williamjm Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I'm reading Cryoburn, the last book in the Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold. And I am very sad, even reluctant to keep reading because every page brings me closer to the end of the series. Fell in love with the characters and Bujold's style of writing. She does both deep characterization and exciting plot. I've already read the Chalion books and I don't know where to go after this.There is going to be another Vorkosigan Saga book released later this year (probably) called Captain Vorpatril's Alliance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I've read since Sunday, Mean at Arms (Terry Pratchett) The River of Shadows (Robert V.S. Redick) am about halfway through Antiphon (Ken Scholes)Love that you read Pratchett, but no idea how anyone could continue in that Redick series. First book started so good, then bored me to tears.I finished the first two novels of Paul Kearney's Monarchies of God at the end of December, and really really hated it. It's like an unholy lovechild of Paolini's character, plot and worldbuildin, and Goodkind's prententious pseudo-political self-wankery...I got that double volume on my shelf right now. It is loved on this board to I bought it on closeout, but lately I have seen more people saying bad things about it. Ill get to it eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theladyinspring Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 There is going to be another Vorkosigan Saga book released later this year (probably) called Captain Vorpatril's Alliance.Yay thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickg Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I finished Germline yesterday. I wasn't able to sneak it in before the new year but its definitely near the top of my "best of 2011" ( fuck it, its close enough and its my list :P ) Loved the prose and the characterization, even if Oscar isn't all that likeable. Just a great book. Replaces Gods War as my favorite debut of 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grack21 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Love that you read Pratchett, but no idea how anyone could continue in that Redick series. First book started so good, then bored me to tears.I got that double volume on my shelf right now. It is loved on this board to I bought it on closeout, but lately I have seen more people saying bad things about it. Ill get to it eventually.It's been sitting on my shelf FOREVER. Well, a lot of books have. Anything that causes such divided opinions automatically moves up on the queue though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I finished Germline yesterday. I wasn't able to sneak it in before the new year but its definitely near the top of my "best of 2011" ( fuck it, its close enough and its my list :P ) Loved the prose and the characterization, even if Oscar isn't all that likeable.Just a great book. Replaces Gods War as my favorite debut of 2011.High praise! I've been meaning to read that one - i've heard only a few glowing comments and now reviews at all. Weirdly under the radar. Finished The Quiet War and loved it, but I love Space Opera in general. Give me lots of spaceships and a domed city on a Jovian moon and i'm happy. To be fair, it had more going for it - interesting politics and plot and some good characters. Maybe i've been spoiled by ASOIAF though, but it got a bit annoying to constantly be told rather than just allowed to infer about the characters inner conflicts, motivations, etc. They were interesting and well developed characters, mind, with agency and complexity, but McAuley's style is just to sort of go "She felt a mix of jealousy and admiration, but was also very ambitious, so..." and it's not even necessary - the characters behaviour is enough. We get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickg Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 High praise! I've been meaning to read that one - i've heard only a few glowing comments and now reviews at all. Weirdly under the radar. Finished The Quiet War and loved it, but I love Space Opera in general. Give me lots of spaceships and a domed city on a Jovian moon and i'm happy. To be fair, it had more going for it - interesting politics and plot and some good characters. Maybe i've been spoiled by ASOIAF though, but it got a bit annoying to constantly be told rather than just allowed to infer about the characters inner conflicts, motivations, etc. They were interesting and well developed characters, mind, with agency and complexity, but McAuley's style is just to sort of go "She felt a mix of jealousy and admiration, but was also very ambitious, so..." and it's not even necessary - the characters behaviour is enough. We get it.The praise is well deserved :D sequel is coming in February.I liked The Quiet War also. I finally got around to picking up Gardens of the Sun thanks to a few Christmas gift cards. Don't know when i will start it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russjass Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Just finished the Nights Dawn marathon - well worth the sweat and tears of lifting the book of the table.About three quarters of the way through David Anthony Durhams The Sacred band.Almost certainly going to do a re-read of Long Price Quartet,So Feb will be on the hunt for a new (to me) author Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereward Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Two books finished so far, with a third probably to be completed tonight. Kindles certainly don't do much for your productivity.Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British by Jeremy Paxman. It was OK, but was handicapped by not actually addressing its own question. Still, for a fairly rudimentary history of the empire, it was fine.The Political Animal: An Anatomy by Jeremy Paxman. Much better, and an interesting insight into just how maladjusted your average politician is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alytha Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Finished Ilario, which is really good and entertaining throughout. Fascinating take on a world slightly different from ours, in the early Renaissance. Extra points if you realise where the "ghost ship" comes from before it's revealed ;)Now reading Heart of Iron by Ekaterina Sedia, which seems so far to be about some cheeky Russian heroines who want to prevent a war throughout Europe and Asia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinevere Seaworth Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I really liked Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. Even though it dealt with cringe worthy topics such as rape, genital multilation, child soldiers and genocide, it was a wonderful fantasy novel that has great characters and plot in a post apocalyptic African setting.Now that the final novel of the Chathrand Voyages is complete this year, I'll be starting The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert Redick. I'm looking forward to it as I love fantasy novels with nautical themes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Winged Wolf Bran Stark Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Read Batman: Year One. Enjoyed it.Still working on The Blade Itself. Enjoying that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Grack, with very few exceptions, the book is just extremely tedious and boring. I'd rather prefer reading Paolini, which is bad but at least stuff happens.You'll also need a good nautical dictionary.My copy of the book is looking for a loving new home if you want it...How the fuck you've made the connection betwixt Paolini and Kearney is beyond me. Just admitting to actually prefer reading Paolini to anything won't win you any taste points around here. Are you sure you are reading the same book? Is there a lot of werewolf raping going on in the the fucking Inheritance series?Grack. Just read the thing. I'm not going to get into the whys or hows, but the books are pretty well liked in a place that goes out its way to be critical of /everything/ (this place). You've got better taste than this chap. You'll appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grack21 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 That and Firethorn are first on my GODDAMNIT HARDCOVERS ARE TO HEAVY TO CART AROUND INBETWEEN CLASS readin which starts next week. Right now I'm tryiing to get some of my giant hardcovers out of the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickg Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I couldn't decide what to read next so I grabbed The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn as I walked out the door before work today. Its probably been 10 years since I read this. Enjoyable read though. Just about done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durckad Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I just finished up Fevre Dream, which was excellent, probably the best GRRM book I've read.Now I'm working on The Apocalypse Armageddon Rag and, judging by the little I've read so far, it probably won't reach the heights of Fevre Dream. But good so far.EDIT: Totally botched the name. That's a good sign... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grack21 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Finshed The Fort by Cornwell. Not his best but still pretty entertaining. I had no idea the real Paul Revere was such a little bitch. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alytha Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 How the fuck you've made the connection betwixt Paolini and Kearney is beyond me. Just admitting to actually prefer reading Paolini to anything won't win you any taste points around here. Are you sure you are reading the same book? Is there a lot of werewolf raping going on in the the fucking Inheritance series?Grack. Just read the thing. I'm not going to get into the whys or hows, but the books are pretty well liked in a place that goes out its way to be critical of /everything/ (this place). You've got better taste than this chap. You'll appreciate it.Well, atrocious writing style in terms of using every single old cliché there is? Not saying Paolini's any good, far from it. But at least he didn't just copy a map of Europa and Northern Africa. And no werewolf rape. I don't know about you, but I don't see rape by werewolf as a must-have for a book to be good.I honestly don't understand how anyone could like these. I get that people like Bakker and Miéville and Erikson although they're not my kind of stuff, but this here is just atrociously bad writing and plotting. The characters are horribly chlichéed, and every single one who dares to develop a personality of their own is killed off pretty much immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearly Headless Ned Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Finished 'Its Only A Movie' by Mark Kermode (he of the Kermodian rant) and found it to rather amusing but felt he could've written more about,well,movies.Werner Hertzogs exploding trousers were highlight though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pineapple Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'm re-reading The Lord of the Rings. Read it once before, back in 1999, and holy shit, Fellowship is kicking my ass. The ring is finally heading south so hopefully it will pick up a bit, but that first 250 pages or so are quite the slog. The Slog of Slogs, eh! eh?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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