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Books
Hey guys and gals, I figured it might be cool to talk about our favorite books, recommend each other hidden gems and keep up to date with promising releases.
For starters, I'd like to let you know that I'm rooting for Science Fiction and Fantasy (big surprise) and everything in between since I've been given the Lord of the Rings as a present on my 10th birthday. Here are some of the titles I'd like to recommend to anyone with a similar taste:
Dan Simmons: The Hyperion Cantos (4 books)
My favorite Sci-Fi books. Don't be fooled by the first book, it's primarily a set up for the main story which takes place in books 2-4. There's space craft, there's AI, there's an epic love story and if you feel rather sceptic about religion, this is a great book for you.
Eliezer Yudkowsky a.k.a Less Wrong: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Yes, this is a fan fiction. But please hear me out: This is probably the best book I've ever read. The basic question of the book is what Harry Potter would have acted like if he was a (very) intelligent, grown up, modern person. At times it's hillarious, all of it is exciting, and last but not least: it's free. You can read or download the book at www.hpmor.com - I actually went to the lenghts of taking this to a copy shop and having it bound for 80 € because it is so, so great.
David Mack - Dark Arts series (currently 3 books)
This is another series about magicians, but with an interesting twist to the usual pattern: the magicians are yoking demons to perform magic for them. The storys of the first and the second book are taking place during the Second Wolrd War with magic users on both sides. It's way darker than HP in all kind of ways. A good example is the yoking of demons which is mentally exhausting to the point that all major magic users are addicted to alcohol, cocaine or other drugs because they'd lose their mind otherwise.
Terry Goodkind - The Sword of Truth series (main plot ends after book 11)
One of my favorite fantasy series, The Sword of Truth is a great story about ethics and morale, set in a world full of magic and magical creatures. It has its lengths but never lost its relevance for me, since it colorfully describes what happens if narrowminded, intolerant people gain the upper hand with the help of a very powerful leader. This is adult material as well - there's quite some cruelty and while the sex scenes themselves are scarce and not detailed at all, the teasing which leads to them certainly isn't.
[In my personal opinion, you should start with "Wizard's first rule" and most importantly stop after "Confessor". All the other sequels were just an attempt to milk the cow to death.]
I have chosen to showcase those 4 because my other favorites are rather well known and don't need to be promoted very much imho. Among them are the "Foundation" series by Asimov, the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card, "The Forever War" by Haldeman and "The Parafaith War" by Modesitt Jr.
High places on my next to read list are taken by "To sleep in a sea of stars" by Paolini and "The Name of the Wind" by Rothfuss (if he ever manages to finish book 3 of the series). I am entertaining the thought to try Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series for a third (or fourth?) time. I've never managed to get past book 4 because he's all about character development and I prefer faster plots.
What are your favorites? Is there anything you'd like to advertice in particular? Something you're looking forward to? Please tell!
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Hey guys and gals, I figured it might be cool to talk about our favorite books, recommend each other hidden gems and keep up to date with promising releases.
For starters, I'd like to let you know that I'm rooting for Science Fiction and Fantasy (big surprise) and everything in between since I've been given the Lord of the Rings as a present on my 10th birthday. Here are some of the titles I'd like to recommend to anyone with a similar taste:
Dan Simmons: The Hyperion Cantos (4 books)
My favorite Sci-Fi books. Don't be fooled by the first book, it's primarily a set up for the main story which takes place in books 2-4. There's space craft, there's AI, there's an epic love story and if you feel rather sceptic about religion, this is a great book for you.
Eliezer Yudkowsky a.k.a Less Wrong: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Yes, this is a fan fiction. But please hear me out: This is probably the best book I've ever read. The basic question of the book is what Harry Potter would have acted like if he was a (very) intelligent, grown up, modern person. At times it's hillarious, all of it is exciting, and last but not least: it's free. You can read or download the book at www.hpmor.com - I actually went to the lenghts of taking this to a copy shop and having it bound for 80 € because it is so, so great.
