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October Reading Thread


Deornoth

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Finally finished Reaper's Gale by Erikson. Good book (more of the same). My biggest complaint (and it looks like that of many others by perusing the spoiler thread) is that Erikson is getting a tad long winded. He probably could have cut 150 pages and told the same story - although we'll see as he finishes the series because I'm sure some of it will set up for the final three books.

7.5/10

That's to the Halloween/Horror thread I'm starting The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And after that I'll be reading The Keep by F. Paul Wilson, which I've had on the shelf for nearly a year, and I think no will be an appropriate time to check it out.

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I just finished Postsingular by Rudy Rucker - I didn't really care for it. Next up is The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie.

Rudy Rucker’s Postsingular takes some very interesting ideas, mixes them around with some rather interesting characters and attempts to create a brilliant mess of novel. For me it was simply a mess – but it does come with a great cover. (full review)
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Since I picked October as the month of promising Mastercard glory (I don't know what that is about emigrating to the U.S. and being consumed by a sudden urge to proof one's existence by getting at least a debit card as a compromis for all credit card shirking people like myself) I finally joined the Science Fiction Book Club - oh joy of cheaply acquired hardbacks :D

Anyway, currently, I'm really enjoying Red Seas Under Red Skies for which I've been waiting in cringing despair about my empty wallet whenever I even got close to a Barnes&Noble, but yeah, now I'm finally enjoying the further awesomeness :)

Also on the list:

Kushiel's Scion and Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey

Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind

Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon

and The Belgariad by David Eddings (because I STILL haven't read anything by Eddings and it's about time)

Finished so far:

Kushiel's Dart, - Chosen & Avatar by Jacqueline Carey

The Golden Compass by Philipp Pullman (need to buy the other two books :P)

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Just finished Winterbirth. Solid and entertaining especially since I had to put Cryptonomicon aside because it just wasn't doing it for me with my current mood. I'll get back to it when I'm more settled down.

Next: Fevre Dream.. haven't read any GRRM except for ASOIAF and the Hedge Knight, so I'm looking forward to this one. I haven't read a vampire novel in close to a decade since maybe.. Christopher Priest (the author that had the vamp old enough to remember Krishna in person)? I'm in the mood for one now though.

If that's not in then Altered Carbon. I thought Thirteen was enjoyable, and I hear this one is better.

ETA: nevermind.. it's Christopher Pike. I'm an idiot, Priest did the Prestige.

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Last week I read the Warrior Prophet by R. Scott Bakker and I was quite literary blown off my socks. An extremely impressive installment, I'd argue that it is even better than its predecessor was (full review) Especially the characterisation was very rich, deep and thoughtful, characters had that fleshed out feel to them. Achamian as a character started to grow on me as well, he is quickly becoming one of the more interesting personae of the cast. Of course he is still way behind Cnaiur (Most Violent of All Men and Breaker-of-men-and-horses). :pirate:

I have almost finished with Paul S. Kemp's Dawn of Night too and I am already well into Jeff Somers' The Electric Church, both providing me with plenty of entertainment.

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Just finished reading Jennifer Rardin's 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy'. It's another urban/paranormal fantasy with a gutsy heroine, who fancies her vampire colleague but this one is actually pretty good. For a start, the story takes precedence over the usual sex scenes and it's also pretty much one big gunfight from start to finish. Kinda like 'Blade' but notched up a couple of gears! :D My full review is Here.

I'm now reading 'Demon Eyes' (L.H. Maynard & M.P.N. Sims) and 'Auralia's Colours' (Jeff Overstreet), one is shaping up to be really good while the other, well... isn't...

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Deornoth, you're too good to tell us which one you like and which one you don't? I see how it is.

About 2/3 through WH40k: Inquisition War by Ian Watson. It's, um, actually quite good. Probably the strongest bit of tie-in fiction I've encountered.

Also 1/2 through Stephen Baxter's Vacuum Diagrams. I like it.

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Deornoth, you're too good to tell us which one you like and which one you don't? I see how it is.

I wanted to give them both a chance before I made my mind up ;) Things aren't looking good for 'Demon Eyes' at the moment... Have you guys ever read a book that isn't working for you but you stay with it in the hope that it will get better? That's me and 'Demon Eyes' right now :tantrum:

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I just finshed reading Watchmen by Alan Moore and Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik.

First while I enjoyed reading Empire of Ivory I didn't find it to be much better that the previous books in the series, but still a good read.

I found Watchmen to be amazing. As one of the first graphic novels that I have read since I was about 12 years old, it completely blew me away. Now I'm going to see if I can get the Sandman novels out of the library as well. :D

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Just finished Fevre Dream - GRRM, it was a good read very atmospheric and enjoyable.

Also finished Armageddon's Children - Terry Brooks, it was an ok read a typical Terry Brooks book

Still reading Sword in the Storm - David Gemmell

In the to read list I have got Blood Knight - Greg Keyes and Stardust - Neil Gaiman

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Over the weekend I finished The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente.

I found this book to be fascinating. I had expected that the tales would be linear, told one after another, but instead they weave in and out each other, back and forth between tellers, stories within stories much like a tapestry. The blurb on the back even advertises the fact yet I still didn't expect it. The tales themselves are equally fascinating: richly detailed, complex, and full of imagery. The mythology is simply incredible and extremely well thought out. Full review here.

Right now I'm halfway through Peadar O' Guilin's The Inferior.

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I've been reading Conan: The Frost Giant's Daughter and other stories, the first trade paperback of the succesful new Conan series. Written by Busiek, drawn by Cary Nord, it is to me a surpassing success and easily the best grpahic novel I've read this years. Excellent art, which I find important, finally a Fantasy comic and then one that is an interesting read as well.

9/10.

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I finally finished Joust. The book was ok, but nothing special..just had an overall sterile kinda feeling. While i thought the writing itself was fine, there just wasn't enough to pull me into the story. I will get to the next book in the series at some point, though.

Halfway through The Words of Making, and decided to put down Sons of the Oak to make room for Winterbirth this weekend.

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With the flying I'm doing I picked up Tollet's Mondo senza fine (hereafter MSF) to keep me busy -- read The Awakened Mage last weekend when I was taking breaks from MSF, mostly because Eason on O'Connell St didn't have A Sword from Red Ice. I may end up picking up World Without End, though, and read it and MSF side by side -- I get a sense of what's going on, but I just know I'm missing a lot of the descriptors.

[As a note, it just emphasises how clear and evocative the translation of the GRRM short stories is. They really got a sense of his clarity in writing, and the difference between that style and the one used in MSF is astonishing.]

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