Finished Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw. This was a very good coming of age fantasy. The middle third of the book dragged a bit, but I loved the beginning and the end. Overall, I'd give it a 9/10.
What we're reading, the SFF edition
- Thread starter Fenika
- Start date
Finished The Sharing Knife quartet by Lois McMaster Bujold. (Beguilement, Legacy, Passage, and Horizon)
This is essentially a four-volume novel, though each volume contains its own story arc. I started it years ago, not long after the first volume was published, and after reading that, decided it wasn't for me. And maybe it wasn't, not then.
But I'm a huge Bujold fan and decided to give it another go recently. I read the first two, took a break, then the final two.
I fell in love with it. Loved what she did with the characters, the story, the whole magic system, which was brilliant. Even the setting was almost a character in itself. And my goodness, can she crank up the tension. This is particularly true at the climax of the fourth novel. I was close to hyperventilating at one point.
There's something that can happen to certain people in that story called beguilement. Someone works magic on them and they can't get enough of it; they come back for more and more and more, like lovesick puppies.
That's exactly how I felt when I finished the fourth book. I was completely, utterly beguiled, pining for more.
Not too many books I can say that about, but this one seemed to hit the sweet spot for me.
This is essentially a four-volume novel, though each volume contains its own story arc. I started it years ago, not long after the first volume was published, and after reading that, decided it wasn't for me. And maybe it wasn't, not then.
But I'm a huge Bujold fan and decided to give it another go recently. I read the first two, took a break, then the final two.
I fell in love with it. Loved what she did with the characters, the story, the whole magic system, which was brilliant. Even the setting was almost a character in itself. And my goodness, can she crank up the tension. This is particularly true at the climax of the fourth novel. I was close to hyperventilating at one point.
There's something that can happen to certain people in that story called beguilement. Someone works magic on them and they can't get enough of it; they come back for more and more and more, like lovesick puppies.
That's exactly how I felt when I finished the fourth book. I was completely, utterly beguiled, pining for more.
Not too many books I can say that about, but this one seemed to hit the sweet spot for me.
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I am currently reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I am about 40% in and I'm conflicted about it. The POV shifts are jarringly annoying. I liked the beginning, but then it changes to a different character 20 years in the future. I eventually warmed up to the new POV, but then it jumps back in time to a character that died in the the opening of the book, and this POV is really boring.
I enjoy the future POV even though the author's depiction of the future has a lot of plot holes. I just feel this book was aiming for something and fell a bit short, but maybe my opinion will change once I'm finished.
I enjoy the future POV even though the author's depiction of the future has a lot of plot holes. I just feel this book was aiming for something and fell a bit short, but maybe my opinion will change once I'm finished.
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- Oct 6, 2016
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- 552
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- 158
I remember loving this one, maybe it will come together at the end for you.
I finished the book. Overall I liked it, but most of Arthur's backstory was boring and unnecessary. His story should have been chopped down a lot.
Recently,
I read DR POTTER’S MEDICINE SHOW by ERIC SCOTT FISCHL. It was great. Very, very dark, almost horror with a fantastic cast of characters. A few tragic ends. I was bothered by a few female characters having no agency and being horrifically tortured just to show the awfulness of the villain. I also was unimpressed with the anti-climactic ending, as it's very rare for a horror to have an ending darker than the shocks in earlier chapters. Still a great book to re-read, though.
I also read DRAKE by PETER MCLEAN, which was great too. It's been compared to those annoying Harry Dresden novels, but its darkness and great bunch of characters made it stand out. I also loved the Britishness in the dialogue. So rare for a book to be so bluntly British. My main criticism would be it's lack of contemporary diversity and female characters. I'm not a fan of the fantasy of not particularly attractive or talented male protags being somehow only surrounded by attractive, capable women. Especially ones that want to follow him all the time. I'll probably read the next in the series and see where it goes.
I read DR POTTER’S MEDICINE SHOW by ERIC SCOTT FISCHL. It was great. Very, very dark, almost horror with a fantastic cast of characters. A few tragic ends. I was bothered by a few female characters having no agency and being horrifically tortured just to show the awfulness of the villain. I also was unimpressed with the anti-climactic ending, as it's very rare for a horror to have an ending darker than the shocks in earlier chapters. Still a great book to re-read, though.