David Mack - Dark Arts series (currently 3 books)
This is another series about magicians, but with an interesting twist to the usual pattern: the magicians are yoking demons to perform magic for them. The storys of the first and the second book are taking place during the Second Wolrd War with magic users on both sides. It's way darker than HP in all kind of ways. A good example is the yoking of demons which is mentally exhausting to the point that all major magic users are addicted to alcohol, cocaine or other drugs because they'd lose their mind otherwise.
Terry Goodkind - The Sword of Truth series (main plot ends after book 11)
One of my favorite fantasy series, The Sword of Truth is a great story about ethics and morale, set in a world full of magic and magical creatures. It has its lengths but never lost its relevance for me, since it colorfully describes what happens if narrowminded, intolerant people gain the upper hand with the help of a very powerful leader. This is adult material as well - there's quite some cruelty and while the sex scenes themselves are scarce and not detailed at all, the teasing which leads to them certainly isn't.
[In my personal opinion, you should start with "Wizard's first rule" and most importantly stop after "Confessor". All the other sequels were just an attempt to milk the cow to death.]
I have chosen to showcase those 4 because my other favorites are rather well known and don't need to be promoted very much imho. Among them are the "Foundation" series by Asimov, the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card, "The Forever War" by Haldeman and "The Parafaith War" by Modesitt Jr.
High places on my next to read list are taken by "To sleep in a sea of stars" by Paolini and "The Name of the Wind" by Rothfuss (if he ever manages to finish book 3 of the series). I am entertaining the thought to try Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series for a third (or fourth?) time. I've never managed to get past book 4 because he's all about character development and I prefer faster plots.
What are your favorites? Is there anything you'd like to advertice in particular? Something you're looking forward to? Please tell!
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
You may like Ian Tregillis - Milkweed Triptych Series sci fi trilogy, where the nazi discovered how to create superhuman soldiers during WW2 and the british had only one chance how to fight back - starting to summon demons. The three book are closed, very dark and very sofisticated.
-=alfi=-
Thanks, that sounds very interesting. Closed has become a hard criterion for me. What are your favorites?
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
I don't read a whole lot, and usually I don't finish books when I start them. But I have read The Hobbit all the way through at least five times. It is exactly the kind of fantasy I love. All of the characters are very well thought out, the adventure is fun and exciting, Bilbo is just awesome. If you haven't read The Hobbit yet, then stop reading whatever it is you are reading now and start reading it. Personally, I think it is better than The Lord of the Rings.
Carrion, my wayward grub.
You missed the most important book of all.
Twitch for those of you who care.
Personally I think there's a few too many dwarves in The Hobbit, which is my one gripe with the book. You could probably cut out 3 or 4 of them and do no real harm to the story. Regardless, I am a big fan of Tolkien's books, and I appreciate everything from the The Hobbit to the much more dense The Silmarillion.
The latter is a brilliant read if you're a big fantasy lore nerd, and probably frightfully dull and difficult to follow otherwise. I recommend it to anyone who liked Lord of the Rings if they haven't (tried to) read it already, especially as there's a lot in LotR that is mentioned in passing but only explained in The Silmarillion.
I highly enjoyed Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, but you are absolutely right that it is a sprawling story (the entire saga is 13 extremely large books). If you have the means, I recommend listening to the audio book version -- Michael Kramer and Kate Reading do a fantastic job, and its carried by many local libraries.
Other standout recommendations:
I'm very keen on art books, I got Art and Arcana, a visual history of Dungeons and Dragons last week that I need to find time to sit down and read.
I also recently got the art of Diablo, and one of Bruce Timm's latest books of pinup drawings.
There were three book series that really shaped me as a kid, all three of which are some form of sci-fi and/or fantasy:
I’m sure some of you haveread these, but my favourite fantasy series of all time are
The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
and The Belgariad by David Eddings
Everything else recommended here is also really good - at least that I’ve read... hopefully this thread blows up so I can find more stuff to read :)
:)
I would add from newer books my suggestions:
Joe Abercrombie - basically anything from him. He wrote a First law dark fantasy trilogy with some solitary books from the same world (The Heroes and Red Country being my favourites).
