Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Camellia

I've been in a reading slump for a long time. I'm going to try to break out of it with a collection of horror shorts:

Have you tried the Elements of Horror series by Red Cape Publishing? Some excellent stories in those!

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by gmw

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. A fantasy set in the 18th century in the Middle East (involving djinn, daeva and ifrit etc.). It is a densely plotted story with a large cast and a lot of unfamiliar names for people, places and things, and so I found it a bit hard to keep track at first. But it was well told and held my interest, making it easy to push on until things started to come together for me. There is some romance here, a love triangle of sorts, but like the rest of the book it's not quite that simple. The first of a trilogy, this book wound up well enough feel complete, but also with much still unresolved. I really enjoyed this, a firm 4/5, so I have dived straight into the second.

I enjoyed this one a while back! So the rest of the series is worthwhile?

[LinuxArie]

Onuitwisbaar, it's the dutch version of Edward Snowden's Permanent Record

[taosaur]

The rushed ending of Derelict book 2 and one of the two major storylines of book 3 were pretty underwhelming. Henegar was extrapolating more from his beyond-cartoonish views of present day politics and human nature, the result being an odd combination of absurd and boring. There was still fun to be had in the sci-fi / fantasy mashup, but the series was a 2.5 star experience overall.

I kept the litRPG train rolling with probably the most popular title in that category on Amazon, He Who Fights with Monsters. So far, it's easily the most original and imaginative of the three series I've read. The pseudonymous author, Shirtaloon, goes with his own monsters (mostly chimeras and elementals), magic/attribute systems, and races rather than a straight DnD stable. He uses a transported-to-another-world setup, and the video game interface is a power-slash-coping-mechanism mostly unique to the protagonist. Characterization is a big improvement over the other two series, making it fair-to-middling. The prose is a little clunky, but it gets across what it needs to.

Politics are probably about as much a low-key presence here as in Shadow Sun, but more in keeping with my own - the protagonist, Jason Asano, is aggressively secular, anti-authoritarian, and into helping the poor, and wrestling with how those values work in a world of hereditary nobility and very real gods. Rants happen, but the author routinely hangs a lantern on the fact that Jason is probably not as clever as he might think he is. So, it's nice that the whole genre isn't a weird off-shoot of right-wing military fiction, but odd how much politics seeps into so many of these books (based on a limited sample).

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton. First of a trilogy that I bough back in August 2017.

Which was almost abandoned because of a slow and confusing start with multiple parallel story lines. But I slogged through and I'm now glad I did. So, straight on to

The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton. The second in this trilogy.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Which was almost abandoned because of a slow and confusing start with multiple parallel story lines.

That confusion caused me to stop reading the book. But only temporarily. Going back and reading Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained mitigated that confusion when I picked up The Dreaming Void again.

Had you read the previous duology in Hamilton's Commonwealth universe? It's not entirely necessary to do so first, but there's a lot of tech that makes more sense if you do. Not to mention a lot of character/cultural background.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

I enjoyed this one a while back! So the rest of the series is worthwhile?

Lots of work on, so I've only just finished the second book. I think if you liked the first you'll like the second even though it starts slower.


The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty. Second book of Daevabad Trilogy. The first half of this is slow compared to the first book, but I didn't find it boring: the ambitious protagonists make their plans all unwittingly on a collision course. It's an intricate plot, neatly unfolded to a quite violent finale. A great cast and several unexpected turns. I found it impressive and enjoyable. After having read so much YA fantasy it's an interesting change to get into something a bit more substantial. But the ending is quite abrupt, more so than the first book. Thankfully the third and last book is there ready for me, so that's what I'm onto next. This book gets a firm 4/5.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Had you read the previous duology in Hamilton's Commonwealth universe? It's not entirely necessary to do so first, but there's a lot of tech that makes more sense if you do. Not to mention a lot of character/cultural background.

Yes, but four years ago. After a while I did start to notice the old characters.

I'm well into the second volume now, but the amount of viewpoint switching and pace of the first part of the first book is certainly poor.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Which was almost abandoned because of a slow and confusing start with multiple parallel story lines. But I slogged through and I'm now glad I did. So, straight on to

The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton. The second in this trilogy.

I listened to the audiobook for the Dreaming Void. Yes, I agree, slow and confusing but picked up as the book went on. Starting book 2 in July when I have fewer interruptions. Hard to believe it's almost July! Tomorrow is June 21st of the 21st year of the 21st century. Ok, I just think that is cool. On to our scheduled program...

Just finished Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. Listened to audiobook narrated by Nigel Planer about 6 years ago so first read. Enjoyable but I hear Planer through the book (a GOOD thing!).

Just started The Last Train by Michael Pronko. Murder mystery based in Japan.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes, but four years ago. After a while I did start to notice the old characters.

I'm well into the second volume now, but the amount of viewpoint switching and pace of the first part of the first book is certainly poor.

Oh, agreed. I just wondered if you were at a double disadvantage.

Hamilton has a penchant for that sort of thing when he starts a new project, I think. I've started his new Salvation series, and it starts out similarly. Three distinctly different timelines and scads of POVs.

[Camellia]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

Have you tried the Elements of Horror series by Red Cape Publishing? Some excellent stories in those!

Thanks for the recommendation!

-

Wizard and Glass by Stephen King for me!

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Now starting Peter F. Hamilton's Salvation Sequence (now that there's several books available).

The first book was an enjoyable read, but very, very, derivative. Mainly of his own well-worn past themes: wormhole-based interstellar human expansion; built-in digital "butlers", seemingly benign (but equally powerful and ominous) alien races; life-extending technology, etc... . But also very reminiscent of Dan Simmons' first Hyperion novel. Mostly due to both employing a Canterbury Tales-esque format.

I just have to decide if I'm up for investing in what amounts to a re-skinning of his Commonwealth universe tropes.

[Uncle Robin]

Currently reading Thus Was Adonis Murdered and after just one chapter already trying to decide if the almost onanistic pleasure the author (or her narrator character, same-same) takes in her convoluted prose is worth persevering with.

[astrangerhere]

I am in the middle of one very long series - Anthony Powell's Dance to the Music of Time. I am currently about half way through book 3 of 12, The Acceptance World. Will always appreciate Poobbear for putting me on to this one a few years ago.

I only have two books left in my complete read of the Wimsey novels by Dorothy L. Sayers. I have just started listening to Gaudy Night and then only have Busman's Honeymoon after that.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I am in the middle of one very long series - Anthony Powell's Dance to the Music of Time. I am currently about half way through book 3 of 12, The Acceptance World. Will always appreciate Poobbear for putting me on to this one a few years ago.

I only have two books left in my complete read of the Wimsey novels by Dorothy L. Sayers. I have just started listening to Gaudy Night and then only have Busman's Honeymoon after that.

Glad you're enjoying the series! Reminds me it's time to do my annual re-read of the Dance - every time I go through it, I learn more and more about the characters. The writing is so beautiful.