Ser Barry Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Human Traces was a nice enough read.... better than Red Seas Under Red Skies is proving out to be, so far. You are off the Christmas card list. Why are we always reading the same books? It's freaky. I wussed out today and read the first 70 pages of Gardens of the Moon instead. To'o m 'any na'mes with apostro'phes al'ready. Tut tut. I am copying your reading to try and understand how a supposed scientist would know nothing about dinosaurs. Fraud. Stick with the 400 pages of confusing drivel to get to the 200 pages of D&D wet dream, it is almost worth it. The second book is better but I am bemused by the level of fanspunk the series garners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inkdaub Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I read the following... Cavern of Black Ice - JV Jones. I got this one based on the good press it gets here on these boards. The consensus was that Jones writing improved from the Book of Words and I must agree. Hannibal Rising - Thomas Harris. Not really very good at all. Different from Harris other work. Kiss the Girls - James Patterson. Decent serial killer/cop type thing. I've read better but it was alright. Echo Park - Michael Connelly. Another fantastic book from the best crime writer working today. I am now reading... Fortress of Gray Ice - JV Jones. Pretty good so far. Creepers - David Morrell. Very good thriller about a group of people exploring an abandoned hotel. Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch. Great book so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amras Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I've read The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's one of those great SF classics that I felt obliged to read and finish. I can see why it's become a classic: it had a lot of great and fascinating ideas, and some re-he-lly disturbing ones. So all in all I'd say it was a fine read, but I prefer reading John Scalzi's Old Man's War, which was immensely more entertaining. Has anyone read the two follow-up novels, Forever Free and Forever Peace? I own the omnibus edition of the three, but I figured I was better off reading something else since I didn't enjoy the first book that much anyways. But maybe I should... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Barry Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Has anyone read the two follow-up novels, Forever Free and Forever Peace? I own the omnibus edition of the three, but I figured I was better off reading something else since I didn't enjoy the first book that much anyways. But maybe I should... ? I loved FW and I thought that the sequels declined in quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deornoth Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Just finished reading 'Odalisque' by Fiona McIntosh. You can see what's coming a mile off (because she tells you ) but the characterisation means that you end up really getting into the story and wanting to find out what happens next. My full review is Here I'm now reading 'Harlequin' by Laurell K. Hamilton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naz Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I'm about 150 pages into T. H. White's The Once and Future King. It's not what I expected at all; at least not yet. It's more, er, comedic or light-hearted and it's framed by anachronistic references. I imagine the tone will get darker, eventually. But it's still engaging, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Blackfish Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I always felt the anachronism is what makes Future King interesting, it's not about the realism necessarily, it's the themes and storytelling. JMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcf Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I just finished The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks, which I enjoyed. I also read The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang (review forthcoming). On to Set the Seas on Fire by Chris Roberson. The Traveler refuses to be pigeon-holed into any one genre – it is equal parts spy novel, adventure, techno-thriller, science fiction, fantasy, secret history, and ass-kicking chic-lit. And as a sum of these parts it should satisfy fans of each and all.(full review) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beniowa Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Just finished Red Seas Under Red Skies. It was pretty darn good and can't wait until the third book. Now I have finish Acacia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deornoth Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 I finished reading 'Harlequin' (Laurell Hamilton). At first it looked like there was actually going to be a story but then it just turned into 400 pages of sex and angsting about sex... My full review is Here I'm now reading Robert Holdstock's 'Celtika' which looks like it's going to be much better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 I am copying your reading to try and understand how a supposed scientist biologist would know nothing about dinosaurs. Fraud.Let me help you out here. Love you Barry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgrey Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 On to Set the Seas on Fire by Chris Roberson. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on that one. Love the concept (Lovecraft meets Hornblower) but I'm almost finished with Roberson's Paragea and while it's another book where I loved the concept, the execution has been immensely disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naz Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 I always felt the anachronism is what makes Future King interesting, it's not about the realism necessarily, it's the themes and storytelling. JMO. Yeah, it's not that I don't like it... it was just unexpected. I think the dialogues are excellent. Charming, without being corny. I'm finished with the first part, btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Blackfish Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Look forward to hearing what you think about it when you're done. I probably should reread it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrion Lannister Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I gave up on The Prince of Nothing about 3/4ths through The Warrior Prophet. While I liked reading about some of the characters, like Akka, Xinemus and Conphas, I just couldn't get into Kellhus at all. And Esmenet became steadily less interesting to me as the story went along. I read the abridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo, and now I'm onto the Harry Potter series. I read the first two books several years ago, but I'm just starting from the beginning and reading all the way through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat5150 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I have just finished James Barclay's Cry of the Newborn. Cry of the Newborn is a huge yarn. Weighing in at 819 pages in hardback, it's a veritable doorstopper fantasy novel. And yet, short chapters quicken the pace considerably, keeping you turning those pages and going on for one more chapter. I have seldom encountered a book of this size with such a fluid rhythm throughout. I found the worldbuilding quite interesting. Instead of the traditional medieval setting, Barclay's backdrop resembles the Roman Empire. The Estorean Conquord has stood for over 850 years and it continues to expand. Yet when the Advocate sends her forces to conquer the Kingdom of Tsard, unexpected developments might bring the empire to ruin. The characterization is an aspect which is at time satisfactory, but which leaves a little to be desired in some instances. For a tale of such proportions, James Barclay elected to tell his story through the eyes of a relatively small cast of characters. The upside of that is that it allows him to keep a tight rein on how everything unfolds. Barclay also deserves kudos for making a taxman one of the most engaging characters of all! All in all, I found the various storylines refreshing. The setting alone sets The Ascendants of Estorea apart from the slew of formulaic fantasy series on the market today. Barclay intrigued me from the start with the Ascendency Echelon -- a secret breeding program not unlike that of the Bene Gesserit aspiring to create human beings capable of manipulating the elements and do God's work on earth. But the very notion is considered heresy by the Order of the Omniscient, and everyone in Westfallen would burn at the stake should the religious order ever discover what has been transpiring in that small town for generations. The Tsardon campaign engenders enough military battles to satisfy even the most demanding action fans. Personally, I thought there was a bit too much action at the end, yet I must admit that it makes for an explosive climax. Cry of the Newborn is an ambitious and well-executed work of epic fantasy. James Barclay is on par with writers such as Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss, and not far behind Scott Lynch. Check out the blog for the full review! Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Interesting. Barclay's earlier Raven series of books have the reputation of being pretty terrible, but the newer duology is supposed to be much better. I may pick it up. Reading Barclay before reading PF Hamilton is still a pretty crazy thing to do though Nearly finished The Burning Stone by Kate Elliott. Much better than I remembered and now looking forward to Child of Flame, which I remember as being the best book in the Crown of Stars series. An ARC of Paul J. McAuley's Cowboy Angels arrived yesterday and I still have Esslemont's Night of Knives and China Mieville's Looking for Jake on standby. Hamilton's The Dreaming Void will take precedence over all of them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multaniette Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Reading Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. After an insipid start, the story is starting to pick up. The flashbacks keep the story from gaining any momentum whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight of Ashes Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Solstice Wood by Patricia A McKillip. I dunno whether she's done this before but it's set in contemporary times but is a sequel to Winter Rose (no, not my Lyanna drawing ). I got so excited when Rois Mellior was mentioned, otherwise I don't have any definitive opinions to offer since I'm not even a third of the way through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Finished Richard Morgan's Thirteen. It was very good, though I'm not sure I get the same "best sci-fi book of the year" feeling from it as a number of other boarders do. Perhaps after it sinks in for a bit. I just started Vernor Vinge's A Fire In The Deep, which has the same problem as A Storm of Swords: the mass-market paperback is too damn fat to fit in the back pocket of my trousers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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