The Sword and Laser discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Are You Reading - January 2015
Alice wrote: "... Now I'm reading Fool Moon, but I find it a bit boring so I'm alternating with Watership Down.I really hope Fool Moon ge..."
It does pick up because Butcher does fun action scenes and there are more of them the farther you go but Fool Moon is probably the weakest book of the series.
Alice wrote: "I really hope Fool Moon gets better because I liked the first book, but right now I'm not so sure whether or not to continue with the series. I want to like it though."I reread the Dresden Files last year, and I had a tough time getting through Fool Moon. I will say that it only gets better starting with the 3rd book, and some of my favorite characters show up for the first time in that book. :)
I finished Nexus quickly, really liked it. I plan to continue the series but I might wait on book three.I read a bunch of Regency romances that were free through Kindle Unlimited - I love Marion Chesney/MC Beaton for the really short fun fluffy reads.
I picked up The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo a short story/novella about a Chinese/English girl in 1920s London. It was really good.
I started A Talent for War then put it aside because I wasn't in the mood - will pick it up later.
I read the first two In Death books -Naked in Death and Glory in Death - these are good and sexy, but the "SF" bits are pretty pathetic lol. But I'm there for the sexy times so who cares?
I listened to We Have Always Lived in the Castle - very creeptastic. I liked Hill House better though.
I tore right through Agatha H. and the Voice of the Castle, book 3, which just came out. I love this series! But dangit, it ended on a huge cliffhanger so now I gotta wait.
Almost finished with Midnight Riot and I'm really into this one, love it and plan to read more in the series.
Next up is Galapagos Regained: A Novel and Annihilation.
Wow, I've been a busy little reader-bee!
Just finished The Warded Man and I have mixed feelings about it - I knew nothing about it before I started reading. The first 75% of the book was great, I am a sucker for apprenticeship/school/training stories...but then it started getting all Terry Goodkind on me with the Warded Man starting to remind me of Richard Rahl. Anyone who has continued on the series - Are the rest of the books like the last 25% of book 1?Switching to something a bit irreverent and getting ready for The Rebirths of Tao by starting with The Lives of Tao.
Been meaning to check Zen Cho out Michelle - I might have read a short story by her sometime and she had a short story collection out last year with a very pretty cover.I am also looking to start Galapagos Regained soon - really enjoyed The Madonna and the Starship last year.
Let's see, since the last time I commented I finished up Blood Song - solid, looking forward to the next one, and read Shades of Milk and Honey. Light, good for fans of Jane Austen, but ended a bit too quickly for me.I just finished The Dragon's Path and sort of want to immediately continue on with the series because I really enjoyed it. (I had to do this with Joe Abercrombie about this time last year; maybe it's just winter driving me to read long epic fantasy books?) Plus, I had a little mishap with my ebook (did not realise it was bundled with an advance reading copy of Leviathan Wakes! and thought I wouldn't finish at least to the end of the month, but here I am, done...)
In the non-SFF section of my reading, I've started Command and Control, but haven't really been in the mood for non-fiction. I need to dive back in.
Sky wrote: "Just finished The Warded Man and I have mixed feelings about it - I knew nothing about it before I started reading. The first 75% of the book was great, I am a sucker for apprenticeship/school/training stories...but then it started getting all Terry Goodkind on me with the Warded Man starting to remind me of Richard Rahl. Anyone who has continued on the series - Are the rest of the books like the last 25% of book 1?"Actually, the second and third books are structured similarly to the first one. Which is a risky move, in my opinion -- by going over the same information from a different point of view, you risk losing the audience, but it kept me interested.
In the second book we see the training and upbringing of Jardir, which made me sympathize with him a bit more.
In the third we see the upbringing and training of Inevera, First Wife to Jardir. This is definitely a case of women being the deadlier of the species.
The cover of the fourth book (releasing in March) shows Renna on the cover, but I'm hoping we don't have to see her upbringing and training, too. We've seen enough of her to get the gist and I think it'd be like the Star Wars prequels.
Especially since the third book ended on a doozy of a moment. As much as I enjoyed seeing all the characters get their due time on stage, I'm ready to get on with it.
Currently 1/3 of the way through The Tropic of Serpents.Just started Pulse by Jeremy Robinson (pg. 35 of 387), which is an actioner the opposite of Brennan's book.
Just got Annihilation by Vandermeer, which I'll probably start soon.
I just started Consider Phlebas and am getting a feeling that I may have read it twenty years ago. Before I wiki it and spoil myself for no reason, can someone tell me whether it has some sort of high stakes gambling scene in the middle of it?
Alice wrote: "Finished Dune :) Such a good book!Now I'm reading Fool Moon, but I find it a bit boring so I'm alternating with Watership Down.
