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Varl
Learned Scribe
USA
284 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Jul 2018 : 15:44:33
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| I'm far behind in my Realms novel reading, but I'm working on it. Right now, I'm reading Red Magic. No spoilers please. |
I'm on a permanent vacation to the soul. -Tash Sultana |
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Taleras
Seeker
75 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2018 : 04:22:21
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| Reading The Dragon Reborn right now. Started WoT last month and have just been cruising through, haven't taken any breaks with other books, which I normally do on long series. The Great Hunt got pretty slow at times, but really picked up at the end. Excited to watch this epic unfold. |
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charger_ss24
Learned Scribe
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2018 : 23:11:47
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| Started re-reading the Legend of Drizzt, so my step-son can start reading it and talk about it like we did with the books on Erevis Cale. After blazing through the first two trilogies in the past six months, I'm taking a break and reading The Hobbit. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 29 Aug 2018 : 03:26:03
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Huh, I've not posted in this thread for a while...
I read the Riftwar Legacy books, then took a break again by reading the first (and most likely, last) Transformers novel I ever purchased. I got it on a whim, and I'm regretting it now. It was called Transformers: Exodus and promised to describe how Cybertronian society split into the Autobots and Decepticons. It actually started off well enough, with Megatron's rise, but then went off the rails -- a little political buildup, and then a war with Decepticons kicking major backside.
I had many, many issues with this one, enough that I'll likely get rid of the book -- which is something I never do.
Some of the issues:
1) Orion Pax gets the name Optimus Prime and becomes a warrior, but there's no physical change mentioned -- so either he was always a big-ass robot even as a data clerk, or something got left out.
2) Megatron goes from angry militant wanting to overthrow a stagnating society to megalomanical "must rule the universe!" without any transition.
3) We see Optimus come up with the name "Autobot" but the name "Decepticon" just abruptly shows up, without any intro or explanation.
4) The Decepticon's aerial advantage is mentioned a couple of times. Apparently, robots who turn themselves into vehicles are somehow incapable of building any vehicles, except for spaceships, and similarly can't refit themselves or build jetpacks or anything like that.
5) Despite having every advantage, the Decepticons abruptly stopped all military operations to focus on a project that would assure the victory that was already assured. This just happened to coincide with the Autobots deciding to engage on their own massive, non-military project, giving them just enough time to pull it off (along with some utterly pointless maneuvers).
6) And this one is the most glaring -- the robots acted just like organics. As a data clerk, Orion Pax sat at a computer terminal and looked at monitors. The robots all spoke to one another, and Bumblebee couldn't communicate because he'd lost his vocoder, somehow. Every single thing on Cybertron is robotic, but the inhabitants rely on their own optical and auditory sensors, rather than plugging directly into computers or communicating with each other via wifi and built-in comm units. It's also mentioned that they made a point of having atmosphere inside a space station. Yeah, I get that this is a series based on an 80's toy line, but still -- they acted just like people. Just about any example of them taking advantage of being robots would have been welcome.
Anyway... After that, I read Prince of the Blood and now I'm on The King's Buccaneer. After that, I'll take another break before getting into the Serpentwar Saga.
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 29 Aug 2018 : 04:12:53
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| I have been reading a lot of books lately, which is typically of me. Along with some male/male romances, I finally finished Desert Spear, book two of the Demon Cycle. The writing is good, and I enjoy the world the author has created, but most of the characters are unlikeable. Maybe that's the point, as humanity is pretty horrible in this series. But it's just hard to get into, as I can't stand most of the characters, with the exception of one or two. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2018 : 19:34:55
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Just finished reading Lifel1k3, a book I heartily recommend. There's a hell of a lot going on in this one -- shades of Paradise Lost, a quest for identity, an examination of the implications of the Three Laws of Robotics, an interesting look at human nature...
And it's set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland; long enough after a nuclear war that people think "Kalifornya" was part of "Yousay".
Amazon lists it as a Young Adult novel, but I didn't realize that until I was a good chunk of the way into the book. I was a good chunk of the way into the story when I realized the connection to the fall of the Romanovs, too -- especially the (since disproven) tale of the lost princess Anastasia Romanov. Since this is clearly the first book of a series and leaves room for more, I'm curious to see what the author does with that angle.