Red Country is fantasy western, where a big scarred old man named Lamb needs to save a kidnapped girl.. and you can guess, that before he become Lamb he was not the peaceful type.
The Heroes is a book about one battle with very interesting twist. Each chapter have one main character, who is killed in the battle and the next chapter continues the story with his killer... who is killed by the end of chapter... and so on. Bloody but very well written book.
And I love his Half a ... trilogy (Half a king, Half a world, Half a war), very dark and realistic viking.. postapo?
-=alfi=-
Thanks a lot! I've added the Ender's Shadow and the First Law series to my wish list for the time being. So much to read, so little time.
I cannot stress enough how great hpmor is - just try the first chapter, it's free and only two clicks away ;-)
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
I feel obliged to recommend Pratchett in any book related discussion.
Always a fun read. Currently making my way through The science of discworld for the third, maybe fourth time.
This post is discussing the wild format.
Granted the following advice might not be as applicable in the current state of the world, but before the pandemic I made huge progress with my reading lists by downloading free audio books from my local library and then listening to them on my daily commute. It's only 30 minutes round trip, but being able to do that every single work day really adds up over time. I can clear even massive novels in 2 months, which is really good when you consider that that commute time was otherwise "going to waste".
If you want to look into that, try downloading either Overdrive or Libby to your phone and then look up your local library. Hoopla Digital is the other great online repository, but I think its fees are more expensive so fewer libraries participate.
Short update:
The Ender's Shadow series by Orson Scott Card was a great read, thank you for your suggestion, linkblade! For everyone interested, linkblade's summary of "political sci-fi thrillers" fits like a glove.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Paolini is one monster of a book. I'm grateful they didn't decide to split it up in several volumes, even though the 900+ pages were hard to handle sometimes. I've very much enjoyed the book, it's of similar quality as Eragon was back in the day but with a Sci-Fi setting. There's at least one direct crossover gem included and several patterns Paolini revisits in a different style.
I'm currently about 200 pages deep into the First Law trilogy by Abercrombie which I like very much. Thanks for the recommendation, Alfi!
The newest additons to my wishlist are The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, a classic by Robert A. Heinlein and The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins which sounds a bit crazy.
Any news from your side? What was your last book? Did you like it? Is there anything coming up you're looking forward to?
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
Do comic books count?
If so, then I'd suggest Blacksad, one of the most successful european comics of the last two decades. It's a classic noir series: 1940s/50s America, private detective, and all that good old crime stuff. Juan Diaz Canales' writing is pretty good, but the real reason you'd want these books are Juanjo Guarnido's illustrations. His characters are just so full of life and expression, and he's a master at painting with watercolor!
ArtStation | Twitter
@anchorm4n I recently read To Sleep in a Sea of Stars too and it's probably my favourite book of all time. The level of depth is just amazing. I can't wait for Paoloni's next book :)
Disclaimer: if the above is factually incorrect or complete rubbish it is definitely both intentional and comedy genius.
The Horus Heresy, especially the first four books: Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames, and The Flight of the Eisenstein.
You can also read the other 48 books of the series, but those 4 are the starters in a big... BIG universe that's Warhammer 40k.
My personal favourite is the trilogy of Fabius Bile: Primogenitor, Clonelord, Manflayer.
Papa Nurgle wants to share his gifts.
Just to add, all characters are anthropomorphic characters - animals, with each character having a character you assiociate with an animal - so the detective is black panter, informant is a rat, etc.
-=alfi=-
Thanks to Alfi again for recommending the First Law trilogy, it was a great read. The ending was especially interesting and reminded me a bit of Eragon - it felt a little disappointing at first, but when you think about it, anything else wouldn't have fit the characters at all.
