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

[CRussel]

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.

OK, added to my list. Fortunately, it's available at the library

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.

Gaudy Night has almost no Lord Peter in it. And doesn't suffer at all. One of my favourites. Maybe even better than Murder Must Advertise.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

OK, added to my list. Fortunately, it's available at the library

Gaudy Night has almost no Lord Peter in it. And doesn't suffer at all. One of my favourites. Maybe even better than Murder Must Advertise.

Murder Must Advertise is my favorite, even though, as is not unusual with Sayers, the murder method won’t stand scrutiny. The problem with Gaudy Night (still my second at that), is that Harriet is awfully Watson; she just doesn’t get it. And the whole thing is rather over the top - although not as bad as Busman’s Honeymoon, which is embarrassing.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

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.

Now straight onto the third. This is really one long book split into three volumes.

[Lusitanic]

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales

Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers by Gabriel Weinberg (to help out at work haha)

Product Demos That Sell: How to Deliver Winning SaaS Demos by Steli Efti (again, to help out at work)

The Firm by John Grisham

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

I'll finish up the trilogy with Shadowborn while I remember the events.

Trilogy completed. As the author stated in his notes, he went all out in this book. Nothing was off-limits. He just went with whatever was in his head. Apparently, his head was cluttered. This made for an exciting non-stop thrill ride while losing some logic and cohesion. Many battle scenes and many more deaths. The ending was not quite as anticipated. Sad yet hopeful. Rated C+ [3 stars].

Next TBD

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

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.

I don't think I would want to read it every year - too much book (and too few women) and I would be in too much of a rush. I could see making a return to it every 5-10 years though to enjoy the language and whatnot.

[gmw]

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty. The third and final book of the Daevabad Trilogy. The multiple layers and myriad characters make the story a bit daunting, but it's handled well and doesn't get bogged down, although at times a bit more explanation might have been good. This goes at a faster pace than the previous book and it squeezes a lot in. I liked the characters and the unusual settings, and I liked that I didn't find it predictable. The conclusion was satisfying, neither too maudlin nor too twee; I thought it suited the story very well.

I look forward to revisiting this trilogy sometime soon, as I think greater familiarity will help make it an even more enjoyable ride. I think for now 4.5/5, it might get an upgrade on re-read.

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

I enjoyed this one [The City of Brass] a while back! So the rest of the series is worthwhile?

So having gotten to the end despite work trying to pull me away all the time, I think I can say that if you liked the first the chances are very good that you will enjoy the rest of the series. It's obviously well planned out, with various hints in the first book finding their place as you get through to the finale.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Now straight onto the third. This is really one long book split into three volumes.

Which was OK. 4/5 overall. Possibly too happy an ending really. And not enough consideration of what identity means.

Next up: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, the third in the George Smiley series by John le Carré

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by gmw

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty. The third and final book of the Daevabad Trilogy. The multiple layers and myriad characters make the story a bit daunting, but it's handled well and doesn't get bogged down, although at times a bit more explanation might have been good. This goes at a faster pace than the previous book and it squeezes a lot in. I liked the characters and the unusual settings, and I liked that I didn't find it predictable. The conclusion was satisfying, neither too maudlin nor too twee; I thought it suited the story very well.

I look forward to revisiting this trilogy sometime soon, as I think greater familiarity will help make it an even more enjoyable ride. I think for now 4.5/5, it might get an upgrade on re-read.




So having gotten to the end despite work trying to pull me away all the time, I think I can say that if you liked the first the chances are very good that you will enjoy the rest of the series. It's obviously well planned out, with various hints in the first book finding their place as you get through to the finale.

Thank you for the review! I will certainly continue it, hopefully soon.

[ReadingManiac]

Just finished Songs of Autumn by Guy Donovan, third in the four book Dragon Treasure series. Gave it 5 stars and looking forward to getting the final book now.

