What We Are Reading in February

[Calibandar]

Regardless of what others might say about his books, he writes about some awesome dogs. It is known

What other Koontz books have dogs in it then?

[Paladin of Ice]

I just finished a couple of books here a few thoughts, all spoilers will be blacked out.

First off was Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. Didn't really do much for me despite being a big fan of Pratchett and Disworld. It probably doesn't help that I usually find Rincewind a little annoying... anyway, the book never really felt to me like it found a smooth groove, or achieved the suck you into a story feel that I'm used to with a lot of Pratchett's stuff.

SPOILER: Spoiler

And I knew from reading later Discworld books that the outcome was inevitably going to be a return to the status quo, so that probably didn't help much.

Overall mostly a meh from me.

Next up was Interesting Times, another Discworld book. This one I felt went much better, had a far better narrative flow and way of drawing the reader into the story. A rebellion in the Counterweight Continent, a pan-Asian culture empire, requests that Ankh-Morpork send them "the Great Wizzard", by which they mean Rincewind. At the same time, the Emperor is near dying, battles are shaping between the nobles, and Cohen the barbarian, the Discworld's oldest and deadliest barbarian hero has arrived in secret, along with a group of equally old and deadly heroes. A very fun read, although there was a moment or two that strains the sense of disbelief,

SPOILER: Spoiler

most notably when Cohen's Silver Horde of 7 or 8 old men are facing off with the army of the nobles, made up of about 700,000 total, and the nobles are hesitating

but overall a very good read. One slight disappointment: I thought Lord Hon was going to be a very capable villain, but it seems that when faced with opponents outside of the the Empire's way of thinking and operating he falls apart pretty quickly into a typical Grand Vizier type bad guy. This one gets a definite two thumbs up.

Last was Cell by Stephen King. I'd heard a lot of good things about this one, and it lived up to most of them. The premise here is that some strange event, one that is apparently at least nationwide, (and perhaps more than that), happens when everyone's cell phone goes off one day, and everyone who answers turns into a mindless, gibbering living zombie. Things don't end there however, as there is more in store for the normal survivors... Another great example of a story pulling you in so that you have a hard time putting the book down, and for most of the book King seems returned to his old form. The first 90% or so is excellent, but I had some problems with the last 10%.

SPOILER: Spoilers

First off, King seems to be of two minds about the hive mind of the phoners. First their flocks are presented as small bits of an overall organism, each a single cell as it were within a body. Yet the destruction of the final one encountered seems to have shattered the entire organism rather than just than one cell. Perhaps all the phoners encountered afterwards came from that one cell, which would explain why they're having such trouble, but in general the mood seems to have switched from them being an overwhelming menace to rather pathetic figures that are of little concern or danger. Second, he really, to my mind, overextends the human brain as an organic computer metaphor, taking it beyond its logical extreme and into illogical territory. And lastly, while indecisive endings (which he seems to have suddenly become fond of), can sometimes work quite well, I didn't feel that was the case here.

Most of that is a matter of personal taste and preference though, so I'd certainly give it a recommendation to anyone and let them see how they like it for themselves.

[mashiara]

What other Koontz books have dogs in it then?

The Watchers is the first one that comes to mind, there are others too. I don't want to give away the plot so I won't say why this particular dog was so awesome. I don't remember the names of all of them, it's been some time since I read them. If I remember correctly the dogs in his books are mostly golden retrievers... and every time I happen to read a story that contains one of those I so desperately want a dog just like that.

[Larry.]

I got a labrador retriever, if you want her. She was just sprayed by a skunk the other day

[mashiara]

I got a labrador retriever, if you want her. She was just sprayed by a skunk the other day

We live in an apartment and we have two cats already. Otherwise I might be tempted to take you up on that, skunk and all.

Edited because apparently I don't even know what kind of pets we have, I typed dogs instead of cats!!!

[Larry.]

If you were to see her, you'd be tempted to hug her, skunk smell or not. She's just an outdoors dog, though, although she does like coming in to play for a bit when one of us lets her in to jump on my sleeping mother

[Inigima]

Just started the Prince of Nothing series, half-way through book one. So far I can see what all the hype was about, and happy to say I'm not disappointed with the story at all, especially after reading some really good authors lately, like Abercrombie, Lynch, Mieville, and Brust. After I finish the Thousandfold Thought, I am either going to start the second two compilations (Book of Taltos and Book of Athyra) of Brust's Vlad Taltos series. I'm kind of hesitant about picking them up though where each book is about a different period of the life of Vlad, and are not in chronological order (according to the overall storyline), but rather the order they were published in. Or, I am going to start Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company...I have a very good To Be Read list, which will only get better with the American debuts of Before They are Hanged and The Inferior

I strongly recommend going with the Chronicles of the Black Company. I find it much, much more enjoyable than the Vlad Taltos books.

Next up was Interesting Times, another Discworld book. This one I felt went much better, had a far better narrative flow and way of drawing the reader into the story. ... This one gets a definite two thumbs up.

This is my favorite Discworld book

EDIT: Oh, right. I finished Butcher's Dead Beat. Going back to read Bujold's Memory now.

[Falagar]

Just finished The Name of the Rose for the second or third time, and moved on to Antony Beevor's The Battle for Spain, having spent a year or two watching it guiltily each time I passed it on the shelf. A bit rough so far. Also reading Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie, along with the books prescribed for me by the various classes I'm taking this semester.

