The Books/Reading Thread

[Einherjar86]

have you read any of them? i think everyone with an interest in fantasy should at least read to the end of the third one, that's the point at which you can be 100% sure whether it's worth continuing or not.

everyone should read bakker too for that matter. those two are the kings of modern fantasy, i haven't found anything else that compares.

I read the first two books, Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates. I enjoyed the first book (agree somewhat on its amateurish quality, still a killer narrative), but for some reason the second dragged a bit for me. It could have been any number of reasons having nothing to do with the book, but toward the end I found myself losing interest. If I do give it another try I'll probably read a summary of Gardens and re-read Deadhouse in its entirety.

Also agree on Bakker being a king of modern fantasy. I got into modern fantasy through GRRM, after which most other fantasy paled in comparison. Then I found Bakker, and suddenly GRRM paled in comparison. I think Bakker is a great writer, and the Second Apocalypse narrative is epic yet simultaneously dark as hell.

 

[no country for old wainds]

yeah, i think the third one is where it stops dragging for most people. i wouldn't reread DG until you've got further into it, it's definitely better second time round once you're more familiar with the series. i love DG but it's purposefully an emotionally draining slog at times (which reflects the characters' experiences heh) and that can be difficult first time around. from MEMORIES OF ICE onward it became more of a pageturner for me.

i've only read the first trilogy from bakker, will definitely plunge into the rest at some point.

 

[Einherjar86]

I'm pretty sure you're not the only one who's told me I should finish the third book. I'll make sure it stays on the list.

I'm about halfway through The Great Ordeal, and rumors are that The Unholy Consult is coming out this year; although I follow Bakker's blog, and he had a hard drive crash a few months ago, so I'm not sure if that set him back any.

The second part of the series (which ended up being a tetralogy) hasn't been as gripping overall as the first (The White Luck Warrior was kind of a confusing letdown, I thought), but The Great Ordeal is a nice return to form.

 

[no country for old wainds]

my favourite in the series, MIDNIGHT TIDES, is actually a stand-alone prequel (until its characters converge with the malazans in later books) and could be a good alternative starting place for folks. 'tis his most accomplished piece of writing IMO.

surely a guy with bakker's experience keeps a backup somewhere lol

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

have you read any of them? i think everyone with an interest in fantasy should at least read to the end of the third one, that's the point at which you can be 100% sure whether it's worth continuing or not.

Glad to hear. I like these books but they're draining and take me a fuck of a long time to finish. Hopefully after this volume I can either commit to the whole series or gracefully back out.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i remember i read book 6 in two days. i was gonna say i haven't read anything as quickly as that since then, but the last harry potter book was released a year later and i read that in 24 hours or so to avoid spoilers lol

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

Damn son!

 

[Einherjar86]

i remember i read book 6 in two days. i was gonna say i haven't read anything as quickly as that since then, but the last harry potter book was released a year later and i read that in 24 hours or so to avoid spoilers lol

I was actually in Cambridge on study abroad when the last Harry Potter book was released. I've never read the series, but all my friends there were huge fans. All I remember of the day that book came out is wandering around by myself and drinking alone because they all sealed themselves in their rooms to avoid spoiler contamination.

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

I was actually in Cambridge on study abroad when the last Harry Potter book was released. I've never read the series, but all my friends there were huge fans. All I remember of the day that book came out is wandering around by myself and drinking alone because they all sealed themselves in their rooms to avoid spoiler contamination.

Can't wait to re-read the series myself. You better give it a go.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i read and liked the first HP back in primary school when it was completely unknown, never could've guessed what a phenomenon it was about to become.

 

[The Ozzman]

I must be the only person on Earth who hasn't read the HP book series

 

[Talos of Atmora]

I must be the only person on Earth who hasn't read the HP book series

You're better off for it, believe me.

 

[The Ozzman]

You're better off for it, believe me.

I can't use it in tweets to compare to Trump's presidency at least

https://twitter.com/imbadatlife/status/797581542814060545?lang=en

 

[Talos of Atmora]

I can't use it in tweets to compare to Trump's presidency at least

https://twitter.com/imbadatlife/status/797581542814060545?lang=en

This is why you're better off.

 

[Einherjar86]

I was actually in Cambridge on study abroad when the last Harry Potter book was released. I've never read the series, but all my friends there were huge fans.

I must be the only person on Earth who hasn't read the HP book series

 

[The Ozzman]

I dun reed gud

 

[CiG]

Purchased:

 

[Matt]

I must be the only person on Earth who hasn't read the HP book series

It's much better than the movie series, that's for sure. I read and re-read those things like crazy when I was younger.

I'm currently in need of some new material to read. Anyone reading anything cool that they'd like to recommend?

 

[Einherjar86]

I'm currently in need of some new material to read. Anyone reading anything cool that they'd like to recommend?

If you're into hardcore sci-fi, and don't mind prose reminiscent of early P.K. Dick, this book is a fucking treat. Crazy imaginative story, and the first of a trilogy.

 

[CiG]

RE: 'Fulgrim' is so breathtaking and draining in its dense epicness.
Reading the final paragraph is like coming down from a huge high, it's almost as if that whole time I wasn't breathing until now.

2nd time around reading it and I was really struck by the parallels between the way the Socratic philosophy fragmented into (what makes up the main body of Hellenistic philosophy) the 3 main philosophies of: stoicism, epicureanism and skepticism vs. the way the Emperor of Mankind as the ideal of perfection fragmented into Ferrus Manus' stoic directness, refusal to give much thought to the morrow and his attempt to simplify all thought and action as a means to expunge weakness from the potential fuzzy nuance which might dilute his strength and Fulgrim's epicurean self-indulgence and hedonistic idea that pleasure is the only good and good leads to perfection.

(Both stoicism and epicureanism of course forming the very imperfections that led to their undoing.)

Just a thought which probably makes no sense, especially without having read the book.

No idea which primarch would represent skepticism though.

Anyways, onto: