Fantasy Aficionados discussion
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Achive
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What Are You Currently Reading?
I'm currently rereading Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow series, as it is so dense I missed or forgot a lot from the first read. Am now on Peril's Gate.I'm going to start Sanderson's book soon. I got The Way of Kings as a First Read and it isn't here yet, but I am excited to read it! I hope I like it as it's over 1000 pages.
I still don't know why I was so hyper at 5 am that particular morning, but I do know that since then I have had a dream in which Harry Potter, Cappie (from the show Greek), and I all joined a cross country running team together and at the end of practice the entire team hopped onto a San Francisco style trolley without the thing ever slowing down. I have also had a dream in which it was 2012 and nearing December 21, and I was telling my friends to calm down because the apocalypse that was supposed to happen September 5 of 2010 had been stopped by none other than me.My subconscious is a strange place.
Mistborn is making me wish I was a faster reader, though. It's so good, but I just can't keep up with where my brain wants me to be.
Just finished Dragon Keeper. Typically Robin Hobb. Only GRR Martin is better at torturing characters than she. Very different take on dragons and set in her complex world of the Rain Wilds.Will begin Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch today.
When I'm working on clearing the unpacking mess or walking, I listen to American Gods, which is a long audio in 3 parts. I'm done with a third. When I'm reading, I read the Jason Dark. American Gods is like Piers Anthony's "On A Pale Horse", in that it illustrates a theme with a bunch of snippets of surrealistic characters, absurdist situations, and symbolic references, with a central character as a glue, but the real protagonists are actually all the characters around him. Since it's easier to follow a book when it's more central, with a central character, and a central plot (set up, climax, end), it takes a lot of concentration to "get" this book.
It's a relief to break and go to the Jason Dark series, where it's simple sleuthing and action. They have a situation, they solved it, and they go home for the day. On to the next adventure.
Majkia, is Dragon Keeper set in the same world as most of Hobb's series?
Yes, it is Jason, and it picks up directly after Fool's Fate. It is centered in Bingtown and Trehaug and the Rain Wilds River.
Majkia wrote"Will begin Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch today. "This is a good book, pretty original I thought - I had no idea where the story was leading and was pleasantly surprised by the end!
I finished reading Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk yesterday. I thought it was a lot of fun and look forward to more.I started I Am Not A Serial Killer earlier today. I'm looking forward to this one, as I am already a fan of Dan Wells from Writing Excuses, the podcast he does with Brandon Sanderson.
I started The Shining Company yesterday after finishing Same Kind of Different As Me (my review). Once my daughter returns to Texas, I'll continue my in-depth re-reading of The Curse of the Mistwraith. Other books I finished this week included The Emerald storm (my review) and Power Surge (my review).
I'm waiting for my signed copy of The Way of Kings to arrive; so in the meantime I'm reading through my borrowed shelf to return books to friends who loaned them to me months ago.
Finished reread of Peril's Gate- my review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... Wish I could figure out how to do that tricky thing Jon does with links :). Am almost done listening to Kings of the Earth, a totally delightful and heart warming book; and am p. 281 of Precursor. I'm thoroughly enjoying this series.
Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Wish I could figure out how to do that tricky thing Jon does with links :)"I used a FireFox plugin/addon called BBCodeXtra so it's just a right click away.
I am looking forward to The Way of Kings, too. I need to catch up on my Sanderson reading, first, though.
I am halfway through Sailing to Sarantium
by Guy Gavriel Kay. This is the second of Kay's books that I read. I really enjoy his writing style. He has a way of describing things that really appeals to me. I plan to read all his books.
I am currently reading 33 A.D.I'm still undecided what I'm reading next
But then again I should be reading Sin Undone before the weeks out. I love those Demons LOL
This is a big release week. I bet I spend more time searching then reading LOL
Finished American Gods. One of the best novels I've read. I love it. It's a thought provoking novel that is a wonderful modern twist on the myths of the gods, while making a commentary on current society's spiritual ennui. I've become a Neil Gaiman fan. I now have two prolific writers I am a fan off, Stephen King and Neil Gaiman. I shouldn't run out of reading materials.During the moving around, the Hellhouse by Richard Matheson CDs and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss CDs got lost somewhere in the mail. Instead of waiting, I downloaded the Name of the Wind from Audible. I also downloaded Simon Green's Something from the Nightside audio. Hopefully, Hellhouse will show up sometime before I finish The Name of the Wind. It's a long audio.
For reading material, I'm going to start on HP Lovecraft's Ultimate Collection.
Had a conversation with Todd and apparently not a lot of people are aware the Mary Poppins books are more fantasy/sci-fi. Anybody ever read them? They were written in the 30s or so and now I'm thinking of digging them up.
It's funny that you should mention that. I privately e-mailed Tressa the other day that I still love to read Mary Poppins and Mrs. Piggly Wiggly now and then. I love Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz. The children's classics. My girl reads them now.
Aloha wrote: "It's funny that you should mention that. I privately e-mailed Tressa the other day that I still love to read Mary Poppins and Mrs. Piggly Wiggly now and then. I love Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and ..."I read the first ms. Piggy Wiggle as a kid but never got a round to the others. Thinking of reading them too lol.