[PuroGeo]

I'm reading The Chronicles of the Black Company, and when that is finished, I will start on Black Man by Richard Morgan. I have heard nothing but good things about both novels.

Should be fun.

I am reading the same thing (Chronicles of the Black Company) right now. I am halfway through the first book and it is getting better and better.

[duchess of malfi]

The Watchers is the first one that comes to mind, there are others too. I don't want to give away the plot so I won't say why this particular dog was so awesome. I don't remember the names of all of them, it's been some time since I read them. If I remember correctly the dogs in his books are mostly golden retrievers... and every time I happen to read a story that contains one of those I so desperately want a dog just like that.

Watchers has an absolutely wonderful dog as one of the important characters. And yes - he is a golden retriever.

While it is not high literature, that is a book I read every few months, as I like that dog and his people so much.

[beniowa]

I finished Half the Blood of Brooklyn by Charlie Huston the other night. It's the third book in the Joe Pitt series and every bit as good as the first two.

Already a hundred pages into Pirate Freedom by Gene Wolfe. Pretty good so far.

[Inigima]

Finished Memory. Now reading P.J. O'Rourke's Peace Kills, although I expect I will be reading a second book concurrently while reading this one.

[Paladin of Ice]

Next up was Interesting Times, another Discworld book. This one I felt went much better, had a far better narrative flow and way of drawing the reader into the story. ... This one gets a definite two thumbs up.

This is my favorite Discworld book

I think it may take fourth or fifth place for me, my top three would be Small Gods, Nightwatch, and Thief of Time.

[Patrick Mallister]

I strongly recommend going with the Chronicles of the Black Company. I find it much, much more enjoyable than the Vlad Taltos books.

I really liked the first three Taltos books..this can only mean that I will have a lot of good reading. Haven't heard anything bad about the Black Company

[dalThor]

First off was Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. Didn't really do much for me despite being a big fan of Pratchett and Disworld. It probably doesn't help that I usually find Rincewind a little annoying... anyway, the book never really felt to me like it found a smooth groove, or achieved the suck you into a story feel that I'm used to with a lot of Pratchett's stuff.

I think Rincewind rules! (The wife disagrees.) He is the most bumbling, unselfassured (is that a word?) hero that you just have to root for the guy.

Besides, he has the Luggage. :cool:

[Larry.]

I received copies Saturday of the Ann and Jeff VanderMeer-edited The New Weird and of the upcoming urban fantasy anthology, Paper Cities, edited by Ekaterina Sedia and coming out in April. Promising books so far.

[Thrashalla]

I finished the Chronicles of the Black Company . LOVED it. Haven't had this nice of a surprise in a while, in fact I'm contemplating not waiting for the Books of the South omnibus that is coming out this summer and tracking them down individually.

Anyways, onwards to Bernard Cornwell Land with Lords of the Northand Sword Song (Picked that one up last night...Borders and their 40% off promotions, love em' and hate em' ) Then most likely Robin Hobb's Soldeir's Son Trilogy.

[Bellis]

Man, you make me want to get my [infinite Jest] copy back down off the shelf and start all over...

I don't doubt I'll appreciate it more after a re-read. But it's so long! So no idea if or when that'll happen.

Read the second volume in The Orphan's Tales, Cities of Coin and Spice. I didn't enjoy these stories quite as much as the first volume, and I would say that the first story of In the Night Garden remains my favorite. Perhaps there were too many different creatures and names to keep track of, at the end of two books. I'm sure I'll feel more comfortable after a re-read though. The ending was also a bit flat, somehow, a bit sudden... I was really sad about the sister. Still, overall, an excellent, highly imaginative, lusciously composed duology. Buy it!

I also just read Madame Bovary this morning.

[Vagrancy]

Finished reading Stephen King's The Gunslinger a couple of days ago, and I really liked it. I found myself especially fond of the spare, gritty prose, and it was a pleasant surprise how moving the book was too. I've got The Drawing of the Three already, but I haven't started it yet.

I've also nearly finished The Stone Prince by Fiona Patton, and I like this one too. Very touching, especially concerning the central relationship between Prince Demnor and his Companion Kelahnus, and I think the almost genderless construction of the society is interesting (there aren't differing titles for females and males like 'Prince' and 'Princess'; just 'Prince', 'Lord', 'King' etc for both genders, both genders are expected to fight etc).

I've also started Mercedes Lackey's Magic's Pawn, on the recommendation of a friend. This one is gonna hurt, I can already tell. The main character does not stop whining, and the other characters seem to be brain-dead. Hopefully it will get better, but I'm not putting any money on it. This friend also recommended Goodkind to me. Sometimes I think she doesn't like me very much.

[ThRiNiDiR]

I've just finished Lies Of Locke Lamora in a four day bout. I can't understand something, it's intelligently written, but the final twist is so prosaic I couldn't do else but gape. And the magic/magician "thing" is so deus ex machina it hurts! Still a spellbinding read though.

I'm on to The Power That Preserves (Thomas Covenant bk.III) by Stephen R. Donaldson. If I managed to paddle throught book I&II I'll make myself read this one too, even though I'm far from the biggest fan of the series.