What are you reading in June?

[Ferrum Aeternum]

I'm reading Red Country, nearly halfway through right now. I was a little late to the game getting on board with Abercrombie but he has yet to disappoint.

Speaking of Wooding, I might finally start on the Ketty Jay books now that I'm nearly done with Abecrombie. I've had the first two of those sitting around in my to-read stack for eons.

[MisterOJ]

Speaking of Wooding, I might finally start on the Ketty Jay books now that I'm nearly done with Abecrombie. I've had the first two of those sitting around in my to-read stack for eons.

Until this thread, I'd never really heard of Wooding and the Ketty Jay books. So, I just checked out the synopsis on Goodreads. Sounds like Firefly to me. Am I wrong in this snapshot analysis?

[Ferrum Aeternum]

Until this thread, I'd never really heard of Wooding and the Ketty Jay books. So, I just checked out the synopsis on Goodreads. Sounds like Firefly to me. Am I wrong in this snapshot analysis?

Firefly-type concept in a Steampunk setting is my understanding as well.

With no temptation for yet another ASOIAF re-read this year I'm looking forward to getting into more of the authors you guys are always going on about. I saw your post about Lynch in the Locke Lemora thread, OJ...that's another one I've got on my radar.

[Snowborn]

Yes. IMO, you pretty much have to read Wool first. The awesome slow reveal of the world in which they are living in Wool would be ruined if you read Shift first - even though Shift starts out as a prequel.

Thanks. I guess I'll have to get Wool first, then. I want to be surprised.

[MisterOJ]

Firefly-type concept in a Steampunk setting is my understanding as well.

With no temptation for yet another ASOIAF re-read this year I'm looking forward to getting into more of the authors you guys are always going on about. I saw your post about Lynch in the Locke Lemora thread, OJ...that's another one I've got on my radar.

Steampunk? Really? Ugh. That pretty much kills any interest I had in it. I'm not even sure what steampunk is. I'm pretty sure I've never read anything that was "steampunk" but the folks I know that talk about "steampunk" are pretty much Grade-A assholes. So I have a negative connotation of anything that has that attached to it as an adjective.

Am I wrong for having this opinion?

Also, Jesus Christ, how have you not read Locke Lemora yet? You need to get on that one

[ljkeane]

The Ketty Jay books are better than The Lies of Lock Lamora for me.

[SkynJay]

Steampunk? Really? Ugh. That pretty much kills any interest I had in it. I'm not even sure what steampunk is. I'm pretty sure I've never read anything that was "steampunk" but the folks I know that talk about "steampunk" are pretty much Grade-A assholes. So I have a negative connotation of anything that has that attached to it as an adjective.

Am I wrong for having this opinion?

Also, Jesus Christ, how have you not read Locke Lemora yet? You need to get on that one

Steampunk is a very broad term for just about anything that involves a different tech path than history provided, often using steam power instead of electricity.

Kitty Jay can be pigeonholed into the genre, but doesn't fit the main look at all. The alt tech path involves airships. So honestly it is Firefly meets classic children's cartoon Tailspin.

[Ferrum Aeternum]

Also, Jesus Christ, how have you not read Locke Lemora yet? You need to get on that one

I know dude...I'm a mere babe in the woods when it comes to this board's favorite non-GRRM authors.

Also haven't read Bakker, Abraham or Erikson.

[MisterOJ]

I know dude...I'm a mere babe in the woods when it comes to this board's favorite non-GRRM authors.

Also haven't read Bakker, Abraham or Erikson.

I haven't read Bakker either. Nor will I, probably. Fuck that noise. Seems way too pretentious if you ask me.

Not read Erikson either. Mainly because that's a crap-ton of pages and a huge time investment. One day. Maybe.

Abraham is the bee's knees though. Seriously. If I was you, I'd get on that before Scott Lynch.

[Brad the Bold]

Re-reading Name of the Wind.

[Ferrum Aeternum]

I haven't read Bakker either. Nor will I, probably. Fuck that noise. Seems way too pretentious if you ask me.

I have my reservations too but I'm going to give TPoN a chance. Hell, I loved God Emperor of Dune so weirdly introspective stuff doesn't scare me.

Abraham is the bee's knees though. Seriously. If I was you, I'd get on that before Scott Lynch.

May do that. The positive to not knowing these guys' work is that there's plenty of good stuff to choose from.

[Serious Callers Only]

I don't think Abraham such hot stuff. His plot 'twists' are a bit ... err... obvious, when he tries to employ them. For instance, i'm reading the black sun's daughter books right now, and although they take a quite refreshing approach to murder (though not entirely original on the action chick genre, see Women of the Otherworld series), the twist on the second book at least is messaged with flares and trumpets about what felt like 100 pages before it actually is 'exposed' to the main character. I dislike it when a 1rst person narrating main character is dense, and would prefer something inspired on who-dunnits instead (red herrings, inscrutable narrator or non-narrating detective, small obscure clues). The other plot point is not really a twist, just the main character being dense (again).

Book is slightly redeemed because i strongly suspect that the plot was partially inspired by gabriel knight 1 (adventure game), or at least, the same primary sources.

He does have nice concepts for characters (see the villain in the dagger and the coin series for example).

[Lady Nastja]

I actually just started reading the LoTR series, and I am currently on the second book. I knew they would be good...but they're brilliant!

[Myshkin]

Finished A Memory of Light. Not perfect, but a satisfying conclusion.

Now reading The Lighthouse by Alison Moore.

