Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion
What We've Been Reading
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What have you been reading this January, 2023?
Happy new years eve (not yet midnight here)! I'll be ringing in the new year with the Horus Heresy as I just started The Outcast Dead by Graham McNeill last night. Let's see if I can fit in enough Heresy books in 2023 to make it to book 28 (Scars).
I’m currently 260 pages into book 7, “A Crown of Swords,” in the Wheel of Time series. I started reading this series for the first time in early 2022. So I’ll be finishing this book and then jumping right into book 8! Happy New Years!!
Also, hi, I’m new here ::waves::
I still have a little less than an hour left of 2022 here, but I look forward to tomorrow to start picking out my first books of the new year!
I've got 12 books on my to-read for January, 5 of which are carryovers from last year (Lunar Chronicles related) but fairy tales is close enough to fairies for me :) But I want to start the year with the series that inspired this year's themeThe Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Ugh, I've got an omnibus version of the trilogy and wow is it heavy!
I finished Adrift, 5th volume in the Donovan series, that I continue to enjoy. I am now starting the next book, Reckoning.
I started with Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews
Started Tress of the Emerald Sea, the first of Brandon Sanderson’s secret projects from his Kickstarter.
Just started “Empire of Silence” by Christopher Ruocchio.
Whispers of Ruin by J. D. L. Rosell ... about to finish this evening.
Andy wrote: "Started Tress of the Emerald Sea, the first of Brandon Sanderson’s secret projects from his Kickstarter."How is that? Is it something you need to have read most of the other Cosmere stuff for?
Yrret wrote: "Just started “Empire of Silence” by Christopher Ruocchio."I just read that last year.
I am reading Spy Ski School and Frankly in Love, which are not SFF.
@Charlie - I’d say yes, you will need to have read some of the other Cosmere work. It’s a fun story, and does contain some info related to Cosmere, but I wouldn’t say it moved the Cosmere forward, if that’s general enough without adding spoilers
I have finished Lights Over Cloud Lake. I enjoyed it but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting - far more crime thriller than sci-fi story. In fact, the sci-fi elements are almost non-existent.I have started Against All Things Ending
I'm past halfway on Once Upon a Broken HeartI went into it blind on a recommendation only knowing that it is fantasy, and oh my is it beautifully chaotic, a seriously mixed-up fairy tale.
Finished the Sword of Shannara. I can see why some people gave it really bad reviews, if you read closely, the characters, locations, events, plot, etc is very VERY close to Lord of the Rings. On the other hand I get really annoyed at people that go "Hey that's a wizard school, so that means its a Harry Potter ripoff" even if other than the setting it's entirely different (as if HP was the first wizard school novel ever written too...). After all if no one can write a story that collects a group of misfits setting out on an epic journey to battle a dark lord just because Tolkien did it first, doesn't leave much room for more in the Epic Fantasy genre :) And Tolkien himself got ideas from older epics and folklore. Thus my decision is I did enjoy the first Shannara book, though it's hardly a top 10 or anything. And my first BINGO slot is now filled - Start a New Series
One big difference between LotR and Shannara though is the worldbuilding, I thought it was neat that Shannara is far far in our future, which finally explains how The Word and the Void books make any sense, I'd always wondered as they seemed to take place in our modern day and still be part of this high fantasy series.
But now I need to read something where the physical book doesn't weigh more than most weights in a gym (I've sat is so many weird positions trying to prop that thing up!) so continuing with the unfinished Lunar Chronicles with Fairest by Marissa Meyer
I'm back to the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell with Guardian. Holy cow, it's good. The last one didn't do much for me, so I'm tickled pink 🙂
Andrea wrote: "Finished the Sword of Shannara. I can see why some people gave it really bad reviews, if you read closely, the characters, locations, events, plot, etc is very VERY close to Lord of the Rings. On t..."Thank you for this review of the Shannara book(s).
Puts a number of other reviews about it in better perspective.
Finished Fairest, 200 pages in one day no problem, compared to Shannara where I was doing about 50 :) YA books tend to come with much larger print and are lighter reads...plus I realized that The Sword of Shannara was in facto 700+ pages long! In my omnibus it was 430 pages so explained the small font :DWell, wasn't much of a break but I'm back to hefting that massive tome again to read The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks This one can't possibly be a LotR knockoff by any stretch since that story wrapped up fully in Sword :)
On the side I've also been reading Lionors by Barbara Ferry Johnson which is so obscure that Goodreads can't find the exact title match, instead gives me The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe *head scratch* The GR search engine puzzles me to no end, like if I leave out a "the" it won't find something, but it will match Lionors with Lion, even when there is a real Lionors book out there. It's a historical novel, but since it's also Arthurian it kind of falls under fantasy (though the magic is actually stripped out and events explained through normal means). So far it's actually a pretty nice read.
Finished Ruby Fever as my first book of the year. Then read a very forgettable book that was recommended to me. Just started Nettle and Bone, and since I have enjoyed every single thing I have read by T. Kingfisher to date, I have high expectations.
