The Second Apocalypse

Miscellaneous Chatter => Literature => Topic started by: MSJ on January 09, 2018, 06:55:28 pm

Title: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 09, 2018, 06:55:28 pm
Another version for '18. A place to post what you want to read and what you actually read.

Right now I'm reading Furies of Calderon, by Jim Butcher. First book in the Codex Alera. I have heard A lot of good things about it and I'm flying through this book.

I think I can read 25-30 books this year. No plans on what I want to read. Just when I see something that strikes my fancy, I read it. Though, I definitely plan on a reread of at least TAE, if not TSA as a whole. I love TDTCB, and its hard not to start there.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on January 09, 2018, 06:59:50 pm
Would you like to curate this thread this year? That would be awesome if you did :).

I'm going to see if I can read about 2 books a month. Will reevaluate in August.

So put me down for 20.
Edit: Ok did 20. Lets see if I can do 52 total, for an average of 1 book every week. That'll be a stretch but I'm going to go for it.

---
Edited for Curating purposes

1) Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (Read: January)
2) The Many-Colored Land by Julian May (Read: January)
3) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Read: January)
4) Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Read: January)
5) Artemis by Andy Weir (Read: January)

6) The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin (Read: February)

7) The Magician King by Lev Grossman (Read: March)
8 ) The Alchemist by Paolo Bacigalupi (Read: March)
9) Blackout by Connie Willis (Read: March)
10) Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (Read: March)

11) The Reality Dysfunction (Night’s Dawn) by Peter F Hamilton (Read: April)
12) The Red Knight (The Traitor Son Cycle #1)  by Miles Cameron (Read: April)
13) La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust 1) by Phillip Pullman (Read: April)

14) The Final Empire (Mistborn 1) by Brandon Sanderson (Read:May)
15) Storm Front (Dresden Files 1) by Jim Butcher (Read: May)
16) The Colour of Magic (Diskworld 1)by Terry Pratchett (Read: May)
17) Leviathan Wakes (Expanse 1) James SA Corey (Read: May)

18) Legend by David Gemmel (June)
19) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Brandbury (June)
20) Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe (June)
21) Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth's Past 1) by Cixin Liu (June)

22) Poppy War by R. F Kuang (July)
23) Ilium by Dan Simmons (July)
24) The Time Machine by H G Wells (July)
25) Red Rising (Red Rising 1) by Pierce Brown (July)
26) Black Company by Glen Cook (July)

27) Lord Foul's Bane (Thomas Covenant 1) by Stephen Donaldson (August)
28) The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastards 3) by Scott Lynch (August)
29) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (August)
30) The Emperor's Blades (Unhewn Throne 1) by Brian Staveley (August)

31) Court of Broken Knives (Empires of Dust) by Anna Smith-Spark (September)
32) Godblind (Godblind 1) by Anna Stephens (September)
33) The Fifth Season (Broken Earth 1) N. K. Jemisin (September)
34) Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock (September)
35) Senlin Ascends (Books of Babel #1) by Josiah Bancroft (September)

36) The Pastel City by M. John Harrison (October)
37) A Storm of Wings by M. John Harrison (October)
38) In Viriconium + short stories by M. John Harrison (October)
39) Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb (October)

40) Hidden Empire (Saga of Seven Suns) by Kevin J Anderson (November)
41) Furies of Calderon(Codex Alera 1) by Jim Butcher (November)
42) Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway (November)
43) Dreamsnake by Vonda McItyre (November)
44) Darkmage by M. l. Spencer (November)
45) Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke (November)

46) The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski (December)
47) Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold (December)
48) Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (December)
49) Circe by Madeline Miller (December)

Others on the list to be read:
Starburst by Fredrik Pohl
A Canticle of Lebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Broken God (A requiem for Homo Sapiens) by David Zindell
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower) by Stephen King
The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan

Note - Anyone who can recommend a particularly great book by Bujold, Gemmel or Zelazny, please do. I forgot how these particular ones ended up on my list, but I have no attachment to them other than that I want to read these authors. Suggestions welcome :)

Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 09, 2018, 07:04:11 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
Would you like to curate this thread this year? That would be awesome if you did :).

I think I could manage that, :)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on January 10, 2018, 10:22:34 pm
Update your opening post with people's picks/goals/totals/whichevery, MSJ? That way you can "curate" :).

Thanks for volunteering in SR's absence.

For my part I have no goals. I hope to continue my Malazan reading but it's likely going to wait until I go to the book store with Christmas cards.

But you can mark me down for having read Neuropath this year so far. Onto Light, Time, and Gravity right now.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 10, 2018, 10:28:04 pm
Will do once I get their totals and picks. So far, only Wilshire I believe.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on January 10, 2018, 10:41:58 pm
And you ;).

Take a look at SR's second post (http://www.second-apocalypse.com/index.php?topic=1670.msg23877#msg23877) in the original thread (or first post (http://www.second-apocalypse.com/index.php?topic=2077.msg31581#msg31581) in last year's thread) for formatting suggestions :).
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 10, 2018, 10:44:36 pm
Yea, I get way he did. Very good job. I gave an amount. But, hell, I never know what I'm gonna read. But, we definitely need more participation....
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on January 10, 2018, 10:45:38 pm
Updated my above post with links, sorry.

And it should be easy if there are only three of us to keep track of ;).
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 10, 2018, 11:12:03 pm
Quote from:  Madness
And it should be easy if there are only three of us to keep track of ;).

No doubt about that, lol. Its just the amount of posters and the amount of reading done on this forum, I would like to see some more people join the thread. I'll give it a couple weeks to percolate...
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on January 10, 2018, 11:43:20 pm
I'm in. I'll set a target of 25 new books. Here's 10 that I hope to include:

Fiction/Literature:

1. "Notes From Underground" - Roger Scruton

2. "The Brothers Karamazov" - F. Dostoyevsky

3. "Gardens Of The Moon" - Steven Erikson

4. anything new from Christopher Buehlman (good fantasy)

4a. The first book of the Traitor Son cycle (h/t to MSJ)

5. "Senlis Ascends" by Josiah Bancroft

6. "The Worm Ouroboros" by E. R. Eddison

Non-fiction:

7. "How To Be A Stoic" - Massimo Pigliucci

8. "Breaking The Spell" - Daniel Dennett

9. "Darwinian Fairytales" - David Stove

10. "Art And Imagination" - Roger Scruton
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on January 11, 2018, 03:05:00 pm

1) Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (Read: January)
2) The Many-Colored Land by Julian May (Read: January)
3) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Read: January)
4) Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Read: January)
5) Artemis by Andy Weir (Read: January)
6) The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin (Read: February)
7) The Magician King by Lev Grossman (Read: March)
8 ) The Alchemist by Paolo Bacigalupi (Read: March)
9) Blackout by Connie Willis (Read: March)

The Red Knight by Miles Cameron
Many-Colored Land because its an old book from my dad, also on some 'top 100 scifi lists'. So far, not very good.
Ready Player one because the movie is coming out.
Ancillary Justice and Left Hand of Darkness are hugo+nebula winners.
Artemis because christmas gift.
The Red Knight because MSJ :P .

We'll see how it goes.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 15, 2018, 07:16:25 pm
Finished Furies of Calderon(1), by Jim Butcher. Good book. Decent world building, but with 6 books I feel a whole lot more is to come. Love the magic system, unique to anything I've seen really. Good plot and characters that you come to root for and love. And, my favorite, lots of mystery and intrigue.

On to 2nd book in Codex Alera, Academ Furies.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on January 15, 2018, 07:34:29 pm
Finished Many-Colored Land (2). Um, not good. Writing was OK, plot was predictable, I didn't appreciate the use of hard Magic in my scifi (er, sorry 'psionics'), and the author spent an awful lot of time talking around various people and other beings having sex for no particular reason.
Rating 1.5/5 - would not recommend lol. Disappointed its on some lists of 'top 100 scifi of all time'. Sigh.

Edit: On that note, I think I might have to stop taking scifi book recommendations from my father. "I really liked this when I was younger" does not a good recommendation make.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 15, 2018, 07:45:46 pm
Here is a list of what I know I want to read. But, this by far will not be all that I read.

1. Codex Alera, by Jim Butcher 6 books, already done with the first.

2. 3rd book in the beginnings of the Malazan Empire. I believe it comes out this year.

3. Red Seas under Red Skies and the last book of that series. (Forget the name at the moment.)

4. Dagger and Coin series, by Daniel Abraham.

5.Finish the series by Cixin Liu I started.

6. Finish Donaldson's Gap Cycle.

7. And, from there, whatever I feel like I wanna read at the moment. Ill be honest, I'd like to get in son non-fiction this year. Maybe on wars, and after watching Mindhunter on Netflix, some books into the minds of serial killers.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on January 16, 2018, 03:55:33 pm
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Audiobook ready by Will Wheaton - which is amusing. So far, the book and the reading itself are very good, I'm impressed. Definitely a book for anyone who was, or wanted to be, a nerd in the 80's. Probably a book for anyone else too, but that group specifically might get a kick out of it.

Its also written near where I lived much of my life, which is terribly amusing as well.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 16, 2018, 10:46:11 pm
Wilshire, it seems as if me and you are the only one to read books around here anymore....
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on January 17, 2018, 02:21:57 am
Oh, I'm always reading something, MSJ. I'm just so random; I pick up one book, switch to another book, etc. Not good with lists.

But I have started "The Worm Ouroboros" by E. R. Eddison. Written in 1922, the style is "densely ornamented and deliberately archaic". In fact, its dialogue is very Shakespearian. A most difficult and offputting read.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on January 17, 2018, 12:55:13 pm
Haha, I'm sure there are others MSJ :) .

Finished Ready Player One. (3)
It was a fun, quick read. Like a Dan Brown novel set in a videogame. Kept me interested throughout, with a lot of funny moments. I'd give it a 4/5 for entertainment value. Its not a deep "thinking man's" book but worth the read for something light and funny.

Onward, to Ancillary Justice. Looks like this will be another quick one.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on January 19, 2018, 03:26:04 pm
Oh, I'm constantly trying to find time to read. I should be done LTG soon which will put me at (2). I picked up The Wheel of Osheim again recently and got a couple chapters in... But probably moving onto Disciple next.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 19, 2018, 11:31:44 pm
Forgot, but I finished When true Night Falls (2), right after the new year.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Woden on January 21, 2018, 10:36:21 am
My goal is 35 this year. I have read 6 book these first weeks of the year so I think I will do it.

I’m reading the Kalevala now - excellent stuff.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: themerchant on January 22, 2018, 12:14:26 pm
I've read this year so far.

Wolf in Shadow
The Last Guardian- Jon shannow trilogy David Gemmell
Bloodstone

Waylander
Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf- David Gemmell
Hero in the Shadows

The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
The Legend of Deathwalker                      David Gemmell
White Wolf
Legend

Notorious- Jack Slack

and the weak suffer what they must- Yanis Varoufakis.

Untouchables: Dirty cops, bent justice and racism in Scotland Yard- Michael Gillard Laurie Flynn.

Storm in the Sword- David Gemmell.

