Return of the Book Thread

[RhyssaFireheart]

So I've finished the side books that Ian C. Esslemont wrote to the Malazan series.  Or rather, his books of the Malazan series.  He's not quite as brutal with his characters as Erickson is and the writing style is close enough that I wasn't jarred from the world that Erickson had built in the other books.  Night of Knives was good but I think I enjoyed Return of the Crimson Guard and Stonewielder more.  These two are a set and the chance to explore more about what was going on in the rest of the empire was well done.  I'm hoping he's going to write more, tbh.

While visiting the in-laws over the weekend, the MiL gave me the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo set of books.  She'd read them, enjoyed the series but isn't into keeping books any more, so she thought I'd like them.  So that's what I'm reading next.  I'd been planning on eventually getting the series but when it's handed to me for free, can't complain at all!

[Ozzu]

In the last few weeks, I've finished:

The Saxon Tales series by Bernard Cornwell (Well, it's not technically a finished series yet, but I'm caught up.): These are good quick reads that don't waste much time going from one major event to another.

The first trilogy of the Kushiel's series by Jacqueline Carey: Definitely goes into my top 10. This was a thoroughly enjoyable 3 books.


I'm currently working on:

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon: Currently about halfway through the first book. It's definitely an interesting premise and seems well written. I think I'm going to like it.

[murdoc]

Just finished Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth. It starts out decently but predictably descends into  

Finally starting Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself. It's been on my 'to read' list for a long time.

So I've finished the side books that Ian C. Esslemont wrote to the Malazan series.  Or rather, his books of the Malazan series.  He's not quite as brutal with his characters as Erickson is and the writing style is close enough that I wasn't jarred from the world that Erickson had built in the other books.  Night of Knives was good but I think I enjoyed Return of the Crimson Guard and Stonewielder more.  These two are a set and the chance to explore more about what was going on in the rest of the empire was well done.  I'm hoping he's going to write more, tbh.

I really disliked Night of Knives, so much that I have refused to read the next two - but after finishing Erikson's books it seems I'll need to read them if I actually want some closure on aspects of the story.

[Morat20]

How Firm a Foundation -- Weber's latest Safehold book -- came out today, so it's sitting on my Kindle waiting for me to get home. Or for lunch. It's a nice light read, if you like your Sails and Broadsides books with a side of Androids and Reformation.

[dd0029]

How Firm a Foundation -- Weber's latest Safehold book -- came out today, so it's sitting on my Kindle waiting for me to get home. Or for lunch. It's a nice light read, if you like your Sails and Broadsides books with a side of Androids and Reformation.

If it's anything like the others, you need to include great long meetings where everything is discussed repeatedly in excruciating detail. I generally likes me some Weber, but these have been a little over the top on repeating things.

Anyway, I finished up Robopocalypse. It was not bad, but it didn't quite deliver. Mostly a by the numbers thing with cardboard people doing their thing. I thought the best parts were those from the newly sentient robots point of view. The cardboard thing worked for them.

[Sky]

Just finished Fatal Alliance, Sean William's Old Republic book. Surprisingly not sucky, after reading Paul S Kemp's atrocity, I was questioning my sanity in reading the Old Republic EU stuff. But I'm glad I picked this one up, it's a solid action sci-fi (if nothing extraordinary). I would actually recommend it if you like light sci-fi action and don't hate the IP. I think Karpyshyn's novels had better character development, but he also had a single main character and three novels to work with.

I wish our library owned this one instead of the Kemp novel  Williams left some danglers, so hopefully he'll write another with these characters.

[Draegan]

Finally just started The Black Company.  Only like 30-40 pages in, but it's interesting.  Fast paced and my head is kinda spinning, but what else is new for a fantasy novel.

Also, I haven't read something in first person in a long while, it's taking me some time to get used to.

[Reg]

You waited til this thread hit a new page to start the book didn't you? ADMIT IT!

[Draegan]

It's not a new page to me.  This is the 9th post on this page.

[Morat20]

How Firm a Foundation -- Weber's latest Safehold book -- came out today, so it's sitting on my Kindle waiting for me to get home. Or for lunch. It's a nice light read, if you like your Sails and Broadsides books with a side of Androids and Reformation.

If it's anything like the others, you need to include great long meetings where everything is discussed repeatedly in excruciating detail. I generally likes me some Weber, but these have been a little over the top on repeating things.