Here's the official blurb:
quote:
On an island junkyard beneath a sky that glows with radiation, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap. Seventeen-year-old Eve isn't looking for trouble--she's too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she spent months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, she's on the local gangster's wanted list, and the only thing keeping her grandpa alive is the money she just lost to the bookies. Worst of all, she's discovered she can somehow destroy machines with the power of her mind, and a bunch of puritanical fanatics are building a coffin her size because of it. If she's ever had a worse day, Eve can't remember it. The problem is, Eve has had a worse day--one that lingers in her nightmares and the cybernetic implant where her memories used to be. Her discovery of a handsome android named Ezekiel--called a "Lifelike" because they resemble humans--will bring her world crashing down and make her question whether her entire life is a lie. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic sidekick Cricket in tow, Eve will trek across deserts of glass, battle unkillable bots, and infiltrate towering megacities to save the ones she loves...and learn the truth about the bloody secrets of her past.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2018 : 03:30:25
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Just finished one called Space Opera. The write-up sounded great and it was well-reviewed... But it just didn't work for me. I feel like the author was trying very, very hard to channel Douglas Adams. And instead of getting Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams, she got Mostly Harmless Douglas Adams. She got the writing style and absurdity of the earlier Douglas Adams work, but the meandering plot and repeated near-misses of humor that marked Mostly Harmless. The tale takes forever to get to the climax, which then felt rushed and almost like an afterthought, with the denouement being even more of an "oh, yeah" addition.
I had hopes for this book. I was looking forward to reading it, and I really wanted to like it. But I found it so underwhelming I'm not sure that I'll keep my copy -- and I'm not one that gets rid of books once I buy them.
Next up is Kill The Farm Boy. Just looking at the map and the chapter headings makes me think I'm going to like this one a lot more. |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2018 : 20:31:56
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| Finally bought all the Percy Jackson books, along with the other books in the franchise, such as Kane Chronicles, Magus Chase, and [i]Trials of Apollo/i]. I have been wanting to read them for a while. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2018 : 19:19:16
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Okay, I really, really liked Kill the Farm Boy, enough that I'm linking to it and heartily recommending it.
They play with a lot of fantasy tropes in this one, particularly the simple farm boy who becomes the Chosen One, and the swordswoman in a chain mail bikini. The book also has a talking goat, an assassin who clearly used Intelligence as her dump stat, the Dark Lord Toby (who is really fond of cheese and artisanal crackers), a half-rabbit bard, and Grinda the Sand Witch.
Also mentioned but never actually appearing in the book is the Dread Necromancer Steve; he's an ex-boyfriend of the swordswoman and a friend of the fur loincloth-clad prince named Konnan that later appears as a minor character.
In addition to playing with tropes, they also make liberal use of puns and double entendres. The latter, in particular, gets used a lot when they visit the elven forest of Morningwood.
Overall, the conflict revolves around Grinda, a former advisor to the king, and Löcher, the current advisor to the king, who keeps the king thoroughly drunk and befuddled (a container of particularly fine wine appears as a plot device; it is a cask of Amon Tiyado). There's also the machinations of a warty, flatulent pixie, named Staph.
Oh, and the farm boy is named Worstley. His late older brother was Bestley.
I'm not sure what I'm going to be reading next. |
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Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 10 Oct 2018 19:24:17 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2018 : 18:31:56
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I just finished Heroine's Journey, the third book of a trilogy I'm rather sure was written for a slightly different target audience -- the main characters of the trilogy are young (20ish) Asian American women. It's a fun series. The characters are all super-powered, though they're not quite comic book superheroes. The action is set in San Francisco, and all of the super-types got their powers when a portal to the demon realm opened up, and demons came thru in the form of bodiless spirits that can animate inanimate options (including cupcakes!).
All three books follow the same group of women, with each book being told from the PoV of a different one of them. Despite the superhero premise, all three books are really about the women discovering who they really are and how it affects their group dynamic.
Despite the fact that I'm sure I'm not the intended audience, I still found all three books quite enjoyable. Heroine Complex, Heroine Worship, and Heroine's Journey, all by Sarah Kuhn. Check them out.
I just started Roar of Sky, by my friend Beth Cato. It's the third book of her Blood of Earth trilogy, an alt history involving steampunk elements, earth magic, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. I've rather enjoyed all of her other stuff, and I've been looking forward to this one. |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2018 : 19:43:31
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I've been reading a lot of YA fantasy lately. I read the first arc in the Percy Jackson-verse books, and then read the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. She has some other books set in that world (the Grishaverse), so I read the Shadow and Bone trilogy. She has a new book set in the Grishaverse coming out in January, so I figured I should read all the books, since the new one will feature a character from Shadow and Bone. Six of Crows was fantastic.