Midnight Falcon-David Gemmel

Raveheart - David Gemmell

StormRider- David Gemmell

This concludes Gemmel January for me.

TUC -Bakker
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on January 22, 2018, 01:07:28 pm
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (4)
Very interesting book. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it was quite unusual. I liked it, probably worth reading the sequels, but ti didn't blow me away or anything thing.
I'll give it a 3.5/5

Artemis by Andy Weir (5)
The new one by the guy who wrote The Martian. It was ... OK. Didn't have the same punch as the first one, but a fun, quick read. Very convincing characters, notably the main character is a woman, which I was surprised he did such a good job with. Its got some of the same humor that made Martian so endearing, but not as much of the 'science' that also contributed to the success of the previous novel.
3/5
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on January 22, 2018, 04:08:26 pm
Quality Gemmell reads, themerchant :).
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on January 23, 2018, 11:03:55 pm
Finished Light, Time, and Gravity (2). I think I have a better handle on it this time. And for some reason it thrills me that I still have years before I'm of the age that Bakker wrote his books. It's easily been a couple years since I've reread LTG and those specific years gave me new perspective on that particular novel.

I might bang out The Wheel of Osheim as a palate cleanser before I dig into Disciple of the Dog and Bakker's various shorts... I can't decide if I want to read the Atrocity Tales chronologically or as they were published concurrently as I do my TSA reread.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on January 24, 2018, 11:09:38 am
Just finished Academ's Fury(3). Good, not as good as the 1st. Sticking with and moving onto the next in the series. There's a lot of potential here.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: themerchant on January 24, 2018, 06:29:25 pm
Quality Gemmell reads, themerchant :).

Reading storm in the sword today. :)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on January 25, 2018, 02:49:25 am
Rigante!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on February 07, 2018, 01:19:39 pm
Well, finished Cursor's Fury(4) A week ago and forgot to post. It was good, and the intrigue continues to ramp up. Tavi, the main character, and his ummm, problems continue to get more and more complicated. I recommend the series to anyone.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on February 21, 2018, 01:38:44 pm
Uh, let's see.

I've been partaking in this live online lecture series on the writings of PKD (and various philosophic implications) and have been reading one a week.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Three-Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, UBIK, and A Scanner Darkly so far puts me at (6). I'm still working through DG, though I asked the SO to spring on the paperback for me so it'll be quicker finishing now (also have a paperback of Memories of Ice on hand), and still only about half-way through Disciple.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on February 21, 2018, 03:46:52 pm
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (6)
Uhm, it was alright. Le Guin writes a lot of politically charged novels, this being no exception. The writing was fine, if a bit plain, and the story was interesting, if not thrilling. Not as good as the other novel I read by her last year (The Dispossessed), but it had some interesting commentary on society and gender.
3/5

I've got Blackout by Connie Willis queued up next.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on February 21, 2018, 11:43:11 pm
Finished Princep's Fury (5). I must admit that this series get better by every book. Started the last book First Lord's Fury last night. And, Butcher has done a very decent job at throwing curveball at you. Not Bakker level stuff, but I'm impressed.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on February 24, 2018, 05:50:21 pm
Finished First Lord's Fury(6) by Jim Butcher, The Codex Alera series. Wonderful finish to a great series. Predictable in a sense, and in other ways not so much. I would recommend to anyone. 4 out of 5 stars.

Onto The Emperor's Blades, by Brian Stavely. Never read any of his stuff before. The series is highly recommended through many sites, though. Read about a chapter last night til I fell asleep, interesting enough from the little I read.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on February 27, 2018, 01:05:05 pm
You're a reading machine, lol. I ought to play less video games and read more.

Blackout starts similarly to other Connie Willis books - eerily similar. I'm hoping it goes off on a different tangent or else I fear I might not have much interest in it.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Madness on February 28, 2018, 12:20:08 pm
Aren't you only like a book out from each other :P?

I love instilling the sense of competition but I'm afraid I really won't be able to keep up.

Either way, still maintaining momentum for the moment: VALIS - Philip K. Dick (7) last week.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on March 06, 2018, 12:30:21 pm
Finished The Magician King by Lev Grossman (7)

Ok, didn't like the opening of Blackout - I don't think I'm going to enjoy the setting of it, might have to come back to it later.

Instead, the wife and I decided to watch The Magicians (syfy) based on Lev Grossman's novels. So instead of reading Blackout, I'm going to read The Magician King (book 2) because its clear after the first episode that the show includes at least part of the story line from book 1 and 2.

I feel like there's not a ton I can say about the book without spoilers. Overall I think it wasn't as good as the first, but still worth the read. It might have gone on a bit too long actually, I was wishing for the end with a few chapters to go, but it ended well. Worth the read if you enjoyed book 1.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on March 16, 2018, 11:06:43 pm
Finished The Emperors Blades and almost done with the 2nd in the trilogy of The Unhewn Throne, The Providence of Fire(7 and 8 )

In all seriousness, best fantasy trilogy I've read since PoN. Plenty of intrigue, low magic, great characters and plot.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on March 19, 2018, 02:44:55 pm
Finished The Emperors Blades and almost done with the 2nd in the trilogy of The Unhewn Throne, The Providence of Fire(7 and 8 )

In all seriousness, best fantasy trilogy I've read since PoN. Plenty of intrigue, low magic, great characters and plot.

You know, I've been working hard not adding books to my list for a number of years now. Stop recommending things :P .
I'm going to seriously have to go through your post history and see your 'book reviews' (or whatever we can call you're one line recommendations like this one) and see if I can rule them out or not.

Finished The Alchemist by Paolo Bacigalupi ( 8 ).
I hesitate to count this as an actual book lol, it wasn't even 100 pages, so more of a short story really. But what tipped the tide was that is been on The List for some time, so since I'm crossing it off I'm going to add it to my total.

If this was a competition to see who reads the most books, then I'm happy to take a penalty (-1) to my total should there be a tie breaker required lol.

That said, it was a fun read. Bacigalupi has a distinct thematic writing style centered around geopolitics, but he writes a compelling narrative regardless. As far as short stories goes, I'd probably give it a 4/5, though with only 100 pages to deal with I'm not really sure giving it a rating is fair.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on March 19, 2018, 11:42:01 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
I'm going to seriously have to go through your post history and see your 'book reviews' (or whatever we can call you're one line recommendations like this one) and see if I can rule them out or not.

Is be the worse reviewer ever. I would spoil the books. I don't know how to go into it without telling it. Here's a few must read series.

The Unhewn Throne (low magic)
Tower of Babel (low magic}
Traitor Son Cycle (high magic)

In that order. Seriously, TUT is full of mystery and intrigue. I'm on book 3 (the last) and I have no clue how this is gonna go. I have no complaints, from character, plot, prose or any other thing someone might bitch about. Just excellent.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on March 20, 2018, 03:04:05 pm
I don't mean reviews per-say, but just the one liners you've been doing here and throughout - whether you liked it and usually you include something general about why and how it compares vaugely in terms of quality or content to TSA.

Those three, and I think there must be at least one or two more that i might pick up from your mentions :).
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on March 21, 2018, 07:18:45 pm
@Wilshire, every review of Traitor Son Cycle has been its right up there with the best of the best, high magic that is.

Sci-fi rec, Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Its a trilogy. I've read a handful of SF series and this is by far the best.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on March 22, 2018, 12:02:30 pm
So finished most of what I set out initially, except Red Knight. So with that, an updated list of what I'll try to read this year, in no particular order. These plus the 8 I've read should put me at the 20 that I put down.

Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
Prince of Thorns (Broken Empire) by Mark Lawrence
The Reality Dysfunction (Night’s Dawn) by Peter F Hamilton
The Grand Design (The Tyrants and Kings book 2) by John Marco
The Red Knight (The Traitor Son Cycle #1)  by Miles Cameron
The Colour of Magic by Terry Prachett
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Brandbury
Shards of Honor (vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold
Dark Moon by David Gemmel
The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan
The Time Machine by H G Wells
Lords of Light by Rodger Zelzany

Note - Anyone who can recommend a particularly great book by Bujold, Gemmel or Zelzany, please do. I forget how these particular ones ended up on my list, but I have no attachment to them other than that I want to read these authors. Suggestions welcome :)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on March 23, 2018, 01:14:57 pm
Blackout by Connie Willis (9)

Turns out i don't really like timetravel / historic fiction type books. Writing was fine, plots were entertaining enough, but time travel just doesn't do it for me. I'm not sure I will read the sequel All Clear, though I might if it is the only thing on my phone to listen to (like Blackout was).

What to do next ... Probably Prince of Thorns  to hit up some fantasy, then Reality Dysfunction for scifi.

Edited my initial post to make it easier to keep track of what I've done so far.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on March 23, 2018, 07:28:58 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
What to do next ... Probably Prince of Thorns  to hit up some fantasy, then Reality Dysfunction for scifi.

No, just no. A lot of people are comparing the Traitor Son Cycle to Malazan in terms of scope and greatness of the story. Its high magic, as I've said. But, man what a story.

Then, the Tower of Babel, low magic and not complete. But 1st two books are great and once You get started its one of the cooler worlds I've ever read about.

The Unhewn Throne is hands down my 2nd favorite series after TSA. Just excellent, low magic and more backstabbing intrigue than you could ask for.

Prince of Thorns is ok, but those three make it feel like a kids book. Which it isn't, its a harsh world also.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on March 26, 2018, 12:40:49 pm
Finished Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (10)
It was ... unsatisfying. Seemed to rely very heavily on dues ex machina type plot mechanics to keep alive the important character - well, mostly Jorg I guess. I also don't appreciate the setting:

Plot and setting spoilers
(click to show/hide)

I might read the other two at some point as this was a quick read, but I don't feel terribly compelled to. Kinda reads like a YA novel with a couple of Fucks thrown in to make it more adult and violence to kick it into Grimdark.

Gotta be honest, I was hoping for a lot more, given his popularity.

EDIT:
On to Peter F Hamilton's The Reality Dysfunction. Interesting start, going to be full flow heavy scifi and space opera. We'll see if I'm ready for it.

After that, probably The Red Knight by Miles Cameron, very excited to read this.

I might get sidetracked by La Bella Sauvage (Book of Dust 1) by Philip Pullman though. Its a sequal to his His Dark Materials trilogy that was published in ht late 90's. Very profound stuff for young teenager Wilshire. I doubt I'll be as enchanted nearly two decades later but I still want to read his long awaited sequel.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: TLEILAXU on March 28, 2018, 05:46:23 am
My intuition kinda told me not to bother with those books, so I'm happy to see your expert opinion verify that I made the correct decision.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on March 28, 2018, 11:45:07 am
Should probably make my a new topic, but there aren't too many people here that I'll be bothering if I continue talking about Prince of Thorns, I think.

 I did some poking and found that people really like Lawrence's prose, though I'm not sure why. Lots of people crooning over the worldbuilding, which again I don't get.

I asked a friend who said that some of the coincidences get explained a bit later because of the nature of how magic works, but it sounds wholly unsatisfying to me. Soft magic, rather than hard magic?

