Now Reading...

[jhallum]

I am wanting to start reading a good long fantasy series book(already read Robert Jordan's books).

What do ya all think about steven erikson's series of books? Is the series worth reading? good? bad?
Thanks!

If you like Martin, you might like it. The story is more about epic events and how they relate to different groups of people more than any one person. It's very epic after the first book, World spanning trips, massive battles, horrible tragedies. It's pretty impressive how the author has kept most of it on track.

 

[jhallum]

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. It's not a sequel to the books of "The First Law", but it does include some of the same characters. I picked it up this morning, and can't seem to stop reading it.

The First Law books were good, but this was impressive. A big improvement over the First Law series.

Just started Cherie Priest -- Boneshaker. Been looking forward to this for a while. Also read the Pathfinder Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path for Dungeons and Dragons. It's a complete story in it's own right, just a story you tell with six other people. I'm really thinking about running this for some friends here in A2, so it made good reading on the plane.

 

[jaimek]

Steven Erikson is a great writer and has some of the best and most unique world-building capabilities in the genre, but I have found it very, very, VERY hard to keep track of what's going on, because there's so MUCH going on. There don't seem to be any lengthy series in progress right now that have not already been mentioned - there's Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch, who are excellent, but be prepared for very long waits.

Naomi Novik's Temeraire books have been consistently very good; each book is a Further Adventures Of with a couple of storylines carrying the whole thing forward. It's always best to start from the beginning, but you can pick up any of the books and jump right in without missing much. (It's also worth noting that Peter Jackson optioned the first Temeraire book; where that stands, I don't know.)

Robin Hobb's Assassin/Ship/Tawny books are three intertwined trilogies, and if you read nothing else of hers, at least read Assassin's Apprentice, as it's on my list of top ten books *ever* in that genre.

I also liked Greg Keyes' quad that starts with Briar King.

 

[Dogs Playing Poker]

Just started Cherie Priest -- Boneshaker.

Cherie is a long-time friend of mine. I haven't read "Boneshaker" yet, but her novels set in Chattanooga, TN are exceptional. They don't just capture the flavor of Chattanooga, they capture the flavor of my Chattanooga.

 

[Dogs Playing Poker]

"Blood Oath" by Christopher Farnsworth was just awesome.

Ditto. Loved it. It was like Hellboy crossed with Fred Saberhagen's Dracula novels. I hope that it did well enough for the series to continue.

 

[Dogs Playing Poker]

(I'll let Derek tackle the ins-and-outs of the PR genre and whether those books should be categorized under the Fantasy monicker. )

Nearly one year later, I'll tackle this with my $.02. My answer is, yes, they should be considered Fantasy, simply because they feature supernatural events. But I do think that "Category Romance" should be marketed as Romance, because its goals as a genre is different than what Fantasy fans want. It all comes down to fan expectation, and many Fantasy readers don't care much for the romance "formula."

That being said, the lines are getting blurry and you can't go by where a bookstore puts a certain author. That's the great thing about the 'net, it makes researching these things easier.

 

[DustyV]

Steven Erikson is a great writer and has some of the best and most unique world-building capabilities in the genre, but I have found it very, very, VERY hard to keep track of what's going on, because there's so MUCH going on. There don't seem to be any lengthy series in progress right now that have not already been mentioned - there's Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch, who are excellent, but be prepared for very long waits.

Naomi Novik's Temeraire books have been consistently very good; each book is a Further Adventures Of with a couple of storylines carrying the whole thing forward. It's always best to start from the beginning, but you can pick up any of the books and jump right in without missing much. (It's also worth noting that Peter Jackson optioned the first Temeraire book; where that stands, I don't know.)

Robin Hobb's Assassin/Ship/Tawny books are three intertwined trilogies, and if you read nothing else of hers, at least read Assassin's Apprentice, as it's on my list of top ten books *ever* in that genre.

I also liked Greg Keyes' quad that starts with Briar King.

Thanks Jaime! I appreciate the Steven Erikson info...

 

[DustyV]

If you like Martin, you might like it. The story is more about epic events and how they relate to different groups of people more than any one person. It's very epic after the first book, World spanning trips, massive battles, horrible tragedies. It's pretty impressive how the author has kept most of it on track.

Thanks Jhallum, much appreciated info.

 

[LunaTEKKE]

Read Stephen King's "Cell" while flying to/from Atlanta. It was a decent way to pass the time on a flight, but still nowhere near as compelling as his classic stuff. (Full disclosure: I am *still* pissed off at King over the ending to the "Dark Tower" series, so perhaps I am somewhat biased).

Now reading Gregory Maguire's "Lost". It's pretty slow so far, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for a post-PP read.

 

[BenMech]

Just got, and subsequently got done with, "Mustaine" after his book signing yesterday. While I was there, I picked up "Lords of Chaos", which I am reading now. At this rate, I'll be done with it tomorrow, ahahaha.

Thoughts about L of C? (presuming you mean the Black Metal book, and not the novel by R Jordan)

 

[Pellaz]

Speaking of black metal, that black metal documentary Until the Light Takes Us is scheduled to come out on DVD in October...finally!

 

[Yippee38]

Finished reading Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. If you liked "The First Law", you should like this book. It's set in the same world and some of the same characters are in this book.

Next up: The City & The City by China Mieville.

 

[spag]

After repeated goading, I started "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. I haven't really _done_ fantasy much in the last 20-years. Between a couple of friends hounding, and since it won a Hugo, I'll give it a chance.

 

[Pellaz]

Just finished 1634: The Baltic War and embarking immediately on 1634: The Galileo Project, as I was completely thrilled with Baltic War.

--Even if Our Heroes -did- manage to cause "some" damage to 1634 London on the way outta town......

Seriously, reading these books has really piqued my interest in the history of Denmark, Sweden (particularly King Gustav Adolph) and the Germanies of the period, as well as the France of Cardinal Richelieu. As for modern ironclads chugging down the Elbe from Magdeburg and paying an explosive visit to the defenses of Hamburg (and later, the Danish fleet blockading Luebeck)...at least they're "our" ironclads.

 

[grogg]

 

[Kimavir]

Next up: The City & The City by China Mieville.

Is she any good? I keep hearing things but haven't had the gumption to check her out.

Recently I decided to start this new thing where I'm going to read every book an Iron Maiden song is based on. I started with Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose; I recommend it so far. The horrendously slow plot is offset by really cool philosophical debates.

 

[Pellaz]

Is she any good? I keep hearing things but haven't had the gumption to check her out.

That might require a bit more gumption, depending on your meaning; China is definitively male.

I've a feeling he and I wouldn't see eye-to-eye on politics, either.

 

[Kimavir]

Whoops... not that kind of gumption! Every China I've ever met was a woman, so I guess I ASSumed.

 

[Yippee38]

Is he any good?

Yeah. I'm liking it. It's a page turner, but....
....it's short.
....it's definitely not worth $15 for a paperback
....if you don't like stories where they tell you about stuff and you go, "What? WTF is he talking about?" and then as the story goes on the exposition fills you in on that stuff, you won't like this book.
....it's more a police thriller than a fantasy novel. Yes. There are fantastic (not in a Tolkien way) elements to it though.

 

[Magius]

Glen Cook - Bleak Seasons