January Reads: Setting the Tone for 2016!

[Richard Writhen]

Checked out Blood Meridian, having heard crazy good things about it, and The Road having been excellent.

 

 

Also gonna try on Joyland, see how it is ...

[LongRider]

6 hours ago, williamjm said:

I thought Lord of Emperors was better than Sailing To Sarantium, the first book took a long time to really get going. I'd still say it's a fairly low magic story, although there is probably more than in some of his other books there's far less than in Tigana or The Fionavar Tapestry.

I seem to remember it's not actually in the same world as Under Heaven/River of Stars, although since they're set so far apart in terms of geography and time period it could easily have been. It is definitely set in the same world as The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Last Light of the Sun.

I think it is because the world has two moons, the Kindath religion, and other similarity.       No map though, I missed a map.

[TheRevanchist]

8 hours ago, Spockydog said:

Too right. Hopefully awareness of these wonderful books will be one of the benefits of the Expanse adaptation.

One of the most beautiful endings I've ever read.

 

I found LPQ better than the Expanse. But then, I prefer more books with strong character developments than books with a lot of action.

[Garett Hornwood]

Finished A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich, if you've seen my little conversation with Astromech on this thread then you know what I think of the book and my plans for the future concerning the author.

I'm onto Feet of Clay as part of my read-through of the Discworld series. 

[Sheep the Evicted]

15 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

But they're so dull and there are no magic battles or dragons or shootouts!

But seriously, people only remember the quadrology as a whole, most people forget how dull and mediocre the first book was.

As for me since I last posted i've read:

Ex-KOP by Warren Hammond. If REG hadn't raved about this series i would never have even looked twice at it. Literally the worst, most generic covers you can imagine and a piss poor blurb as well. Reminds you that authors don't get to pick their covers/blurbs and there must be some out there that pull the short straw. Even when you get over all that, the prose never rises above workman-like. But holy shit the story is raw, and real and gritty in a way you never really see or expect. It's based on Hammond's travels in the third world and his thoughts about how the locals, who have so much less then us, must see us tourist's. As someone who has been in a similar situation it just struck a chord. I would describe it as a poor man's Takeshi Kovac's trilogy but what Hammond lacks in prose and ambition he makes up for in his uncomfortable depiction of reality. Definitely not for the faint hearted though.

Why do Busses come in Threes? by Robert Eastaway. Basically a collection of maths anecdotes, some were good some were boring. Overall it was okay.

Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking) by Christian Rudder. The same author of the excellent Oktrends blog. If you've read the blog then isn't much you're missing from the book, and what new insights he does have for us are usually unrelated to dating. Still. Rudder is a surprisingly good author and the book is beautifully put together.

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart. What a strange book. It sometimes felt like i was reading an adult version of Looney Tunes. There were parts i absolutely loved and parts i could have done without. Overall i liked it very much. I think.

 

Next up The Gameshouse by Claire North, An Astronauts Guid to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield, the Ocean at the End of the Lane by Niel Gaiman and X and the City by John Adams

[mashiara]

I finished The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. When I first got into it I thought it would end up being yet another great read for this year, but then I found myself liking it less, and getting tired of it, getting bogged down. It wasn't a bad book but it wasn't a terrific one either. I feel disappointed, as if it promised me more than it delivered.

I'll start This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper next.

[red snow]

57 minutes ago, Sheep the Evicted said:

But seriously, people only remember the quadrology as a whole, most people forget how dull and mediocre the first book was.

 

 

Next up The Gameshouse by Claire North, An Astronauts Guid to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield, the Ocean at the End of the Lane by Niel Gaiman and X and the City by John Adams

Astronaut's guide is a great read. It actually works as a motivational read in many ways too giving sound advice on how to achieve your goals, tackle adversity and work as a team. As a bonus Hadfield narrates the audiobook himself.

[polishgenius]

20 hours ago, williamjm said:

I seem to remember it's not actually in the same world as Under Heaven/River of Stars, although since they're set so far apart in terms of geography and time period it could easily have been. It is definitely set in the same world as The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Last Light of the Sun.

Lions of Al-Rassan is definitely set in the same world as the Sarantine Mosaic, so if it's connected to Under Heaven, Sarantine obviously will be too. 

[williamjm]

15 hours ago, LongRider said:

I think it is because the world has two moons, the Kindath religion, and other similarity.       No map though, I missed a map.

I don't remember the Kindath appearing in Under Heaven or River of Stars, although you've obviously read them more recently than I have so you might know better.

Lions of Al-Rassan is definitely set in the same world as the Sarantine Mosaic, so if it's connected to Under Heaven, Sarantine obviously will be too.

I seem to remember discussing this on here a few years ago and we came to the conclusion that Under Heaven wasn't in the same world as the early books, but I can't remember why we came to that conclusion now (not that it really makes much difference anyway).

[Darth Richard II]

3 hours ago, Sheep the Evicted said:

But seriously, people only remember the quadrology as a whole, most people forget how dull and mediocre the first book was.

 

See, I disagree with this 100 percent. I loved the hell out of the first book.

