July 2011 Reading thread

[Nearly Headless Ned]

Finished ADWD. Roughly the same quality as the rest of the series (very good basically. Martin's prose is good rather than at the same level as some the greats but I've yet to read a more compelling writer.

[Happy Ent]

Finished DWD, too.

Easily the second best 5th book in an epic fantasy series to come out in 2011.

Or ever, actually.

[Rooster]

White Luck Warrior was much better than the Judging Eye, but it didn't quite reach the heights of PoN for me. Achamian's travelogue was more bearable now also, which was nice. However, judging from the ending, it looks like the third book will be the first instant buy+read for me since T3.

Abraham's the Dragon's Path was pretty good. A set-up, mostly, but an interesting set-up. Cithrin didn't quite catch me, nor did le capitaine, who was basically Cithrin's second pov. Geder was a misguided twit, but I'm looking forward to what happens to him (many books of continuing being misguided, methinks).

Watcher of the Dead by Jones was a return to form for the series. I thought Red Ice was much too slow and uneventful, but Watcher advanced several storylines appreciably, and I'm hopeful about the series again.

Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour. Very good historical novel marred somewhat by Kerbouchard's character. Very engaging, nevertheless.

Star Maker. This is my third novel by Stapledon and I'm of two minds about him. On the one hand he can blow my mind and offer very well thought out ideas, but on the other he is a chore to read. I'm happy I've read him, and I'm certainly going to read Last and First Men as well, but I haven't really enjoyed the act of reading him.

Blood Follows, Lees of Laughter's End and the Healthy Dead by Erikson. Eh, they were okay. Not quite as good as I was hoping. I think they'd make very good animated featurettes, though.

Fifth Head of Cerberus. Uh, neat. I liked the last story best.

Fountains of Paradise by Clarke. My fourth one by him, and I can't believe I only started reading him last year. Really easy to read, and quite fun also. I tried Asimov earlier this year, so I probably should check out Heinlein now as well.

EDIT: I forgot Non-Stop by Aldiss. Now that was a very good novel. Makes me think I should read more by him. It's too bad how the blurbs spoil some things about it, though (at least in the sf masterworks edition).

[Moonshine]

Finished DWD, too.

Easily the second best 5th book in an epic fantasy series to come out in 2011.

Or ever, actually.

Eh? What am I missing?

[Datepalm]

Fountains of Paradise by Clarke. My fourth one by him, and I can't believe I only started reading him last year. Really easy to read, and quite fun also. I tried Asimov earlier this year, so I probably should check out Heinlein now as well.

I kind of lol at the notion Clarke-Heinlein-Asimov come attached at the hip for some reason. I think they have quite different styles and themes, Heinlein especially. (Not for the better, IMO. Clarke is by far my favorite of the three.)

I've read...

Carrie Vaughn's After the Golden Age, which I kind of thought avoided following through as nastily as I might have liked with its deconstruction but still managed a rather neat trick of hitting that sort of saturday morning cartoon (not a comics reader, me, alas) ambience and logic perfectly while still telling a rather engaging and well characterized story.

Shard of Honor - which people tell me isn't a prequel but rather feels like it anyway, and starts well but rolls up a bit perfunctorily. Still, i've finally read Bujold and I must get arround to reading some more.

And Alistair Reynold's Diamond Dogs novella, which is great. Some of his best writing, that I can recall reading. Nicely logically horrific.

[williamjm]

Shard of Honor - which people tell me isn't a prequel but rather feels like it anyway, and starts well but rolls up a bit perfunctorily. Still, i've finally read Bujold and I must get arround to reading some more.

I know some people suggest reading The Warrior's Apprentice first and then going on to the two (chronologically) earlier books afterwards. I can see the argument for doing that, although I read them all in chronological order and I think that order works well also. I'd say Shards is one of the weaker Vorkosigan books, I thought the second Cordelia book, Barrayar was a lot better.

[Bastard of Godsgrace]

Finished DWD, too.

Easily the second best 5th book in an epic fantasy series to come out in 2011.

Or ever, actually.

Seconded.

Eh? What am I missing?

This:

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/r-scott-bakker/white-luck-warrior.htm

(Second book of the second trilogy = Fifth book of the whole series.

[Bellis]

Finally joining the finished ADWD party. It is quite good. The Reek/Winterfell chapters are IMO some of the best he's ever written. Bran and Cersei II too. It's very dark, bleak and creepy. Lots of cannibalism and cold.

