What Else Are You Reading - February 2019

[Fredrik]

Ruth wrote: "Fredrik wrote: “I was a bit curious about the "fantasy with guns" aspect”

Tbh I hadn’t even consciously noticed the presence of guns! If you’re interested in fantasy with guns, I suggest Guns of the Dawn."

I've read it! Or listened to the Emma Newman narrated audiobook, to be precise. Enjoyed it muchly :)

[Sheila Jean]

Fredrik wrote: "Fredrik wrote: "How is the Brian McClellan series?"

I really like the The Gods of Blood and Power series, but if you haven't read any McClellan, I'd check out the original Powder Mage Trilogy. I think you get a much better sense of what the different powers are in that world.

edit: Also, I did all of these books on Audio, which I really enjoyed.

[John (Nevets)]

Ruth wrote: "Fredrik wrote: “I was a bit curious about the "fantasy with guns" aspect”

Tbh I hadn’t even consciously noticed the presence of guns! If you’re interested in fantasy with guns, I suggest Gu..."</i>

Also [author:Brandon Sandersons The Alloy of Law series. That one is more American western meats fantasy, with guns playing into those tropes.

[Ruth]

John (Nevets) wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Fredrik wrote: “I was a bit curious about the "fantasy with guns" aspect”

Tbh I hadn’t even consciously noticed the presence of guns! If you’re interested in fantasy with guns, I sug..."

I love The Alloy of Law series too. It’s like a fantasy Western set in the world of Brandon Sanderson.

[John (Nevets)]

So I just finished listening to The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. I know others around here have read it, but I honestly don’t remember anyone else’s take on it.

Even though I normally like Scalzi’s work, I was put off by the preview chapters for this back before it was released, so it took me longer to get to it then most of his work. In the end I did enjoy it, but that was mostly despite the same issues I had with the preview. My key issue being the too contemporary dialoug. It just felt that if you were taking the time to build a far future universe with a baroque cast system, putting modern day American style dialogue in, just doesn’t fit for me. Now, I did I think figure out a bit of why he did it, but it still didn’t work for me.

The plot on the other hand was great, and I will continue to read the series for that alone. It was an unabashedly space opera, and I dug that. Also enjoyed the world building itself.

The next bit I could see running the reading experience for some, so I will spoiler tag it. (view spoiler)[ It is very obvious that this was influenced by “The Song of Ice and Fire” series, and I’m fine with that, even though for a while it seemed a bit on the nose as a take off of that set in space. But I think my enjoyment of the ending is a direct result of Scalzi setting up that expectation, and then giving us the “happy” ending. I think this only works in building tension because George R.R. Martin broke the mold allowing other stories to be told using the traditional ending, but stilll leaving that inkling of a doubt that maybe the “good” folks won’t win this time either. This worked for me, it wasn’t dark, and maybe not even realistic, but that’s not the type of story I was looking for. (hide spoiler)]

Anyway, though I’d share

[Trike]

John (Nevets) wrote: "So I just finished listening to The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. I know others around here have read it, but I honestly don’t remember anyone else’s take on it.
..."

I enjoyed it but Scalzi’s work is popcorn entertainment, so I never expect anything weighty from him. He also wrote this book in two weeks, so there’s that.

I don’t get the GRRM comparison at all. I’m not seeing any overlap there other than the generic “palace intrigue” stuff. One could compare that aspect to anything similar, from Dune to Star Wars.

[John (Taloni)]

Trike wrote: "He also wrote this book in two weeks, so there’s that."

Did he really? I hadn't heard anything like that. Do you have juicy stories to tell? I'm all ears! *checks body profile* Okay, I'm actually about 1% ears, but they are ACTIVATED!

[David H.]

Trike, that was Consuming Fire the sequel to Collapsing Empire--the Collapsing Empire was done in the normal amount of time Scalzi takes.

[Joseph]

Finished Tripoint and am starting Finity's End, the last of C.J. Cherryh's merchanter books, although certainly not the last of her Alliance-Union books.

[Trike]

David wrote: "Trike, that was Consuming Fire the sequel to Collapsing Empire--the Collapsing Empire was done in the normal amount of time Scalzi takes."

Wait, those are different books?

THEN WHY DO THEY SOUND ALIKE?!

I’d be embarrassed, but that’s on Scalzi for confusing titling.

(The sequel is the superior book. Whatever it’s called.)

[David H.]

It rhymes on purpose! He planned to name book 2 Widening Gyre originally, before enough people let him know they had no idea what a gyre was or if it was pronounced like a gyro. As far as I know, the next book is just going to be the "Last Emperox" though.

[John (Taloni)]

Oof. If we as a culture can't be trusted to recognize "widening gyre" then I fear the centre cannot hold.