One of the larger hurdles is that its told in first-person from a 14 year old. Unreliable narrator aside (we all understand how that works here lol), he portrays the world through the eyes of your typical 14 year old... So even if there's a decent setting, we'll never know because everything is filtered through the thoughts of a sociopathic prince - think of it like if a TSA prequel was told by 14 year of Xerias lol.

---
On a much more positive note, Reality Dysfunction has turned out to be a very interesting novel. Well written, well imagine, with several concurrent plot-lines to keep things moving. I'm impressed so far and look forward to reading more from Peter F. Hamilton.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on March 28, 2018, 04:27:22 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
Should probably make my a new topic, but there aren't too many people here that I'll be bothering if I continue talking about Prince of Thorns, I think.

Should've took the advice of your buddy MSJ! ;)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on March 28, 2018, 05:35:24 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
Should probably make my a new topic, but there aren't too many people here that I'll be bothering if I continue talking about Prince of Thorns, I think.

Should've took the advice of your buddy MSJ! ;)

The list must be completed ;) , but I've added Red Knight to it don't worry.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: TheCulminatingApe on March 30, 2018, 06:45:43 pm
So finished most of what I set out initially, except Red Knight. So with that, an updated list of what I'll try to read this year, in no particular order. These plus the 8 I've read should put me at the 20 that I put down.

Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
Prince of Thorns (Broken Empire) by Mark Lawrence
The Reality Dysfunction (Night’s Dawn) by Peter F Hamilton
The Grand Design (The Tyrants and Kings book 2) by John Marco
The Red Knight (The Traitor Son Cycle #1)  by Miles Cameron
The Colour of Magic by Terry Prachett
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Brandbury
Shards of Honor (vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold
Dark Moon by David Gemmel
The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan
The Time Machine by H G Wells
Lords of Light by Rodger Zelzany

Note - Anyone who can recommend a particularly great book by Bujold, Gemmel or Zelzany, please do. I forget how these particular ones ended up on my list, but I have no attachment to them other than that I want to read these authors. Suggestions welcome :)

Legend is the David Gemmell book.  Prince of Shadows is pretty good as well as far as I can remember. 
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: TheCulminatingApe on March 30, 2018, 07:41:59 pm
Finished Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (10)
It was ... unsatisfying. Seemed to rely very heavily on dues ex machina type plot mechanics to keep alive the important character - well, mostly Jorg I guess. I also don't appreciate the setting:

I read it a few years ago (it was free with A Dance of Dragons).  It seemed 'empty' - just sensation for the sake of it
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on April 09, 2018, 03:40:34 pm
Finished The Last Mortal Bond(9), by Brian Staveley. Last book in The Unhewn Throne. A good book, but the ending was just kind of abrupt. It was good and made sense, just didn't finish it with any kinda finality. I recommend highly though, great series as a whole.

ETA:Started Blindsight, want to see what all th hub bub waa about. ;)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on April 09, 2018, 03:52:25 pm
Blindsight is amazing!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on April 10, 2018, 10:30:04 am
The Reality Dysfunction (11) by Peter F. Hamilton.

Wow, this was a great book. A sci-fi in the scope of a large epic fantasy, with all the world building you could want. I'd give it a 5/5. The pacing was great, the story was great, and the ending reminded me of TTT in grandure. Truely a fantastic read.

The characters aren't the best relized, but the scope and content of the adventure far exceeds this shortcoming.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on April 20, 2018, 11:45:35 am
The Red Knight (12) by Miles Cameron.

Another very good read - its been a good year for books so far. Thanks MSJ for the suggestion.

Though, like Prince of Thorns, I don't appreciate the Earth setting, the book is otherwise very well done. The magic is interesting, the plot fun, and characters well written. I'll be interested to come back to this series at some point as its very good.

Next up will be La Belle Sauvage by Phillip Pullman. Its been a long time since I've read a YA and I don't expect a ton from up, but I loved Pullman's His Dark Materials so I'll give this most recent installment a whirl.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on April 27, 2018, 09:05:17 pm
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Phillip Pullman (13).

For a YA book, it was pretty good. An interesting first book of this prequel series to His Dark Material.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on May 03, 2018, 04:19:56 pm
The Final Empire (Mistborn 1) by Brandon Sanderson (14)

First time I've read anything by Sanderson, and I really enjoyed it. This is not the complex world of TSA, but it was a fun, quick read. I'm looking forward to reading more Sanderson someday.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on May 07, 2018, 11:58:46 am
So I'm probably looking at the following for my next couple books:
Colour of Magic - Pratchett
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Strom Front - Jim Butcher
Legend - Gemell
Leviathan Wakes
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on May 08, 2018, 04:12:59 pm
Storm Front by Jim Butcher (15)
I picked this one up because I heard from a friend, and also a lot of recs from r/fantasy, that this was a good book.
You know, it was alright. Better than I expected, given that it was both a detective novel and a modern fantasy... neither of which I generally like. The main character, Dresden, was snarky and somewhat interesting. The novel was pretty short, so not a ton of room for character development, but I think it might be worth reading a sequel or two to see where it goes.

On to: The Colour of Magic. Very interestingly written.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: ThoughtsOfThelli on May 08, 2018, 04:18:13 pm
Storm Front by Jim Butcher (15)
I picked this one up because I heard from a friend, and also a lot of recs from r/fantasy, that this was a good book.
You know, it was alright. Better than I expected, given that it was both a detective novel and a modern fantasy... neither of which I generally like. The main character, Dresden, was snarky and somewhat interesting. The novel was pretty short, so not a ton of room for character development, but I think it might be worth reading a sequel or two to see where it goes.


Sorry for creeping into this thread, but I just wanted to comment on this particular book/series. ;) I have read all 15 books (a few years back), and while it can't compare to, say, TSA, A Song of Ice and Fire, or The Stone Dance of the Chameleon, it's still a good and very entertaining series. And while the first few books are alright, things do start picking up more after the third or fourth (can't remember exactly, but it's around that point). So I would advise you to try and read at least to the third book in the series (Grave Peril). :)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on May 09, 2018, 04:00:12 pm
Thanks Thelli (I can't decide how to abbreviate your name :P). As I said, I think I'll read some sequels. It really seems that everyone agrees that later books are where its at. This kind of goes against my rule, but unlike Prince of Thorns which I very nearly hated, Storm Front had elements that I really liked. I'm tempted to read more, and your encouragement makes it all the  more enticing.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: ThoughtsOfThelli on May 11, 2018, 10:55:40 pm
Thanks Thelli (I can't decide how to abbreviate your name :P). As I said, I think I'll read some sequels. It really seems that everyone agrees that later books are where its at. This kind of goes against my rule, but unlike Prince of Thorns which I very nearly hated, Storm Front had elements that I really liked. I'm tempted to read more, and your encouragement makes it all the  more enticing.

Either Thelli or ToT (or any variation thereof) is fine. :)
Glad to hear you'll add some sequels to the list further down the road!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on May 14, 2018, 03:00:45 pm
The Colour of Magic (Diskworld 1) byTerry Prachett (16)

That was a quick read. Pretty entertaining - very silly and full of joy. I might throw in some more Prachett if I'm looking for something of the sort in the future. Definitely different than my typical fantasy fare but a nice change of pace.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on May 21, 2018, 12:43:14 pm
Leviathan Wakes (Book 1 expanse) by James S A Corey (17)

You know, it started out feeling a bit mediocre but I ended up liking it quite a bit. If anyone has read more of these, could you help me out? Does the series get better from here, and do subsequent novels follow a similar form - some kind of mashup between space opera and detective novel? Consistent timeline/characters or new cast for each?
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on May 21, 2018, 01:49:30 pm
Ive read them all and its well worth your time. There is a TV series too, but id read the books before watching rhe show.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: H on May 24, 2018, 05:37:16 pm
Leviathan Wakes (Book 1 expanse) by James S A Corey (17)

You know, it started out feeling a bit mediocre but I ended up liking it quite a bit. If anyone has read more of these, could you help me out? Does the series get better from here, and do subsequent novels follow a similar form - some kind of mashup between space opera and detective novel? Consistent timeline/characters or new cast for each?

The plot does take it to more space opera places, for the most part, but the overall sense is generally the same.  It's the same cast though, plus and minus a few people here or there.  It's solidly good, but not amazing.  It doesn't reinvent the wheel, it's just a real good wheel.

I'm realizing right now that I am not sure I've actually finished a book yet this year...
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on May 30, 2018, 12:59:34 pm
Read Fairie Tale, by Raymond Feist (10). I liked it a lot. As I just said in the Quorum, not your average Fantasy book. Heck 90% of the novel takes place in the real world. Not to say there isn't fantasy aspects, because there are. A refreshing read.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on June 08, 2018, 05:21:15 pm
Legend by David Gemmell (18)

This was a beautiful book. To me it read like a love poem to death - or at least, to the people to struggle with death in their lives and learn to overcome the grief and keep living. I found it deeply touching, though the ending was disappointing for spoiler reasons. Still a phenomenal book though, deeply emotional and moving. I'd give it 5/5 but the ending loses it a half, so 4.5/5.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on June 25, 2018, 05:39:51 pm
Fahrenheit 451 (19). 2 books in June, slow month :P

Interesting book, this is the first time I read it. Culturally really relevant right now, there's a lot of poignant commentary that holds true for the state of the world as it is today (even though its 50 years later).
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on June 26, 2018, 03:13:48 am
Havent updated in awhile, but I've read a few here and there.

Started and just finished the RiftWar Saga.

(10) Magician, by Raymond E. Feist
(11) Silverthorn
(12) Darkness at Stenathon

I enjoyed it, but nothing outside the normal realm of fantasy.

(13) Winter Halo, by Keri Wither
So, so. Wife had it laying around and gave it a go. Meh.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on June 27, 2018, 05:30:02 pm
Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe (20)

Someone on r/fantasy described this as a LitRPG. It was ... pretty interesting. Read a lot like Ready Player One. Fast paced, entertaining, kind of read like playing a video game. Its the first in a series, and there's enough intrigue and cool magic to make me want to read more. It also made me want to boot up an old Final Fantasy game. Altogether a decent book, especially for a first novel that was self published.

I'm going to see if I can read about 2 books a month. Will reevaluate in August.

So put me down for 20.

Welp, guess I'm done with 20. Still plenty left on my to-read list though. I think I'm going to pick up Poppy War by R. F Kuang, or maybe Three Body Problem if I want to switch back to scifi.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on June 27, 2018, 05:41:08 pm
I'd be interested in your opinion of TBP, if you choose that path.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on June 27, 2018, 08:09:05 pm
Just started The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett, 1st in the Demon Cycle.

I'm only a chapter or two in and its already grabbed by attention. Not only the premise, which(this isnt spoiler) is demons (corelings) comeout at night and hunt humans, which I find very neat the way its handled even early on. But, the pace and prose are just great. Easy reading, like say, Abercrombie. And, after the Riftwar Saga, I need that..
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: H on June 29, 2018, 11:42:52 am
I still don't really know if I should "count" books I've listened to, but I did finish the audio version of Peterson's 12 Rules for Life.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on July 02, 2018, 01:50:52 pm
Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (21)

Though provoking and compelling, I'm glad this book has had success. I'll definitely be looking to read the others in the series.