I could have wished for more resolution in Mereen of course, and the Epilogue is some of the worst writing he's ever done. Almost threw it against the wall. But overall, not disappointing.

Probably will re-read fairly soon.

[Reposado]

Took about a week on ADWD, limiting myslef to 150 pages a day, until the last day when I raced ahead and finished.

I will probably reread soon. Will start at ASOS then reread AFFC and ADWD over the next few months, inbetween other things.

First of the other things is The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe. Had never heard of it before seeing it place next to Bakker in the second tier of the board reading list. All four are on the way from Amazon right now.

[Deedles]

I know some people suggest reading The Warrior's Apprentice first and then going on to the two (chronologically) earlier books afterwards. I can see the argument for doing that, although I read them all in chronological order and I think that order works well also. I'd say Shards is one of the weaker Vorkosigan books, I thought the second Cordelia book, Barrayar was a lot better.

I'd agree. I liked Shards, but really liked Barrayar. It was later in the series before it became love. Possibly Mirror Dance probably Memory. I love, love, love A Civil Campaign

I've been slowly reading Dance - who knew I had any restraint! Enjoying it greatly.

What is comparing very unfavorably is Phillipa Gregory's The White Queen . Pretty much the definition of poorly done first person narrative. I'd no interest at all in Elizabeth Woodeville by the end of it, and I do think she must have been a pretty fascinating character. The book was dreadful. No tension, no ease, no anything bar boredom

]

[Deedles]

I'd agree. I liked Shards, but really liked Barrayar. It was later in the series before it became love. Possibly Mirror Dance probably Memory. I love, love, love A Civil Campaign

I've been slowly reading Dance - who knew I had any restraint! Enjoying it greatly.

What is comparing very unfavorably is Phillipa Gregory's The White Queen . Pretty much the definition of poorly done first person narrative. I'd no interest at all in Elizabeth Woodeville by the end of it, and I do think she must have been a pretty fascinating character. The book was dreadful. No tension, no ease, no anything bar boredom

ETA - quote brackets - my nemesis

[Mjolnir]

I've heard [in a commentary piece on the books] that Bujold overwrote the end of Shards of Honor, chopped it off and put the extra in a trunk to create the ending as it stands, which may explain why it feels a bit abrupt to some. I have to say it didn't really feel prequelesque to me, but I'd never read any Miles stories [though I was very aware of them]. A little slight, maybe, but not like something predetermined to usher in a more important story. Cordelia stands very much on her own merits. Bujold went back to write Barrayar and finish Cordelia's story later in her career, and apparently it is a much more technically excellent and polished book. [i haven't read it yet. Been saving it.] I got in to the Vorkosigan books via Shards, having bounced off Warrior's Apprentice quickly, and now love them, so it is a root some people take.

The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi [spelling approximate because I'm an asshat, will fix later]: There are more sf conceits in The Quantum Thief's little finger than I'm used to dealing with in whole novels. Add to this the heavy [and very immersive] use of tech-jargon real and imagined and the fact that I'm not very technical, and you shall see that whilst I enjoyed it greatly I have to add the corellary that I did not in fact know what the fuck was going on at minimum 50 percent of the time. Is this a weakness on the novel's part? No, no I don't really think so. More a compelling reason to reread, because all the pieces to work out what's going on really are there, it's clear. The world is simultaneously scrupulously thought-out and very much like candy for the brain, not cheap penny candy but deep, dark chocolate that explodes across the synapses. Rajaniemi's developed a kind of hard sf fairytale future of a kind I haven't seen often in my limited exposure to sf, in which you can have walking cities and worlds made out of supercomputers and mmo-spawned organizations with worldending power and it all makes sense, yet is just as much fun as it sounds. The people the thing's about don't get lost in the gosh-wow nearly as often as they might given how much of said gosh-wow there is, but it does happen occasionally. One of the few times I found the confusion a bit much was in the case of the backstory of the thief himself, which plays a major role in the plot and is teased without mercy throughout. However, all the pieces are never provided to figure out how he got from the plot-important point A to the current point B, mentally and experientially, and this is somewhat frustrating. I probably did miss some things that are genuinely there, and that's fine, but there's definitely some must-have information either absent or passing by at truly blinding speed. The characters' many tech-based abilities also feel a bit like get-out-of-jail cards sometimes even though they really aren't; greater familiarity with Rajaniemi's universe may help with this. The book has direct sequels coming, and there are huge questions left unanswered, but one thread finds what feels like full closure and the other an acceptable stopping point. This is crazy idiosyncratic space-opera, and you should try it if you like challenging sf with a high shiny-concept quotient.

