November Reading Thread

[RedEyedGhost]

Question: Is Hobb's Soldier's Son Tril as bad as I keep hearing it is? I'll read it anyways because I love Robin Hobb and am a completist, but I'm trying to gauge how long I'll put it off. (I've read all 3 Eldering Trils within 3-months, so I'll be taking a Hobb break no matter what for reflection and what not)

I was extremely disappointed in the first two books of The Soldier Son trilogy. Forest Mage was one of my three least favorite books that I read last year. The good news is that I've heard the final book is better. I'd recommend waiting until it is out before plunging into this series (maybe even wait for paperback - I would, but I have the first two in HC, and I'm a completest.)

[Peadar]

Question: Is Hobb's Soldier's Son Tril as bad as I keep hearing it is? I'll read it anyways because I love Robin Hobb and am a completist, but I'm trying to gauge how long I'll put it off. (I've read all 3 Eldering Trils within 3-months, so I'll be taking a Hobb break no matter what for reflection and what not)

Book 3 is much better than books 1 and 2, with absolutely wonderful culture building. But I don't think it's enough to redeem the series as a whole for me. Just my opinion. For the record, my favourite Hobb series is Liveships, followed by Assassin, followed, a long way back, by Fool, and even further back, by Mage. Make of that what you will.

[nobodymN]

I think the new one is called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I imagine that you would know by now.

Honestly had no clue (if I ever did I forgot). The bit I read last night really went downhill - it kind fo explained itself (the mythological element) in a chapter, thus now instead of being an intriguing build-up of myth in the real world I got a rather daft info dump, seemingly to insure that it wouldn't cloud future chapters. I could be wrong though.

[Thrashalla]

For the record, my favourite Hobb series is Liveships, followed by Assassin, followed, a long way back, by Fool, and even further back, by Mage. Make of that what you will.

Farseer is definitely my favorite thus far, and unless things get royally messed up, Tawny Man is going to be my second. I loved Liveship, though. I'm just really not a fan of nautical themed fiction...but her writing is so amazing and there was enough happening to keep me glued to the pages; and when I say I like Tawny Man and Farseer better, it's by a very slim margin, all three have been great reads and I'm quite close to declaring Robin Hobb as my favorite author.

Edit: Just finished Golden Fool, onto Fool's Fate...reluctantly though, as I don;t want to run out of new Elderling material

[Rooster]

I read Rebecca Bradley's second book in her Gil trilogy, Scion's Lady, right after being positively surprised by the somewhat mundane (nothing wrong with that) but entertaining first book. Scion's Lady seemed like it would take a refreshing course for the book but an unfortunate if expected twist steered it on rather uninteresting tracks in the latter half of the book. It also had some weird inconsistencies and the characters were less compelling in a lesser tale. A step down from Lady in Gil certainly, but not an altogether bad way to spend your time.

I'm still in the middle of First Man in Rome, which I've kind of put on the back burner. I stormed through most of the book, but after a short break with it I'm unable to get back on track. The detail is impressive, but it makes for a long-winded book. I'll read it for Marius just after I've finished not reading for my exams.

Another book that I'm in the middle of is Paul Zimmer's King Chondos' Ride, the second book of his Dark Border novels, and originally the latter part of a single novel that was chopped up, which shows. The Lost Prince ended rather abruptly and this does continue like the latter part of a novel. King Chondos' Ride takes an unfortunate direction in that it's mostly filled Chondos' escape (yawn) and armies marching knee deep in shit and skirmishing. There are only a few brief lulls from this with the titular and promise-showing character of the last book, but all he's doing is salivating over the prospect of sinking his teeth on women's bellies. Very interesting. It doesn't help that there's only one character I particularly like, and he's more often than not in the "war is shit, man" mode. If there's one thing where Zimmer excels it's at battle sequences and sword fights, but there's only so much I can take before I start scavenging my thrash for interesting food labels.

Well, that last one might be a bit too harsh since I've yet to finish with it, and I did think it showed promise (especially with the Last Prince) which is why I'm definitely going back to it. During the Christmas holidays.

[Peadar]

Just read a short story anthology Book of Voices in aid of Sierra Leonean writers. It contains a lot of genre work, including good stuff by Tanith Lee and a wonderful piece by Jeffrey Ford called "Boatman's Holiday". I really have to get a book of his shorts -- short stories that is

[gyrehead]

I read Rebecca Bradley's second book in her Gil trilogy, Scion's Lady, right after being positively surprised by the somewhat mundane (nothing wrong with that) but entertaining first book. Scion's Lady seemed like it would take a refreshing course for the book but an unfortunate if expected twist steered it on rather uninteresting tracks in the latter half of the book. It also had some weird inconsistencies and the characters were less compelling in a lesser tale. A step down from Lady in Gil certainly, but not an altogether bad way to spend your time.

I thought the second book actually worked well. Though it was a big shift after the first book. And the series as a whole is still a favorite. Bradley, unfortunately, is one of the most unappreciated fantasy writers in my opinion. Because unless she is writing under another name, the lack of any further publications is downright criminal.

I got a box from Orion/Gollancz today but with the looming holiday I am being strong and leaving it unopenned. I don't need some new bright shiny object distracting me. Doing a Dorothy Dunnett re-read at the moment (every time I recommend the books I seem to feel the need to delve back in).

[Rooster]

>> I thought the second book actually worked well. Though it was a big shift after the first book.

It was, I agree with that, and I guess you could attribute most of my disappointment towards it. I was pleased that I didn't know where the book would take me, but when

SPOILER: woop

Calla popped up "sup, btw, I'm your son's mom", I kind of facepalmed because it was pretty evident where it'd go after that.

[Larry.]