Right now I'm halfway through The Warded Man, first volume of the 5 book Demon Cycle series by Peter V. Brett. It's a super exciting read with a very interesting setting. In short, Demons come up from the Core every night and humankind has no chance but to hide behind wards in their homes. When one of those fails, they get slaughtered. The protagonist(s) grow(s) up in that world and begin(s) to question certain behavioural patterns of their elders. It's one of those books I just can't stop reading.
If you haven't tried yet, I also can't help but repeat my recommendation of To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars by Paolini.
What are you reading at the moment?
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
Second and third books are like a totally different series, which although makes you scratch your head, are really good books! I ended preferring the books than the second and third games.
Anybody read the "World of Watches" series, by Sergei Lukyanenko?
I just finished the last book, and got to say... Wow.
Really well explained story, incredible ambiance, really cool characters, and as almost everything in Russian novels, a lot of philosophical and political background.
If anyone wants to read a mix of sci-fi/fantasy they are really good.
Papa Nurgle wants to share his gifts.
Well, I don't like to read at all. But in childhood, when the father forced me to read some books, I finded a "The Stainless Steel Rat" series of sci-fi novels by Harry Harrison. Books tell about life of James Bolivar diGriz. He goes by many aliases, including "Slippery Jim" and "The Stainless Steel Rat". He is a futuristic con man, thief, and all-round rascal. I read them in one breath.
Now going to read Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality...
I'm not currently reading anything right now, but I have a question for you guys. How many of you here know about this book?
Gonna recommend The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson of course. The books all start off really slowly but have great pay offs at the end
This ain't no place for a hero
@doingtheobvious: Thanks for the recommendation of Earth Abides, I've bookmarked that one
@Fedrion: I didn't like the first Watch movie very much, is that an indicator for the books?
@R: I hope you enjoy hpmor as much as I did, have fun!
@Demonxz95: Had not heard about it yet, the descriptions I've seen so far a pretty vague. What is it about? Would you recommend it?
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
If you like World of Warcraft or other MMORPGs try The Way of Shaman series by Vasily Mahanenko (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25342750-survival-quest)
The genre is LitRPG - Literature RPG, and basically this is a science fiction book about a guy, who is forced to play an RPG in virtual reality. Great fun, starting from level 1 as a Shaman Jeweller and working his way up until owning his own guild.
I really love this style - this really is like watching a very good twitch gameplay, reading about a shaman who is for example as a low level charecter grinding killing rats to get a +2 pickaxe instead of his regular one and using the knowledge of game to get a faster leveling experience.
Highly recommend.
-=alfi=-
Great books and the author should finish the first cycle in 2023 (he plans to write two cycles of 5 books each roughly 1000 pages). But I would recommend basically anything from Brandon Sanderson.
-=alfi=-
It's kinda hard to explain without spoiling a lot of it, but (and I'm going to try here) the book's main themes are about love of education and love of life. It's about a boy named Milo who feels constantly bored all the time. One day he finds a mysterious package shipped to him containing a map and a tollbooth. This leads to him going on a grand adventure through the lands in his map in which he learns to love the life that previously bored him.
It's a very interesting book that I loved as a kid (which is tough for me because I tend to not like very many books). Even though it's often classified as a "children's book", it's arguably just as relevant and thought-provoking to read as an adult.
The movie tries to summarize 3 different stories and mixes the plot on which it should be based a lot... a shame, because I personally really liked both of them.
To be more direct, no, they are nothing like the movies. The books are better 100%.
Papa Nurgle wants to share his gifts.
I like Isaac Asimov and his novel Academy, also Stanislav Lem and Charles Bukovsky
I'm reading The Witcher Saga right now. There are eight books in it. On the game.
I read the book The Richest Man in Babylon today. A friend gave me this book with a request to read it. Actually this book is a great instruction on how you can save money.
Hi folks! Just found this thread (again, lol). I'm not currently reading any books but I would love to start again.
My issue with most of them is how long they are and the abundance of useless sections. I've tried reading The Foundation in the past, but it got boring after some hundreds of pages. If the essential action could be put together, i would gladly read it and have fun doing it. I simply don't have the desire/time to skim through pages to search for 1-2 paragraphs that evolve the main plot or such.
