Garett Hornwood Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 I'm continuing my simultaneous reread of A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, using the reading order that Sean T. Collins from All Leather Must Be Boiled created. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 I read "The Ship" by Antonia Honeywell. Unfortunately, it felt like a bit of a waste of a potentially interesting premise - one of Britain's last rich men trying to flee a dying world on the Ship of the title along with his teenage daughter (the book's protagonist Lalla) and 500 hand-picked others. All the passengers are grateful for their apparent salvation with the notable exception of Lalla who may be the primary reason for her father's plan but who would rather try to save the world than run from it. I think this idea had potential and the contrast between the superficial pleasantness of life aboard the ship and the quietly dystopian way their miniature society is so regimented was reasonably effective but it's a bit hamstrung by one of the most naive protagonists I can think of. It does make sense for Lalla to be naive because she's lived a very sheltered life but it's very frustrating to have to wait such a long time for her to realise things that are obvious to the reader and she doesn't show much in the way of character development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 10 hours ago, TheRevanchist said: I've read the two Stormlight archive books. Loved the first one, found alright the second one. And then I read the first three books in The Rain Wild Chronicles and found them very mediocre. Same about the fourth one which I am reading right now. I'm the opposite. I read all four last month (my most prolific month this year by a fair margin), and really loved them. I can also see why people don't like them. Maybe it's because it had been 12 years since I had been to that world, but I was really happy to be back and was very sad when it was over. I'm now 21% through Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 I'm about two thirds through The Coldest War, by Ian Tregillis. I enjoyed the first Milkweed book, but am unimpressed with the second. As an alternate history it is pitiful: you would think that after four decades of economic Depression, the US would have someone other than Nixon as President. And let's not even start on the Soviets. A Soviet Union without Operation Barbarossa, and without a post-war Western Europe, would approach foreign policy rather differently from the way it approached it in our world. Treating the continent as an expanded version of the real-world Eastern bloc is pretty uninspired and illogical given the logistical issues - and as with Nixon, we end up with Premier Khrushchev, despite all that has happened. The other issue is that I think Will is right. The Eidolons truly are an abomination, and the sooner Britain dispenses with its warlocks, the better. Which means I'm currently cheering for the Soviets, against the intent of the text. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A wilding Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 3 hours ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said: I'm about two thirds through The Coldest War, by Ian Tregillis. Slightly spoilerific response to your spoiler: Spoiler I wouldn't be too sure about the intent of the text! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 OK. Finished The Coldest War. I still feel the text tried to portray the British as fundamentally good, but misguided in their use of the Eidolons. Unfortunately, it ended up rendering the British far more despicable than their opponents. The Soviet attack was entirely justifiable in the circumstances; that a Soviet victory might be preferable to unleashing Lovecraftian horrors never seemed to occur to our protagonists. Next up is the third and final book in the triptych, Necessary Evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peadar Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 I'm reading Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay. I have nothing else to say for myself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beniowa Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 I'm reading Wild Cards 15: Black Trump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowDogJen Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 I just finished Outlaw by K. Eason. Blown away. I got Enemy as a Kindle First, and I thought, I guess, how good can it be? I started reading it when I was out of books that had cost me $$ (that I thought were the "good" books) and got ready to read some tripe. I am so stupid. These books are waaaaaaay awesome. Read them! You will love them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkess Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 I finished Aftermath. I liked it fine. Not rushing out to get Life Debt, but I'll get around to it at some point. Given that the 6th Expanse book comes out soon, I've decided to read books 4-5. I originally read the series after Abaddon's Gate came