Other than Grimdark, what else are you reading?

[Dipa]

philosophy

[Silvana]

Starting Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Really enjoying the story so far. Interesting magic system.

[Tracey the Lizard Queen, First In, Last Out]

Mistborn was great! I do prefer the original trilogy over the newer ones though.

[Shell]

Thank's all! Miss Pereguine's was a fantastic read! I'm now staying on my little YA/fantasy world trip and reading Jo Walton's Among Others. Which is fantasy/magic, again set in Wales around a girl who absolutely loves books, possibly more than any of us here and quite often mentions fantasy and sci fi books. My reading list has gotten longer and I'm not even half way through! I've got the new Hellraiser to read and then I think it's back to seeking out some Grimdark. I've not read all of Joe Abercrombie's books yet so....

[Silvana]

Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "Mistborn was great! I do prefer the original trilogy over the newer ones though."

The first book is pretty great. Now in book 2 The Well of Ascension. Was shocked when
(view spoiler)[Vin killed a dog just for the kandra's body. She could have gotten a dead body anyway, Sheesh. My dislike for her is increasing. (hide spoiler)]

[Tracey the Lizard Queen, First In, Last Out]

Silvana wrote: "Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "Mistborn was great! I do prefer the original trilogy over the newer ones though."

The first book is pretty great. Now in book 2 The Well of Ascension. ..."

There were parts in book 2 that bugged me, but book 3 really made up for it.

[Chris, kingtermite]

The Mistborn series was what got me back into reading after not reading much for the last 5-10 years, but that being said, I thought it was a bit overrated.

It was OK. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't 'great' either. Vin killing the dog bothered me a lot too, I remember.

[[deleted user]]

Reading Ready Player One and if I start talking about it I'll lose my shit. Dungeons of Daggorath on the Trash80. Tomb of Horrors. Just...

[Sumant]

Here is my review for The Darkness That Comes Before.

Definitely not an easy book to get through.

[Jesse]

Chris wrote: "I just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane and OMG what an amazing book! This may be the best one off (non-series) books I've read in years (possibly ever).

Seriously....you..."

I keep hearing amazing things about this book. Just ordered it, should be here tomorrow. Really looking forward to diving in.

[Heather]

I'm listening to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian read by the author. It is so so good.

I am reading Empire of Storms, which is deep into one of my favorite series.

[Jesse]

Jesse wrote: "Chris wrote: "I just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane and OMG what an amazing book! This may be the best one off (non-series) books I've read in years (possibly ever).

Se..."

Read The Ocean at the End of the Lane this weekend. What an absolutely amazing book. Loved it. Touched a number of different things, from innocence lost, to nostalgia, primal fear, friendship, longing, and so much more. A great, quick read. Definitely recommend.

[Heather]

I loved that book too!

[Terrible Timy]

My kindle broke so until it gets fixed I'm stuck with my hungarian books (that's my native language by the way), so I decided to reread some old favorites. I started with Dissolution by C. J. Sansom, the 1st book of the Matthew Shardlake series. I recommend this if you are interested in Henrik VIII's reign, especially the religious aspect. Every book in the series contains murders and Shardlake has to solve the mysteries.
Then I'll move on to The Deerslayer by J. F. Cooper. I loved this book as a child and I intend to read the whole series.

[Mel]

Michael wrote: "Reading Ready Player One and if I start talking about it I'll lose my shit. Dungeons of Daggorath on the Trash80. Tomb of Horrors. Just..."

Lose your shit because you liked it or because it pissed you off?

[Reon]

I recently started the Tales of the Ketty Jay and what great fun it is! :D

Highly recommended for everyone that's searching for a fast fun read with a great set of characters

[Silvana]

Oh! Retribution Falls has been in my shelf for ages and I just don't have enough motivation to read it - it is one of those books I kinda know would be fun but yeah, other books come in the way

[Reon]

Brittany wrote: "I will add it to my list!"

The maincharacter has a kind of Jack Sparrow thing going on which is a big plus in my book. Other people compare it to the tv-serie Firefly, but I haven't seen that so i dont know about that :)

[Heather]

I'm reading Nice Dragons Finish Last. I almost never read urban fantasy so I'm a little wary. Reviews seem to say that at over 50% it gets good. Being patient...

[Damien]

I'm rereading Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces... I feel it's important to learn about the myths and symbols that inspire most fantasts, consciously or otherwise!!

[Sumant]

Here is my review for Winter's Heart

[Silvana]

I just finished The Curse of Chalion and it was excellent! Court intrigue, interesting theology/magic combo and many likable characters. Love the gallows humour too. I think Bujold's gonna be one of my fave authors.

