Bastard of Godsgrace Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Yeah, something like that. I think the first two are great, then, in some ways, the third and fourth are maybe technically better - better written, tighter plotting - but they're starting to lose what it is that made them interesting to me in the first place, or at least they never give any catharsis, they never really go after the questions they raise in passing.I still enjoyed Minority Council, but I do think the formula of the series is becoming a little bit stale (even if technically writing is getting better). OTOH the ending suggest the author may take Swift in new interesting direction, so perhaps Stray Souls will surprise us.EDIT: But on the third hand: Spoiler I don't think I like the suggestion Swift may no longer be asexual. Lack of romance made this series unique in urban fantasy and it would be a pity to lose it. Also, Meera as a woman in a fridge was rather lame plot device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord of the Night Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Goddamn man, do you only read cheesy tie in novels?I read what I choose to read, and I consider Warhammer 40k to be a richer universe than Lord of the Rings, Song of Ice and Fire and Malazan Book of the Fallen. Anyone who calls them cheesy tie-ins doesn't appreciate just how immersive and vast 40k really is. And I think the Horus Heresy series could stand up to anyone of those series above.Holy crap, do you read so quickly because you want to, or is there a professional component at work?Well when books are awesome and you absolutely must know what happens next, that tends to make reading go quicker. I am required to review the Black Library books but even if I wasn't my reading speed would likely be the same.Also Eye of Vengeance and Butcher's Nails are audio-dramas, only an hour long each so they were easy to get through.LotN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I still enjoyed Minority Council, but I do think the formula of the series is becoming a little bit stale (even if technically writing is getting better). OTOH the ending suggest the author may take Swift in new interesting direction, so perhaps Stray Souls will surprise us.EDIT: But on the third hand:I don't think I like the suggestion Swift may no longer be asexual. Lack of romance made this series unique in urban fantasy and it would be a pity to lose it. Also, Meera as a woman in a fridge was rather lame plot device. I don't quite see a change of direction - a bit more jaded and ruthless, perhaps, but not any kind of major paradigm shift for the series. re the spoilerI don't mind the romance, since by and large I like romance when it's not done as genre romance, and honestly theres not much of that about, but I agree it was lame as a fridging AND it didn't actually do much for character development becuase, um, it wasn't actually there. It was just more of the same Matthew makes a friend, Matthew loses a friend. We don't actually see what it is he considers feeling human or whatever the slightly anvilly theme was. We never found out Templemans backstory either, come to think of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I just started the Swift novels. Hope they are as good as you say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeyouintee Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Finished Warbreaker (Sanderson) a bit ago and am now about halfway through Way of Shadows (Brent Weeks.) It's not terrible, but somebody remind me to check the date, as it seems to blatantly rip off all the good fantasy I've read in the past 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of Godsgrace Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I don't quite see a change of direction - a bit more jaded and ruthless, perhaps, but not any kind of major paradigm shift for the series.Well, Councilmen do make a blood oath to Swift which makes him a real leader of a powerful and ancient institution while before that he was only going through the motions. It can change his modus operandi utterly - or perhaps not, though I admit I will be disappointed if he goes back to previous ways.I agree lack of any sensible motivation for Templeman was another weak point of the plot. We don't really get to know why he did all those things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewsToTom Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Say what you want about the man's books and personal views, but Card's widely read in the genre, generally has a good grasp of what's good and what's not, and is generally able to recognize a distinction between an author and their characters.Ten books for me in March, three of them novels. I finished a re-read of American Gods, which I absolutely loved the first time around. The second time, it was less enthralling for me, though obviously still very good. Ultimately, I loved loved LOVED the premise and characters, but the plot didn't do enough for me. It's off the pedestal for me.I'm about half-done with Gibson and Sterling's Difference Engine, which reminds me of my personal discomfort with poorly-explicated alt-history unless immediately in the aftermath of a single point of departure. Also currently on the April reading list is Sanderson's Alloy of Law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grack21 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Say what you want about the man's books and personal views, but Card's widely read in the genre, generally has a good grasp of what's good and what's not, and is generally able to recognize a distinction between an author and their characters.Haha, you had me for a minute there! April Fools is such a fun day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Say what you want about the man's books and personal views, but Card's widely read in the genre, generally has a good grasp of what's good and what's not, and is generally able to recognize a distinction between an author and their characters.According to whom? When has he had a grasp on 'what's good and what's not'? I've never said to myself, 'boy, i need something to read.. i wonder what uncle orson is up to.' Not to mention he's a fucking asshat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grack21 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 According to whom? When has he had a grasp on 'what's good and what's not'? I've never said to myself, 'boy, i need something to read.. i wonder what uncle orson is up to.'Not to mention he's a fucking asshat.He also has a blurb on probably 90 percent of fantasy books. Probably more now that McCaffrey has passed,Edit: Also, if you paid tattention to say, ANYTHING the man has said in the last decade or so, you would know that him endorsing a book with a positive portrayal of homosexuality is a bit....off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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