I also read DRAKE by PETER MCLEAN, which was great too. It's been compared to those annoying Harry Dresden novels, but its darkness and great bunch of characters made it stand out. I also loved the Britishness in the dialogue. So rare for a book to be so bluntly British. My main criticism would be it's lack of contemporary diversity and female characters. I'm not a fan of the fantasy of not particularly attractive or talented male protags being somehow only surrounded by attractive, capable women. Especially ones that want to follow him all the time. I'll probably read the next in the series and see where it goes.
I finished Dune recently for the first time, and I was impressed with the world building. Definitely some things to keep in mind in my own writing. I'm hoping to read some of Terry Pratchett next, but I think I'm going to reread American Gods since the TV series is out.
I *thought* I was reading a trilogy in Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series. I finished the first three - Red Queen, Glass Sword, King's Cage.
I cannot believe this story isn't finished after three books.
They're not bad, but dystopian YA is something I can't tolerate very often. It's akin to labor - I forget how painful it is until I'm doing it again. But I always forget.
I cannot believe this story isn't finished after three books.
They're not bad, but dystopian YA is something I can't tolerate very often. It's akin to labor - I forget how painful it is until I'm doing it again. But I always forget.
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So I went through a lot of Kindle books. Most of them are bad. Here are 5 good series so far.
Viridian Gate Online (Book 1 and 2): It's OK. It's not the best writing or story but it's OK. Has a decent concept for putting a sociopolitical framework on a LitRPG, though so far it's been focused much more on the RPG.
Lion's Quest (Book 1 and 2): Definitely the best writing I've ever seen in a LitRPG book. Has a really good mystery at work (though it's more one for the audience than the character at this point). Gonna be honest, I don't know how to feel about some of the women in the series. I have high hopes for our second major female character growing into something more interesting, but there's been no movement there yet. The first female character I like mostly for her involvement in the main plot, and a neat little twist we get about her at the end of the second book. As far as our protagonist, I think he needs more challenges that he fails at. He's had challenging fights, but he's never lost one. That said he still has come out behind in certain circumstances.
Eye of the Tiger (Book 1 of Star Justice): By the same author as Lion's Quest. I think this is a much better work and has a really cool premise-- (minor spoilers follow) shape-shifting supersoldier and space vampire go on crusade against injustice in the galaxy.
Eden's Gate (Book 1): Not the best writing, but I think it has the best plot of any LitRPG I've read so far. The author isn't afraid to let his character fall flat on his face or fail. Has a good premise for several books at least, and the hints of a big reveal in the works, though it's rather obvious to my view. The character's quest is the character's, not just a generic "save the world" event.
Ancient Dreams (Book 1 and 2): Not a good book, but an interesting one. Think Epic Fantasy framework, meets living dungeon genre, meets LitRPG, with a sprinkling of titillation throughout. It falls short of being what I would consider quality writing--it just moves too fast and doesn't take the time to really develop characters and plots to fit into that Epic Fantasy framework (the first book does a very good job of making the villains competent and affably evil though). Needed to be 6 or 7 books instead of 3. It is very different though. I don't know many homosexual, polyamorous harems that appear in fantasy and attempt to be the focus of the work. It also manages to avoid the character issues of the living dungeon genre by actually making our genius loci part of a larger cast, but she's still kind of overpowered. So not recommended as a good book, but for me it's the kind of book that I read and am inspired to create as a result because this one is just so unusual.
Viridian Gate Online (Book 1 and 2): It's OK. It's not the best writing or story but it's OK. Has a decent concept for putting a sociopolitical framework on a LitRPG, though so far it's been focused much more on the RPG.
Lion's Quest (Book 1 and 2): Definitely the best writing I've ever seen in a LitRPG book. Has a really good mystery at work (though it's more one for the audience than the character at this point). Gonna be honest, I don't know how to feel about some of the women in the series. I have high hopes for our second major female character growing into something more interesting, but there's been no movement there yet. The first female character I like mostly for her involvement in the main plot, and a neat little twist we get about her at the end of the second book. As far as our protagonist, I think he needs more challenges that he fails at. He's had challenging fights, but he's never lost one. That said he still has come out behind in certain circumstances.
Eye of the Tiger (Book 1 of Star Justice): By the same author as Lion's Quest. I think this is a much better work and has a really cool premise-- (minor spoilers follow) shape-shifting supersoldier and space vampire go on crusade against injustice in the galaxy.
