Yippee38
Living the dream!
"Surrender to the Will of the Night" ended with a HUGE cliff-hanger. It's as bad as some TV show, end of season, cliff-hangers. ARGH!
Now Reading...
- Thread starter Rakosh
- Start date
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
grogg
Member
Justin G
Member
NuclearFire166
Member
It seems that the genre of literature other Power Metal fans flock to is Fantasy. For some reason I have never been able to appreciate such work. My weakness is for Science Fiction, especially Space Opera and military oriented work.
Currently I am in the last 100 pages of "When all seems lost" by William. C. Dietz, and have the next book in the series waiting.
Currently I am in the last 100 pages of "When all seems lost" by William. C. Dietz, and have the next book in the series waiting.
I just finished John Dies at the End by David Wong. It was neither as funny nor as Stephen King-like as the Amazon reviews would have me believe. I think there would have been better ways to spend my time than in finishing it.
I'm currently splitting time between the 7th Wheel of Time book and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I had placed the Sanderson book down early due to excessive time spent on descriptions of Lashing techniques, however I picked it back up when I grew tired of the WoT repetition. While I like the overall story of the WoT, I am growing frustrated by the lack of character growth, especially among the female characters. Do the women from Two Rivers ever stop being the condescending know it alls that they have been through the first 6.5 books?
Tangential thought of the day: when I first read about Lashing techniques, I had flashbacks to residency. A Lash technique in gynecology is a means of removing a large uterus vaginally that would otherwise not come out.
I'm currently splitting time between the 7th Wheel of Time book and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I had placed the Sanderson book down early due to excessive time spent on descriptions of Lashing techniques, however I picked it back up when I grew tired of the WoT repetition. While I like the overall story of the WoT, I am growing frustrated by the lack of character growth, especially among the female characters. Do the women from Two Rivers ever stop being the condescending know it alls that they have been through the first 6.5 books?
Tangential thought of the day: when I first read about Lashing techniques, I had flashbacks to residency. A Lash technique in gynecology is a means of removing a large uterus vaginally that would otherwise not come out.
Justin G
Member
If you're frustrated with the Wheel of Time series by book 7, you've got a tough road ahead. You may want to skip directly to book 11 once you finish 7. I seriously doubt you'd miss much.
I have a completion complex. I'll probably slog through the next 3.5 books for the same reason some people run marathons. Thanks for the warning that I'll be gnashing my teeth the whole time though!
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
I like both styles as well as a lot of other genres, like historical fiction (particularly Napoleonic/fighting sail), some horror/paranormal stuff, etc. I try to alternate between styles....having just finished the most recent WoT book, I'm going to read Larry Niven (hard SF) next.
"3 out of 3 people found your review useful."
Well, yes and no. In fairness to them, ultimately they will have good reason to be a bit condescending.
I don't know if I'd go QUITE that far...but I did find the online resources like http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/ very useful in recapping the last couple of books before reading the two recent Sanderson-penned ones.
People's opinions will vary, but the last two books have really made the slogging worthwhile.
Been on a reading jag and made quite a dent in my stash lately...
Recent reads:
Hammer Of The Gods by Stephen White -- can't believe I never read that...great band, great book (the 2008 updated edition).
The Black Train by Edward Lee -- sick sonuvabitch...love it!
Wheel Of Darkness by Preston & Child -- jumping back into the Pendergast novels to play catch up...was a fun cruise in this one.
The Cellar by Richard Laymon -- early material by Dick, but the beginning of his Beast House books...some creepy, disgusting fun!
Worth Dying For by Lee Child -- Reacher #15 and still going strong.
The Professional by Robert B. Parker -- Reluctantly making my way to the end of Spenser...R.I.P.
Finished just last night: The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry -- DMS #2, sequel to Patient Zero. Joe Ledger is a cross between Jason Bourne and John McClane...badass!