[beniowa]

Finished The Shadow of the Wolf.  This was marketed as Young Adult, but like Abercrombie's Shattered Seas books there's very little of the genre in the writing aside from the protagonists ages and a simpler, more straight-forward story.  There is a werewolf, but it's a more elemental, supernatural thing.  This angle makes for a very different take on the Robin Hood legend and the characters are all very different as well.  That's actually where the book partially fails.  The story of Robin Hood is very well known so there is no need to provide a lot of background, but the supernatural parts are hardly explained at all, even after 470 pages.  It doesn't quite mesh and the last section of the book, where it finally begins to resemble the story we all know, feels rushed compared to the rest of the book.  The first of a trilogy and I may or may not pick up the next book.

Will be picking up City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett next. 

[End of Disc One]

46 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said:

See, I disagree with this 100 percent. I loved the hell out of the first book.

Still talking about LPQ, yeah?  First book was actually my favorite...just loved the feel of it.

[TheRevanchist]

1 hour ago, Darth Richard II said:

See, I disagree with this 100 percent. I loved the hell out of the first book.

Yeah, me too. I found the last two books better, but the first two books were decent too, and liked them a lot.

[C Rutherford]

Count me as another that loved A Shadow in Summer.  Love it still and have it at the top of my re-read pile.

 

Currently reading Warriors of the Storm, the latest by Bernard Cornwell.  It has a bit more substance to it, though I am finding Uhtred a bit too perfect and knowing in these later books.  Still I also like that there is something more intricate going on here.  Some of the earlier books were well written but rather slight, really not much there but enough to hit the shelves and make some more money. 

I do think he needs to pick up the pace a little and resolve the main thrust since the first book and then write some ancillary stuff if he wants to keep mining it for people who can't let go of a series/character.  Or maybe write some shorter series that tie into a grander arc.  Again it is better than some of the earlier books in terms of having a real plot and not just a lead to a climatic fight.  But there is still a whiff of treading water and refusing to go too much further.

[Corvinus85]

I mentioned it before, but I am one of the people who didn't like A Shadow in Summer, mostly for the reasons already mentioned by others, and I did not read the other books.

But I am giving it another shot. In light of how this year started on multiple levels, I decided to refer to it as a "year of reflection" for me. For reading books, this means that I will be re-reading quite a few books, ones I loved, but also ones I disliked. 

And knowing what to expect from this book in terms of plot, I can now approach it with a different, more open, mindset.

[LongRider]

3 hours ago, williamjm said:

I don't remember the Kindath appearing in Under Heaven or River of Stars, although you've obviously read them more recently than I have so you might know better.

 

 

I seem to remember discussing this on here a few years ago and we came to the conclusion that Under Heaven wasn't in the same world as the early books, but I can't remember why we came to that conclusion now (not that it really makes much difference anyway).

OK, I just had to look!  Wikipedia sez     

Quote

"Under Heaven takes place in a completely new world, as seen by it having only one moon as opposed to the two moon normally present in Guy Gavriel Kay's works. In 2013 he published a second novel, River of Stars, set approximately 400 years later in the same world.

Now that sounds right, UH and RoS in the same world, the others in a different world.  I read so many of his so fast I can't keep the worlds straight!   Now our work here is done.  Time for a brewski.       

[Goldhand]

Hmmm, Kate Elliott's Black Wolves or Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart? The time jump in the former (and the fact that people have mentioned its pacing issues) is really turning me away, but I can't decide.

[Guinevere Seaworth]

The Martian by Andy Weir was pure fun.  Just what I needed to read after a slog of a book.

I am now eagerly diving into Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold.  I love Cordelia and can't wait see to she is up to. 

[The Marquis de Leech]

16 hours ago, Goldhand said:

How'd you like The Steel Remains?

Some interesting ideas (loved the little sci-fi nods, like the ringed planet), and plenty of action. Problem is that if you take out the sex and gore, there really isn't all that much left - Morgan wants to rub the nose of the reader in how edgy he is, and it gets tiresome.

[Jo498]

I finished Vance's "Lyonesse" yesterday. Why is this not better known? Or is it? I am not such a buff and I only knew a few SciFi short stories by Vance. Lyonesse should be in bold on any recommendation list, especially here, because it apparently was a fairly important influence for SoIaF.

It is not without flaws; the start is somewhat slow, there is a confusing number of names and places (the whole world is a somewhat sprawling and dizzying mix of real/alternative history, myth, fairy tales etc.), the storyline with the wizards is also confusing and it could probably be argued that the high magic and fairy elements do not mix seamlessly with the more realistic politics of Lyonesse vs. the other kingdoms. Dhrun's storyline reads like a (cruel) fairytale and some magic plot twists are rather ad hoc etc.

But overall I am quite impressed. It's got atmosphere, character's do not talk like hardboiled heroes from 80s action movies (nor do they all talk like stable boys). Where in the popular fantasy of the last 20 years do you find something like this (spoken by someone after an escape from slavery): "Ska, said X, "you strange, dark-souled folk from the past! Next time we meet I will carry a sword. You owe me dear for the pain you put on me and the labor you took from me!" That's not Feanor's Curse but at least something like a high tone.

There is a good mix of "high heroism", romance, tragedy, mystery and (sometimes cruel and ribald) humor (I could have done with a little less rape and rape threats, though).

Are the sequels (Green Pearl, Madouc) as good as this first one?