Eden's Gate (Book 1): Not the best writing, but I think it has the best plot of any LitRPG I've read so far. The author isn't afraid to let his character fall flat on his face or fail. Has a good premise for several books at least, and the hints of a big reveal in the works, though it's rather obvious to my view. The character's quest is the character's, not just a generic "save the world" event.
Ancient Dreams (Book 1 and 2): Not a good book, but an interesting one. Think Epic Fantasy framework, meets living dungeon genre, meets LitRPG, with a sprinkling of titillation throughout. It falls short of being what I would consider quality writing--it just moves too fast and doesn't take the time to really develop characters and plots to fit into that Epic Fantasy framework (the first book does a very good job of making the villains competent and affably evil though). Needed to be 6 or 7 books instead of 3. It is very different though. I don't know many homosexual, polyamorous harems that appear in fantasy and attempt to be the focus of the work. It also manages to avoid the character issues of the living dungeon genre by actually making our genius loci part of a larger cast, but she's still kind of overpowered. So not recommended as a good book, but for me it's the kind of book that I read and am inspired to create as a result because this one is just so unusual.
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Just finished the fist Mistborn trilogy and Name of the Wind. Taking a break and going back to MG fantasy for a bit but plan to read the second Kingkiller Chronicle book later this summer. I enjoyed Name of the Wind, and it definitely picks up once it gets to the University. Interested to see where the second book takes us and I am well aware that Patrick has his readers feeling like Martin readers with waiting for the next book to drop.
Been about a month, time for another procrastination update:
Last Finished SF/F:
Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St. Mary's, Book 1, Jodi Taylor, SF, on Nook): Historian Madeline Maxwell lands the job of a lifetime when she joins St. Mary's, an outwardly ordinary research crew with an extraordinary secret - time travel. Of course, it's not so easy as popping back in time to witness history's great moments; the past is awfully ugly, frequently smelly, and rather a potentially-deadly bugger when it decides a historian has poked their nose in the wrong place. The job is further complicated when Maxwell discovers that someone else has ripped off their secret, and is exploiting history for profit... and these guys are all too willing to put a permanent end to the timeline of anyone who gets in their way.
Everywhere I look, it seems this series is getting great praises for its rollicking time travel adventure and clever heroine. I, sadly, am not joining that crowd. Most of the characters are a jumble of names attached to the vaguest stereotype sketches of characters, and the baddies are easy to pick out because they're introduced as trouble, but attention-impaired Maxwell somehow forgets all about that so she can be shocked when they turn out to be exactly what they looked like. The book is rife with missed opportunities as Taylor consistently reaches for the easiest, most obvious ideas. (Want a traumatic past? Subject the lady MC to childhood sexual abuse - yet somehow have that not interfere with or otherwise affect her ability to form healthy adult romantic relationships. Also, be sure that the baddies try multiple times to rape her, just to show they're evil.) The biggest problem, though, is Maxwell, who constantly dances and capers and mugs at the narrative camera, convinced she's hilariously clever when she's just distractingly annoying. Add an ending that pops up out of nowhere and you get one dissatisfied reader who won't be following the series any further.
Currently Reading SF/F:
The Last Dragon (Silvana De Mari, MG fantasy, paperback): As a young pup in a world where his kind are reviled and distrusted, the elf Yorsh stumbles his way into a prophecy that will end the dark age of misery, a prophecy fulfilled when he finds the last dragon hiding in the last standing library of the old golden age.
This one wavered on the edge of the cull pile once or twice, but I decided to give it a shot. Early on, it looked fairly predictable and a bit silly, but something about it kept me reading. Yorsh doesn't understand humans at all, but his misunderstandings somehow manage to skirt the line between annoyingly obtuse and amusingly eccentric, while his long-suffering human companions slowly rise to the occasion helping him fulfill the prophecy. Looks fairly typical, and so I thought - until I turned the page to begin Part Two, and it turned out the "prophecy" either hasn't been fulfilled or just plain went haywire because things are worse than ever, even as Yorsh remains oblivious as he tends his aging dragon companion in the forgotten library. I'm enjoying it, but I keep putting off picking it back up - something about reading about a fantasy world where greedy monsters treat everyone else as tools to increase their personal profits strikes a little too close to reality, these days...
Swords Against Death (The Fafhyrd and the Gray Mouser stories, Book 2, Fritz Leiber, fantasy, on Kindle): The second collection of stories about the classic fantasy heroes, barbarian skald Fafhyrd and short city-born thief the Gray Mouser, sees them encountering more adventures around Nehwon and the ancient sprawling city of Lankhmar.
