale, there is a Shake poem which says - And the Sea does not dream of you. I loved that line and the ideas and thoughts it provoked. 

So what I am trying to say is that Malazan does not only seek to tell a satisfying story, it seeks to disturb, to ask and raise questions, to jolt comforting ideas. 

 

I totally get why some people may not like this as it may not be what they were looking for in a fantasy series. I firmly believe that reading and the enjoyment derived from it is a subjective experience, but, this is one of the reasons why I love it. 

 

I'll put this in a spoiler for good measure:

Spoiler

See, regarding the crippled god, I think if it had been clearer a bit earlier on that they were trying to free him, I'd have been a bit happier with that too.  it comes out of nowhere.  you don't even realize that is what is happening until book 9 or 10.  if he had telegraphed it just a little bit more it would have been more satisfying.  as it stands, it is just a surprise, and doesn't really feel like the point that the story has been building to for 10 books and several thousand pages.

 

 

 

[Left he/him]

Red Rising by Pierce Brown. It's good stuff. 

[Magestar he/him]

2 hours ago, Zea mays said:

For a change of pace I decided to check out the Bartimaeus trilogy I have been hearing good things about. The glory of this series is the hilarious snarky narration by the title character (performed magnificently by Simon Jones in the audible version). I think Bartimaeus read the same history book as me. He kept making references to it. What I was not ready for was the ending. Are (so called) YA authors allowed to do that? No, no,  talk amongst yourself now, I... I've got something in my eye.

Assuming we are talking about the same series... Yes, it was very well done.  Very entertaining.

As for the ending...  Pardon me, I think I too have something in my eye.  Possibly several somethings.

Currently, I'm finishing WoT, or trying to.  It's taking much longer than I had suspected it would.  After that... I don't know.  I'm thinking of reading some things by Brent Weeks or Dan Wells, because I have seen them recommended on here a lot.

[Sunbird she/her]

8 hours ago, Zea mays said:

For a change of pace I decided to check out the Bartimaeus trilogy I have been hearing good things about. The glory of this series is the hilarious snarky narration by the title character (performed magnificently by Simon Jones in the audible version). I think Bartimaeus read the same history book as me. He kept making references to it. What I was not ready for was the ending. Are (so called) YA authors allowed to do that? No, no,  talk amongst yourself now, I... I've got something in my eye.

I love this series!! I'm curious, though--how were Bartimaeus's semi-relevant asides handled? In the print books, they were footnotes at the bottom of the page, but I have no idea how that would work in an audiobook.

Re: Malazan, the first book (Gardens of the Moon) is Tor's free ebook of the month for September if you're signed up for their newsletter and live in the USA. (Might also be available in Canada; I'm not sure.)

[Zea mays]

1 hour ago, Sunbird said:

I love this series!! I'm curious, though--how were Bartimaeus's semi-relevant asides handled? In the print books, they were footnotes at the bottom of the page, but I have no idea how that would work in an audiobook.

Barti just delivers his musings like an actor giving an aside comment in a play. Quite smoothly, actually.

[Left he/him]

Storms. Red Rising was GOOD. Give the hunger games better characters, better writing, and a better plot, mix in some Enders game, add some philosophy and some extra grit and violence, and storms, that was one heck of a book. I'll be finishing the trilogy as soon as I can. 

[Sunbird she/her]

16 hours ago, Ernei said:

I'm in 1/3 of "Summoner. The Noivce" by Taran Matharu, and I'm having seconds thoughts. I mean, the book is not bad, I quite like how the character's introduction was handled and how the world is built. On the other hand, now that I'm in 2 Act (or something; out of the home village, anyways), I find the story getting slower and a bit boring - and it was pretty generic from the start. Have anybody here read it whole and could let me know if it gets better soon? And by soon I mean 1-2 chapters, I don't want to wade through the next 1/3 of the book until we reach whatever the climax is

Other than that, I'm thinking about picking "The Throne of Glass", but I'm anxious that the main heroine may turn out a Mary Sue. So, again, can anybody here tell me if she indeed is one? (I may still read it, since I heard there are some interesting supporting characters, though the person I heard it from... well, out book tastes don't always align).

