April 2011 - Reading Thread

[Gormenghast]

Nah, Bakker can be funny. Disciple of the Dog is very entertaining. .

PoN actually has some humorous moments too. Admittedly, not many.

I'd say read Erikson if you want more "tonal" variety. Bakker is more ruthless and to the point, which also makes him more effective. Not all fantasy books have to fulfill every expectations of the genre and tap on the whole variety of emotions.

Disciple of the Dog has lot of humor (and many of the same ideas spun), but it's still of the jaded/harsh kind. Can't really expect "feel good" moments from Bakker ;)

[SkynJay]

I loved the book, but indeed it's the steepest climb I've seen in fantasy. Gardens of the Moon considered unfriendly is absolutely nothing compared to this book.

God I'm glad you said this, I was starting to think I am going stupid. Once I got about 200 pages in, it has gone faster. But i think it took me four days to go through those 200, at least twice as long as normal.

And it is a good book for sure. This guy can obviously write a interesting story, which a hundred recs on this board told me already =)

[Eponine]

Not wanting to spoil anything, I'd say that, too, is not surprising, and to a large degree by design. There's certainly meaning behind the events of the book, just as there is meaning in how Wolfe does not try to meet the reader halfway in creating affinity with Severian. I suppose whether there is a story or not depends on how broad your definition of story is, but the books certainly fit my definition. It may not be the kind of story you like, but...(shrug).

I could deal with Severian being not all that relateable or sympathetic. What I'm not liking is that I don't believe that he's "real".

I'm beginning to suspect that Wolfe and I may have extremely different beliefs on what's real though.

[Astra]

I finished Gardens of the Moon [The Malazan Book of the Fallen #1] by Steven Erikson.

I loved the book.

Nice characters. I like their behaviour, way of thinking. Good dialogues.

The sheer scope of the world. Geography, magic! WOW!

Concise description where appropriate.

The language is easy going. This book grabbed my attention from the start. There was no period when I had to adjust myself to Erikson's style.

Some names are a bit funny. Darujhistan, Capustan, Kaliban, Canhasan a glimpse of the not too distant future? :)

Considering that I speak Russian and Hebrew:

Halaf, D'rek, Hara; Dobre, Nahal, Sotka, Baran :D

I had some reservations after reading reviews on amazon where people complained about Magic system. That mages are omnipotent, they can do whatever they like, for example, wiping out an entire Army with a couple of spells and it is not fun etc. I disagree with the reviewers. The magic is a lot more than that, it is deeper and has many layers. Even Gods are mortal.

"It is now we gods who are the slaves, and the mortals our masters – though they know it not"

I think it is a true epic fantasy.

If the rest of the series is at least as good, it will be a fantastic journey.

I am a happy bunny (appropriate for Easter? :)).

I thought I might take a break and squeeze in a stand alone book.

Nope. On to the book two.

Deadhouse Gates.

[Gormenghast]

Well, if you passed GotM test then you're going to love the following books ;)

/points you to Malazan reread, but suggest joining after DG because of spoilers: http://www.tor.com/features/series/malazan-reread-of-the-fallen

[Ealdorman Halasahr]

Finished The Sworn Sword (G.R.R.M.) and The Ten Thousand (Paul Kearney) a couple of days ago. The former was an entertaining read (I've read the comics before, so I knew what to expect, of course), the latter was nicely written, for the most part (some apparent flaws), though not so great a tale. Kearney's story didn't grow with the telling, even if it kept a certain tension till the very last page.

I'm currently reading ...

... (A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen – part three) Memories of Ice, Steven Erikson

... The Folding Knife, K. J. Parker

... Shadowbridge, Gregory Frost

[Thefalconemperor]

Currently re-reading the Sarantine Mosaic duology, Guy Gavriel Kay. Possibly my favorite fantasy books ever, specially Lord of Emperors. GGK is also my second fav author, losing only to Steven Erikson and his epic Malazan series.

[Cuchulain]

Since I enjoyed King's The Body so much, I decided to read the other three novellas collected in Different Seasons. The Breathing Method was probably the weakest, but really, I enjoyed all of them.

I also finished Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Often very funny and touching at the same time. I really loved it.

[Astra]

Well, if you passed GotM test then you're going to love the following books ;)

/points you to Malazan reread, but suggest joining after DG because of spoilers: http://www.tor.com/features/series/malazan-reread-of-the-fallen

Ta!

[IheartTesla]

And if you find it at least passing notable that someone is capable of writing 5000 odd sprawling pages featuring dozens of characters in a variety of situations without a single moment of humour, clearly you're the one with a possibly mildly peculiar view of the human condition.

I don't need to remind you though that the lack of humor in the medieval ages should only make us appreciate Chris Rock all that much more.

I've stopped reading Dracula for the time being and have picked up GoT again, just so I can read along with the HBO show and compare and contrast. One thing I can see is that the visual medium makes some things more apparent than reading (like the fact that Joffrey is a little sh*t, and other spoilery stuff), while the book introduces more nuance and internal monologue that sheds light on motivations.

[Grack21]

I am still slogging through Tyranny of the Night by Cook. Never taken me so long to get through a 500 page book. It is good, no doubt, so I dont know what my problem is. Wish i had researched a bit more, looks like ill need to library the second two books now.

Bit since it is at the end, I will breeze through Blue and Gold by Parker, then move on to Kearney's The Ten Thousand.

I read them just as slowly too, and there some of my favorite books. And I usually read pretty fast. I think I read the first Black Company Omnibus in maybe two sittings.

Anyway, to not thread jack, I finished book 1 of Bakker's Prince of Nothing, which, oddly, I really liked but read really slow. It reminds me a bit of Glen Cook's Dread Empire actually. Then I read The House of The Vestals by Steven Saylor. roman Mystery Short Stories. Good stuff.

I tried to read Jeniffer Roberson's Novels of tiger and Del and had to stop 20 pages in. Holy crap, some of the most terrible first person prose I;ve ever encountered, and she uses the word HOOLIES about 3 times per page. I guess that's some sort of made up swear word? Man I don't mind made up swears if there's some reason behind it, like a made up religion or something, but I can't stand when authors just throw in random made up words just to throw in random made up words. Plus within 8 pages I wanted the narrator to DIE IN A FIRE. Just terrible. You people who complain about 100k being wish fulfillment would shit yourselves.

[Teng Ai Hui]

Recently, I finished The Half-Made World by Gilman. I really had to slog through it to get to the end. In the first half of the book, the world building was excellent, and the general ideas about the 3 factions (the Gun, the Line, and the Republic) were interesting. Then as I got closer to the end, my desire to continue reading diminished. The travelogue into the half-made world was over long. Also, I realized that the main characters were not going to become more dynamic. But, by then it was too late. I had to find out how it ended.

Now, I'm reading Blood Rites (Dresden Files #6) by Jim Butcher.

[SkynJay]

Ha. Tyranny of the Night done. Very good for sure. But like when i read Bakker, I am taking a few books off before i start the second book.

Then, just for fun, read Blue and Gold by KJ Parker, a great little short story/mini novel.

Guess that is all I will finish in April. Good Times.