What are you reading?

[syn2083]

Recently caught up with the deadly hollows series, Kim Harrison is an excellent writer. I quite enjoy the alternate history melding fantasy to modern day. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys magic, vampires, werewolves, and demons (not really religious context at all). Its a fantastic series.

 

Going to get the final WoT book soon, kept putting off reading it, but it should be fun!

 

Recently re-read the extended version of the stand, every few years I go back to it, such a classic story. Up to date on my game of thrones, but it gets more and more tedius, he has fallen into character creep very deeply... Been a while since I read much sci-fi but I always enjoyed the old star wars books *pre yuuzan vong - found that story line kinda silly*

 

Anyway, what is everyone else reading, or excited to read these days? Always happy to learn of new series or books to read.

[ManifestedISO]

Just finished a novel by Alan Furst titled Dark Voyage ... historical fiction about a Dutch sailing captain in WW2. Well-written, but low on emotional payoff considering the setting and characters. 

 

Now I've gone back to the beginning of everything, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I'll never not enjoy getting to know Tas, and Raistlin, and everyone in the Dragonlance universe. I'm hoping Sony's teaser announcement today has something to do with Dragonlance, 'cause I am a well of enthusiasm for things that will never be: 

 

 

 

 

[syn2083]

Been a while since I read any dragonlance stuff, but awesome writing maybe i will revisit that stuff soon..

 

That'd be really sweet, but somehow I dont think it shall be..

[Leferd]

I gave up reading books. Really bad for the eyes -can lead to permanent vision damage. Also, it can pollute your brain with seditious ideas and useless trivia. Just watch tv; let the brain relax.

 

Or if I must, books on tape.

 

I'm listening to A Storm of Swords.

[syn2083]

Reminds me of Fahrenheit 451... I need another screen! All my friends have another one!

 

Oy *shudder*

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Reminds me of Fahrenheit 451... I need another screen! All my friends have another one!

 

Oy *shudder*

With multiple monitors being commonplace, that probably isn't too far off.

[Leferd]

What about Ray Bradbury?

 

...I'm aware of his work.

[Hurlshort]

I've been reading the Biography of id software, Masters of DOOM.  It's pretty interesting, a very well written biography.  Although John Carmack seems like a total jerk in it.

[syn2083]

that sounds pretty cool, ill have to check that out

[Malcador]

Carmack does seem like the stereotypical cold, technical person, so that's believable some would see him as a jerk.

[Hurlshort]

Carmack does seem like the stereotypical cold, technical person, so that's believable some would see him as a jerk.

 

Being cold and technical is one thing, but the way he moves against Tom Hall and Romero in the book are extremely sad.  It's really a long list of people he discarded on his way to the top.  

 

Now the book could be presenting the story from a biased perspective, so the truth may be very different.   

[Walsingham]

Skavenslayer, by William King.

 

If literature was comestibles, this would be a tall frosty glass of fizzy soft drink, full of dancing ice cubes and excited bubbles.

[Monte Carlo]

I am reading The Twelve Children of Paris by Tim Willocks, the sequel to The Religion.

 

I cannot recommend these highly enough. The Religion takes place during the siege of Malta in 1565. Matthias Tanhauser, ex-Janissary, merchant and all-round ass-kicker helps defend the island from the Grande Turke. In 'Twelve Children' he tries to rescue his wife during the slaughter of the Huguenots in Paris, leading to even more sixteenth century ass-kicking.

 

Tannhauser is a brilliant character - he makes the Bloody Nine from the Joe Abercrombie novels look like a mild-mannered librarian. An ex-Janissary he is a skilled killer, he is a Knight of Malta, he has strange mystical beliefs, he is a mercenary free-booter and I can hardly put the book down.

 

Willocks' prose is dense and might not be to everyone's taste but I find it mythic and appropriate to the setting. I'm also learning a fair bit about the schisms in Christianity during the period.

[melkathi]

Skavenslayer, by William King.

 

If literature was comestibles, this would be a tall frosty glass of fizzy soft drink, full of dancing ice cubes and excited bubbles.

 

It's the best of the full novel length Gotrek and Felix novels. Demonslayer is fun as well, but fromt here on it goes downhill.

The original concept of Gotrek and Felix just fit the short story format better. One or two novels it could still last, but after that it loses its charm.

 

Personally I just finished the Windup Girl. Good book.

I think the link to my opinion on it is here (if I got the right link)

[ShadySands]

Rereading Neat by Russell Zimmerman to get myself into a Shadowrun state of mind for the upcoming week

[Lord Weh]

I've been rather unsuccessfully alternating between reading Neal Asher's 'Gridlinked' and a book about blogging, 'Blog Inc.' by Joy Deangdeelert Cho. I'm not making much progress on either, but they're both really good. I need to sit down on my next day off and tackle a chunk of one. Or both.

[AGX-17]

I gave up reading books. Really bad for the eyes -can lead to permanent vision damage. Also, it can pollute your brain with seditious ideas and useless trivia. Just watch tv; let the brain relax.

 

Or if I must, books on tape.

 

I'm listening to A Storm of Swords.

I'm still laughing 10 minutes later.

 

Anyway, finally read The Road. Kind of disappointed by the ending after having read No Country for Old Men.

[Serrano]

Skavenslayer, by William King.

 

If literature was comestibles, this would be a tall frosty glass of fizzy soft drink, full of dancing ice cubes and excited bubbles.

 

You are a man of good taste. I have that whole series on my bookshelf.  

[Gorth]

Skaven never gets old. Unless you are part of the council of 13 of course. 'Grey Seer' and 'Temple of the Serpent', continuing the story of Thanquol, are worth reading if that brand of humor (the world seen from Skaven perspective) is your poison.

[WDeranged]

I just finished reading Children of Dune, though I'm a bit amused by the whole sandtrout thing I thought it was a good book, it was long but perhaps it could have been just a bit longer, Leto II's rise felt rushed compared to Paul in the first book.

[Walsingham]

I just finished reading Children of Dune, though I'm a bit amused by the whole sandtrout thing I thought it was a good book, it was long but perhaps it could have been just a bit longer, Leto II's rise felt rushed compared to Paul in the first book.

 

Towards the end it felt like someone telling you a story about one of their uncles going fishing. I'm sure Herbert found it interesting to tell. But I wanted some ****ing action, not just a sequence of events.

[Labadal]

Slowly been reading A Dance of Dragons.

 

===========================

CHARACTER SPOILERS BELOW!

===========================

 

It's better than the previous book even if it sometimes feels like a lot of it is just filler content. I do enjoy Tyrion's and Jon's parts. Reek's parts are okay, too. Bran, Dany and a few of the others are boring me to tears. Oh, forgot to mention Davos. I enjoy those chapters.

[syn2083]

His writing gets more boring the further in we go, he has so many characters and so many doing relatively nothing it gets quite boring.. stop the character creep!

[Oerwinde]

I like Jon Connington, he was the only new character I enjoyed in DoD. Quentyn Martell's story wasn't needed at all.

 

Reading Atlantis and Other Stories, a collection of Alternate History short stories by Harry Turtledove. Some are good, some not so good. The one where Bin Laden and GW get gay married was kinda funny.

Edited July 19, 2013 by Oerwinde

[Malcador]

Knocked off some more 40k books. Rather liked Angel Exterminatus if just for Perturabo's portrayal. Will take a read of that Doom book as I am curious about it, I knew Hall and Carmack fell out over design and just thought it was ego with Romero and Carmack.

 

Reading Caliban's War now. Must say the protagonists' self-righteousness is a bit tiresome, but eh, comes with the territory.