[Trike]

David wrote: "It rhymes on purpose! He planned to name book 2 Widening Gyre originally, before enough people let him know they had no idea what a gyre was or if it was pronounced like a gyro. As far as I know, t..."

Number 3 should be something like Continuing Spire. Cartwheeling Quire. Caressing Pyre. Crytpkeeping Spyer.

[Joseph]

Trike wrote: "Number 3 should be something like Continuing Spire. Cartwheeling Quire. Caressing Pyre. Crytpkeeping Spyer.
..."

Compact Fryer

[John (Nevets)]

Trike wrote”I don’t get the GRRM comparison at all. I’m not seeing any overlap there other than the generic “palace intrigue” stuff. One could compare that aspect to anything similar, from Dune to Star Wars. "

Ok, I do get the Dune comparison, or even something like the Vor series, not so much Star Wars, except for it being very space opery. And agree with you that those are very much in the same vein, but I still hold to my original premise that it seemed that (view spoiler)[Scalzi played into story beats popularized recently by GRRM, but then instead of having everything go to shit, the good guys got the, at least temporary, win. And yes, prior to that popularization that wouldn’t have been notable. But post it made it more tense for me as a reader, since you actually believed the author might not go for the happy ending. And I appreciated that. Maybe it is just one of the first of these types of stories that I’ve read post SoIaF’s rise, but it just hit me better, or maybe Scalzi crafted a better story then I’m giving him credit for....Naaa. ;-) (hide spoiler)]

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

David wrote: "It rhymes on purpose! He planned to name book 2 Widening Gyre originally, before enough people let him know they had no idea what a gyre was or if it was pronounced like a gyro."

It didn't stop Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan from using it as the title for their Batman comic book.

Batman: The Widening Gyre

[Ruth]

After realising I had reached the point of making excuses not to continue reading it, I’ve decided to officially Lem Sins of Empire. It’s not a bad book, it just felt like there wasn’t anything to distinguish it from the thousands of other fantasy books out there.

Just started All Systems Red

[Trike]

Ruth wrote: "After realising I had reached the point of making excuses not to continue reading it, I’ve decided to officially Lem Sins of Empire. It’s not a bad book, it just felt like there was..."

If you don’t like it, then you don’t like it.

[Fredrik]

The Dagger and the Coin hooked me like no other series has done in a long time, and I burned through it in record time. I started The Dragon's Path in december and I finished The Spider's War - book five! - a few days ago.
I have to hope I won't be as addicted to my next reading project, or my sleep schedule will be wrecked.

[Rob, Roberator]

Dagger and coin was great..

[Iain]

Trike wrote: "Ruth wrote: "After realising I had reached the point of making excuses not to continue reading it, I’ve decided to officially Lem Sins of Empire. It’s not a bad book, it just felt l..."

And Life's too short.

[Trike]

Life’s too short to finish boring books or to fold fitted sheets.

[Trike]

I just finished The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin this morning and gott damm that was good. It is not a book I would have, nor, indeed, could have, appreciated as a younger man.

[Joel]

Rob Inglis' narration of The Tombs of Atuan is really great as well.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Trike wrote: "Life’s too short to finish boring books or to fold fitted sheets."

I got to the point in life where I decided that none of my laundry needs folding or ironing.

Yes books are supposed to be enjoyed, if it doesn't grab you then toss it.

[Keith]

If the book can jump ahead by 3500 years, I can take a while getting to it. So I'm finally reading God Emperor of Dune, aka "A Fistful of Duncan Idahos." Also finished The Sun Also Rises, which is neither sword nor laser but is definitely "what are we drinking"

[Julie]

Finished what I was working on; moved on to How Long 'til Black Future Month?. Wonderful so far.

[Elizabeth]

Trike wrote: "Life’s too short to finish boring books or to fold fitted sheets."

After ten years of marriage my husband revealed to me that he can properly fold fitted sheets, and that's when I realised I'd married a sorcerer.

[Trike]

Elizabeth wrote: "Trike wrote: "Life’s too short to finish boring books or to fold fitted sheets."

After ten years of marriage my husband revealed to me that he can properly fold fitted sheets, and that's when I re..."

Impossible! Might as well be a jackalope!

[Iain]

Trike wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Trike wrote: "Life’s too short to finish boring books or to fold fitted sheets."

After ten years of marriage my husband revealed to me that he can properly fold fitted sheets, an..."

Definitely a practitioner of the dark arts

[Maclurker]

Um. I can fold fitted sheets. I’d show you but I don’t want to attract the attention of You-Know-who.

[Rick]

Maclurker wrote: "Um. I can fold fitted sheets. I’d show you but I don’t want to attract the attention of You-Know-who."

Smart. The Many-Angled Ones are vicious and terrified of Those Who Fold.