out because I thought it was a trilogy. I decided to wait until another 3 books came out and read it as a "second trilogy". Now that time has come! Except it's been a while, so I decided I would re-read 1-3 first. So started on Leviathan Wakes today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 14 minutes ago, Starkess said: I finished Aftermath. I liked it fine. Not rushing out to get Life Debt, but I'll get around to it at some point. Given that the 6th Expanse book comes out soon, I've decided to read books 4-5. I originally read the series after Abaddon's Gate came out because I thought it was a trilogy. I decided to wait until another 3 books came out and read it as a "second trilogy". Now that time has come! Except it's been a while, so I decided I would re-read 1-3 first. So started on Leviathan Wakes today. Eh, I hate to shit on your parade(no I do, despite what some people here will tell you) but the next expanse was pushed back to November. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo498 Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 I read "The voyage of the Dawn Treader" on the weekend. I had most of the Narnia books in translation as a teenager about 30 years ago and as it was among the first fantasy I encountered I remember them somewhat fondly. But this is fairly episodic and not very exciting. It has some fairly heavy-handed (although not as bad as "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe") christian allegory in there but some episodes seem underdeveloped. Maybe I am simply too old for some children's books. OTOH he puts stuff in there only fairly well read (adult) readers might recognize. The whole thing (I got this from wikipedia) is similar to certain old Irish sea quests (for the fair isles in the west or whatever), the last scene with Aslan is close to one from the gospels (with Christ giving the disciples a barbecue of the shore of Gennesaret lake) and one of the "sleepers" quotes almost verbatim Ulysses from Dante's Hell as his motivation for the voyage (We are men, not animals, so let's explore and not be hindered by any taboos). And I am at almost 20% in the 2nd Farseer volume and fairly disappointed. I do hope this gets better. I heartily dislike the education sentimentale wrt Molly that reminds me of Dickens or other Victorian stuff and also the "talking to animals" stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotcat Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 Currently reading Rise by Mira Grant. And with S2 of Poldark just around the corner, I'm having a reread at books 3 & 4 (Jeremy Poldark & Warleggan) prior to it starting up again at the beginning of September. Beyond that? Once I'm done with them - which won't be long - I'm looking at An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 2 hours ago, Jo498 said: I read "The voyage of the Dawn Treader" on the weekend. I had most of the Narnia books in translation as a teenager about 30 years ago and as it was among the first fantasy I encountered I remember them somewhat fondly. But this is fairly episodic and not very exciting. It has some fairly heavy-handed (although not as bad as "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe") christian allegory in there but some episodes seem underdeveloped. Maybe I am simply too old for some children's books. Voyage was my favourite Narnia book as a child (I loved the exploration off the edge of the map). I don't touch them now, for fear of ruining fond memories. (Even as a child though I realised something was seriously wrong with The Last Battle). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 I am working through two series right now, the Rivers of London by Aaronovitch and also finally getting back to Vorkosigan by Bujold. I somehow screwed up the Vorkosigan reading order but I'll back track to what I missed. But I will say that thus far Mirror Dance is my favorite in the series. Loving every minute of it. Rivers of London I am doing in audio format. I love the narrator most the time but his voices for women are sometimes a bit too much. A small change is fine, pure falsetto is unnecessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 On 8/2/2016 at 7:14 AM, RedEyedGhost said: I'm the opposite. I read all four last month (my most prolific month this year by a fair margin), and really loved them. I can also see why people don't like them. Maybe it's because it had been 12 years since I had been to that world, but I was really happy to be back and was very sad when it was over. I'm now 21% through Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell. I read the Rainwilds over the past few weeks, and probably found them the least enjoyable of Robin Hobb's Elderlings books, but still fairly good. I'd probably give them 3.5 out of 5, collectively. OTOH, I'm really enjoying Fool's Assassin, book one in her latest trilogy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 6 hours ago, Jo498 said: I read "The voyage of the Dawn Treader" on the weekend. I had most of the Narnia books in translation as a teenager about 30 years ago and as it was among the first fantasy I encountered I remember them somewhat fondly. But this is fairly episodic and not very exciting. It has some fairly heavy-handed (although not as bad as "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe") christian allegory in there but some episodes seem underdeveloped. Maybe I am simply too old for some children's books. OTOH he puts stuff in there only fairly well read (adult) readers might recognize. The whole thing (I got this from wikipedia) is similar to certain old Irish sea quests (for the fair isles in the west or whatever), the last scene with Aslan is close to one from the gospels (with Christ giving the disciples a barbecue of the shore of Gennesaret lake) and one of the "sleepers" quotes almost verbatim Ulysses from Dante's Hell as his motivation for the voyage (We are men, not animals, so let's explore and not be hindered by any taboos). And I am at almost 20% in the 2nd Farseer volume and fairly disappointed. I do hope this gets better. I heartily dislike the education sentimentale wrt Molly that reminds me of Dickens or other Victorian stuff and also the "talking to animals" stuff... I'd stop reading hobb now then if that's the stuff you don't like. I finished Red Seas under Red Skies, finally. It was disappointing, after Lies. There was way too much going on and despite Lynch's best efforts, it didn't really seem to come together at the end. I'll continue the series, probably, but may wait to see how Thorn of Emberlain is received first. Not sure what I will read next. Probably The Race by Nina Allan, which I picked up on a whim last month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 22 minutes ago, HelenaExMachina said: 22 minutes ago, HelenaExMachina said: I'd stop reading hobb now then if that's the stuff you don't like. I finished Red Seas under Red Skies, finally. It was disappointing, after Lies. There was way too much going on and despite Lynch's best efforts, it didn't really seem to come together at the end. I'll continue the series, probably, but may wait to see how Thorn of Emberlain is received first. Not sure what I will read next. Probably The Race by Nina Allan, which I picked up on a whim last month It's funny what people like and dislike. For me, the interaction between Fitz and Nighteyes was one of the highlights of the story. I think Hobb has a real talent for portraying non-human characters. I've read my way through the series since November last year. Rating each trilogy as a whole out of 5, I'd probably give:- Liveships 4.5 Farseer 4 Tawny Man 3.75 to 4 (I loved Books 1 and 3, but the Golden Fool really dragged for me) Rainwilds 3.5 (I loved parts of it, but it went on too long, and the Chalcedeans were pretty one-note, moustache-twirling villains) Fool's Assassin (with about 100 pages to go) 4.5 (I really like Bee, as a new POV, she reminds me of Arya). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 30 minutes ago, SeanF said: It's funny what people like and dislike. For me, the interaction between Fitz and Nighteyes was one of the highlights of the story. I think Hobb has a real talent for portraying non-human characters. I've read my way through the series since November last year. Rating each trilogy as a whole out of 5, I'd probably give:- Liveships 4.5 Farseer 4 Tawny Man 3.75 to 4 (I loved Books 1 and 3, but the Golden Fool really dragged for me) Rainwilds 3.5 (I loved parts of it, but it went on too long, and the Chalcedeans were pretty one-note, moustache-twirling villains) Fool's Assassin (with about 100 pages to go) 4.5 (I really like Bee, as a new POV, she reminds me of Arya). I liked Fool's Quest better than Fool's Assassin. Imo it did a great job of tying a lot of dangling threads from throughout the series into one book. And the characters were all well handled too imo In particular, there are two characters introduced in Fool's Assassin that are fleshed out much more in Fool's Quest. Since you have read Bee's POV already, what did you think of Molly? I was heartbroken reading her "false" pregnancy and everyone thinking she had gome mad. And then i was tearing up again at her death Oh yeah, and then ending has me waiting anxiously for the final book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 3 minutes ago, HelenaExMachina said: I liked Fool's Quest better than Fool's Assassin. Imo it did a great job of tying a lot of dangling threads from throughout the series into one book. And the characters were all well handled too imo Hide contents In particular, there are two characters introduced in Fool's Assassin that are fleshed out much more in Fool's Quest. Since you have read Bee's POV already, what did you think of Molly? I was heartbroken reading her "false" pregnancy and everyone thinking she had gome mad. And then i was tearing up again at her death Oh yeah, and then ending has me waiting anxiously for the final book I felt much the same way about Molly. Some fans seem to hate her, for some reason I can't fathom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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