On to Poppy War. Interesting book so far.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on July 03, 2018, 02:09:17 am
I'm kinda joining in halfway through, because I feel the need to talk about Blindsight. People here recommended it so much, in Quorum and elsewhere, that I had no choice but to read it. I'm gonna state upfront that it was absolutely enjoyable, and now being in the loop I totally support the recommendations. Seriously, if you haven't read it yet, then give it a try, it's very unlikely to disappoint.

The only thing is, for a book dealing largely with the same themes and concepts as TSA (mainly consciousness and p-zombies as a lead-in to it or a tool of examining it), I expected - how should I put it - more thought...? Blindsight goes like this: here's a concept developed by the scientific community and around it some years ago. The concept is well-known, and you've probably heard about it and understand what it is, but all the same, here's a clinical, encyclopedicly correct explanation of it. A-a-and... we're done. Move on to another concept, which is going to be likewise explained in detail, as though you're browsing Wikipedia.

There is no creative spin on it, no thought imparted by the work itself. It's all just reiterations of certain scientific/philosophical concepts and arguments wrapped in an enjoyable sci-fi narrative. This is in stark contrast to TSA, where nothing is explained, because you should already know about it, and if you don't, then you're a loser and understand nothing, ha-ha! But let's say you've actually done your homework and are aware of the matters that TSA deals with. Then it offers you a perspective. A new, original way to understand things, if not outright a step in the direction of some answers. TSA doesn't explain, it thinks. In that regard, Blindsight falls short.

Still, a very good book, and I absolutely recommend it to anyone, even though I found its core arguments lacking internal logic. But that may be because the problem is in the mirror.

Now please excuse me, I'm off to read Echopraxia.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on July 03, 2018, 03:34:04 pm
I'm not sure I really understand your criticism. To me its just like any other complex subject. There's only so much you can do without going deep into the jargon. At some point you're either just consuming fiction, or you're doing scientific research. For a sci-fi book, its about as science-y as you're to get, just like TSA or any of Bakker's other books.

I liken it to the difference between say Crash Space and Three Pound Brain. Or, getting a college degree in Physics (BS, MS, PhD, etc.) or watching a documentary on a science channel on TV. There's just only so much you can do to break this stuff down and make it entertaining while still providing actual information. You either have to start doing the math yourself or be content that you've gone as far as you can.

Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on July 03, 2018, 11:18:52 pm
At some point you're either just consuming fiction, or you're doing scientific research.
Pretty much this. TSA is straddling the line, while Blindsight is firmly in the realm of fiction. And I'm not sure the line should exist. Why censor ourselves?
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: TLEILAXU on July 04, 2018, 02:04:27 pm
At some point you're either just consuming fiction, or you're doing scientific research.
Pretty much this. TSA is straddling the line, while Blindsight is firmly in the realm of fiction. And I'm not sure the line should exist. Why censor ourselves?
Wut.
Also, even though they overlap thematically, they're still quite different series. Bakker is all about crash space, what happens when anthropogenic subroutines crash, while Blindsight asks "what if consciousness is a dead end?".
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on July 05, 2018, 12:15:03 am
Also, even though they overlap thematically, they're still quite different series. Bakker is all about crash space, what happens when anthropogenic subroutines crash, while Blindsight asks "what if consciousness is a dead end?".
I would say the p-zombie and Chinese Room thought experiments ask that (among other things), not Blindsight. Blindsight only reiterates the question through a more conventional narrative.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on July 06, 2018, 02:52:39 am
Poppy War by R. F Kuang (22)

This was a pretty interesting book. Started a bit slow but it ended up really being a good read. I definitely look forward to future books from her.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on July 06, 2018, 05:35:56 pm
Bakker is all about crash space, what happens when anthropogenic subroutines crash, while Blindsight asks "what if consciousness is a dead end?".

OK, I think that I might be getting this: "Crash space" is a metaphor from computer slang, and an "anthropogenic subroutine"  is a metaphor from computer science. The metaphors align human consciousness with computer programming.

Am I warm?
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: TLEILAXU on July 07, 2018, 12:18:09 am
Bakker is all about crash space, what happens when anthropogenic subroutines crash, while Blindsight asks "what if consciousness is a dead end?".

OK, I think that I might be getting this: "Crash space" is a metaphor from computer slang, and an "anthropogenic subroutine"  is a metaphor from computer science. The metaphors align human consciousness with computer programming.

Am I warm?
I have no idea where Bakker got these terms from (I think anthropogenic subroutine was said by him in a stuff to blow your mind interview, but I might be misremembering his exact term). I think the best example Bakker gave was how human light sources cause moths to flicker into them because they crash their lunar navigational system or something.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on July 08, 2018, 02:48:14 pm
Now Echopraxia is more what I'm talking about, though it becomes apparent only at the very end. It's narratively less conventional than Blindsight, though.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: H on July 10, 2018, 08:06:15 pm
So, I actually managed to finish Persepolis Rising.  It was OK, just another installment in the series really...
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on July 11, 2018, 12:33:48 pm
So, I actually managed to finish Persepolis Rising.  It was OK, just another installment in the series really...

That's ... kinda sad. Caliban's War just moved down on my to-read list lol.
Currently reading Illium by Dan Simmons. Honestly, after Hyperion, I'm pretty disappointed with how its starting out.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: H on July 11, 2018, 01:28:39 pm
That's ... kinda sad. Caliban's War just moved down on my to-read list lol.
Currently reading Illium by Dan Simmons. Honestly, after Hyperion, I'm pretty disappointed with how its starting out.

Well, it probably is/was better than the one before it that I can't remember the name of because I am old.  It's just that it is the same general formula, written out a different way.

Also, I recall reading a fair bit of evidence that Dan Simmons lost his mind at some point after Hyperion, some time around 9/11.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on July 11, 2018, 01:31:51 pm
Also, I recall reading a fair bit of evidence that Dan Simmons lost his mind at some point after Hyperion, some time around 9/11.
Wasn't that Orson Scott Card? Or is it both?
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: H on July 11, 2018, 02:12:34 pm
Also, I recall reading a fair bit of evidence that Dan Simmons lost his mind at some point after Hyperion, some time around 9/11.
Wasn't that Orson Scott Card? Or is it both?

Both.  Definitely both.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on July 11, 2018, 02:32:43 pm
Both.  Definitely both.
Well, that's unfortunate.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: H on July 11, 2018, 02:45:15 pm
Both.  Definitely both.
Well, that's unfortunate.

Yeah, extremism just isn't very good on any end of the spectrum.

IIRC, Card went far-Right into ultra-conservatism and Simmons went similarly into heavy anti-Islamism/Islamiphopia territory.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on July 11, 2018, 04:01:14 pm
Also, I recall reading a fair bit of evidence that Dan Simmons lost his mind at some point after Hyperion, some time around 9/11.

Practicing psychiatry without a license? Or just disagreeing with his worldview?

I've read a lot of Dan Simmons' fiction published since 9/11. To this layman's eyes, there's no evidence of mental deterioration.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: H on July 11, 2018, 05:10:17 pm
Practicing psychiatry without a license? Or just disagreeing with his worldview?

I've read a lot of Dan Simmons' fiction published since 9/11. To this layman's eyes, there's no evidence of mental deterioration.

I would never.  Amateur psychology on the other hand?  I can't help but.

"Lost his mind" was certainly a colloquialism there not actually denoting metal deterioration, as such, rather, a seeming incredulity with following his seemingly new-found (or at least newly expressed) logic.

To say it simply though, no, I don't agree with that I have read of his (either) current views.  Or at least, as I knew them when I found them, years ago.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on July 11, 2018, 07:03:58 pm
Fairly said, H.

I've got quite a bit of Simmons' recent fiction on my shelf. None of it gets much rereading action, but that doesn't signify a lack of cogency. Perhaps I need to revisit the novels. "The Fifth Heart", his most recent, I think, is a historical fiction that pairs Sherlock Holmes and Henry James (!). "Drood", another HF, featured Wilkie Collins (author of "The Moonstone") as the laudanum-addled protagonist. A meditation on drug-fueled insanity. Recommended.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on July 17, 2018, 06:48:12 pm
Finished First Lord's Fury(6) by Jim Butcher, The Codex Alera series. Wonderful finish to a great series. Predictable in a sense, and in other ways not so much. I would recommend to anyone. 4 out of 5 stars.

MSJ, just thought you might find this amusing regarding Codex Alera (from wikipedia):
The inspiration for the series came from a bet Butcher was challenged to by a member of the Del Rey Online Writer's Workshop. The challenger bet that Butcher could not write a good story based on a lame idea, and he countered that he could do it using two lame ideas of the challenger's choosing. The "lame" ideas given were "Lost Roman Legion", and "Pokémon".[1]

Fairly said, H.

I've got quite a bit of Simmons' recent fiction on my shelf. None of it gets much rereading action, but that doesn't signify a lack of cogency. Perhaps I need to revisit the novels. "The Fifth Heart", his most recent, I think, is a historical fiction that pairs Sherlock Holmes and Henry James (!). "Drood", another HF, featured Wilkie Collins (author of "The Moonstone") as the laudanum-addled protagonist. A meditation on drug-fueled insanity. Recommended.
Almost done with Illium and I'm really disappointed. The Hyperion Cantos was such a masterpiece for me, maybe I had too high expectations.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on July 18, 2018, 04:10:33 am
I've got quite a bit of Simmons' recent fiction on my shelf. None of it gets much rereading action, but that doesn't signify a lack of cogency. Perhaps I need to revisit the novels. "The Fifth Heart", his most recent, I think, is a historical fiction that pairs Sherlock Holmes and Henry James (!). "Drood", another HF, featured Wilkie Collins (author of "The Moonstone") as the laudanum-addled protagonist. A meditation on drug-fueled insanity. Recommended.
Almost done with Illium and I'm really disappointed. The Hyperion Cantos was such a masterpiece for me, maybe I had too high expectations.

I, too, think that the Hyperion books are a cut above most of Dan Simmons' fiction. Both "Drood" and "The Fifth Heart" are historical thrillers, maybe better than most, maybe not. I can't recommend them to Hyperion devotees.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on July 18, 2018, 12:26:09 pm
Ilium by Dan Simmons (23)
Well, finished this as quickly as I could stand. It was just nowhere near as good as Hyperion. The writing was bland - I suspect in a style somewhat similar to the Iliad itself, but it was uninteresting. Too much time spent on actions, not enough on setting, plot, characters, etc. At least for me. I think I'll hold off on another Simmons book for some time.

The Time Machine by H G Wells (24)
More of a short story really, but better done than Ilium lol. This is a fun read, anyone interested in scifi should check this out - its a classic.

These are some of the books I'd like to read the rest of the year. At my current pace, I should get through all of them.

