[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!

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.

[MSJ]

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.

[MSJ]

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.

[Wilshire]

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.

[Wilshire]

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

[MSJ]

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.

[Wilshire]

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.

[SmilerLoki]

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.

[Wilshire]

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.

[SmilerLoki]

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.

[Wilshire]

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.

[MSJ]

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.

[MSJ]

@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.

[SmilerLoki]

@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)

(think Isana's fears and her epiphany in Book 4)

.

There is a lot of things like that.

[MSJ]

@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.