[williamjm]

I finished Abraham's The Tyrant's Law. After the series got off to a slow start in the first book I think the third book continued the improvement that was begun in the second book. It was a bit of a 'middle book' with quite a lot of set-up for the last couple of books in the series and it was lacking anything quite as compelling as the rebellion in book 2. I thought the characterisation was good throughout and the world gets more interesting as we learn more of it (the epilogue was particularly intriguing).

I wanted to get Wool, but I got Shift instead :rolleyes:. Would I be missing too many details if I read Shift first?

I thought one of the biggest problems in Shift was that it spent an excessive amount of time explaining things that were plot points in Wool that were better left unexplained. I think it would be more tedious if you hadn't read Wool and therefore didn't know why they were being explained. I thought Wool was a lot better than Shift overall, although there are still some good bits in Shift.

Steampunk? Really? Ugh. That pretty much kills any interest I had in it. I'm not even sure what steampunk is. I'm pretty sure I've never read anything that was "steampunk" but the folks I know that talk about "steampunk" are pretty much Grade-A assholes. So I have a negative connotation of anything that has that attached to it as an adjective.

Am I wrong for having this opinion?

I think the steampunk elements are fairly minor in the setting, in this case it basically just means that it has airships in it. I think focusing on the similarity to Firefly is probably a better description of the series rather than focusing on the steampunk elements. It's a very entertaining series, it took me a little while to really get into the first book but the second and third books were excellent and I'm looking forward to the fourth (and, sadly, last) book later this year.

[RedEyedGhost]

It is?

It is with this guy

<-------- :D

Until this thread, I'd never really heard of Wooding and the Ketty Jay books. So, I just checked out the synopsis on Goodreads. Sounds like Firefly to me. Am I wrong in this snapshot analysis?

Superficially it has a lot of similarities to Firefly, but they're very different. Ignore the steampunk comment, considering you don't like steampunk :P

It does have a few "steampunk" elements, but it's most definitely not a steampunk series.

Phenomenal books, and Wooding is criminally under-read.

I have my reservations too but I'm going to give TPoN a chance. Hell, I loved God Emperor of Dune so weirdly introspective stuff doesn't scare me.

May do that. The positive to not knowing these guys' work is that there's plenty of good stuff to choose from.

You're a very lucky man, if you still get to read Abraham, Lynch, and Wooding for the first time.

I don't think Abraham such hot stuff. His plot 'twists' are a bit ... err... obvious, when he tries to employ them. For instance, i'm reading the black sun's daughter books right now, and although they take a quite refreshing approach to murder (though not entirely original on the action chick genre, see Women of the Otherworld series), the twist on the second book at least is messaged with flares and trumpets about what felt like 100 pages before it actually is 'exposed' to the main character. I dislike it when a 1rst person narrating main character is dense, and would prefer something inspired on who-dunnits instead (red herrings, inscrutable narrator or non-narrating detective, small obscure clues). The other plot point is not really a twist, just the main character being dense (again).

Book is slightly redeemed because i strongly suspect that the plot was partially inspired by gabriel knight 1 (adventure game), or at least, the same primary sources.

He does have nice concepts for characters (see the villain in the dagger and the coin series for example).

I've never felt that he tries to have plot twists. :dunno:

[Starkess]

Steinbeck's East of Eden. I'm really enjoying it.

One of my favorite books, which is surprising really since 90% of what I read is SFF. It's amazing.

I started this a few months ago and just haven't had time to pick it up again, not that I don't want to. Read book 1 early this year and thought it was pretty good! I liked the fact that the 2 main characters we're such extreme opposing personalities and morals. I actually enjoy the fact that we're getting so many new characters in book 2, but still keeping a few that we already know.

I finished both Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate this past week. Both very good although don't live up to the bar set by the first book, which was really amazing and well done. I would rank them LW > AG > CW. I find it frustrating that the one constant character, Holden, is such a freaking sanctimonious jackass. Although I think it is great the way that they make him so unlikable at times and then the pendulum swings and for a minute you could almost like him...their characters tend to be pretty realistic and not all bad or good, which makes them very compelling to read. Some great concepts in here and I really liked the restricted scale of solar system science fiction.

Haven't started reading anything new yet. Weird for me. Not sure what I want to read next, nothing really jumping out to grab my eye.

ETA: Ha, just realized I very recently ticked over the 5k mark. Yikes!!

[deleted01]

I started Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence last night. So far so good!

[Derfel Cadarn]

Re-reading my Forgotten Realms books (the salvatore books, Avatar trilogy plus both followups, and the Spider Qeeen sextet). I recently picked up the last Drizzt quartet set 100 years after the previous books, and decided to do a series read throu first.

I started with the prequel Dark Elf trilogy, Homeland being good as always. Im now onto The Crystal Shard. Not great literature by any means, but fun enough.

As a Baldurs Gate fan, i got the Avatar trilogy years ago as it tied in to the game's backstory. It has two standalone followups, the 2nd being an interesting exploration of the negative consequences of the gods of magic and death being biased towards the good.

[Serious Callers Only]

I dislike it when a 1rst person narrating main character is dense, and would prefer something inspired on who-dunnits

[...]

Third book is better about this.

I've never felt that he tries to have plot twists. :dunno:

Talking about in the second black sun daughter book how

Carrefour 'tricks' them, though it itself gives out all the needed information to figure out things on the first encounter + various other obvious clues as time goes on. Also, continuing stupidity and not asking questions about the 'black sun' from people who would know, disregarding not so subtle mentions of it, etc. Probably that one will be explained as mental nudging. Heck, even not grilling that vampire (another 'twist') on book one after he mentioned the factions (including the black sun) is gross negligence. This is obviously extra-irritating because of the series name, but really, it's dumb too. I happen to know what the 'black sun' is and i hope that nazis are not involved directly.