I'd like to get to these few first before the others:
Red Rising (Red Rising 1) by Pierce Brown
The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan
The Emperor's Blades by Brian Stavely
Black Company by Glen Cook
Lord Foul's Bane (Thomas Covenant 1) by Stephen Donaldson
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Then these, in no particular order
Shards of Honor (vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway
Viriconium by M. John Harrison
Dreamsnake by Vonda Mcintyre
Starburst by Fredrik Pohl
The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
A Canticle of Lebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Broken God (A requiem for Homo Sapiens) by David Zindell
Furies of Calderon(Codex Alera 1) by Jim Butcher
Hidden Empire (Saga of Seven Suns) by Kevin J Anderson
Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower) by Stephen King



Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on July 19, 2018, 10:36:30 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
MSJ, just thought you might find this amusing regarding Codex Alera (from wikipedia):
The inspiration for the series came from a bet Butcher was challenged to by a member of the Del Rey Online Writer's Workshop. The challenger bet that Butcher could not write a good story based on a lame idea, and he countered that he could do it using two lame ideas of the challenger's choosing. The "lame" ideas given were "Lost Roman Legion", and "Pokémon".

That's very interesting. I thought it was a great series nonetheless. Awesome that he could come up with such a great story off of two lame ideas though.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on July 23, 2018, 07:08:03 pm
Red Rising by Pierce Brown (25)

Wow this was a great book. I want to say 'like hunger games, except good' but I didnt read hunger games lol. So maybe more like hunger games mixed with Dune, though that's also probably an obscure connection too.

At any rate, it was paced very well, the setting was fun, and the plot was entertaining. I've read a handful of books this year, and this is definitely near the top. Very entertaining, not super deep but it has some things to say for sure - and its worth listening too :) . Highly recommended.

---

Started reading Eye of the World, immediately put off. Is it really starting with the disappearance of a great evil, flash forward to a small peaceful town in the future, about to start a festival and everyone's all excited to see fireworks? C'mon. This is the fantasy I try to avoid, bad Tolkien derivatives... I sure hope its not all bad, like Sword of Truth by Brooks - which currently holds the title for 'worst fantasy novel i can recall reading'.

You know what ... no. I'm not going to read it right now. Can't make myself do it. Luckily I have an excuse - the wife wants me to catch up on Republic of Thieves so we can listen to it on our road trip this weekend. So I'm going to trade in Jordan for Lynch. Last published book from him though, I'll be sad when its done.

That's very interesting. I thought it was a great series nonetheless. Awesome that he could come up with such a great story off of two lame ideas though.

Yeah I've heard great things about it, so its pretty amusing that it basically came from a bet. I really want to read it, but I already read one of Butcher's books this year... Maybe 25 books in I can double up on some authors?
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on July 24, 2018, 12:08:14 am
When i read Red Risingn or rather the series a year or so ago, i recommended it highly in last year's version of this thread. Nice to see others giving it a go. Great series with an excellent finish to it.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on July 29, 2018, 06:35:35 pm
Finished The Poppy War (14), as I said in the other thread. Excellent book and excited to see the sequel.

I put down The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett in favor of TPW, picked it up after and back down again. This time in favor of Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb. I've debated and debated starting this series, but I'm gonna give it a go...
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on July 31, 2018, 07:52:44 pm
Hobb is on my list ... can you let me know if you finish? I started it once, briefly, but only got a handful of pages. Does it have much magic, or not so much, and if its worth reading. These are things I need MSJ to tell me :) .

Reading Black Company and Republic of Thieves.

Cook is interesting. I'm a bit on the fence. The dialogue is great, but the plot and prose is a bit uninteresting. I dunno, we'll see.
Lynch has done a better job with ROT than RSURS. Looking forward to getting through that one - listening to audiobooks with my wife on car trips, hoping to finish it up this month.

EDIT
Last night I decided to finish Black Company by Glen Cook (26)
It was ... alright. I was kind of disappointed with it, as it seems pretty popular. Ah well.
I think it just ended up not being very compelling to me for some reasons. The characters and plots seemed a bit thin, though the dialogue was great.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 01, 2018, 05:38:17 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
Hobb is on my list ... can you let me know if you finish? I started it once, briefly, but only got a handful of pages. Does it have much magic, or not so much, and if its worth reading. These are things I need MSJ to tell me :).

I am only on chapter 2, so there hasn't been any type of action so far. Only the background on Fitz (main character), and a little world building. I will keep you informed as your questions are answered.

Only thing is...i might put it down in favor of another book. Came across a thread about The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North (which is a ghostname(?) for Charlotte Webb). This has really grabbed my attention, the whole premise is that Harry is a a man that lives the same life over and over. He can remember his previous lives, and meets others just like him. It has gotten a lot of rave reviews on it, and everything I read up on, says it's an excellent book. Also, it's only $2.99 on kindle, couldn't pass that up. I might put off AA for a minute, and gobble this one up first. We'll see.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: ThoughtsOfThelli on August 02, 2018, 04:37:59 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
Hobb is on my list ... can you let me know if you finish? I started it once, briefly, but only got a handful of pages. Does it have much magic, or not so much, and if its worth reading. These are things I need MSJ to tell me :).

I am only on chapter 2, so there hasn't been any type of action so far. Only the background on Fitz (main character), and a little world building. I will keep you informed as your questions are answered.

Only thing is...i might put it down in favor of another book. Came across a thread about The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North (which is a ghostname(?) for Charlotte Webb). This has really grabbed my attention, the whole premise is that Harry is a a man that lives the same life over and over. He can remember his previous lives, and meets others just like him. It has gotten a lot of rave reviews on it, and everything I read up on, says it's an excellent book. Also, it's only $2.99 on kindle, couldn't pass that up. I might put off AA for a minute, and gobble this one up first. We'll see.

I have read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and would recommend it. I really enjoyed the exploration of how people who could remember their past lives (well, the same life over and over, but you get what I mean) would try to change the world/society (or choose not to do it), and how it affected their mental well-being, personality, etc.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 02, 2018, 09:09:33 pm
Quote from:  ThoughtsofThelli
I have read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and would recommend it. I really enjoyed the exploration of how people who could remember their past lives (well, the same life over and over, but you get what I mean) would try to change the world/society (or choose not to do it), and how it affected their mental well-being, personality, etc

Yea, I'm starting it tonight, just can't stop the itch I have to read this book. Once I've read it, I'll start a spoiler thread so we can discuss. :)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: ThoughtsOfThelli on August 02, 2018, 10:06:23 pm
Quote from:  ThoughtsofThelli
I have read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and would recommend it. I really enjoyed the exploration of how people who could remember their past lives (well, the same life over and over, but you get what I mean) would try to change the world/society (or choose not to do it), and how it affected their mental well-being, personality, etc

Yea, I'm starting it tonight, just can't stop the itch I have to read this book. Once I've read it, I'll start a spoiler thread so we can discuss. :)

Sounds like a good plan, MSJ. It has been a while since I read it (a year or so?) but I do have some ideas I'd like to discuss. :)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on August 03, 2018, 11:57:32 am
Started Thomas Covenant Lord Foul's Bane. I hate stories like this lol. About half way through. At least the outset of the journey was more unique than WOT, but the ring of power and naming structures, histories, its all so LOTR-y. Sigh. The writing is fine at least, just not a fan of the story structure - what would you call it, 'traditional fantasy' or 'tolkeinian fantasy'?
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on August 04, 2018, 03:38:10 am
Started Thomas Covenant Lord Foul's Bane. I hate stories like this lol. About half way through. At least the outset of the journey was more unique than WOT, but the ring of power and naming structures, histories, its all so LOTR-y. Sigh. The writing is fine at least, just not a fan of the story structure - what would you call it, 'traditional fantasy' or 'tolkeinian fantasy'?

Hmmmm. I understand your dislike, Wilshire. I would urge you to consider the following observations:

1. There is one obvious significant difference between Covenant's ring and the One Ring from LOTR.

2. I've noticed lots of praise for Bakker in this forum for his repurposing of traditional epic fantasy tropes. Donaldson is doing something similar. Give the series time.

3. Are you not even slightly appreciative of a protagonist that hews to a radical unbelief of the situation in which he finds himself?

4. The Haruchai are badass!

5. Giants! GIANTS!! GIANTS!!!

Cheers, Wilshire!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 04, 2018, 05:56:18 pm
Started reading Eye of the World, immediately put off. Is it really starting with the disappearance of a great evil, flash forward to a small peaceful town in the future, about to start a festival and everyone's all excited to see fireworks? C'mon. This is the fantasy I try to avoid, bad Tolkien derivatives...
At least the first half of "The Eye of the World" is a deliberate homage to Tolkien. I'm a huge fan of the Wheel of Time, and to this date I cannot get through that start. Like, I skimmed it, I know what happens, but reading it feels like pure masochism. So skimming it is my advice. Later, the series isn't like Tolkien (I mean, it is, but on such a grand scale that it's not evident), it pays much more attention to its characters and their interaction in an everyday manner instead of an epic one.

I sure hope its not all bad, like Sword of Truth by Brooks - which currently holds the title for 'worst fantasy novel i can recall reading'.
Do you mean "Sword of Truth" by Terry Goodkind (which is a series) or "The Sword of Shannara" by Terry Brooks (which is a book in the "Shannara" series)?

I put down The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett in favor of TPW, picked it up after and back down again. This time in favor of Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb. I've debated and debated starting this series, but I'm gonna give it a go...
I've read "The Warded Man", and it's fine, but I wouldn't recommend it. That entire series is unbelievably bloated (like, there is plot for maybe 2 books in it, but certainly not 6), and in my opinion the author just can't pull off culture clash. Which isn't surprising, since it's extremely hard to do convincingly.

P.S.
I've tried to read Codex Alera twice, and it just seems very boring. The start of "The Eye of the World" level of boring.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 04, 2018, 09:41:35 pm
Quote from:  SmilerLoki
P.S.
I've tried to read Codex Alera twice, and it just seems very boring. The start of "The Eye of the World" level of boring.

Codex Alera is very good. Tavi, is interesting to follow and as he grows he might become a bit of dues ex machine, but overall it's good, and keeps you interested. I admit it did start off a bit slow, but picks up shortly. Magic system is pretty cool too.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 04, 2018, 09:55:27 pm
Quote from:  SmilerLoki
P.S.
I've tried to read Codex Alera twice, and it just seems very boring. The start of "The Eye of the World" level of boring.