It started with like 20 pages of "You know, it's ridiculously dangerous and hard to be in a galleon during a big-ass storm" complete with a lot of musing on the forces involved and how sailing ships did things like "reduced sail" when the pressures on the sail were something like 1700 pounds per square foot and whatnot.

I actually like that, since I have no idea how sailing ships work and it's kinda interesting to see him dig up and regurgitate some of the shit people came up with over the decades humans were sailing frail wooden vessels around the world. On the other hand, it's info-dumps.

I view him as kinda like Tom Clancy, except with a much milder agenda and slightly more interesting worlds. Very light reading, half of which is for "Huh, interesting, now onto shit blowing up" and half is, you know, for lots of shit blowing up. Prime Beach reading, in my mind. :)

[bhodi]

Sadly it really just makes me want to read the Horatio Hornblower stuff. I actually bailed halfway through A Mighty Fortress because I got bored that nothing really was happening. The plot was interesting for a bit but the entire thing has really dragged since book 2.

His writing style really got to me, that whole "talk talk talk exposition, talk talk biiiiiiiiiigg leadup and one huge battle at the end" that he seems to do every single one of his books.

[Rendakor]

Picked up the first Culture novel last time I was at the book store; it's sort of boring so far because I don't really like any of the side characters on the ship. I'm going to try to finish it since I've heard good things about the series.

Also about halfway through the first WoT book; rereading them in preparation for the release of the last one. I've read all of Jordan's already but none of Sanderson's so the last three will all be fresh. I'm taking it slow because my girlfriend is reading them for the first time, and I like to stay close in the story so we can discuss it.

[Chimpy]

You waited til this thread hit a new page to start the book didn't you? ADMIT IT!

The best is where we have a page that it has not been mentioned and then BAM! last post is "So I love me some Toadkiller Dog, man!"

[Murgos]

The best is where we have a page that it has not been mentioned and then BAM! last post is "So I love me some Toadkiller Dog, man!"

Well, he is pretty awesome.

Re: Age of Sail novels.  Reading the Patrick O'brian stuff has given me a real appreciation for how much 18th c sailors vernacular we use in every day language without realizing it.  Phrases like, "By and large" and "All the way to the bitter end", really there are dozens of them.

[Johny Cee]

Just finished Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth. It starts out decently but predictably descends into  

Finally starting Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Within. It's been on my 'to read' list for a long time.

Without spoiling or prejudicing your reading experience, even if you don't really like Blade, make sure to read the next book.  I really liked Before They Are Hanged.

So I've finished the side books that Ian C. Esslemont wrote to the Malazan series.  Or rather, his books of the Malazan series.  He's not quite as brutal with his characters as Erickson is and the writing style is close enough that I wasn't jarred from the world that Erickson had built in the other books.  Night of Knives was good but I think I enjoyed Return of the Crimson Guard and Stonewielder more.  These two are a set and the chance to explore more about what was going on in the rest of the empire was well done.  I'm hoping he's going to write more, tbh.

I really disliked Night of Knives, so much that I have refused to read the next two - but after finishing Erikson's books it seems I'll need to read them if I actually want some closure on aspects of the story.

Return of the Crimson Guard is much better.  Night was a first novel, and felt like it, with problems all over the place.  Crimson Guard feels like a very close cousin to the earlier Erickson Malazan books, though the characterization is worse.

[K9]

I re-read Harry Potter books 6 and 7 on a whim; they were better than I remembered from the first read-throughs.

[Ironwood]

The Blade Within ??

Does it have a different name for the Dummies in the US then ?

[Paelos]

I'm reading the Hunger Games Trilogy on a recommendation from a friend. Interesting concept that gets pretty nuts.

[murdoc]

The Blade Within ??

Does it have a different name for the Dummies in the US then ?

No, just the dumb Canadians who write the title incorrectly.

[Ironwood]

Damn Them.

[Viin]

Picked up The Black Banners on Kindle yesterday. Interesting so far, written by an ex-FBI special agent who worked on anti-terrorism and al-Qaeda specifically before/after 9/11. Talks about his interrogations with al-Qaeda operatives, etc. Also gives some background on al-Qaeda's recruiting and religious drive.

Heard about it on NPR, YMMV.