I went back to the Percy-verse books, starting the Kane Chronicles trilogy, which focuses on the Egyptian gods, but then decided to read some "classic" FR novels, as it has been a while since I read an FR novel (other than Timeless). So I bought the Knights of Myth Drannor on my Kindle. I'm on Sword of Dragonfire right now. To be honest, though, I'm not really into them. I feel like the scenes are choppy, many of them feeling quite random, and the constant references to sex and women gets old. Not Ed's best work, IHMHO, but I will finish reading them. I also ordered The Parched Sea and The Veiled Dragon. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 02 Nov 2018 : 00:54:54
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quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout
I've been reading a lot of YA fantasy lately. I read the first arc in the Percy Jackson-verse books, and then read the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. She has some other books set in that world (the Grishaverse), so I read the Shadow and Bone trilogy. She has a new book set in the Grishaverse coming out in January, so I figured I should read all the books, since the new one will feature a character from Shadow and Bone. Six of Crows was fantastic.
I read Six of Crows, but it didn't work as well for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was expecting, and I didn't really warm to any of the characters. |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 02 Nov 2018 : 00:59:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout
I've been reading a lot of YA fantasy lately. I read the first arc in the Percy Jackson-verse books, and then read the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. She has some other books set in that world (the Grishaverse), so I read the Shadow and Bone trilogy. She has a new book set in the Grishaverse coming out in January, so I figured I should read all the books, since the new one will feature a character from Shadow and Bone. Six of Crows was fantastic.
I read Six of Crows, but it didn't work as well for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was expecting, and I didn't really warm to any of the characters.
I loved it. I like angsty characters and asassin/thief stories, and it was inclusive, which I have come to look for in fantasy. I thought it was well done. But to each their own  |
Sweet water and light laughter |
Edited by - CorellonsDevout on 02 Nov 2018 01:15:18 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2018 : 01:44:08
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I've done a fair amount of reading since I last posted here...
I just finished A Kingdom Besieged, book 1 of the Chaoswar Saga -- the last part of the Riftwar series. There's a hell of a lot going on in the book, but it's the last 10 pages that really blew me away.
It's kinda weird... The Riftwar books, the original saga -- those were among the first fantasy novels I read. I've been reading Riftwar books since I was a teenager, and that was many, many moons ago. And now I'm just two books from the end of the entire series. It's kinda sad, for me: I've been on this ride for more than half of my life!
These are also the first new Riftwar books I've read in several years. I was re-reading the series several years ago, when these books came out, but reading the whole thing at once got me burned out before I got to the end. That's why I've been taking my time with this series, this time; it's taken me almost 8 months to read the previous 27 books, because I was taking frequent breaks and reading other stuff.
After I finish this book and the next, I'm going to read the 3rd book of the Great Library series, Ash and Quill. The first two books were amazing, and I'm kinda tempted to just dive into that third book now.
After that, I'm thinking of revisiting the Yamada Monogatari books: historical fantasy, set in Japan. It's a good series that I really enjoyed, to the point of going out of my way to try to find all the books when I first read the first one. It was damned inconvenient, trying to get those books -- both for being out of town, at the time, and then having a hard time getting to the local bookstore because their holiday hours and my work hours were not compatible.
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Varl
Learned Scribe
USA
284 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2018 : 15:17:46
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| I'm reading The Night Parade now. |
I'm on a permanent vacation to the soul. -Tash Sultana |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 22 Dec 2018 : 00:28:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
After that, I'm thinking of revisiting the Yamada Monogatari books: historical fantasy, set in Japan. It's a good series that I really enjoyed, to the point of going out of my way to try to find all the books when I first read the first one. It was damned inconvenient, trying to get those books -- both for being out of town, at the time, and then having a hard time getting to the local bookstore because their holiday hours and my work hours were not compatible.
Oooh, I may have to check these out. I love Japanese stuff. I read Tales of the Otori, which was a fantasy series set in a feudal-Japan inspired world. It was great. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3806 Posts |
Posted - 22 Dec 2018 : 00:49:20
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I've had troubles reading or watching movies for quite a long time, but some time ago, I brought myself to read a book titled "The Poppy War". I had seen people either singing its praises, and/or condemining it for being exceedingly disturbing, so I kinda grew curious and grabbed it.
The book was good indeed. It starts as a grittier, Chinese Harry Potter, and all of sudden it becomes a war horror story. I loved the worldbuilding in this book, especially the author's take on the gods (and their shamans--basically clerics), how hard it is to communicate with them, what kind of understanding of the universe you need to possess to even start perceving them, and the price at which their assistance comes.
About the brutality that many pointed out, it wasn't gratuitous, or just there for shock value. If anything, what I found truly unsettling was that the parts that people complained about were based on real events during WWII. Basically, a mini (but equally cruel) Holocaust happened in China, and very few people seem to be aware of it.