Codex Alera is very good. Tavi, is interesting to follow and as he grows he might become a bit of dues ex machine, but overall it's good, and keeps you interested. I admit it did start off a bit slow, but picks up shortly. Magic system is pretty cool too.
Could you direct me to the moment where it picks up? I'll just skip straight to that part, because otherwise it refuses to work for me, and I've heard nothing but praise for Codex Alera.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 04, 2018, 10:11:06 pm
@SmilLoki, is say it's just a few chapters in ,or so. It's been awhile, but if I remember correctly it isn't too far in. Can't give exact time of "action", but I'd say that the action stays relatively upbeat once it gets going in every book. But, to me, that's every book though, right? There's always the lull before the storm, in any book.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 04, 2018, 10:40:19 pm
@SmilLoki, is say it's just a few chapters in ,or so. It's been awhile, but if I remember correctly it isn't too far in. Can't give exact time of "action", but I'd say that the action stays relatively upbeat once it gets going in every book. But, to me, that's every book though, right? There's always the lull before the storm, in any book.
I've gotten to the point in the first book where (my recollection might be bad, since my last attempt at reading it was about 6 years ago):
(click to show/hide)

It's quite a few chapters in, and I couldn't get past it. I don't yet care about anyone, and everything seems slow and tedious. Even the actual action scenes. Maybe it's just not for me, then?
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 04, 2018, 10:57:57 pm
Yea, after you've shook my memories loose, I'd say that the action that does occur in the 1st book is very hit and miss. I still enjoyed it and the "real" action doesn't start til nearer the end of the book. I think the mysteries, which do get answered, is what kept me going. Ultimately, your right, some books aren't for everyone...
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 04, 2018, 11:02:45 pm
I still enjoyed it and the "real" action doesn't start til nearer the end of the book.
Gonna go skim me some Codex Alera up to that point!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on August 06, 2018, 12:09:40 pm
Started Thomas Covenant Lord Foul's Bane. I hate stories like this lol. About half way through. At least the outset of the journey was more unique than WOT, but the ring of power and naming structures, histories, its all so LOTR-y. Sigh. The writing is fine at least, just not a fan of the story structure - what would you call it, 'traditional fantasy' or 'tolkeinian fantasy'?

Hmmmm. I understand your dislike, Wilshire. I would urge you to consider the following observations:

1. There is one obvious significant difference between Covenant's ring and the One Ring from LOTR.

2. I've noticed lots of praise for Bakker in this forum for his repurposing of traditional epic fantasy tropes. Donaldson is doing something similar. Give the series time.

3. Are you not even slightly appreciative of a protagonist that hews to a radical unbelief of the situation in which he finds himself?

4. The Haruchai are badass!

5. Giants! GIANTS!! GIANTS!!!

Cheers, Wilshire!

Let me just start by saying that the book is at least decently well written. The prose is good, the story pacing is fine and has some interesting parts to it. It has redeemable qualities, I just don't appreciate them lol. Its not a bad book, but its also full of all the things I hate most about the genre.

To me, what Donaldson appears to have done is taken wholesale some (now) worn out Tolkien tropes. He doesn't so much re-purpose them as recycle. From the Ring, to the names, quasi sentient horses... the entire thing reads like all the fantasy I've read from that era - unimaginative derivations of Tolkien. Bakker, on the other hand, at least managed to not put any rings and horses into his books. Whereas Bakker has some elements of the fantasy tradition infused into his works but taken in his own direction, Donaldson more/less copied them and in many cases almost didn't bother changing the names. Authors today actually manage to make new stories rather than retelling old ones, and ultimately that's what I'm interested in reading.

For the record, I don't even like LOTR, and its for this reason that I dislike old fantasy. The hero worship of fantasy authors and readers to Tolkien ruined fantasy for decades, with productions like this and Shannara being some of the best from the era. This is the kind of stuff that people think Fantasy still is today, and its why those who don't actually read fantasy still believe LOTR is the only one worth reading.

At least when compared to Shannara, it was published the same year, this book is a masterpiece. For its time, I can see how it would have been considered something extreme - the book starts rather dramatically plus the whole rape thing which was pretty graphic. But imo it didn't age well. There's nothing especially great about it given the scope of the genre today.

Quote from: SmilerLoki
I sure hope its not all bad, like Sword of Shannara by Brooks - which currently holds the title for 'worst fantasy novel i can recall reading'.
Do you mean "Sword of Truth" by Terry Goodkind (which is a series) or "The Sword of Shannara" by Terry Brooks (which is a book in the "Shannara" series)?
Shannara, sorry! Hated it so much I can't even remember the title.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 06, 2018, 01:41:16 pm
Finished The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North(15). Burned through this over the weekend. I highly recommend this to everyone. I will start a spoiler thread a luttle later on today.

I'll go back to Assasins Apprentice today. I was enjoying what little I did read.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 06, 2018, 02:11:21 pm
Shannara, sorry! Hated it so much I can't even remember the title.
I have exactly the same relationship with that series. It's completely unreadable.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: ThoughtsOfThelli on August 06, 2018, 05:20:35 pm
Finished The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North(15). Burned through this over the weekend. I highly recommend this to everyone. I will start a spoiler thread a luttle later on today.

So glad you enjoyed it, MSJ! :D Looking forward to the thread.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on August 06, 2018, 10:47:07 pm
Started Thomas Covenant Lord Foul's Bane. I hate stories like this lol. About half way through. At least the outset of the journey was more unique than WOT, but the ring of power and naming structures, histories, its all so LOTR-y. Sigh. The writing is fine at least, just not a fan of the story structure - what would you call it, 'traditional fantasy' or 'tolkeinian fantasy'?

Hmmmm. I understand your dislike, Wilshire. I would urge you to consider the following observations:

1. There is one obvious significant difference between Covenant's ring and the One Ring from LOTR.

2. I've noticed lots of praise for Bakker in this forum for his repurposing of traditional epic fantasy tropes. Donaldson is doing something similar. Give the series time.

3. Are you not even slightly appreciative of a protagonist that hews to a radical unbelief of the situation in which he finds himself?

4. The Haruchai are badass!

5. Giants! GIANTS!! GIANTS!!!

Cheers, Wilshire!

Let me just start by saying that the book is at least decently well written. The prose is good, the story pacing is fine and has some interesting parts to it. It has redeemable qualities, I just don't appreciate them lol. Its not a bad book, but its also full of all the things I hate most about the genre.

To me, what Donaldson appears to have done is taken wholesale some (now) worn out Tolkien tropes. He doesn't so much re-purpose them as recycle. From the Ring, to the names, quasi sentient horses... the entire thing reads like all the fantasy I've read from that era - unimaginative derivations of Tolkien. Bakker, on the other hand, at least managed to not put any rings and horses into his books. Whereas Bakker has some elements of the fantasy tradition infused into his works but taken in his own direction, Donaldson more/less copied them and in many cases almost didn't bother changing the names. Authors today actually manage to make new stories rather than retelling old ones, and ultimately that's what I'm interested in reading.

For the record, I don't even like LOTR, and its for this reason that I dislike old fantasy. The hero worship of fantasy authors and readers to Tolkien ruined fantasy for decades, with productions like this and Shannara being some of the best from the era. This is the kind of stuff that people think Fantasy still is today, and its why those who don't actually read fantasy still believe LOTR is the only one worth reading.

At least when compared to Shannara, it was published the same year, this book is a masterpiece. For its time, I can see how it would have been considered something extreme - the book starts rather dramatically plus the whole rape thing which was pretty graphic. But imo it didn't age well. There's nothing especially great about it given the scope of the genre today.

Interesting point of view, Wilshire.

While I agree that the Covenant series is directly descended from LOTR, I don't consider Donaldson's work to be "unimaginative". Quite the contrary. For example, Donaldson's use of Covenant's wedding ring is, imho, an imaginative repurposing of the "Ring Of Power" trope. Consider that Covenant's ring doesn't belong in the Land, whereas LOTR's One Ring was made within Middle-Earth. Covenant's ring is an alien power coveted by the antagonist, Lord Foul.

Consider also that the protagonist Covenant is also alien to the Land, and is undergoing a profound existential crisis. I've always found Donaldson's exploration of Covenant's psychology to be thought-provoking and undeniably original in the context of post-Tolkien fantasy.

I'm trying hard to demonstrate the imaginative novelty of the Covenant series in the hope that you'll carry on to the later books, which improve in subtlety and complexity. I think the growth in Donaldson's ability more or less parallels Bakker's growth as demonstrated through PON and TAE. Bakker may be the deeper and more original thinker (there's a debate for another thread....), but I would argue that Donaldson made a major breakthrough in epic fantasy. At a minimum, Donaldson created a acerbic and unlikable protagonist whose fundamental unbelief in his situation leads to some original and fascinating plot possibilities. You should at least read the second novel, "The Illearth War". You may be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers, Wilshire!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 06, 2018, 10:52:53 pm
Well, BFK, you've just made me want to give Lord Foul's Bane a go, at least. So even if Wilshire won't continue, maybe you've got a convert in me. ;)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on August 07, 2018, 12:22:51 pm
Finished Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson (27)

On to American Gods by Neil Gaiman
So far, very well written.

Donaldson created a acerbic and unlikable protagonist whose fundamental unbelief in his situation leads to some original and fascinating plot possibilities. You should at least read the second novel, "The Illearth War". You may be pleasantly surprised.
Acerbic is a new word for me :) .

I fear that I'm too far displaced in time for Thomas Covenant. Certainly within the context of the time, Donaldson did something very interesting, but it doesn't speak to me. Maybe when I'm older, or something? If I read more Donaldson, it'd probably be from the Gap Cycle. There's just a ton of authors to read...

Even with 27 books this year, I've still got at least that many on my to read list - which only includes Book 1 of any series, and few repeat authors. Even at this pace I might not get to the end of my list this year, which was basically made up of every recommendation from this forum up until 2016, plus a few straggling addition from later. Once I get through that, I might go through my favorites and complete a few series, which will probably take another year at least. Then I might browse through all the recs from 2016 to date (probably 2020 at that point), plus additions from new publications. That will probably take another few years to get through ... So I've basically got 5+ years of recommendations to read if I maintain my current pace (which is doubtful). Covenant will likely not be up for redemption until after that time.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: BeardFisher-King on August 07, 2018, 01:54:02 pm
Finished Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson (27)

On to American Gods by Neil Gaiman
So far, very well written.

Donaldson created a acerbic and unlikable protagonist whose fundamental unbelief in his situation leads to some original and fascinating plot possibilities. You should at least read the second novel, "The Illearth War". You may be pleasantly surprised.
Acerbic is a new word for me :) .

I fear that I'm too far displaced in time for Thomas Covenant. Certainly within the context of the time, Donaldson did something very interesting, but it doesn't speak to me. Maybe when I'm older, or something? If I read more Donaldson, it'd probably be from the Gap Cycle. There's just a ton of authors to read... I've basically got 5+ years of recommendations to read if I maintain my current pace (which is doubtful). Covenant will likely not be up for redemption until after that time.

Would you believe that I, BFK, have been called "acerbic"? Shocking! 😉

With your extremely ambitious reading program, Covenant will be lucky to get revisited. "Hellfire!"
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 09, 2018, 11:00:45 pm
Skimmed "The Furies of Calderon" a few days ago, and it was fine, if overwritten. The high amount of not particularly relevant to anything descriptions made it seem boring to me, so i just started to skip all of them, and the book proved to be enjoyable that way. Just started "Academ's Fury", and considering the plot of the series (it's basically standard YA fantasy) it seems a lot better.