[Davy]

In January I finished WoT book 11, Knife of Dreams. Glad to see Jordan wrote another good one (after the borefest that was Crossroads of Twilight) before Sanderson took over. After that I read A Darker Shade of Magic, which I enjoyed.

Right now I'm reading The Fifth Season. Not an easy read (almost no exposition, which is kind of refreshing I guess), but quite interesting nonetheless. After that it's time for WoT book 12, The Gathering Storm.

[M.L.]

Davy wrote: "In January I finished WoT book 11, Knife of Dreams. Glad to see Jordan wrote another good one (after the borefest that was Crossroads of Twilight) before Sanderson took over. After tha..."

I really liked Knife of Dreams. Of course, I really liked the Sanderson novels, too. But Jordan was starting to pick the pace back up.

[Heather]

Davy wrote: "In January I finished WoT book 11, Knife of Dreams. Glad to see Jordan wrote another good one (after the borefest that was Crossroads of Twilight) before Sanderson took over. After tha..."

I really disliked the POV for the first part of Fifth Season but once you get past that it gets much better.

[Robert]

Paradise Lost. It's actually sort of humiliating, but I managed to survive university without ever once having cracked Milton open. It's more out of a sense of responsibility than a love of the text. It's an incredibly difficult read, actually, and you really have to pay attention. Easier to read it out loud, actually.

[Tracey the Lizard Queen, First In, Last Out]

I have a terrible habit of avoiding the classics. Every year I tell myself this is the year I'll read all those books I should have read. Never happens!

[Mark]

Moar grimdark!!

.. no ... wait, this:

The Medusa's Daughter

also this Wild Cards

both have much to recommend them along with areas of niggle.

[M.L.]

Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "I have a terrible habit of avoiding the classics. Every year I tell myself this is the year I'll read all those books I should have read. Never happens!"

Same.

[Silvana]

Hmm. Wildcards. probably the only GRRM related stuff I am not really enthusiastic about since I read some of the stories in some of his edited anthologies. But I guess someday I will try reading the first book. Maybe. Does it have to be in order or it is more like Discworld books?

So, I finished The Dagger and the Coin series, awesome stuff. And steampunk adventure Retribution Falls from Chris Wooding. Also recommended for a fun read.

Starting PKD's short story collection (pretty awesome so far) and NK Jemisin's The Inheritance Trilogy.

[Andrew]

I'm currently reading Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. I usually enjoy everything Kay writes, but this one looks like it may be the exception. Not his best stuff, in my opinion.

Love seeing that so many people are enjoying Wheel of Time. It's my all-time favorite series, due in large part to how Sanderson concluded the story. There are some pretty bad books in the middle of the series, but books 1-4 and 11-14 are among my most beloved reads.

Regarding the "classics" and how hard it can be to commit to reading them, I've got two recommendations for the board: The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Dracula. Both are significant literary works, and both should appeal to fans of grimdark fantasy.

[Mark]

Silvana wrote: "Hmm. Wildcards. probably the only GRRM related stuff I am not really enthusiastic about since I read some of the stories in some of his edited anthologies. But I guess someday I will try reading th..."

I'm only just past half way on book 1, but my feeling is that they can be read in any order. There's a lot of real world history and setting stuff, and characters pop up through out the course of their lives (they grow older with passing years) so there is some richness to be gained by reading in order, but I think they are designed to be dipped into as and when.

[Tracey the Lizard Queen, First In, Last Out]

Andrew wrote: "I'm currently reading Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. I usually enjoy everything Kay writes, but this one looks like it may be the exception. Not his best stuff, in my opinion.

Love seeing that s..."

I hated Under Heaven. The mc was such a %*@!¡ (I don't even have the words to describe how much I loathed him). And the sister's arc went nowhere!

[M.L.]

I'm currently reading "Soulstone" by Lee Stephens...just started, but so far he writes well!

[Martin]

The Call by Peadar O'Guilain YA but seriously dark and very well
done

[Heather]

Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "I have a terrible habit of avoiding the classics. Every year I tell myself this is the year I'll read all those books I should have read. Never happens!"

Ask me first. I've read many lit books and will give it to you straight on which are worth reading!

I'm reading The Mote in God's Eye and kinda disappointed. I love me some Niven but this one is a dud so far. It's like they are spoofing Star Trek but not on purpose. Also...patriarchy...