I finished reading the omnibus collection of M. John Harrison's Viriconium and greatly enjoyed it, although that wasn't much a surprise, since I really enjoyed his latter novels from the 90s and this decade.

Still alternating between a lot of different books/plays, might re-read some Thomas Wolfe (NOT Tom Wolfe, but the author of Look Homeward, Angel and You Can't Go Home Again, which contains perhaps my all-time favorite passage, the one that gave the novel its name).

[gyrehead]

Rooster, one reason why I think the shift, though startling, worked for me is that I was always convinced that Bradley was writing the anti-Eddings. How it would work in a more realistic, less rose-tinted cut and dried world and with an object that combined sentience with ultimate power. so I think part of that shift was inspired by Eddings approach in his self-derivative family fun fest known as the Mallorean.

Granted, I never saw anything by the author that confirmed this take but in all my re-reads I have never shaken the sense that the trilogy serves as an incredibly clever and fun jab at the then prevalent Eddings type of fantasy conventions.

[Deornoth]

Thanks to a power-cut at work I got to sit at my desk and finish off reading Christopher Moore's 'The Stupidest Angel', a yuletide tale of brain eating zombie Santas (amongst other things). I hadn't been that impressed by his last couple of books but this one made me really fight not to laugh out loud in the office! Definitely recommended (full review is Here).

I'm about halfway through 'In the Eye of Heaven' and things are starting to look up after some confusing bits, I'll be taking 'A Sword from Red Ice' to Vienna with me (at the weekend)

[IheartTesla]

I picked up two books at an airport lounge, Kim Stanley Robinsons Sixty Days and Counting, presumably about global warming in the not too distant future, and a book by Mann (I think) named 1491, the claim of the book being that everything being taught in US schools about native Americans prior to the arrival of Columbus is pretty much wrong. Havent really dug into the books, but anything to get away from Foucaults Pendulum

[nobodymN]

Read Mist Massey's debut, Mad Kestrel. A fantasy/pirate novel (first in a series) that really kind of wrapped up well after being semi-uneventful for almost the duration. Some interesting choices in terms of length of some of the episodes that I'm still pondering.

[Ser Barry]

Fiasco by Thomas Ricks

An account of the Iraq War focusing on the role of the US military, especially circa 2003/2004. The book is disjointed and uses far too many quotes with too little analysis but it does do a good job of looking at what went right, what went wrong, how the military has had to adapt and how it is often a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't once the insurgency had taken root. Ricks saves his harshest criticism for those at the top of the ladder but GWB is portrayed as having been badly let down by those he trusted most rather than the bloodthirsty lunatic he is often taken for.

[Deornoth]

Just finished reading David Keck's 'In the Eye of Heaven', a medieval fantasy about a young squire trying to make his fortune in a world that is in danger of slowly unravelling. Heard it all before? Give this a go anyway, David Keck is very good with the worldbuilding and deftly draws some very believeable characters. I was rooting for Durand (the squire) the whole way through, despite some bits in the middle where things slack off. My full review is Here.

'A Sword from Red Ice' has proved a bit too big to fit in my bag (I'm off on holiday today!) so I'll be reading Karen Miller's 'The Awakened Mage' and Jennifer Rardin's 'Another One Bites the Dust'

[Mr. X]

I finished Shadow & Claw, the first half of Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun, which was well-written, weird, a bit disturbing, and fairly fucked up at points, but certainly a worthy read. The setting certainly captured the interest of my imagination.

The book is a bit intense, however, so I am taking a break by reading Stealing Light by Gary Gibson, which I won via one of Deornoth's book giveaways. It's a bit clunkily written at times (OMG WE HAS A GREAT SECRET LOLZ!!!1! -- ok, it's not that bad but the phrase "Great Secret" does appear at one point, preceded by the words "If anyone should discover our..." in an egregious bit of 'Tell, Don't Show' storytelling that happens quite early in the book and made a bad impression on me), but once it settles into the story it's fine.

[kcf]

Well, I also just finished In the Eye of Heaven by David Keck - I have to say that I didn't care for it much at all. Next up I'm reading something that's not trying to be the next big thing, but more of an older classic - Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock.

It’s a great time to be a fan of epic fantasies with numerous examples of pure quality, whatever the cover looks like. With so much good stuff out there, there is going to be something that doesn’t rise to the top; that instead sinks into the muck below. David Keck’s medieval fantasy, In the Eye of Heaven does just that.

(full review)

[Patrick Mallister]

I picked up two books at an airport lounge, Kim Stanley Robinsons Sixty Days and Counting, presumably about global warming in the not too distant future, and a book by Mann (I think) named 1491, the claim of the book being that everything being taught in US schools about native Americans prior to the arrival of Columbus is pretty much wrong. Havent really dug into the books, but anything to get away from Foucaults Pendulum

1491 is pretty good and yes almost everything taught about life in America before Columbus is wrong. Just the other day in my GRADUATE level colonial history class i was thinking how half the stuff the professor was saying was completely wrong.

[Isis]

It took me a while but I finally got to the end of Mark Helprin's Winters Tale. The first 3/4 of the book were incredibly satisfying to read. This book is renowned for its imagery and prose, and I completely agree with all its ardent fans on that point. I'm not quite prepared to say it's the best book I've ever read though, as some people have, but I do think it's very good. I'm sad to say that the quality seemed to fall off somewhat toward the conclusion, but perhaps that was due to the drawn out way I read the last 100 pages.

It's not an easy book to describe briefly, but if you like literary fantasy at all I'd recommend that you check it out.

[RedEyedGhost]

It's not an easy book to describe briefly, but if you like literary fantasy at all I'd recommend that you check it out.

QFT

I don't re-read a lot of books, but I will be reading this one again at some point.