I am starting this book with Empire of Exiles by Erin M Evans. Loving it so far. The worldbuilding is unique, the characters are engaging, and there is a murder mystery, conspiracy and a lot more.
Reading Storm Forge, book 4 in the Legacies of Arnan (Paige Christie)
I've read The New Wilderness by Diane Cook
This was sent to my by my Secret Santa. Good choice! https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...
I finished Reckoning, sixth book in the Donovan series. I liked that series a lot, and I hope that the author writes at least a seventh book in it. Now returning to Adrian Tchaikowsky I am starting Children of Memory.
I'm really struggling to progress in Against All Things Ending - Linden Avery is even more unlikeable than Thomas Covenant. The only reason I'm bothering is my desire to actually finish the series. I have put it aside for a while and started The Strange Cases of Rudolph Pearson: Horriplicating Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos - a series of connected Cthulhu short stories - much less depressing 😝
Tony wrote: "I'm really struggling to progress in Against All Things Ending - Linden Avery is even more unlikeable than Thomas Covenant. The only reason I'm bothering is my desire to actually fin..."Ah yes, I did the binge read of the Thomas Covenant books, when one protagonist wasn't being a jerk (Covenant did have moments where he was actually likeable) the other one took over. I don't think these books are flagged as grimdark but you've got depressing characters, and a seriously depressing world, though because it isn't flagged as grimdark there is some hope of a happy ending? If you can make it there without the reader reaching into the book and murdering the two lead characters!
Finished The Elfstones of Shannara. I am enjoying the unique worldbuilding, especially one in an epic/high fantasy novel (technically one can argue it isn't high fantasy at all...if being really technical about it) First...there really isn't that much magic, really, there is the one wizard guy and that's virtually it across the board except for some ancient leftover stuff. Second, the fantasy creatures (trolls, gnomes, dwarves)...actually aren't. They are a bit like Pern dragons, they were given the names of old Earth creatures but they aren't technically those creatures. Oddly, you've got the individual terms - trolls, men, etc - but collectively they are still referred to as human. It's weird but I kinda like it.
Whew, I can take another break from the 50 pound omnibus, and switched to A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton. At the time I started buying these I was still early in the Anita Blake series...before it became more sex than plot...given this character desperately needs to get pregnant, I'm guessing the sex will be a major feature early on :) Anyway, I have them so I'll read them and if they're not my thing, will get some extra shelf space I'm desperately in need of!
Few, after a couple months reading a page here or there I finally finished Ray Cumming's The Man Who Master Time...it was kind of a sequel of the Girl in the Golden Atom, but one character conveniently forgot he already picked up a girlfriend some the miniaturized world and picked up a new on in the future instead :D Anyway, new on my eReader is The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany
Finished A Kiss of Shadows...as expected it was sex, sex and more sex...but there was some good worldbuilding mixed up in there. And lots and lots of very pretty boys ;o)Next up is a book I won from Tor back in October. I had given up hope of receiving the giveaway but it actually arrived yesterd! Just in time for me to pick up a new book - Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Finished reading Blood Debts. Since I won that through Goodreads, I owe an all out review which I'll try to put together this weekend.*does some stretches and warm ups* Back to that massive omnibus to read The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks I may reconsider getting hardcover omnibuses in the future, they are so heavy to hold! Or I'll need to build something to prop up the book for me :o)
I'm a little more than halfway through Leviathan. I have really enjoyed both of the Lost Fleet series.
Just finished the great hunt earlier this week.. reading the 4th book in the orphan x thriller series then it will be on to the dragon reborn
I’m working on the song of the basilisk, by Patricia McKillip. It’s really good! Her writing blows me away.
Arianna wrote: "I’m working on the song of the basilisk, by Patricia McKillip. It’s really good! Her writing blows me away."I loved that one! The Book of Atrix Wolfe and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld are both great, too.
I have been reading the Alice Nestleton mysteries by Lydia Adamson. they are set in 1990s New York city. also published in the 1990s. an old series I discovered and I'm enjoying.
I'm currently working my way through "The Alchemyst" by Michael Scott. It's not the first time I've read it, but it's still a great novel with a lot of fantasy aspects in the modern world.
I finished Leviathan last night, and it was terrific. I also started another re-read of Stiger's Tigers since he has a new one coming out in June.
I have finished Part I of Against All Things Ending, which puts me not quite halfway through. Linden remains a thoroughly unpleasant main character.I have finished The Strange Cases of Rudolph Pearson: Horriplicating Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. This is a very enjoyable collection of Cthulhu short stories (which are connected) by an author I was not previously familiar with.
Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy
Books mentioned in this topic
Starman Jones (other topics)Against All Things Ending (other topics)
The Dispatcher (other topics)
Murder by Other Means (other topics)
The Strange Cases of Rudolph Pearson: Horripilating Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
GennaRose Nethercott (other topics)Terry Brooks (other topics)
M.C.A. Hogarth (other topics)
Terry J. Benton-Walker (other topics)
Lord Dunsany (other topics)
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I have started Lights Over Cloud Lake, which looks to be an alien abduction mystery.