[Sumant]

Here is my review of Crossroads of Twilight

[Davy]

Congrats Sumant, you're out of the slump! Book 10 is the worst. It gets exponentially better from book 11 onwards. Currently reading the 12th (The Gathering Storm) and having a blast!

[Mark]

Heather wrote: "Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "I have a terrible habit of avoiding the classics. Every year I tell myself this is the year I'll read all those books I should have read. Never happens!"

Ask me fir..."

I loved Mote in God's Eye when I read it. That was a very long time ago though.

[M.L.]

Sumant wrote: "Here is my review of Crossroads of Twilight"

I agree. The next few books are very good. You made it!

[Heather]

Mark, I've read a fair number of older sci-fi and these are common problems reading it as a contemporary. However, my problem with "Mote" is that it feels like it was written in the 50s but it's actually mid 70s! I don't just mean the patriarchy, but also the flat characters. Usually one survives on the interesting science but so far quite uninspired. Hopefully it picks up given the long length.

[Mark]

Heather wrote: "Mark, I've read a fair number of older sci-fi and these are common problems reading it as a contemporary. However, my problem with "Mote" is that it feels like it was written in the 50s but it's ac..."

I read Stainless Steel Rat (for the first time) recently and had all these problems and more.

[Drsilent]

Mark wrote: I'm only just past half way on book 1, but my feeling is that they can be read in any order. There's a lot of real world history and setting stuff, and characters pop up through out the course of their lives (they grow older with passing years) so there is some richness to be gained by reading in order, but I think they are designed to be dipped into as and when.

I went through the whole series at a slow jog, starting a few years back. This is mostly true, but there is some foundational mythology in the first few books which is hard to get by without, and the series does have a strong tendency to be self-referential. It's a lot like Marvel or DC comics in that regard (and others too), except without the yearly resets.

I would also add that because it has been a thing for several decades now, there are distinct eras and arcs in Wildcards. The launch of a new arc in 2008 was a very nice refresh of what was starting to feel a little tired. If one wants to jump in without too much of the baggage, I would recommend starting with Inside Straight.

[Mark]

Drsilent wrote: "Mark wrote: I'm only just past half way on book 1, but my feeling is that they can be read in any order. There's a lot of real world history and setting stuff, and characters pop up through out the..."

You might be interested in this then

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by...

[Drsilent]

Mark wrote: "You might be interested in this then

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by... "

Aha. I thought they had already signed for a few more with Tor some time last year, but good to know! The series certainly did not indicate it was ready to stop in the latest installment last year.

[Andrew]

Mark wrote: "Heather wrote: "Mark, I've read a fair number of older sci-fi and these are common problems reading it as a contemporary. However, my problem with "Mote" is that it feels like it was written in the..."

When it comes to older sci-fi, my favorite is the starting trilogy from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. It's a swashbuckling pulp fiction space opera...and that's just flat-out fun.

[Sumant]

Here is my review of Night Watch

[Mark]

Drsilent wrote: "Mark wrote: "You might be interested in this then

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by... "

Aha. I thought they had already signed for a few more with Tor some time last year, but good to know! ..."

& I'm writing one of the stories right now! :D

[Drsilent]

Mark wrote: "& I'm writing one of the stories right now! :D"
Oh that's neat! Definitely looking forward to reading that. Must be like getting into a nerd VIP club huh? Better keep doing your homework now... ;)

Should probably try to keep this thread on topic. Hum.

Among what was not already recently mentioned, I'm currently finishing book 4 in Brent Week's Lightbringer series. Still solid, probably qualifies as grimdark too.

Some months ago I also read the second book by Becky Chambers, A Closed and Common Orbit. Pretty good but I still prefer book 1, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. Recommended if you like space opera and/or are a fan of the mass effect games.

I also recently tried to read the Sabriel series by Garth Nix. Didn't take. Felt dated, for lack of a better word.

Going back further, there are now 3 books in the Rogues of the Republic series by Patrick Weekes. This is fantasy-comedy with a definitely modern quippy tone. Not a Pratchett but often just as funny.

[Tracey the Lizard Queen, First In, Last Out]

Drsilent wrote: "Mark wrote: "& I'm writing one of the stories right now! :D"
Oh that's neat! Definitely looking forward to reading that. Must be like getting into a nerd VIP club huh? Better keep doing your homewo..."

I read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet last year and loved it! I'm planning on squeezing A Closed and Common Orbit sometime in the next few months.

I'm currently reading Red Sister by Mark Lawrence and The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley. I also finished Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R. Fletcher, can't recommend it enough! Crazy cyberpunk fun!