Well ... that was incoherent. Honestly, I'm still not quite sure what to make of some of the stuff in this book. I didn't always feel quite connected, quite invested, but it absolutely leaves an impression. Just one more book to blither about and I'm caught up to myself. And I've received notice that ADWD is drawing nigh to me, so happy times are coming.

[palin99999]

Recently finished:

A Clash of Kings by GRRM (Re-read)

Snitch Jacket by Christopher Goffard - 5/10

Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski - 5/10 - Should have been named Fun and Deus Ex Machinas

Started:

A Storm of Swords by GRRM (Re-read)

Lucky Wander Boy by D. B. Weiss

Now I'm back off the internet for fear of spoilers.

[Nearly Headless Ned]

Finally joining the finished ADWD party. It is quite good. The Reek/Winterfell chapters are IMO some of the best he's ever written. Bran and Cersei II too. It's very dark, bleak and creepy. Lots of cannibalism and cold.

I could have wished for more resolution in Mereen of course, and the Epilogue is some of the worst writing he's ever done. Almost threw it against the wall. But overall, not disappointing.

Probably will re-read fairly soon.

Martin really was at his best in those Northern scenes,some of the best in the whole series, and Ramsay is one of his most chilling creations, possibly Martins take on Gilles De Rais?

Also, how about Rafe Spall for Ramsay?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzXDjCuWsV0

Finished Martin Millars 'Lonely Werewolf Girl' and yes its every bit as awful as the title suggest. Millar is genuinely funny at times and some of the characters have potential but the writing is just appalling.

[Daz]

Finally tracked down a copy of 'heir to the Empire' by Timothy Zahn when I was browsing in Barnes & Noble on vacation. The second book in the trilogy (Dark Force Rising) was the first Star Wars book I ever read, and 'twas rather awesome. Been hunting for the first in the series forever, and it was definitely fulfilling to finally read it.

Now I just need to find Spectre of the Past..

[Rooster]

Datepalm: Ha, guilty as charged. I didn't really think Asimov and Clarke were similar, but as I spent so long in not reading any of them, they'd developed into an amorphous blob wheezing "the big three..." to my mind.

I also forgot I read the Left Hand of Darkness and the Etched City. Hm. Probably because I didn't have much to say about them.

[SkynJay]

Finally tracked down a copy of 'heir to the Empire' by Timothy Zahn when I was browsing in Barnes & Noble on vacation. The second book in the trilogy (Dark Force Rising) was the first Star Wars book I ever read, and 'twas rather awesome. Been hunting for the first in the series forever, and it was definitely fulfilling to finally read it.

Now I just need to find Spectre of the Past..

This surprises me. The B & N over here has a huge Star Wars section, and I have got several non Star War's Zahn books from it as well. I didnt know that series was now hard to find.

[polishgenius]

Easily the second best 5th book in an epic fantasy series to come out in 2011.

Does the Heroes count? Because if so, that's better too, unless the ending to Dance really blows my mind.

I must confess, I'm underwhelmed, about three quarters in. :( It's good, of course, but it's dragging on far too many moments and it isn't in my top five fantasies of the year so far.

Col Buchanan's second, Stands a Shadow, up next, unless I get Winds of Khalakovo in London tomorrow in which case I may start that.

[SkynJay]

Does the Heroes count? Because if so, that's better too, unless the ending to Dance really blows my mind.

I must confess, I'm underwhelmed. :( It's good, of course, but it's dragging on far too many moments and it isn't in my top five fantasies of the year so far.

Good catch, I didn't even think about the Heroes. That is three great series that are on the fifth book. Crazy.

[Happy Ent]

Does the Heroes count? Because if so, that's better too, […]

It doesn’t count, because it’s a standalone. But even if: no way.

Everything Abercrombie can do, GRRM can do at least as well. The only parameter where Heroes is better is that it must needs be coherent (it has a unifying theme, beginning, end, setting, etc.), which is exactly why it’s a standalone and hence doesn’t qualify.

Otherwise the Silmarillion would own this competition from now and to the end of civilisation. No better “5th book in the same setting” can ever be written.

Good idea for a thread, though.