So, this is my question to you guys: what do you recommend that is action-packed and having very few filler/useless sections?
I know i've read quite a bit of short stories (few dozen pages at most) on the web and really enjoyed them. Are there any real books that are even close to this in terms of plot presentation?
As for the genre, i love sci-fi, post-apocaliptics, fantasy, magic stuff, nazis, anything out of the ordinary really.
Thanks!
Hmmm... I'd say hpmor.com is pretty fast paced :)
I'm also currently reading the 5 books Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett which is just awesome. There are some cutbacks now and then to explain the protagonists' origins as well as slower parts where changes in society take place, but it never gets boring, there's always some action going on. Big recommendation for everyone who likes to read magical fantasy away from the usual spell casting stuff.
Next in line, I've finally given in and gifted myself with the Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear. A colleague convinced me it was worth it to read them even without much hope for the last volume to be released soon.
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
I should take a picture of my shelf: there's a stack of Firefly books just sitting there collecting dust. Somebody ought to read them lel
Cru, if you're looking to try something without much filler, try a book of short stories, like Neil Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples.
I've also enjoyed Tolkien and the Pullman series mentioned above.
For those of you who enjoy sci-fi, I recommend The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K LeGuin. Parts of that book wandered around my brain for months after reading it.
Other books that lingered (in a good way) include:
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern (I could smell these scenes, the writing is that perfect)
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas (this book may be old, but boring it is not!)
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman (the movie is fun, and the book is a whole nother level)
Winter is a great time for reading, thanks for all the recommendations. Will be lining them up against what my local library has available at the moment.
The last my book was Flowers for Algernon. The book is written in the diary genre. It is easy to read, in one breath. Affects very subtle levels of the human psyche. Things are rising that many of us have thought and are thinking about ... I was surprised in one place by the description of the hero, which looks like he is in a meditative state: the body expands, merges almost with the universe, etc. I liked the book very much, because I am very interested in the psychology of the human soul and this kind of work: the description of the sensations of the most experimented is amazing and unusual.
I can't believe I've never saw this topic before, hahaha.
I've been reading a lot of sci fi and fantasy lately and there are some I'd really like to reccomend.
- Baudolino, by Umberto Eco; Baudolino, a peasant-born boy, has a gift for learning languages and telling lies, and these talents made him "create" some of the most powerful motifs of the Medieval Era, like the Holy Grail, Presbyter Johannes etc.;
- "Tigana", by Guy-Gavriel Kay: a fantasy clearly inspired by the principles exposed by Machiavel in "The Prince";
- "The Girl With All the Gifts", by M. R. Carey (there's a prequel, The Boy on the Bridge, but I didn't read it yet): zombie apocapypse sci fi never was a favorite of mine, but this book is amazing;
- the "Temeraire" series (9 books, closed), by Naomi Novik: imagine the Napoleonic Wars, add dragons to the plot and voilà!
- "Gather the Daughters", Jenny Melamed: in my opinion this one makes "The Handmaid's Tale" weep in silence in a dark corner.
Nice to see the thread alive and kickin!
I can second the recommendation of The Girl With All The Gifts, it's a very original take on the zombie genre with a very cool ending. I think they even made a movie based on the book but I haven't seen that one yet.
I've finished The Demon Cycle by Brett which I can't recommend enough. Rarely a series managed to increase in complexity so much without it feeling forced like this one did. Next in line is The Name of the Wind which has been waiting for its turn for far too long already.
For my fellow Sci-Fi lovers: Don't miss out on Paolini's To Sleep in a Sea of Stars!
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
I've read The Name of the Wind and the second book, The Wise Man's Fear, twice through. The story is very good. I have literally no idea how he can finish the series in one more book. Maybe he also has no idea how he can do that, so maybe that's why it's taking so long for the third book to arrive.