These are somewhat tongue-in-cheek sword and sorcery adventures, in the vein of (and poking a little fun at) Conan and the like. They're imaginative and entertaining, with characters who are larger than life while retaining some rather human foibles and flaws. A good choice for a light, classic fantasy read, so far.
I really haven't been reading as much as I should lately; the TBR pile's growing, not shrinking...
Last Finished SF/F:
Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St. Mary's, Book 1, Jodi Taylor, SF, on Nook): Historian Madeline Maxwell lands the job of a lifetime when she joins St. Mary's, an outwardly ordinary research crew with an extraordinary secret - time travel. Of course, it's not so easy as popping back in time to witness history's great moments; the past is awfully ugly, frequently smelly, and rather a potentially-deadly bugger when it decides a historian has poked their nose in the wrong place. The job is further complicated when Maxwell discovers that someone else has ripped off their secret, and is exploiting history for profit... and these guys are all too willing to put a permanent end to the timeline of anyone who gets in their way.
Everywhere I look, it seems this series is getting great praises for its rollicking time travel adventure and clever heroine. I, sadly, am not joining that crowd. Most of the characters are a jumble of names attached to the vaguest stereotype sketches of characters, and the baddies are easy to pick out because they're introduced as trouble, but attention-impaired Maxwell somehow forgets all about that so she can be shocked when they turn out to be exactly what they looked like. The book is rife with missed opportunities as Taylor consistently reaches for the easiest, most obvious ideas. (Want a traumatic past? Subject the lady MC to childhood sexual abuse - yet somehow have that not interfere with or otherwise affect her ability to form healthy adult romantic relationships. Also, be sure that the baddies try multiple times to rape her, just to show they're evil.) The biggest problem, though, is Maxwell, who constantly dances and capers and mugs at the narrative camera, convinced she's hilariously clever when she's just distractingly annoying. Add an ending that pops up out of nowhere and you get one dissatisfied reader who won't be following the series any further.
Currently Reading SF/F:
The Last Dragon (Silvana De Mari, MG fantasy, paperback): As a young pup in a world where his kind are reviled and distrusted, the elf Yorsh stumbles his way into a prophecy that will end the dark age of misery, a prophecy fulfilled when he finds the last dragon hiding in the last standing library of the old golden age.
This one wavered on the edge of the cull pile once or twice, but I decided to give it a shot. Early on, it looked fairly predictable and a bit silly, but something about it kept me reading. Yorsh doesn't understand humans at all, but his misunderstandings somehow manage to skirt the line between annoyingly obtuse and amusingly eccentric, while his long-suffering human companions slowly rise to the occasion helping him fulfill the prophecy. Looks fairly typical, and so I thought - until I turned the page to begin Part Two, and it turned out the "prophecy" either hasn't been fulfilled or just plain went haywire because things are worse than ever, even as Yorsh remains oblivious as he tends his aging dragon companion in the forgotten library. I'm enjoying it, but I keep putting off picking it back up - something about reading about a fantasy world where greedy monsters treat everyone else as tools to increase their personal profits strikes a little too close to reality, these days...
Swords Against Death (The Fafhyrd and the Gray Mouser stories, Book 2, Fritz Leiber, fantasy, on Kindle): The second collection of stories about the classic fantasy heroes, barbarian skald Fafhyrd and short city-born thief the Gray Mouser, sees them encountering more adventures around Nehwon and the ancient sprawling city of Lankhmar.
These are somewhat tongue-in-cheek sword and sorcery adventures, in the vein of (and poking a little fun at) Conan and the like. They're imaginative and entertaining, with characters who are larger than life while retaining some rather human foibles and flaws. A good choice for a light, classic fantasy read, so far.
I really haven't been reading as much as I should lately; the TBR pile's growing, not shrinking...
XP from the 2017 Published Works thread: I just finished City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett. This is the third in the series, which includes City of Stairs and City of Blades, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. While these are stand alone novels, I think your experience would be crippled by not reading the other two first.