[taosaur]

I finished the two existing volumes of He Who Fights with Monsters last week, and I'm almost embarrassed to say I found it inspirational. The author is less than subtle with what should be pretty trite themes: carpe diem! and be yourself! What sells those themes for me, I think, is that the protagonist's experience of being almost literally born again in a new world justifies him going all in on those approaches, and also that being himself includes a Machiavellian streak that he always fears may take him all the way to the dark side, despite his deep commitment to his friends and to helping people. While I would hesitate to call the characters realistic - they're still larger than life - at least some of them are complex and sympathetic, and like the world and monsters and powers, they're invested with more genuine creativity than the other litRPGs I've read so far. It's unfortunate that the text is so riddled with typos and extra words pretty clearly left over from revisions - a good copy editor would do wonders.

Now I'm in the second book of the Red Mage series, which is more standard fare, returning to the "Ancient Aliens initiate a RPG apocalypse" premise. I struggled with it in the beginning, because the writing had such a plodding news-report style and tended to get bogged down in details, and the settings seemed super vague (granted, most of the early settings are dark hallways and stairwells). The appeal is almost solely in watching the "game" mechanics progress: people getting more powers and linked powers and bonus powers, new monsters, new structures, and more lore about the ancient aliens (in this case an intergalactic human empire, including several pantheons of deities). Perhaps sadly, that appeal is enough for me with these books. A video game walkthrough in novel form? Yes, please. And Boyce's magic system is pretty satisfying, with semi-personalized powers fitted into nodes on a linked diagram in different configurations that reflect the person's role or personality.

Once again, the protagonist's and presumably the author's politics are plainly on display, but going in yet another direction - in this case, "enlightened centrist." I'm still finding it odd how seemingly every book in this fantasy genre manages to slip in a pamphlet for one present day ideology or another. I wouldn't say it dominates the narrative in any of the books I've read - the worst in that regard would be Derelict - but it's always there.

[gmw]

So a quieter than expected work day let me finish this up quickly...

The Deadly Touch of the Tigress by Ian Hamilton. (aka: The Water Rat of Wanchai). The first of the Ava Lee thrillers. It wasn't until page 180 that I finally got properly interested. Up to there it was mostly travelogue*. The main character is not without interest, aside from the obvious we also learn she is not a particularly nice** person. After page 180 things stop going all her way and the story finally gets an edge to it, which made the last 100 pages a fun ride. All up I'm letting this scrape a 3/5.


* I'm not averse to a good travelogue, especially when - as in this case - the author is writing from personal experience, but it's not something you expected from a thriller.

** (spoiler-ish)

Spoiler:

Calling herself a forensic accountant she eventually turns out to be a debt collector with a willingness for violence that I normally associate with the less savoury of that profession. Sort of a stylish - and more articulate - Dirty Harry character.

[PurpleStar]

Just started Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews. The second book in the Kate Daniels series.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by gmw

So a quieter than expected work day let me finish this up quickly...

The Deadly Touch of the Tigress by Ian Hamilton. (aka: The Water Rat of Wanchai). The first of the Ava Lee thrillers. It wasn't until page 180 that I finally got properly interested. Up to there it was mostly travelogue*. The main character is not without interest, aside from the obvious we also learn she is not a particularly nice** person. After page 180 things stop going all her way and the story finally gets an edge to it, which made the last 100 pages a fun ride. All up I'm letting this scrape a 3/5.
th a willingness for violence that I normally associate with the less savoury of that profession. Sort of a stylish - and more articulate - Dirty Harry character.

I think the series keeps improving from here, FWIW. And is, frankly, one of my favourites. Though it will be interesting to see how Hamilton handles the troubles in Hong Kong when the story line catches up to that time frame.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I think the series keeps improving from here, FWIW. And is, frankly, one of my favourites. Though it will be interesting to see how Hamilton handles the troubles in Hong Kong when the story line catches up to that time frame.

Being judged by the start of a series, when even the author is still becoming comfortable with what they've created, is always a hazard. The last third did give me hope that things are likely to get better going forward. I am vaguely curious as to what he's likely to do with the main character - trying to make a debtor collector (especially one willing to go that extra mile) look good was always going to be a challenge. Sure the villains are undoubtedly villains, but a debt collector is still a debtor collector, no matter how well dressed.

Not sure why I should have trouble with her being a debt collector forensic accountant, after all that's effectively just a private detective who specialises in collecting money (BIG money) instead of all the dodgy things PIs get up to. Maybe it's the whole Australia-land-of-the-convict thing .