Nonetheless, to anyone starting Codex Alera and having trouble with it I would suggest dropping the first book altogether. It's quite possibly one of the top 5 worst starts of a series I've ever read.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on August 10, 2018, 12:01:13 pm
Would you believe that I, BFK, have been called "acerbic"? Shocking! 😉

With your extremely ambitious reading program, Covenant will be lucky to get revisited. "Hellfire!"
I'm actually just shocked that I haven't been called acerbic lol
The point I was making was just that I haven't even read sequels to books that I absolutely loved, so doing so with books that I thought were just OK (or that I didn't enjoy at all) probably isn't going to happen.
You'll have to find someone else with which to discuss the books.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 10, 2018, 03:24:21 pm
@Wilshire, I am roughly half way through AA. It is quite enjoyable to me, but there really isn't a whole lot of action thus far. A LOT of world-building is what I've read so far, but that's fine. Because, it's good writing and I'm interested in this world. You can definitely tell Hobb knew this was the first of many books in a series. So, considering your reading methods, I'm not sure it's something you would be all that interested in, tbh.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 16, 2018, 11:42:19 am
Finished Assassin's Apprentice(16), by Robin Hobb. I thought it a decent enough book. As I said in my previous post, not a whole lot of action. Mostly had a whole lot of world-building and character development. If ever read a set up book this is it. On to Royal Assassin, by Hobb. Want to see how things shake out until I pass judgement.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 16, 2018, 01:42:42 pm
Maybe I'll go to Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies. Then go back to Hobb after.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on August 20, 2018, 04:05:39 pm
Finished Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch, book 3 in Gentleman Bastards (28)

Really enjoyed this. Much better than Red Seas under Red Skies imo, though the epilogue and therefore setup for following novels seemed a bit contrived and pretty thin. Other than that, this was a great addition to the series and was closer to the first book (which is a good thing).

MSJ if you're going to read RSURS you should probably just plan to read this was next. Its not that book 2 was bad, but imo 3 was better than 2 and it feels worth finishing it out. "Finishing" meaning finishing book 3, as I think GB is supposed to be like 7 books, should Lynch ever get around to publishing them all.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 20, 2018, 05:19:27 pm
"Finishing" meaning finishing book 3, as I think GB is supposed to be like 7 books, should Lynch ever get around to publishing them all.
I hate that this series is so incomplete and avoid it precisely because of that reason.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on August 20, 2018, 07:14:10 pm
"Finishing" meaning finishing book 3, as I think GB is supposed to be like 7 books, should Lynch ever get around to publishing them all.
I hate that this series is so incomplete and avoid it precisely because of that reason.
After all those years waiting for TSA to reach the point that its at, unfinished series do not bother me any longer. Some stories have no end, unfortunately.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 20, 2018, 07:38:55 pm
After all those years waiting for TSA to reach the point that its at, unfinished series do not bother me any longer. Some stories have no end, unfortunately.
Alas. But since there is a lot of finished works out there, I take up unfinished ones only if there is something really, really interesting to me in them. Or if a series contains mostly stand-alone stories, that's fine, too.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on August 23, 2018, 09:55:15 pm
Just finished the third book of Codex Alera. It was finally just fun to read, so I immediately started the fourth.

I must note that it seems problematic that a genuinely fun book is for some reason third in a series instead of first. Moreover, "The Furies of Calderon" counterintuitively had many noticeably dark sequences in it while the tone of the series as a whole is by no means dark. Still, I'm glad I made it this far, so thank you, MSJ!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on August 24, 2018, 04:53:28 pm
Finished Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastards 3) (28)

I really enjoyed this book. Much better than Red Seas Under Red Skies all around. My biggest gripe was with the ending. Without going into spoilers, it seemed extremely contrived, and I worry that since it appears to set up the final 4ish novels that the premise will jump the shark. Oh well, still a fantastic book. Not as great as LOLL, but still grand.

Finished America Gods by Neil Gaiman (29)

This was a really good book with a satisfying conclusion, epilogue, and post script. It was my first Gaiman novel and I quite liked his writing style. Glad I finally got around to him. Recommended for anyone interested in mythology.

On to The Emperor's Blades by Brian Stavely. Excited for this one (as anything recommended by MSJ so far has been golden).

Just finished the third book of Codex Alera. It was finally just fun to read, so I immediately started the fourth.

I must note that it seems problematic that a genuinely fun book is for some reason third in a series instead of first. Moreover, "The Furies of Calderon" counterintuitively had many noticeably dark sequences in it while the tone of the series as a whole is by no means dark. Still, I'm glad I made it this far, so thank you, MSJ!
I'll keep it on my list for sure :)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 25, 2018, 02:28:19 am
Aw Schucks! :)
Thanks, Wilshire
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on August 30, 2018, 12:04:04 pm
The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne) by Brian Stavely (30)
Wow what a great book. 10/10 would read again. Well written, nicely realized world with some lost pre-human race stuff. A sect of monks that are basically proto-dunyain, a guild of supped up assassins, and a bureaucrat all get thrust into some crazy wold domination plot led by some unknown figure.
So good!

Going to have to read more to get to 52 this year. I think I'm like 3 books behind or something? So immediately on to Court of Broken Knives (Empires of Dust) by Anna Smith Spark.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on August 30, 2018, 03:37:32 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne) by Brian Stavely (30)
Wow what a great book. 10/10 would read again. Well written, nicely realized world with some lost pre-human race stuff. A sect of monks that are basically proto-dunyain, a guild of supped up assassins, and a bureaucrat all get thrust into some crazy wold domination plot led by some unknown figure.
So good!

Is indeed a great book. I found that by simply googling, "best fantasy 2017-18". There were a few more I found that I feel will be excellent reads also. Just haven't got around to them.

Really excited for part II of Chronicles of Unhewn Throne. This is a series with which there are endless possibilities. The "old" God's(rather what passes for them) showing up later, just opens up so much. I can't remember the main characters name atm, but I live the route he took, again could go a number of different routes. Just an excellent world Stavely has set a foundation upon.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on September 01, 2018, 02:47:37 am
Finished Iron Gold(17), by Pierce Brown. A follow up book (#1 in New trilogy) to Red Rising. Great book. Really great plot, believable timeline, and continued great characters. Can't recommend it enough.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on September 10, 2018, 11:34:38 am
Court of Broken Knives (empire of Dust) by Anna Smith-Spark (31)

Great prose, but the rest of average to above average. The setting was great, lots of world building and vividly described, but I never felt like I got to know any of the characters particularly well. The read stand out though is the writing itself. Recommended to anyone looking for a book that's written a bit differently. I've never read anything quite like this - the way the sentences were structured gave everything a lyrical quality. Fun to read, but could have been better.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on September 17, 2018, 02:48:17 pm
Godblind by Anna Sephens (32)

This was a pretty good book, not amazing. The premise might become something really interesting depending on how things go, and she ended it in a cliff hanger that makes the sequel compelling to pick up. A solid choice if you're looking for some dark fantasy and don't have anything else pressing to read.

Barely made it last week, finished on Saturday. One-a-week will make for a long rest of the year... Might have to do a bunch of the older scifi on my list to finish out the year if I get more behind than I already am.

Ah well, on to The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin. She has received a lot of praise for Broken Earth, and book 3 won both the hugo and nebula, which hasn't happened in 4 years, so I have pretty high hopes.

No particular order but books that I'd like to get through this year still:
The Fith Seasons by N. K. Jemisin
Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb
Viriconium by M. John Harrison
Senlin Ascends (Books of Babel #1) by Josiah Bancroft
Darkmage by M. L. Spencer
Hidden Empire (Saga of Seven Suns) by Kevin J Anderson
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway
Dreamsnake by Vonda Mcintyre
Starburst by Fredrik Pohl
A Canticle of Lebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Broken God (A requiem for Homo Sapiens) by David Zindell
Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera 1) by Jim Butcher
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower) by Stephen King
The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on September 22, 2018, 08:41:37 pm
Finished Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lycnh(18). So so, book. Not a whole lot to comment on. I do like the interaction between Locke and Jean, though.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on September 24, 2018, 01:43:14 pm
Finished Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lycnh(18). So so, book. Not a whole lot to comment on. I do like the interaction between Locke and Jean, though.
Yeah the whole thing is kind of filler. There are hints at the end of a great story afoot, and Jean and Locke are fun to watch, but the book was not all that great. At the end pretty much nothing advanced in the story of the Gentleman Bastards, which makes the entire thing seem pointless.
 The sequel is better as the plot elements seem to fit into the larger whole much better.

The Fifth Season (Broken Earth 1) N. K. Jemisin (33)
This was a great book. Or at least, the plot was very interesting - I was really sucked into it - and the worldbuilding seemed to be pretty deep - if left mostly mysterious. The magic was quite fun as well. Writing/prose was not the best, but she did some great things with  perspective (who writes in 2nd person??) and timeline, which made it a fun read. Highly recommended.

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock (34)
A fun, quick little book. It did a pretty good job for what it was - dark fantasy written in the early 70's. I enjoyed it far more than Thomas Covenant for example. Closer to novella size now, its a quick read with plenty of world to explore, and the character is interesting enough to see why he's been in print for nearly 50 years.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on September 24, 2018, 03:09:45 pm
I've finished Codex Alera recently, and, unfortunately, after Book 3 it was a complete bust. It's readable, and that's pretty much everything I can say about it. Even then, there is no particular reason to read it. To me, it felt like a constant stream of missed opportunities and underdeveloped characterization. I don't think I'll come close to anything of Butchers' in the foreseeable future.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on September 24, 2018, 04:27:36 pm
I've finished Codex Alera recently, and, unfortunately, after Book 3 it was a complete bust. It's readable, and that's pretty much everything I can say about it. Even then, there is no particular reason to read it. To me, it felt like a constant stream of missed opportunities and underdeveloped characterization. I don't think I'll come close to anything of Butchers' in the foreseeable future.
That's a shame. I'll still probably read the first one because a friend of mine loves Butcher and I just was very unimpressed with his other series, Dresden Files. I was hoping maybe Codex Alera would give us some common ground.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on September 24, 2018, 05:47:16 pm
That's a shame. I'll still probably read the first one because a friend of mine loves Butcher and I just was very unimpressed with his other series, Dresden Files. I was hoping maybe Codex Alera would give us some common ground.
I actually tried reading the first installment of the Dresden Files about 10 years ago, since it was right up my alley at the time (I still love me some urban fantasy). It seemed very cliché to me, but not in a bad way, more like a good movie you've seen a lot of times. The problem was, after a third of the book everything lost its nostalgic charm and became just boring. I haven't touched the Dresden Files since.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on September 24, 2018, 06:08:34 pm
Yeah not terrible if you like the settings, but I'm not a big fan of urban and/or modern day fantasy, which starts it off with 2 strikes. As you said, its not bad, its just not that good. So many better things for me to read out there.
If not for my friend's sake, I wouldn't bother with Codex Alera, but I'll give it another chance because at least its in the right corner of the genre.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on September 24, 2018, 08:10:56 pm
Quote from:  Wilshire
The Fifth Season (Broken Earth 1) N. K. Jemisin (33)
This was a great book. Or at least, the plot was very interesting - I was really sucked into it - and the worldbuilding seemed to be pretty deep - if left mostly mysterious. The magic was quite fun as well. Writing/prose was not the best, but she did some great things with  perspective (who writes in 2nd person??) and timeline, which made it a fun read. Highly recommended.