I'm in the middle of listening to Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. The writing and the entertaining tale reminds me of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart series.I'm reading HP Lovecraft's The Ultimate Collection. It's interesting to note how the modern horror writers were influenced by him. It's also interesting to read up on Lovecraft's background and his influences, particularly writers and philosophers who focus on the destructive power of technology or about the breaking down of societal beliefs, such as Nietzsche.
I'm listening to Name of the Wind as well. This is my second time through it. The first time I read it, and this time around I'm glad that I decided to listen to the audio. I love the reader. He brings a lot of life to the story. I'm nearly done with about an hour and a half left.
The beginning reminds me of a YA fantasy. It's enjoyable but I prefer my fantasy sophisticated and edgy, like Dune. I'm still at the part where he's recounting his childhood. I'm hoping once that part is past, edgier stuff will happen.
Wait until he gets to the university. Everyone seems to question the book until then.
I just downloaded Acacia. I should be getting to it either tonight or tomorrow. Can't wait. And I hope I can get over the reader. LOL
Jason, Dick Hill is a terrific narrator. I have a problem with deep gravelly male voices as narrators. However, his voice seemed back to the way I liked it in Wilbur Smith's Egyptian series, or I got used to it. But as a narrator, he's expressive and one if the best.
Although I'm just halfway through Deadhouse Gates I started reading Acacia. At first it was a quite strange feeling, when everything was explained and the story wasn't told in a breathtaking pace. Nontheles the first expression was good and I'm looking forward to continue reading tonight.
I would agree that Dick Hill is a good narrator. That deep, gravelly voice of his makes it easy to pay attention. But, in the Audible.com preview, it sounded like he was reading a fairy tale for children, rather than the serious adult story Acacia sounds like in its description. Threw me off.
Michi, what do you think of Deadhouse Gates so far?
I've really enjoyed it so far. It's easier to get into the story than in Gardens of the Moon. Again the pace is breathtaking, Erikson wasted no time in explanations and long descriptions. What 'warrens' really are and how they work still remains a mystery.I think it's definitly better than the first book, it's what epic fantasy should be.
hush, Michi. You're going to make me move Deadhouse Gates up in my TBR pile.At the moment I'm reading Acacia. So far not overwhelmed.
that's just what Deadhouse Gates deserves ;)
I put it in my to read. It looks interesting. I'm 25% done with The Name of the Wind. Not impressed. It still sounds unsophisticated and YA to me. But I'm not done with the childhood part. I hope there will be more richness and complexity. That's why I read fantasy. I want fantastic ideas and world building.
Yeah, you're going to make me move Deadhouse Gates up in my list, too, Michi. LOL
I just finished all three books in the Mistborn series by Brian Sanderson. They were wordy and thick but they kept me going. He seems to like dissecting religion in these books. But, I was definitely left with the feeling of emergence from a morose world afterwards, he got the feelings down. I do think it will be a while before I want to read more of him though.
My Hellhouse audio finally came in after making a trip through the whole east coast. The audio is much, much better. Although I picked apart the book as trite when I was reading it, I'm entertained by the audio. Roy Porter is now on my list of great narrators. He is perfect in his voice and the way he told the story. I am really enjoying it now. It was a terrific relief from The Name of the Wind, which I am 10 hours into. The book is good, but seems like YA to me. I might have liked it years ago when I haven't read so many pulse pounding, plot twisting books. The style of writing is not as compelling as Philip Pullman's, or as jocular as J K Rowling's. Those english people really have a way with words. Jason told me that I need to go past his childhood and into when he's in school. I'm at the point where he's being admitted into the school. But I need a break from the boredom. Hellhouse is going to be great.
I'm also still reading H P Lovecraft's Ultimate collection. I am highly interested in this. Very absorbing. I even downloaded a Lovecraft tarot card set. I can ignore his racism and class snobbery. I've learned long ago to focus on the art instead of the artist. He does have offensive references to race and class in his writing, though.
Hmm..I can't get hold of September's Simon Green book from the library so I've just started another book of his The Man With the Golden Torc - I'll have to catch up another time.
I'm reading
. An interesting and unique take on angels.
I finished The Lions of al-Rassan my review. Then after debating a while decided to read something nice and normal -- murder and sexual sadism, lol - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
I finished I Am Not A Serial Killer and The Dragonbone Chair this weekend. Both were really fun to read. I look forward to reading more from each author.I'm now reading Something from the Nightside and Acacia: The War with the Mein So far I'm really enjoying Fromm the Nightside. It has an awesome noir detective feel to it. I'm struggling with Acacia, though.
I've finally gotten to some action in Acacia and it is better now. Still not in love with it, but I'm liking it better.
good to know that Acacia gets better, cause at the moment it's quite boring.
I just started the song of ice and fire series. I am about a quarter done with A Game of Thrones. So far I am not impressed. I spent the first 100 pages flipping back to previous chapters just to figure out who people were. To many characters are introduced in the beginning of the book. I have no vested interest in any of them and keep getting them confused. I am finally starting to keep some of them straight but it is still frustrating.
wow. I was hooked immediately. obviously different interests. And yes, it is confusing with so many POV characters, but it really pays off later on. Most folks, if they are hooked, get hooked at around the second Bran chapter.
Same here, Majkia - I was hooked immediately, even from the first chapter!
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Fantasy Aficionados
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*choke*