And...as I sit, enjoying our recent cold front, in my favorite chair in front of the fireplace with a hot cup of coffee and the smooth, crooning sounds of Candlemass, I just started One Fearful Yellow Eye by John D. MacDonald -- Travis McGee #8. I love the style, the wit, and the social commentary, plus McGee makes Spenser look like a pussy!
Happy Reading to all!
Recent reads:
Hammer Of The Gods by Stephen White -- can't believe I never read that...great band, great book (the 2008 updated edition).
The Black Train by Edward Lee -- sick sonuvabitch...love it!
Wheel Of Darkness by Preston & Child -- jumping back into the Pendergast novels to play catch up...was a fun cruise in this one.
The Cellar by Richard Laymon -- early material by Dick, but the beginning of his Beast House books...some creepy, disgusting fun!
Worth Dying For by Lee Child -- Reacher #15 and still going strong.
The Professional by Robert B. Parker -- Reluctantly making my way to the end of Spenser...R.I.P.
Finished just last night: The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry -- DMS #2, sequel to Patient Zero. Joe Ledger is a cross between Jason Bourne and John McClane...badass!
And...as I sit, enjoying our recent cold front, in my favorite chair in front of the fireplace with a hot cup of coffee and the smooth, crooning sounds of Candlemass, I just started One Fearful Yellow Eye by John D. MacDonald -- Travis McGee #8. I love the style, the wit, and the social commentary, plus McGee makes Spenser look like a pussy!
Happy Reading to all!
metalprof
Ken Luther
I recently finished The Bonehunters, by Steven Erikson - probably my favorite Malazan novel yet. It started and ended with huge battles, and he stuck with characters for longer stretches of pages than he usually does. It made it easier to read.
I'm now a bit more than 100 pages from the end of The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie. I am really liking it for the most part, but there are a few things keeping me from going completely ape over it. A couple of times I have had to completely revise how I picture a character when finally given more information about him. That's disconcerting.
** mild spoilers **
After about 300 pages of reading about Logen here and there, he finally encounters other major characters who make it clear he looks like a huge ungainly brute. I *never* got that impression from all the reading about him I had done before. It could be that I wasn't paying attention - but I never saw him as a large caveman with a Hammer Smashed Face (tm Cannibal Corpse).
Also, for as much as I think Abercrombie is giving me something nice and different in the genre, he goes and drops in a background character called "The Prophet". Ugh. This is like a prog metal band going with a tired song title like "Carry On". Oh, wait, that still happens. Ha.
Up next, I'll finish Peter F. Hamilton's Void trilogy with The Evolutionary Void.
Ken
I'm now a bit more than 100 pages from the end of The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie. I am really liking it for the most part, but there are a few things keeping me from going completely ape over it. A couple of times I have had to completely revise how I picture a character when finally given more information about him. That's disconcerting.
** mild spoilers **
After about 300 pages of reading about Logen here and there, he finally encounters other major characters who make it clear he looks like a huge ungainly brute. I *never* got that impression from all the reading about him I had done before. It could be that I wasn't paying attention - but I never saw him as a large caveman with a Hammer Smashed Face (tm Cannibal Corpse).
Also, for as much as I think Abercrombie is giving me something nice and different in the genre, he goes and drops in a background character called "The Prophet". Ugh. This is like a prog metal band going with a tired song title like "Carry On". Oh, wait, that still happens. Ha.
Up next, I'll finish Peter F. Hamilton's Void trilogy with The Evolutionary Void.
Ken
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
Finished Towers of Midnight (excellent) and broke with my usual rule: instead of going straight into some hard SF to contrast with reading a fantasy book, I read The Hedge Knight (graphic novel, George R.R. Martin et al.) since I had rediscovered it. (I remember it arriving in the mail, but then it got buried.)
Couldn't resist, what with all of the interest in the forthcoming HBO adaptation of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and this acts as a nice prequel from a time when the Targaryens still ruled at King's Landing. The gallery of heraldic coats of arms at the end was practically worth the price alone.