[Mark]

Maclurker wrote: "Um. I can fold fitted sheets. I’d show you but I don’t want to attract the attention of You-Know-who."

Too late. She knows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MLE-...

[Dara]

Witchcraft. Everyone knows the only way to “fold” a fitted sheet is to roll it in a ball and hope for the best.

[Trike]

Dara wrote: "Witchcraft. Everyone knows the only way to “fold” a fitted sheet is to roll it in a ball and hope for the best."

And stick it under the cat for safekeeping.

[Joseph]

Why would you ever need to fold a fitted sheet? Let's see -- I could buy a second set of sheets for my bed, or I could spend that money on new books. Decisions, decisions ...

[Rob, Roberator]

I finally finished Witches Abroad which I started back in January on my way back from PAX. It was fun at times, but it took me along time to read something so short. I liked it better than the Rincewind books, but it may be my least favorite Witches book so far. - ★★★☆☆ - (My Review)

I also finished listening to Siege Tactics, which I enjoyed but not as much as the last book. I found it dragged a bit in places. It doesn't help that the last book focused on Rogues (which I love) and this book focused more on Paladins (which I don't). Still it's a fun series and I'll be picking up the next one just as soon as it's done. - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)

[Erik]

There was a free edition of The Time Machine audiobook narrated by Kelsey Grammer that I downloaded and finished. It's only about 3.5 hours being a short book and Grammer is perfect for it IMO.

[Misti]

I've listened to a couple of the free Audible Originals: Folsom Untold: The Strange True Story of Johnny Cash's Greatest Album and Sovereign. I liked them both. Next up on Audible is On the Shoulders of Titans.

Thinking about lemming Cloudbound. I'm just not enjoying it as much as Updraft.

[Silvana]

Still reading more short stories and novelettes from the Locus list. Recently my faves are:
Phenderson Djéli Clark's "The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington"
José Pablo Iriarte's "The Substance of My Lives, The Accidents of Our Birth"
Sarah Pinsker's "The Court Magician"
Octavia Cade's "Gone to Earth"
Octavia Cade's "We Feed the Bears of Fire and Ice" - this one is sooo good.
Bao Shu's “The Lighthouse Girl”
All are available free online.

Started reading Semiosis. 41% and it's been excellent.

[Dara]

I finished The Dead Queens Club over the weekend. I hated it. But I also think they should make it into a TVs series ASAP. My review.

Now reading Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente.

[Erik]

Started Sing, Unburied, Sing on audiobook. It's been high on my list for a bit so I'm excited to jump in.

[Robert]

Yesterday I finished The Calculating Stars. I really enjoyed it. I'd like to get to the other "Lady Astronaut" works, but I want to clear a few titles off my wish list first. One of the books on that list is Space Opera, as it happens...

[Colin]

Yesterday I finished The Burning Page, the third in the Invisible Library series. I'm still a bit on the fence about this series - good, but not great. I like the premise and the individual adventures are exciting enough, but after three books I'm not convinced by the relationships between the characters and still don't really care for the main protagonist very much.

I've just started on The Portable Door by Tom Holt - a bit of comic fantasy that comes highly recommended by a couple of my colleagues.

[Scott]

I finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone today. Now, I'm starting Slayer.

[Kev]

I'm currently reading Firefly: Big Damn Hero.

I consider myself a Browncoat, and I'm struggling with it.

It's written to be accessible to anyone, whether or not you've seen the show. That makes it a slog to get through all the lengthy descriptions and explanations to catch newcomers up enough to understand what's going on.

Hopefully, it makes enough sense and is good enough for any newcomer to create new fans.

I'll be interested to see how the other two novels are written when they're released.

[Silvana]

Finished with Semiosis. Five stars. It is powerful, compelling, refreshing and easy to read character driven hard SF, with lots and lots of alien plants and wildlife. My favorite 2018 book so far.

Starting Tigana with lowered expectation.

[Silvana]

KevBayer wrote: "I'm currently reading Firefly: Big Damn Hero.

I consider myself a Browncoat, and I'm struggling with it.

It's written to be accessible to anyone, whether or not you've seen the s..."

It was pure entertainment for me so I did not have too much expectation. Sure, it could be better. I too look forward for the Jayne POV in the next book.

[Trike]

Was Sophie's Choice just too darn upbeat for you? Do you still harbor a slight belief humanity might not be utterly horrible, merely 99% awful? Then boy-howdy is The Road for you!

[Caution: do not read while in the vicinity of cutlery, tall bridges, or traffic.]

[Dara]

Silvana wrote: "Finished with Semiosis. Five stars. It is powerful, compelling, refreshing and easy to read character driven hard SF, with lots and lots of alien plants and wildlife. My favorite 20..."

I bought that book on sale and now I'm more excited to read it.