[Morat20]

Finished How Firm a Foundation. As expected -- light reading, heavy on exposition, quite a lot of "Battle happens/Bad Guys reacting to Crushing Defeat". Without giving spoilers...

Good points:

Interesting, if not entirely unforseen, twist added to add urgency. Previously there was basically no fixed timeline. Main character/country's goals were survival and a new status quo, followed by a slow breaking of the Church and a Reformation.

Willingness to kill off people, and a fairly accurate -- if a bit modern-dayish -- response from the Bad Guys trying to keep on the offense. Which represents some of the aforemented dead people, including POV characters.

Bad points:

Pretty much entirely like the first four books. If you didn't like them, you won't like this. :) It's also pretty much the same path all his war-porn books take, which is basically "Tech Upgrade/Curb-Stomp Battle/Villian Tech Upgrade/Even Battle/Good Guy Upgrade/Curb Stomp Battle....".

I think, even with the main premise, that the tech upgrade pace is a bit too fast. I realize that the main premise basically means people are skipping most of the "don't work" steps, but it seems infrastructure is building too fast for support.

Oh well -- up next: Ghost Story and How to Live Safely in A Science Fiction Universe.

[K9]

I'm reading the Hunger Games Trilogy on a recommendation from a friend. Interesting concept that gets pretty nuts.

I enjoyed the first book. If I had a daughter I'd probably rather she read that than Twilight. I'm going to read the other two in due course.

[Viin]

Oh well -- up next: Ghost Story and How to Live Safely in A Science Fiction Universe.

Reading Ghost Story as well, pretty good - been awhile since I've read some of the other books so I find myself forgetting who old/dead characters are.

[bhodi]

I'm reading the Hunger Games Trilogy on a recommendation from a friend. Interesting concept that gets pretty nuts.

I enjoyed the first book. If I had a daughter I'd probably rather she read that than Twilight. I'm going to read the other two in due course.

The first book is pretty good, I ditched the second 20 pages in because of the horrible forced romance bits. Apparently the third book is lots of death, though.

[kaid]

Sadly it really just makes me want to read the Horatio Hornblower stuff. I actually bailed halfway through A Mighty Fortress because I got bored that nothing really was happening. The plot was interesting for a bit but the entire thing has really dragged since book 2.

His writing style really got to me, that whole "talk talk talk exposition, talk talk biiiiiiiiiigg leadup and one huge battle at the end" that he seems to do every single one of his books.

Odd thing about the safehold series is every other book seems to be where stuff happens. I was not a huge fan of a mighty fortress but this last book was excellent.

[Viin]

I'm reading the Hunger Games Trilogy on a recommendation from a friend. Interesting concept that gets pretty nuts.

I enjoyed the first book. If I had a daughter I'd probably rather she read that than Twilight. I'm going to read the other two in due course.

Isn't Hunger Games the series loosely based on/similar to Battle Royale?

I enjoyed Battle Royale, but I understand Hunger Games has a couple of extra components added to the mix.

[bhodi]

Isn't Hunger Games the series loosely based on/similar to Battle Royale?

I enjoyed Battle Royale, but I understand Hunger Games has a couple of extra components added to the mix.

It's similar on the surface, yes. The book has a much different feel, however. It's definitely young adult fiction. There's some killing but there isn't graphic descriptions and inventive deaths like in battle royale. And I hate to say it, but I still feel like it's a bit too... ham fisted on the emotional love triangle stuff for me. Like twilight. I don't really enjoy that kind of thing.

Maybe I'll go back to the safehold series and give it a go. I abandoned a mighty fortress halfway through for the new dresden book and haven't picked it up since.


I also read (and by read I mean audiobook in the car)

Trudi Canavan's Black Magician series, which is a fairly decent work, though it's unfortunately wayyy overshadowed by three similar but much better works I've read in the past year, Rothfuss's Kingkiller, Butcher's Codex Alera, and Sanderson's Mistborn.

Madeline Lynch's Newton's Wake, pretty standard sci-fi singularity fiction. Was OK, but not incredible

Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire series, I read the first 3 books of this, it was also OK but not great, I found the author's life more interesting than the books, actually. Again for some reason, the relationship stuff got to me in this.