Realistically, there should be a book 3 to finish the backstory, and then there should be a book 4 to continue the plot in the "present" time. (The books are written as a man telling his own past story .. but they also include some small chunks of what is happening in the "present" as well. Book 1 is Day 1 of him telling his story. Book 2 is Day 2 of the story telling. Book 3 will be Day 3, and he promised 3 days. But there could easily be a book 4 that breaks out of the story-telling about the past and moves forward with the present, into the future.)
Got around to reading the Firefly books I mentioned eight months ago: had them for when work laid me up. Now I'm just waiting on the third book of the His Dark Materials sequel trilogy to arrive.
I just finished Timefulness, by M Bjornerud, and it was well worth the hours. Part geology textbook, part meditation on the human relationship with time, and plenty entertaining.
Linkblade, I thought His Dark Materials was pretty great (so much better than any of the TV/film adaptations), though the third one was not the strongest of the set. Curious to hear what you think.
I love reading Remark. I enjoyed all of his books incredibly.
I can agree with that assessment: The Amber Spyglass fridges Lyra for a bit, which is annoying, and possibly spends too much time with Mary (in my opinion). It's not bad at all...it's just not as good as the first two.
Still, I am excited to see how HBO tackles the last book; premiere is December 5th! Only 8 episodes, but at least we'll get to see the ending. I was worried Covid had derailed that opportunity completely D:
Sorry I never responded to your comment sooner!
Have to reccommend: "Child 44" from Tom Rob Smith, it is a really good book in my opinion and it does not get as much love as it should (at least from hispanic culture). It is about an investigation on Child murders set in the Soviet Union.
While recommending this, I found out it is part of a Trilogy involving the same main character but more in the "Dan Brown" or "Agatha Christie" way rather than "J.K. Rowling" with Harry Potter, or more serialised books.
Also there is a movie made about it, but I have not seen it, so I can´t comment on it.
Also, "Funny Dirty Little War" by Osvaldo Soriano is really good, it packs some irony and black humor, and perfectly explains Argentina´s political landscape and civil conflicts during the 70's. It is a really interesting and light read.
Also took some recommendations from this post and have to thank you as the ones I read were great :D
Lemushki - The one and only since the 2006 rebranding.
The Kingkiller Chronicles have been just as great as everyone told me they were. Fingers crossed the author will release book 3 one day.
Recently I've overcome a (very minor) childhood trauma: Dune. I saw the 90's movie when I defintely wasn't old enough for it and while it wasn't gorey or scary per se, the worms creeped me out majorly at the time. Somehow this kept me from reading the series even years later when I discovered my love for SciFi books... But now I very much enjoyed the new movie and finally got the books as well. Volume 1 has been a blast so far. It's fast paced and easy to read but still has its philosophical insights. Lots of sociology and psychology in there as well, in that regard it kinda reminds me of the Ender's Game series (books 2-4). I'm very much looking forward to exploring where the story goes :))
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
probably a well-known fan-favorite apart from fantasy, but I dig any medical thriller that Tess Gerritsen writes. with her medical background, it's always bound to get bloody and gory right into the details of the murders, but hell, she's creative with her stories. super +1 recommendation for crime gore fans! :)
Oh, anchorm4n, I can totally relate to the childhood monster fears, but it was Jaws for me. I can't even enjoy a Shark Week thanks to seeing that movie when I was too young.
Do I recall that you are a Tolkien fan? What did you think about the new Amazon series?
And to get myself back on the books topic, I finished The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, and it is every bit as good as all the book club ladies in your life say that it is.
Sorry to hear that, now I'm even more grateful it wasn't that bad for me so I can enjoy the new movies and the books now.
I indeed am a Tolkien fan but I've skipped on the new series so far because 1) my wife isn't into it and 2) I don't like starting unfinished series. Did you watch and enjoy it?
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
I did watch Rings of Power, and it had some highlights for sure. Elven cities! Hobbit songs!
My spouse made the unilateral decision that we would watch it (he got at least one "you un-cancelled our Prime subscription for ~THIS~?!?!??" out of me) but by the halfway point I was on board.
The timeline is jolting and jarring, though, and there are definitely some bits that feel like they exist to meet a fight scene quota.
