The Books/Reading Thread

[Blurry_Dreams]

Are those Harry Dresden books worth reading?

Harry Dresden has been referred to as a male version of Anita Blake, if that helps

 

[Blurry_Dreams]

 

[Cronopio]

Currently reading this.

 

[Blurry_Dreams]

love the way this author totally acknowledges that Starfire is the most ridiculous character in DC comics and the whole book is just bending the fourth-wall with it

 

[Blurry_Dreams]

Are those Harry Dresden books worth reading?

the Anita Blake books are written in First-person, because they need to be
the first-person is used as a super-short, short-cut to world-building, and the Harry Dresden novels do the same
this is actually an really awesome thing because Jim Butcher uses first-person, as opposed to third-person, as a way of enabling each Harry Dresden novel to be a self-contained(enough) story where you can read the Harry Dresden novels in what-ever-the-fuck-order you want, (like episodes of Law-and-Order or CSI, you don't really need to watch the episodes in any specific order for each episode to make sense) even though Dresden lives in an Urban-Fantasy setting that's complex enough that making each novel a self-contained story would kinda be kinda impossible in do in third-person
Dresden being the narrator is way more snarky, way more sarcastic, and way more self-deprecating than Anita Blake and there's a whole-hell-of-a-lot more pop-culture references
this newest Dresden book is called "skin game" and doesn't even try to hide the fact that it's totally stealing it's plot from the 1971 movie with the same name, and in just the first few chapters there's a reference to Superman, he calls somebody "Alfred" in reference to Batman's butler, and when he shows up to prevent this demon woman https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Polonius_Lartessa from killing somebody, Dresden actually says "Come with me if you want to live" and just a couple dozen pages later a reference e to "the Orkin Man"
IMO
the humor is hilarious

yes
i know i just made this post sound like a freaking commercial for this book series
but only because i'm trying to trying to explain the series enough for you to figure out for yourself the answer to your question instead of just answering your question with a "yes" or a "no"

 

[Cronopio]

Thanks for the thorough reply, I appreciate it.

 

[Bloopy]

Currently reading Servo by David Goodwin. An Australian's story of working graveyard shifts at a petrol/gas station. I thought it might just be a bunch of crazy embellished tales, but it's more of an existential journey with many revelations along the way. Such as realising he cares about the freaky nighttime customers, noticing the dystopian nightmare of how a retail corporation operates, and now visiting a service station on the opposite side of the world that kinda makes it look like it's just Australia that's fucked.

 

[WorldObliteration33]

 

[Vegard Pompey]

I love the deluxe edition, it's fucking enormous

 

[WorldObliteration33]

Yeah I'm up to vol. 3 and it's amazing so far. Heard it only gets better too.

 

[TageRyche]

Check out my review of the Nolan Chase mystery A LONESOME PLACE FOR DYING via this Mystery Scene magazine link.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Currently reading...

Spoiler

This is my second Elmore Leonard book. Started last year and was a few chapters in and shit popped up so i had to out idt down. Started over again and im about halfway through and really digging the fast paced yet somewhat gritty writing from Leonard.

 

[Cronopio]

I am currently reading:

Mixed feelings so far.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Glitz was awesome. One of my favorite lines from the book ...
"anything can happen when you plant seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes"

Fiiiiinaly started The Fellowship of the Ring a few days ago and enjoying it so far. Havent really read any fantasy before but Tolkeins style of writing was kind of jarring at first but im getting used to it. Thinking about starting on one of Brandon Sandersons books next. Any recs?

 

[Slammed]

"anything can happen when you plant seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes"

I think I know where that garden is!

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

I think I know where that garden is!

 

[no country for old wainds]

Glitz was awesome. One of my favorite lines from the book ...
"anything can happen when you plant seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes"

Fiiiiinaly started The Fellowship of the Ring a few days ago and enjoying it so far. Havent really read any fantasy before but Tolkeins style of writing was kind of jarring at first but im getting used to it. Thinking about starting on one of Brandon Sandersons books next. Any recs?

my rec is to forget that pussy and read these instead



homie gets called the final boss of epic fantasy for a reason.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

my rec is to forget that pussy and read these instead

View attachment 36538

homie gets called the final boss of epic fantasy for a reason.

Yea but every rec thread ive read on any part of the internet says thats literally the last book any beginner(fantasy) should touch. By the way i picked up Gardens of the Moon years ago after you recommended it, but yeah all i keep hearing about it is pretty much "its great, but faaaar from newb friendly"

 

[WorldObliteration33]

It's pretty difficult no matter what angle you come at it from tbh. Up to Dust of Dreams and still not used to his dense writing style.

 

[no country for old wainds]

it's only difficult in the sense that it has extremely detailed lore and history and doesn't really hold your hand through it, it just throws you into the middle and you have to join a lot of dots yourself. i don't think they're hard to actually read though. there's always people posting on the reddit like 'why is this considered so difficult, it's just fun?' so i think it just depends on the kind of reader tbh. it is extremely metal in any case and full of badasses being badasses, fights between armies or powerful entities, gallows humour etc, the material itself is fairly lowbrow nerdy fantasy stuff that originated in tabletop gaming form. there is some philosophising and the like especially in later books but it isn't dry and academic or anything, just characters musing on their situations.

i'll rec something easier and shorter though that influenced erikson: glen cook's black company. basically dark/epic fantasy if it was written like a war journal (droll first person POV).

joe abercrombie's first law trilogy is also quite beloved and noob-friendly while still being pretty damn metal.