I just read Too Like the Lightning and Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer. Wow! Very inventive and thinky books, filled with characters talking with each other about ideas (philosophy, religion, history, political theory), which doesn't bog down the narrative because the ideas are central to the story and the characters. Plus some very interesting narrative techniques that make you pay attention -- an unreliable narrator (or is he?), a deliberate application of gendered pronouns that do not necessarily map to characters' biological sex (gender is taboo but still potent), & more. The first book IMO is a little more successful as a story than the second, which does answer most of the central questions but sometimes put me in mind of an Agatha Christie-type "assemble all the suspects and reveal all their secrets" scene -- more melodrama/farce than drama, with philosophical interludes. But it still kept me fascinated and when I finished I immediately put the third volume on pre-order. Wow!
- Joined
- May 27, 2016
- Messages
- 58
- Reaction score
- 7
I just started The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams. Tailchaser's Song is one of my all-time favorites, but I haven't read anything else by him. Has anyone read this one?
I also just finished Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (I think that's the author). Basically Twilight but with angels.
I've also read at least 20 graphic SF/F novels lately -- am currently reading the first Ms. Marvel, lots of Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Guardians . . . I'm on a major superhero kick.
I also just finished Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (I think that's the author). Basically Twilight but with angels.
I've also read at least 20 graphic SF/F novels lately -- am currently reading the first Ms. Marvel, lots of Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Guardians . . . I'm on a major superhero kick.
I've read the first two Bobby Dollar books by Tad Williams. They're not my favorite of his work. I prefer his epic fantasy. But they were good reads.
Recently finished Bane and Shadow by Jon Skovron. It's the second book in his Empire of Storm series.
This is some good fantasy that I think will appeal to fans of Brent Weeks. It gives off a lot of that same vibe as Night Angel, but it is different enough that it isn't a complete copy. I've liked both books. They're fast-paced with an interesting world and characters I like reading about.
This is some good fantasy that I think will appeal to fans of Brent Weeks. It gives off a lot of that same vibe as Night Angel, but it is different enough that it isn't a complete copy. I've liked both books. They're fast-paced with an interesting world and characters I like reading about.
American Gods by Neil Giaman
I found this much better than Neverwhere. For as much hype as this book receives, I was underwhelmed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing, either.
I found this much better than Neverwhere. For as much hype as this book receives, I was underwhelmed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing, either.
Finished The Siege of Abythos by Phil Tucker. His Chronicles of the Black Gate is hands down the best self-published fantasy I've ever read, but that would be selling it short. It's also among my favorite series in general. The way Tucker makes me care about his characters is special, and the way he writes action scenes keeps me glued to the pages.
Dune by Herbert, I am already attentive by page three, can tell this is going to be a barn burner.
I just finished reading #5 in the Queen's Thief Quartet by Megan Whalen Turner "Thick as Thieves" and man it was good to get back to that world. I had really missed Turner's narrative descriptions that never seem long or overwhelming, and the slow complexity of her characters. I do miss her unreliable narrator, but I suspect she couldn't keep that up forever, and as that story had wrapped up, it was time to jump into some new faces. She's one of those authors who writes fantasy without the magic portion of it, and I always find myself enjoying those books quite a lot. I really enjoyed it (but now I have to wait years for the next one again!).
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
This book was a fun, easy read. The world is elaborate and rich, and the mc, Irene, is interesting and likable. This story felt more like a mystery placed in a fantastical world than a fantasy with a mystery driving the plot. If you enjoyed The Divine Cities series by Robert Jackson Bennett, you'd like this.
This book was a fun, easy read. The world is elaborate and rich, and the mc, Irene, is interesting and likable. This story felt more like a mystery placed in a fantastical world than a fantasy with a mystery driving the plot. If you enjoyed The Divine Cities series by Robert Jackson Bennett, you'd like this.
Might have to check those out. I read Blood Song by Anthony Ryan on your recommendation, and that one (despite some writing errors that should never have made it past his copy editor) was riveting. The second novel in the series, not so much. I've never read the third one.
***
Just finished A Court of Wings and Ruin, the third volume in Sarah J. Maas' YA trilogy. I did a write-up here on the first two, and I will say that in this one, at least, the incidences of awkward and sometimes just plain wrong sentence constructions were way down, so that was encouraging. She has strange and seemingly random uses for em-dashes, and the writing overall is, to me, often choppy and clunky, but OTOH, there are some parts she writes gracefully and well. Technical aspects aside, this novel was a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. The climax contained a surprise or two and there was one fairly emotionally wrenching scene. Some magnificent description, too.
ETA: Got pulled away and didn't finish. The ending did have some problems. I won't give anything away here, but some aspects of it she should have let well enough alone.
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