Couldn't resist, what with all of the interest in the forthcoming HBO adaptation of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and this acts as a nice prequel from a time when the Targaryens still ruled at King's Landing. The gallery of heraldic coats of arms at the end was practically worth the price alone.
NuclearFire166
Member
Done with all 8 of the "Legion of the Damned" books by William C. Dietz. It seems that his writing got a bit sloppy in the last two books. Sounds like "woosh" and "thrumm" are italicized and whatever little character development there was is all gone. Now instead of describing different versions of the same character with different names he just throws them into the action.
I'm going to try "House of Suns" by Alastair Reynolds next. I started reading it when in first came out, but it didn't grab me. Maybe this time I will do better with it.
I'm going to try "House of Suns" by Alastair Reynolds next. I started reading it when in first came out, but it didn't grab me. Maybe this time I will do better with it.
NuclearFire166
Member
Historical Fiction is a wonderful thing and I have a special affection for books about sailing ships, etc. as it is the genre that got me to love to read when I was a little kid. I worshiped Rafael Sabatini and H. Rider Haggard when I was in my early teens. I recently acquired a rare hardcover edition of "The Sword of Islam" and it is just as captivating for a 30 year old as it was for an 11 year old!
Justin G
Member
The Hedge Knight (short story, not the graphic novel) was my gateway to A Song of Ice and Fire. It made for a decent graphic novel.
I'm finally getting to play some catch-up with Erikson, too. I started Toll the Hounds last Christmas and got distracted with work-related reading...This year I vow to finish it!
Before that, read The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler...very good Steig Larsson-like Swedish thriller. It will be released in the US in June next year.
Before that, read The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler...very good Steig Larsson-like Swedish thriller. It will be released in the US in June next year.
The Lineup by Otto Penzler (editor). Subtitled "The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell The Inside Story Of Their Greatest Detectives", this self-explanatory subtitle indicates that this will be a refreshing change from the typical short-story compilation...cuz it's not, but rather a series of essays discussing some of the more memorable and popular characters created in modern fiction.
I'm a huge fan of Child, Connolly, Crais, and Parker, but other big names such as Bruen, Connelly, Deaver, Dexter, Harvey, Hunter, Kellerman (Faye & Jonathan), Lescroart, Lippman, Morrell, O'Connell, Pearson, Perry, Rankin, McCall-Smith and Preston & Child are featured (how's that for a tease?). Hell, Penzler's intro alone is worth the price, with his comments on the current state of the publishing industry and the fate of brick-and-mortar bookselling.
Nice to hear how some of the most beloved series' characters have come about. Good fun!
I'm a huge fan of Child, Connolly, Crais, and Parker, but other big names such as Bruen, Connelly, Deaver, Dexter, Harvey, Hunter, Kellerman (Faye & Jonathan), Lescroart, Lippman, Morrell, O'Connell, Pearson, Perry, Rankin, McCall-Smith and Preston & Child are featured (how's that for a tease?). Hell, Penzler's intro alone is worth the price, with his comments on the current state of the publishing industry and the fate of brick-and-mortar bookselling.
Nice to hear how some of the most beloved series' characters have come about. Good fun!
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series was my start-point for the genre, as it was for so many people. The best, of course, was Patrick O'Brian -- very highly recommended and considered among the finest historical novelists ever. I've been delving into a few other 'fighting sail' authors as well, like Alexander Kent and Dudley Pope.
I like it when historical authors really do their homework; you can learn so much of history that way and still enjoy a good, rollickin' story.
Woah, it's the O.P.! Come back from the grave!
Dogs Playing Poker
Classy!
- Sep 15, 2009
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I am currently reading Susan Heyboer O'Keefe's "Frankenstein's Monster," a direct sequel to Mary Shelley's novel. So far I am really enjoying it.
OrbWeaver
BECAUSE FALCONER
I am simultaneously reading Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight and Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask. I'm reading one at home, and the other at work when my kids aren't being insane and breaking shit on the unit.
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