pat5150 Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Just finished reading Steven Erikson's Midnight Tides. Well, what else can I say? Another Malazan epic, and another novel standing on a far higher plane than most "good" fantasy books/series out there. I was a bit taken aback when I discovered that Midnight Tides was not part of the main sequence, at least not in terms of the series' timeline. Steven Erikson goes back a few years into the past -- exactly how many remains uncertain. This story arc recounts the tale of the rise of the Emperor of the Tise Edur, the Deliverer of Midnight Tides, which was alluded to in Memories of Ice. And it's kind of neat to witness how Trull Sengar ended up in dire straits at the beginning of House of Chains. Unlike Terry Goodkind, who wrote novels that had very little to do with the main plotlines and were just milking his popularity, Steven Erikson stepped away from his principal story arcs to focus on a distant war whose events will have dramatic repercussions on the rest of the world and beyond. Baffling me, as always, is how easy Erikson somehow makes it all look. Hard to put down. . . For the full book review, check out the blog! Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedComet Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 I'm about 1/4 through Deadhouse Gates, which I got yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jak O Shadows Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Now onto memories of Ice, Erickson just gets better and better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceBannon42 Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Finished up Lord of Light this weekend. Zelazny sure does write pretty. my review can be read here. Started Dying of the Light by some guy named George Martin. About 1/3 of the way through it. Liking it very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Water Margin (ShuÇhÇ” Zhuà n) by Shi Nai'an. An interesting and rather entertaining read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doppelganger Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Finished up Lord of Light this weekend. Zelazny sure does write pretty. my review can be read here. Started Dying of the Light by some guy named George Martin. About 1/3 of the way through it. Liking it very much. George... Martin? *shrugs* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IheartTesla Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 It is an earlier work by our beloved GRRM. Wonder if it has anything to do with the famous poem by Dylan Thomas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AryaSwordMaiden Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Forever Amber... damn I forgot the author. Really great though. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime... also forgot the author And I just finished Naked, by David Sedris (I didn't forget his name!) I also intend soon to read the new book by Louise Renisson... yet another hilarious Georgia Nickleson book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 Just finished Romanitas by Sophia McDougall. One of the more difficult books I've read recently, as I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the plot but the characters weren't too great. Still, I think it was (just) worthwhile. Now about to embark on Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser after it was recommended by GRRM himself. I want to read a short book so I'm ready for Lies of Locke Lamora when it comes out soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Realized I had a copy of The Saxon Shore, Jack Whyte's fourth Camulod book on the shelf that was un-read...so I'm working my way through that now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maia Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 Finished "Human Condition" by Malraux. Wow, that's a pretty hefty book content-wise, despite its modest volume. I could never imagine the amount of bloody unrest going on in China of the middle-to-late 1920-ies. Civil wars, rebellions, failed communist revolutions, etc. I have to admit that it was difficult for me to get into the book at first, because many POVs are those of the communists and it is a bit painful to watch them fight, kill and die for their futile illusions. OTOH, opposition is equally brutal and given the situation and deplorable circumstances of the population it is easy to see where all the sides are coming from. That's what makes the book so good - it is easy to see how most sides are at least partially right (but nobody is wholly so), how they are all being used and use in turn and how the clash and subsequent terror and suffering is inevitable, no matter who wins. It also provides a very deep insight into what can make a person become a suicidal terrorist for the sake of idea. Yes, in the end it all feels quite contemporary. Replace ideological fervour with religious one, replace georgaphical setting... And then I read a rather low-brow space adventure by Weis and Perrin "Hung Out". By the numbers thing with a band of lovable (?) mercenary misfits who fight for the good cause, with overabundance of slapstick comic (?) relief. What I can I say? It was a library book and I needed somrthing to balance the tragedy of the previous title . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luzifer's right hand Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I'm reading two books right now: Morningstar by David Gemmell Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro Both books are fun so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 I just finished Hal Duncan's "Vellum". Now I want him to finish up "Ink" so I can get back into his world. Personally, I really enjoyed the book, but then I tend to like decidedly literary works. I'm looking forward to re-reading it. Next up, I believe it's time for my annual re-read of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," followed by Robert Charles Wilson's "Spin". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Ent Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 I just finished Hal Duncan's "Vellum". Now I want him to finish up "Ink" so I can get back into his world. Personally, I really enjoyed the book, but then I tend to like decidedly literary works. I'm looking forward to re-reading it. But one is "re-reading" Vellum on the first session already, from page 100 to 500, right? It's the same, and then then same again, and the fooking th' same, and then the same in a different typeface and then ... memetic manipulation engaged. Repetition enabled the same in a cyberpunk setting Alert. Override repetition. Increase priority. And behold! the same was repeated. And the repetition was in the language of Faux Old Myths! And in truth it grated heavily. Override unsuccessful. Increase priority. "Sure and you fooking think you can make me go on readin'?" The wire cut deep into Seamus' liver. He spat. "Go on an' try." The bitmites left his body in a swirl of eddies, like smoke, and entered the advanced reader's copy of Ink. Metatron flinched when he saw the book disintegrate. Abort proces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 But one is "re-reading" Vellum on the first session already, from page 100 to 500, right? It's the same, and then then same again, and the fooking th' same, and then the same in a different typeface and then ... memetic manipulation engaged. Repetition enabled the same in a cyberpunk setting Alert. Override repetition. Increase priority. And behold! the same was repeated. And the repetition was in the language of Faux Old Myths! And in truth it grated heavily. Override unsuccessful. Increase priority. "Sure and you fooking think you can make me go on readin'?" The wire cut deep into Seamus' liver. He spat. "Go on an' try." The bitmites left his body in a swirl of eddies, like smoke, and entered the advanced reader's copy of Ink. Metatron flinched when he saw the book disintegrate. Abort proces. That's the best bad review I've read. Yes, it's the same story over and over in different contexts. That seemed like the point of the book to me, and I enjoyed it. So it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 But one is "re-reading" Vellum on the first session already, from page 100 to 500, right? It's the same, and then then same again, and the fooking th' same, and then the same in a different typeface and then Abort proces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight of Ashes Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 V for Vendetta graphic novel. Perhaps I should see the movie just to see what Moore was so miffed about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade1066 Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 I love these reading threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 Wade. we love you, too. I'm reading Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold and Last Hot Time by John Ford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade1066 Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 I feel loved. I'm not reading anything at the moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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