I've read both of Matharu's books in that series so far and loved them. Once Fletcher gets to the battlemage training academy, things really start picking up, and it sounds like you should be getting there soon. If you want to read my full in-depth review of The Novice, here's the GoodReads link.

I haven't read Throne of Glass yet, but I've heard all sorts of good things, and it's on my list.

[Who Sharded?]

On 9/5/2016 at 8:56 AM, ScottLeft said:

Storms. Red Rising was GOOD. Give the hunger games better characters, better writing, and a better plot, mix in some Enders game, add some philosophy and some extra grit and violence, and storms, that was one heck of a book. I'll be finishing the trilogy as soon as I can. 

 

Random, but I just saw a 60 year old lady at the doctor's office reading Morning Star.

I love this trilogy btw.  And it only gets better after Red Rising.  Totally unrealistic but who cares when it's so awesome.

[Eki]

13 hours ago, Ernei said:

Let me know what you think about "Throne of Glass"

Personally I liked it, but the dialogue could feel a bit forced sometimes. I'll definitely continue the series at some point. (I've read the first two)

Also, there's a viewpoint error towards the end. It's not like that influenced my opinion of the book, but it was a bit jarring...

[Orlion Blight he/him]

Have I said that I'm reading Ghost Talkers? I'm reading Ghost Talkers.

[The Invested Beard]

Finished The Wise Man's Fear...

 

I have to say I'm really torn on this one. I really liked it. I also didn't like it. How do I square these things in my head?

I feel like 1/3 of the book went really far from the roots of what the story seemed to be about from the beginning. I'm not a big fan of the whole Kvothe: Sex God distraction.

I have this nagging suspicion that my enjoyment of the whole series is really going to come down to the ending and how well he ties up all the disparate threads that he's continued to leave hanging. It feels like I can't know how many of the pieces of this story are really important to the overall arch and I'm worried that a lot of it is going to end up just being fluff and unimportant, know what I mean? It's like the Lost of the fantasy literature genre. Sorry, having trouble putting my thoughts into words on this one.

 

Ah well, on to a second read through of the Shadowmarch books by Tad Williams.

Edited September 8, 2016 by The Invested Beard

[Left he/him]

I'm almost done with Golden Son, Red Rising book two. Next will be a quick detour to Alcatraz 5, then back to Red Rising 3. After that some comic books, then The Long War and The Long Mars. 

[StormingTexan he/him]

1 hour ago, The Invested Beard said:

Finished The Wise Man's Fear...

 

I have to say I'm really torn on this one. I really liked it. I also didn't like it. How do I square these things in my head?

I feel like 1/3 of the book went really far from the roots of what the story seemed to be about from the beginning. I'm not a big fan of the whole Kvothe: Sex God distraction.

I have this nagging suspicion that my enjoyment of the whole series is really going to come down to the ending and how well he ties up all the disparate threads that he's continued to leave hanging. It feels like I can't know how many of the pieces of this story are really important to the overall arch and I'm worried that a lot of it is going to end up just being fluff and unimportant, know what I mean? It's like the Lost of the fantasy literature genre. Sorry, having trouble putting my thoughts into words on this one.

 

Ah well, on to a second read through of the Shadowmarch books by Tad Williams.

This is pretty much how I felt about Wise Man's Fear. If the prose was not so good I probably would have liked it a lot less.  

[AliasSheep]

So I started reading 2312 and oh I already love it.  I'm the kind of reader who really appreciates the kind of worldbuilding that KSR does (I'm currently reading an interlude in the book which is an extract from a book about turning an asteroid into a livable habitat, like, that's such a great thing to include!).  The only downside is, I'm coming from this after having read the Mars Trilogy, and since they're in separate but very very similar universes, I feel kind of detached emotionally from the plot because I haven't had a chance to get to know the characters and the system as well as I got to know the characters and Mars itself in the Mars Trilogy.  Hopefully this picks up though, as it looks like it's going to turn into something interesting!