What Else Are You Reading? January 2016

[Joanna Chaplin]

Rob wrote: "I ended up liking Cole's series..but Control Point is a bit rough. I haven't tried his new prequel yet though."

I really liked the interviews with Myke Cole. I want to like his works. But I couldn't get through Control Point. It was so bleak, and I was uncomfortably reminded of violence against Native Americans. Eventually I think I might get around to trying Gemini Cell to see if his newer work is more accessible to me. I *did* like his combat magic.

[Christopher]

Joanna wrote: "Trike wrote: "Turns out The Builders is incredibly good. "

I'm intrigued, but I'm also worried that I won't care for the violence. Where would you 1-10 it? And does the word "intestines" feature a..."

It is quite violent and has graphic descriptions, but the story and characters are so great that it didn't turn my stomach or anything. This definitely falls under dark fantasy at the very least and I'd place it in the grimdark category personally.

[Joanna Chaplin]

Christopher wrote: "This definitely falls under dark fantasy at the very least and I'd place it in the grimdark category personally. "

I don't want to avoid violence entirely and if the other stuff is good, I'll put up with more. But lately I've found I get more easily violence-glutted and want something more abstracted.

Of course I just read a scene in which a character went to town on a monster (only kinda, trying not to spoil) with a machine gun for like, several minutes and that was incredibly *glorious*. But not bloody, so much, in retrospect.

[Christopher]

Joanna wrote: "Christopher wrote: "This definitely falls under dark fantasy at the very least and I'd place it in the grimdark category personally. "

I don't want to avoid violence entirely and if the other stuf..."

I wasn't really thinking about this, but The Builders might also be rough on some people because the cast of characters are all anthropomorphic animal mercenaries with a penchant for violence. I know reading Watership Down as a kid was really tough for me.

[Trike]

Joanna wrote: "Trike wrote: "Turns out The Builders is incredibly good. "

I'm intrigued, but I'm also worried that I won't care for the violence. Where would you 1-10 it? And does the word "intestines" feature a..."

I'm only on page 56 (had to deal with kitchen stuff today) and did a search... "intestines" does appear once in the book.

[Trike]

Joanna wrote: "I don't want to avoid violence entirely and if the other stuff is good, I'll put up with more. But lately I've found I get more easily violence-glutted and want something more abstracted."

I get that. There are things I simply won't read or watch because it's just too much, and I certainly have triggers. I won't watch anything with violence against animals because I've been in animal rescue for 34 years, or featuring serial killers, because a friend of mine was murdered by a serial killer.

Christopher wrote: "I wasn't really thinking about this, but The Builders might also be rough on some people because the cast of characters are all anthropomorphic animal mercenaries with a penchant for violence. I know reading Watership Down as a kid was really tough for me. "

Good point. For me once the animals cross that line into sentience they become metaphors, so I don't see them as animals any more. Basically they become actors in make-up for me.

So for me White Fang and The Call of the Wild are more traumatizing than something like Watership Down.

For "talking animals" that doesn't feature violence (but is a teeny bit scary) I will recommend Rabbit Hill. I must have read that book 20 times as a kid.

[Kristina]

Trike wrote: "Christopher wrote: "I decided to try out some current military fantasy first as I'm very new to the genre so I'm reading Gemini Cell by Myke Cole. ."

I tried Cole's first book in that series and f..."

I feel like each book in the series got better and better. I also enjoyed Gemini Cell, but Breach Zone has been my reigning favorite. Looking forward to Javelin Rain!

[Rob, Roberator]

I agree the writing has been better with each book, but my favorite of the original trilogy is Fortress Frontier. Probably because it had the most likeable protagonist of the three.

[Trike]

I bought American Craftsmen because the Kindle sample alone was better written and ten times more intriguing than Cole's book.

[Brendan]

Finished Wild Seed, which was excellent as all Octabia Butler books are. I have the rest of the series already but I'm going to take my time before coming back to it, since Doro is a rough character to spend too much time with.

City of Blades is more of the same awesomeness as City of Stairs but I do hope Bennett doesn't let readers get too comfortable, I have really high hopes for him as a writer.

[Sumant]

Here is my review of Tombs of Atuan, 2nd book in Earth sea cycle.

[Ju]

I'm also reading Remake by Connie Willis at the moment - it's a little bit similar to Radiance from the January read actually. It's my first Willis novel and I can see why people appreciate her style.

[Trike]

Remake is brilliant. [spoiler elided]

[Fresno Bob]

Trike wrote: "Christopher wrote: "I decided to try out some current military fantasy first as I'm very new to the genre so I'm reading Gemini Cell by Myke Cole. ."

I tried Cole's first book in that series and f..."

I'm a huge fan of Military SF, and I had the same reaction. I found myself constantly saying, "That's a stupid decision, why would you do that?" about the main character

[Rob, Roberator]

Yeah, Oscar Britton was my main issue with the series. Thankfully he's not the protagonist of the next two books.

[Phil]

Just finished Empire State. It had an interesting premise but I thought the ending was a mess and the characters' motivations were constantly changing and unclear.
Starting Hybrids by Robert J. Sawyer.

[Joseph]

Brendan wrote: "City of Blades is more of the same awesomeness as City of Stairs but I do hope Bennett doesn't let readers get too comfortable, I have really high hopes for him as a writer. ..."

Have you read his earlier stuff? I don't think excessive reader comfort will be a problem ...

(I'd particularly recommend
The Company Man and American Elsewhere, but they've all been good. I still have to read the two City books myself.)

[Rick]

Read Claire North's three Gameshouse novellas, The Serpent, The Thief and The Master which are quite good.

[Walter]

In the spirit of the January BotM, have begun House of Leaves.

[Rob, Roberator]

I finally got to reading Guards! Guards!. I really enjoyed it, as everyone said I would. (My Review)

[Trike]

Rob wrote: "I finally got to reading Guards! Guards!. I really enjoyed it, as everyone said I would. (My Review)"

Whistle on the post. Out of bounds. Today is February.

[John (Taloni)]

Somebody tell the Mod!

Also, Guards! Guards! is great. I have the luck to have my library have all of Discworld in ebook format. Now reading in publication order, interspersed with other books of course. 15 books to go, I'll miss it when I'm done.

[Rob, Roberator]

Trike wrote: "Rob wrote: "I finally got to reading Guards! Guards!. I really enjoyed it, as everyone said I would. (My Review)"

Whistle on the post. Out of bounds. Today is February."

I knew I forgot something...