Anyway, this is supposed to be a trilogy, and I guess I'll read book 2 too, when it comes out in Summer 2019. |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
Edited by - Irennan on 22 Dec 2018 00:50:39 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 22 Dec 2018 : 02:48:33
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quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
After that, I'm thinking of revisiting the Yamada Monogatari books: historical fantasy, set in Japan. It's a good series that I really enjoyed, to the point of going out of my way to try to find all the books when I first read the first one. It was damned inconvenient, trying to get those books -- both for being out of town, at the time, and then having a hard time getting to the local bookstore because their holiday hours and my work hours were not compatible.
Oooh, I may have to check these out. I love Japanese stuff. I read Tales of the Otori, which was a fantasy series set in a feudal-Japan inspired world. It was great.
The first book is Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter, by Richard Parks. The book is an anthology. The second book takes one of the stories from the anthology and builds on it to make a complete novel, and the third and fourth novels continue from there. The books have action, the supernatural, and politics, and are tied into Japanese history and folklore. One of the recurring supporting characters is the kitsune Kuzunoha.
The main character, Yamada no Goji, is a nobleman in name only, and at the start of the series he's close to being an alcoholic and is closer to being broke. But he knows his supernatural stuff, and that's why people seek him out to handle special problems.
You might also like The Grace of Kings, by Ken Liu. The author refers to it as "silkpunk." |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 22 Dec 2018 : 02:51:14
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| Thanks :) |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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BountyHunter
Seeker
Canada
61 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2019 : 18:58:58
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Currently nearing the end of my millionth reread of all things Tolkien. Almost done Return of the King.
After this, I'm torn between finishing up the last of the Dragonlance Weis and Hickman stuff I haven't gotten around to (War of Souls, Dark Disciple) or starting in on The Dresden Files. |
Edited by - BountyHunter on 06 Feb 2019 19:02:08 |
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BountyHunter
Seeker
Canada
61 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2019 : 19:02:24
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Currently nearing the end of my millionth reread of all things Tolkien. Almost done Return of the King.
After this, I'm torn between finishing up the last of the Dragonlance Weis and Hickman stif I haven't gotten around to (War of Souls, Dark Disciple) or starting in on The Dresden Files. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2019 : 03:45:37
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The Dresden Files are awesome!
Elaine Cunningham used to have a blog about what she was reading; her mention of the books (and CallMeGene's followup recommendation) are what got me into those books. Jim Butcher has now joined the short list of authors who can sell me a book by putting their name on it. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2019 : 04:22:17
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| Just finished King of Scars, the newest book in the Grishaverse, and before that I read Poisoned in Light, the last of the Dragori trilogy. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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BountyHunter
Seeker
Canada
61 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2019 : 06:08:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
The Dresden Files are awesome!
Elaine Cunningham used to have a blog about what she was reading; her mention of the books (and CallMeGene's followup recommendation) are what got me into those books. Jim Butcher has now joined the short list of authors who can sell me a book by putting their name on it.
I've had the first four sitting on my shelf for years, plus the comic that serves as a prequel to Storm Front. Just haven't gotten around to them yet. |
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Varl
Learned Scribe
USA
284 Posts |
Posted - 13 Feb 2019 : 02:10:41
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| The Night Parade. |
I'm on a permanent vacation to the soul. -Tash Sultana |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2476 Posts |
Posted - 28 Feb 2019 : 04:21:38
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Re-reading the Captive Flame, from the Brotherhood of the Griffon series. Now that I understand the concept of "sjashukri" (the way dragonborn critizice someone without actually speaking ill of them), I can't help but smile every time Balasar (one of the dragonborn characters) says something.  |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2019 : 23:51:33
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| Just finished Starship Troopers and the first three Dune novels......first time reading them. No clue why I had not read them yet! |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Varl
Learned Scribe
USA
284 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2019 : 13:02:47
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| Regarding the Night Parade btw, so far there have been no less than 3 creatures in this novel that I have absolutely no idea what they are. Once I finish the novel, would this be the place to post questions about what they are? I thought I knew every D&D monster, but these 3 so far have left me clueless. |
I'm on a permanent vacation to the soul. -Tash Sultana |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2019 : 21:43:33
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quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
Just finished Starship Troopers and the first three Dune novels......first time reading them. No clue why I had not read them yet!
Having read the first Dune novel, I have no clue why people read any more of them.
I really don't understand what the hype is about, with that one. |
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What are you reading? (2018-20??)