Then you'll be pleased with the sequels. Because the depth and mystery of that world is revealed. And, it's pretty damn cool.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on September 24, 2018, 10:15:58 pm
@SmilerLoki, I couldn't convert you, could I? ;)

I enjoyed Tavi as a character, and I was invested in his story/development, etc... I thought the ending came together well enough, though a little out there for a few chapters.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on September 25, 2018, 08:38:22 am
@SmilerLoki, I couldn't convert you, could I? ;)
Alas, not this time, though I still quite liked Book 3.

I enjoyed Tavi as a character, and I was invested in his story/development, etc... I thought the ending came together well enough, though a little out there for a few chapters.
He kinda felt grossly lucky, his inventions were all obvious (not only obvious, but literally requiring people to forget what they already know to not use such implements for hundreds of years), making the world around him full of idiots, and I feel that the idea of always coming up with workable third option just plain lies to us. For that matter, Sextus was very realistic: sometimes you are forced to make ugly decisions. That's what you should be ready for, not some fairy tale where you think hard enough, make an effort, and everything magically works out.

But then all characters seemed really one-dimensional. If someone's a monster, they're just a monster. If someone's a spoiled brat, they're always a spoiled brat. If someone's a good man, they'll be good no matter what. Tavi is clever and wants everything done neatly, and that's his entire personality. Even a bit of conflict he has because of his abilities looks very artificial, since he wriggles out of impossible situations time and time again regardless. Everyone else pretty much lacks even this bit, or it's kinda maybe there, but not really, because it has absolutely no consequences and is resolved instantly
(click to show/hide)
.

There is a lot of things like that.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on September 25, 2018, 12:23:56 pm
@SmilerLoki,  I won't say you're wrong, but I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. See, every "new age" dark, gritty fantasy, all we see is grey characters. It was refreshing to read some bullshit I guess. I was quite fond of it.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on September 25, 2018, 12:29:04 pm
Raining here like it has for the past half a year and I dug into The Bone Witch, by Rin Chupeco(19). Fucking brilliant, I must say. First in the installment of a trilogy.

It follows a young unsuspecting "Bone Witch" and her trials and tribulations to become a asha in the Dark arts, which is very rare and a necessity and curse all wrapped into one.

I can't recommend this enough. Like, stop what your reading and pick this up.

ETA: and if you can guess the protagonist of this book...you're fucking brilliant! :)
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SmilerLoki on September 25, 2018, 02:03:12 pm
@SmilerLoki,  I won't say you're wrong, but I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. See, every "new age" dark, gritty fantasy, all we see is grey characters. It was refreshing to read some bullshit I guess. I was quite fond of it.
Oh, with that mindset it totally works, I get it.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on September 30, 2018, 03:24:14 pm
@Wilshire, I said in an earlier post that I couldn't wait for the sequel to The Unhewn Throne. Er, I've read the trilogy. Lmao, guess I was confusing it with another trilogy.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on September 30, 2018, 04:24:30 pm
Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1) by Josiah Bancroft (35)
This was quite a fun book. Not the best I've read this year, but still a great story. Its also not so much Fantasy as it is scifi/steampunk, which is fine but a little bit not what I was expecting. Its very imaginitive with good characters and writing, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different - something to break up the monotony of high fantasy questing or space operas.

Well turns out Viriconium is a series of novels and stories written by M. John Harrison. The first is The Pastel City (1971), then A Storm of Wings (1980), and finished with In Viriconium (1982). Plus several short stories.
I didn't realize this before I started, but since I'm half way through I might as well read them all (though I won't count the collection of short stories as a book). Really interesting so far, quite superlative prose though the vocabulary is beyond me in many passages.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on October 08, 2018, 12:43:44 pm
Finished Caine Black Knife(20), by Matthew Stover. Really good book. I liked it alot more than the torture porn that is Blade of Tyshalle. Quick fun read for anyone out there. Though, I suspect you need to read the previous two first.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on October 10, 2018, 02:43:21 pm
The Pastel City (Viriconium 1) by M. John Harrison (36)
This was a pretty interesting book and a good opening to Viriconium. It thrusts you into the middle of a deep world where much has been lost to the entropy of time. This type of setting for a scifi so not the usual, and I found it really interesting. The book, though short, was entertaining and a fun read. It provides a nice intro to Harrison's prose.

A Storm of Wings (Viriconium 2) by M. John Harrison (37)
Probably the best of the three, and the longest. The story is very complex, the prose is beautiful but so elevated that my vocabulary struggled to keep up which ultimately made it less enjoyable. If I took the time to read it slowly and look up all the words I needed to, this probably would have been incredible. But I didn't have the interest to do that, so my enjoyment suffered a bit. Still worth reading.

In Viriconium (Viriconium 3) and short stories  by M. John Harrison (38)
I didn't like this one. The story/plot was not terribly interesting, nor where the characters. I found the conclusion baffling, and at some point I think we crossed from Scifi to Fantasy, which was done so abruptly that it killed my suspension of disbelief. It was also rather short.
The short stories were OK, but not being terribly invested in the series or the world they fell a bit flat as well.

Overall, I'm glad I read them. Harrison keeps coming up as 'best prose in scifi' author, and I can see why. But as I've mentioned elsewhere this isn't my favorite thing - colorful language and landscapes - so I can't say I'll recommend it highly on the strength of its plot and characters.

Edit:
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb (39)
Wow. This book was fantastic. Hobb did an incredible job. Her prose just the right mix of description and action. The characters were life-like, the pacing superb. Defiantly one of my favorites.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on October 19, 2018, 03:13:02 pm
Finished The Heart Forger (21), by Rin Chupeco. Great follow up to the first. This is a very unique story, told in multiple timelines. And, I can't put them down once starting.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SilentRoamer on October 25, 2018, 07:05:58 pm
Hey all

Seems like you are wracking up the totals. I have hardly read a thing recently so going to try and start recording what I have read, I'll do a count up and then give myself a reasonable total for the year.

Hope you are all ok?
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on October 29, 2018, 11:02:14 pm
Just got through with The Winter King, by Bernard Cornwell (22). Of course, everyone knows the story of Aurthur. But, as historical fiction, this story gets a different twist. I quite enjoyed it.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on October 30, 2018, 03:10:37 pm
Hey all

Seems like you are wracking up the totals. I have hardly read a thing recently so going to try and start recording what I have read, I'll do a count up and then give myself a reasonable total for the year.

Hope you are all ok?
Can't speak for other's but I've had a pretty great read, reading and otherwise. Hope all's well with you SR, long time no see.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on November 02, 2018, 08:35:12 pm
Finished The Enemy of God, by Cornwell. (23)  2nd book in the Warlord Trilogy. Great books.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: SilentRoamer on November 06, 2018, 11:59:42 am
I am currently readoing Children of Time by Tchaikovsky. It feels very Hamilton at the moment but a lot more tight knit and woven.

Recently read Nivens Ringworld and Aldiss Non-Stop and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

Trying to get more time to get online and to read a bit more as work has been insane over the last year or so.

Hope the TSA crowd are all doing well and avoiding the blood greased eternal damnation that awaits us all.

Looks like I have some TSTSNBN catching up to do!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: MSJ on November 08, 2018, 06:33:48 am
Finished Excalibur, Cornwell. (24) That finishes up the Warlord trilogy. By far the best Arthur story I've ever read or watched. Would love to see it as a film. Highly recommend this to everyone.

ETA: Derfel of Cadarn is the man!
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on November 12, 2018, 12:57:06 pm
The Hidden Empire (Saga of Seven Suns 1) by Kevin J Anderson (40)
Anderson made his name by writing books in other people's universes, like Dune and starwars. This was his debut novel in his own universe, and it was really good. The setting was very generic, but the story ends up making up for it.  Definitely a fun read

Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera 1) by Jim Buther(41)
This was an enjoyable read, much better opening to a series than Stormfront for Dresden Files. Its possible that this is because i like the more traditional fantasy setting more than urban fantasy. At any rate, it wasn't the best book ever, but there was something to it that makes me want to read more. I'll have to pick of the sequels some day. The world if full of mysteries and intrigue that would be fun to read about.

Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway (42)
Wow. This was a great book, and mostly deserving to be  a Hugo/Nebula winner. I'm probably biased as it has a bunch of random things that touch my life within the pages. It starts as a book about a book, has bees in a position of importance, clockwork mechanisms and a watchmaker, and other things. Seems like a sporadic jumble, but they fall together nicely and Harkaway spun a great tale. Highly recommended for someone looking for a scifi set in present day.

Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre (43)
An above average book, but not by much. It had a unique story, post apocalypse earth scifi with some alien stuff thrown in, but it was such a short novel. Not a ton of time to flesh out characters, but it was still something of a heartwarming read. Not highly recommended, but it was still OK.

Darkmage by M. l. Spencer (44)
Eh, not good. Really generic fantasy story, little bit of dark thrown in for flavor but it was ultimately just too generic for me to recommend.

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke(45)
Quality scifi. Not much thought was put into the characters or their development, this is a scifi all about the setting and the reaction of humanity to an alien event. The writing was serious good, though it is a bit disappointing that the characters where flat. Definitely recommended if anyone is looking for some classic scifi.

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski (46)
This was an interesting book. From all the bad that I've heard about translations in general, I think this book did a fine job. Kinda of a twisted take on Brother's Grimm fairy tales, with a unique story thrown in to the mix. I don't know if I'd recommend it highly, but if you play the Witcher video games, you might enjoy reading this. It was a decent, quick read.
Title: Re: Yearly Targets 2018
Post by: Wilshire on December 12, 2018, 06:31:26 pm
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold (47)
Wanted to make a new post rather than incrementing my last one because this book was beautiful. This is the first thing I've read by Bujold, and I'll agree with the accolades it has received over the years. Not really sure how it ended up on the hugo/nebula awardee list, as its really not scifi at all but oh well - she deserved it. Its really a great fantasy tale of a woman past her prime (which, in the world of medieval setting is apparently 40), trying to go on what amounts to "one last adventure". Dark-ish without being grim, its a pretty touching story, though I've found I do have quite a soft spot for stories that deal with death in a realistic yet positive way. It reminds me a bit of Gemmel, if Druss the Legend was an old lady rather than a man.

I struggled, literally for years, whether or not to read Curse of Challion first, as it was published before and the events take place before. While I have now spoiled that book, Paladin of Souls did not suffer for it. What tipped me over the edge finally was when someone mentioned how Bujold writes very self-contained stories, so while this book is a direct sequel the events and most of the characters are new - if in function if not in fact.

All together a great story with many touching moments.

Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (48)
I really enjoyed this book, and in particular I think the audiobook production did a great job. Bit of a mystery type vibe, though much more interesting in concept. Some great ideas discussed, and definitely and interesting universe created. Its pretty freaking dark, especially at the start, and a lot of violence is against kids which is disturbing. Sometimes by kids, sometimes not. Still though, I had a lot of fun with this one and would recommend it. Well written, interesting world and ideas, and an audiobook that just worked. I don't know if the production smoothed over some of the rough edges or what, but somehow it seemed to add a lot.

Circe by Madeline Miller (49)
Not much to say. If you like retellings of greek mythos, fine. Its well written, but I'm not a fan of this type of story, and its written in first person which is always a bit awkward. Unless you really love greek mythology, skip it.