I really hope Fool Moon ge..."
I've been working on Storm Front forever so if Fool Moon is boring I'm stopping at the first book. I have two books in his other series that seem more down my alley.
David wrote: "I reread the Dresden Files last year, and I had a tough time getting through Fool Moon. I will say that it only gets better starting with the 3rd book, and some of my favorite characters show up for the first time in that book. :) "I've decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and keep going! So many people have told me it gets better :)
Chakara wrote: "I've been working on Storm Front forever so if Fool Moon is boring I'm stopping at the first book. I have two books in his other series that seem more down my alley. "
If you don't like the first book I doubt you'll like the second. Life's too short to waste time on books you don't like, so I think it's wise to stop, even if you'd like the later books in the series (There's probably a lot of series that you'd like from book 1)
Read an old Asimov short titled "Youth" about a first contact situation involving kids. Got it off Gutenberg.org. Apparently the copyright wasn't defended so it was fair game. The story was published in a minor mag of the day and remembered pretty much only by hardcore fans. Fans tend to have obsessive interests and in this case, a good story by a major author is saved because of that. Man, I love geeks.
Finished up Anathem. I thought it was pretty good but not as good as some of the other Stephenson books I've read. Also it felt pretty bloated but that's par for the course with him.Started reading Leviathan Wakes finally after hearing years of hype about it. Seems mediocre so far.
I finished The Broken Kingdoms over the weekend. I liked it but had some issues with the plot. My review.Now I'm reading The Deaths of Tao. I'm not really feeling it so far though. Not nearly as into as the first book.
Alan wrote: "I just started Consider Phlebas and am getting a feeling that I may have read it twenty years ago. Before I wiki it and spoil myself for no reason, can someone tell me whether it has..."It has been a number of years since I read Consider Phlebas, but that is something that I do seem to recall.
Dara - I found Deaths of Tao rough at the beginning also (view spoiler)But it does pick up and get a lot more action happening. It ends on a kind of big cliffhanger sort of - so be prepared to want the next book soon, if you finish it :)
Keep on it, I hated Fool Moon and gave it a 1, but the series gets better as it goes on and some of the later books I am giving 5s.
Aaron wrote: "Keep on it, I hated Fool Moon and gave it a 1, but the series gets better as it goes on and some of the later books I am giving 5s."Glad to hear that. I purchased Fool Moon on Audible 2 weeks ago and was getting depressed reading this thread :)
Funnily enough I am also finishing up Watership Down.
Dharmakirti wrote: "... It has been a number of years since I read Consider Phlebas, but that is something that I do seem to recall ..."Thanks for the confirmation. It's been a weird version of deja vu reading this book. I'm pretty sure I remember how it ends and after I finish a chapter I know I've read it before but can remember nothing about the plot fo the book before it happens. What's also weird is I remember disliking this book when I first read it but now I don't know if that was because of the book or just because of the mood I was in when I read it.
Just finished The Sparrow. I have to say I didn't like it very much. I generally enjoy a good philosophical/religious discussion but I found this one to be uninteresting and melodramatic.
As others have said, the characters who went on the trip acted like idiots rather than the geniuses they were supposed to be.
The most important defining characteristic of all the Jesuits seemed to be their vow of celibacy.
And the aliens seem to be of the "humans in rubber suits" variety.
This is my third 2-star S&L pick in a row. I sure hope I enjoy Annihilation more.
Starting Futures from Nature.
Will wrote: "Leviathan Wakes"Just finished with that one! I thought it was an interesting story but that's not really what I'm looking for with my SF. Will probably pass on reading other books in the series.
Finished up Foundation (the Mercedes Lackey book, not Isaac Asimov) and enjoyed it. Going to get started on The Lives of Tao at some point today.
Well after getting massively distracted by webnovels I'm back to Heir of Novron. I got like 150 pages left and it's been great so far.Then I plan on getting around to The Dwarves because one of my friends will not stop bugging me about it.
Working through Annihilation now. Also reading a lot of comics from the library: several Fables collections, a few hardcover Ultimate Fantastic Fours, a Flash book collecting the Rogues storyline, and a collection of the first twelve Ultimate X-Men. Recycling the "joining the x-men" storyline from Rogue for Wolverine, no less!
I'm 78 pages into Stephen Baxter's hard sci-fi Proxima. The chapter I just finished has quite a hook. The book even has an Ancillary Justice-like female "ship" character.
Tamahome, I read and loved Larry Niven so far back that "hard science fiction" wasn't even a term - not in common use, at least. Recently I've read and enjoyed Alastair Reynolds although I do find him highly derivative of Niven. I've been looking for more science oriented SF recently so I guess these days that's "hard science fiction." How do you think I'd like Baxter? I could use some recommendations for hard SF.