Maybe I'm just growing old and bitter about perfect relationships and protagonists who agonize over choosing 2 wonderful mates, or true love that's not able to be fulfilled due to circumstance, or anything like that. I want to punch characters who are embroiled in a situation that is going to cost hundreds, thousands, millions of lives and instead of thinking of the larger picture there are pages upon pages of 'how do I feel about this, what will he think of me' exposition. Ugh. They've also been women authors, maybe that has something to do with it.

[Salamok]

Anyone tackling REAMDE at the moment?

[Abagadro]

Is it out yet?  I have it on preorder and it hasn't shown up.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire series, I read the first 3 books of this, it was also OK but not great, I found the author's life more interesting than the books, actually. Again for some reason, the relationship stuff got to me in this.


Maybe I'm just growing old and bitter about perfect relationships and protagonists who agonize over choosing 2 wonderful mates, or true love that's not able to be fulfilled due to circumstance, or anything like that. I want to punch characters who are embroiled in a situation that is going to cost hundreds, thousands, millions of lives and instead of thinking of the larger picture there are pages upon pages of 'how do I feel about this, what will he think of me' exposition. Ugh. They've also been women authors, maybe that has something to do with it.

I have most of these (I think there are a few out that I've not picked up yet) and enjoyed them for the concepts behind the civilizations she came up with.  I agree that the relationship stuff gets a bit out of hand a lot of the time, especially when going through the "should I / shouldn't I?" whole waffling around.  But the concepts behind the relationships - the whole genetic imperative and biology driving who certain people should be with rather than plain old love and affection - it really can be interesting if you gloss over the trite romance novel aspects.

I've only heard a bit about her personal life though, but what I've heard does sound more interesting than "I felt like being a writer".

[Salamok]

Is it out yet?  I have it on preorder and it hasn't shown up.

Ah nm Sep 20th, didn't notice that when reading the review.

[bhodi]

I've only heard a bit about her personal life though, but what I've heard does sound more interesting than "I felt like being a writer".

Yeah, my eyes went up when I read the quick biography blurb on wikipedia, it's hard to beat this:

Catherine Asaro was born in Oakland, California and grew up in El Cerrito, California. She has a B.S. with highest honors in chemistry from UCLA and an A.M. in physics and a Ph.D. in chemical physics both from Harvard University.[1]

When not writing and making appearances at conventions and signings, Catherine teaches math, physics, and chemistry. She has coached various nationally ranked teams with home, private, and public school students, in particular the Howard Area Homeschoolers and the Chesapeake team for national tournaments such as the American Regions Mathematics League (ARML). Her students have placed at the top levels in numerous national competitions, including the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) and the United States of America Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS).[2]

Asaro is a member of SIGMA, a think tank of speculative writers that advises the government as to future trends affecting national security.[3] She is also a visiting professor in the Physics Department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.[4]

A former ballet and jazz dancer, Catherine Asaro has performed with dance companies and in musicals on both coasts and in Ohio. She founded and served as artistic director and a principal dancer for two dance groups at Harvard: The Mainly Jazz Dance Company and the Harvard University Ballet. After she graduated, her undergraduate students took over Mainly Jazz and made it into a club at the college. She has completed two terms as president of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) (2003–2005).[3] Her husband is John Kendall Cannizzo, an astrophysicist at NASA.[5] They have one daughter, a ballet dancer who studies maths at the University of Cambridge.[6][7]

Catherine Asaro is the daughter of Frank Asaro, the nuclear chemist who discovered the iridium anomaly that led the team of Walter Alvarez, Luis Alvarez, Frank Asaro, and Helen Michels to postulate that an asteroid collided with the Earth 65 million years ago and caused mass extinctions, including the demise of the dinosaurs.

Sadly, unlike say, Nancy Kress's Probability space series, her heavy science education does not come out in her writing in a 'hard science' aspect. She glosses/handwaves over a surprisingly large amount of the world tech.

[WayAbvPar]

Is it out yet?  I have it on preorder and it hasn't shown up.

Ah nm Sep 20th, didn't notice that when reading the review.

First 2 chapters have been posted on his site, but I am holding out until I get the whole thing delivered in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. And I saved a whole $1.82 off the hardcover price 

Really looking forward to it.

[Salamok]

Really looking forward to it.

I'm in this weird state where I am really looking forward to the first 90% of it while dreading the last hundred pages.