I think you'd definitely like Baxter's hard sf stuff. Proxima is kind of a return to form. He used to do the Xeelee books like Ring (I didn't finish it but I liked what I read) which was wild hard sf, but then he went through more of a mainstream period.
I keep getting sucked in to reading Baxter's stuff because his books sound like stuff I would like, but there's just something about his writing style that leaves me cold.
Lindsay wrote: "I keep getting sucked in to reading Baxter's stuff because his books sound like stuff I would like, but there's just something about his writing style that leaves me cold."Same here. Shame, really, but there are plenty of other books.
Finished up Annihilation and the bunny on bunny action of Watership Down. Just started on Fool Moon, despite the comments made here. Luckily I'm doing the Audible version and finding the narration excellent.
Started reading Green Mars to get the taste of Leviathan Wakes out of my mouth. The problem is its been so long since i read Red Mars that I don't remember who any of the characters are or what happened at the end of the last book.
Decided to finish reading Gibson's Zero History that i've stared long time ago and couldn't finish. Wanted to do this before i read his newest release The Peripheral. Cannot say i like his declination from sci-fi genre here, but his intricate and detail-packed writing style is still there. Also planning to read Season of Storms - prequel to fantasy Wiedzmin series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski (Many of you did play CD Projekt's great RPGs based on this series, right? Threequel is being released this spring and it's gonna kick Dragon Age Inquisition's ass.)
Just finished Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. It was awesome. I highly recommend that series. I am now reading Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds. I have only read Revelation Space and Century Rain by him, but I am starting to really be a fan. Chasm City has been great so far.
And I am also listening to Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It's been quite different than the normal fantasy that I read. It seems the main focus of her book is character interaction with little detail for much else. It's almost like I'm reading a Jane Austen style book set in a fantasy world. However, I have been really enjoying it. The audiobook narrator has been really good as well.
Finished The Deaths of Tao. I had some issues with it but overall, I really liked it. My review.Moving on to Annihilation for S&L.
I finished The Lives of Tao and The Way Of The Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire. I've got a goal to read more non-fiction this year, seems the best way to force myself to do it is on audio during the commute, since once I've started a good fiction novel its hard to put down and read non-fiction. Now on to Spell or High Water and How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
Tamahome wrote: "Are you a superior man now?"Oh yeah I am totally an alpha male now. One day I hope to go into beta.
I hesitated to post that I finished the book. The title alone sounds offensive, but if you read David Deida, he is more about man (or those who identify male) learning to celebrate the feminine, while embracing his/her masculinity. I think the title comes from a backlash against the purely masculine world of the 50s and the much more feminine hippy movement of the 60s. He's written or co-authored books for women/woman identifying and couples as well.
In any case, you have to take a lot of it with a grain of salt. Some of it makes a lot of sense, a lot of it is new age drivel.
In other news, I won the goodreads win a book contest for Half the World. But I think I will wait for the group read in another book club I am in to start it.
Thanks to the blizzard here (2.5 days out of work) I finished The Just City. I liked what Walton did with the gods and the robots, and I probably picked up some bonus philosophy along the way.
Sky wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "Are you a superior man now?"Oh yeah I am totally an alpha male now. One day I hope to go into beta."
LOL
I guess that's why gamma radiation made all those Marvel characters super. Two steps up from Alpha!
Joseph wrote: "Finished God's War and am moving immediately on to Infidel, both by Kameron Hurley."Ohhhh the bugs.
I'm still reading Dhalgren, made it to page 500 yesterday. Still have no idea what is going on. I also started The Scar, hoping people are right when they say I don't need to read Perdido Street Station first.
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I'm still reading Dhalgren, made it to page 500 yesterday. Still have no idea what is going on. I also started The Scar, hoping people are right when they say I don't need to read Perdido Street Station first. "Yeah and in fact I would suggest that people start with The Scar, its the most accessible (and in a weird way the most fun) of the Bas Lag novels.
Brendan wrote: "Yeah and in fact I would suggest that people start with The Scar, its the most accessible (and in a weird way the most fun) of the Bas Lag novels. ."I thought PSS had great world building, an interesting plot, and beautiful prose, but was rather long winded and could have been at least 25% shorter. I went between loving the book and hating it...Loving it when there was action, hating it when it went on for 75 pages about the laying of pipes. I was on the fence about reading The Scar. Given the above, should I give it a shot?
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The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
Gemini Cell (other topics)The Book of Strange New Things (other topics)
Lock In (other topics)
The Broken Eye (other topics)
Annihilation (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kameron Hurley (other topics)Kameron Hurley (other topics)
W.C. Bauers (other topics)
Caitlin Kittredge (other topics)
Jo Walton (other topics)
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I think you will not be disappointed :) I found each book better than the last!