Your concern about an unfinished series is a very reasonable one. While season 1 does not end on a cliffhanger, it's very much setting up the next chapter. Which will arrive first: Rings of Power season 2 or GRRM's The Winds of Winter?
1. Liao Yiwu // For a Song and a Hundred Songs
2. Yu Hua // Brothers
3. James Clavell / Tai Pan
“What monstrosities would walk the streets,
were people's faces as unfinished as their minds."
Just finished "All the birds in the sky" by Charlie Jane Anders (Winner of the 2017 Nebula Award, Finalist for the 2017 Hugo Award). It's kind of a dystopian Fantasy / Sci-Fi mix that takes a little too long to build up but gets better (that is more exciting) in the second half. I would have liked it to be somewhat more flashy about the magic and the science but the way it is written certainly feels quite realistic (if you can accept magic being a thing in the first place, that is). The main characters are studied closely and there's some romance going on as well. I'd rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars, it was a nice relaxing read of 320 sites.
I think I'll continue with the stormlight archives part 3 next. What are you guys and gals reading these days? Any hidden Sci-Fi gems I haven't heard of yet?
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
@anchorm4n
Stormlight is a VERY good series. Kaladin is probably my favorite hero figure from any book series ever. No joke. He just IS the hero. Even when he doesn't want to be, he is THE hero. He gets the most incredible moments.
As far as Scifi you might not know about - are you familiar with Timothy Zahn? One of my favorites by him is the Quadrail Series (5 books, starting with "Night Train to Rigel"). It's a sort of "film noir" type of series - dark mystery, detective, hidden secrets that could destroy the galaxy - that sort of thing.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have a look at it! Mystery / detective usually isn't down my alley but you got me at potential destruction of the galaxy :D
Kaladin is a cool hero and I'm looking forward to seeing his character develop now he's embraced being a knight and no longer sulking and suffering. That got a bit too much for my taste to be honest.
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
You might need to have a little more patience with him - he's not entirely done with his sulking. But by the end of book 4, it has become more clear the biggest reason why he has been so depressed - and it gets resolved.
Hopefully that's not a spoiler. I was as vague as possible, to say what I wanted to say.
Thanks for the hint! I'm really looking forward to diving back into the story. I've decided to skip through book 1 and 2 to refresh my memory before I start the third volume and I've spent like 2 hours + with the first one alone! There's just so much going on, so many cool scenes I wanted to revisit :-)
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
Just bought the ebook Steve Frech - Dark Hollows, in dutch though.
the title doesn't match lol, in dutch it's " ik kan niet slapen" (I cannot sleep).
How they came up with that....
Now gotta find some time to read it haha
I'm not online
it's just your imagination
So after having finished Stormlight 3 (awesome!!) I got a very cool surprise in the form of hardcover copies of the Skyward series as my Christmas presents! Guess I'm a Sanderson fanboy now :D And what can I say - I've finished the first volume in only 3 days! It's way easier to read and way more fast paced than Stormlight which is totally fine for me. I generally like switching between Sci-Fi and Fantasy as well as slower and faster plots and those two series really hit the sweet spot for me. Big recommendation!
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
I read The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia C Wrede, and those are some charming books, y'all. Dragon politics, wizard scheming, and magic swords tumbled together in a fairytale setting. These books are written for young people, so a very nice choice to read with your nieces/nephews/etc and then chat about later.
I'm also continuing to enjoy a wander through Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. Here's to many interesting books in 2024!
I'll admit I haven't done much in the way of reading lately, but in the interest of contributing I will share that "What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers To Absurd Hypothetical Questions" is a great read. And the first one too, of course. It's by Randall Munroe, the guy behind the "xkcd" website (which has amusing jokes, diagrams, and scenarios, as well; updated three times a week).
If you enjoy his brand of learning-through-humor, he also wrote "How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems". I have all three: they are quite fun and funny, and hey, you just might learn something! Something useless, but still...something lol.
You can get all three in hardcover on Amazon for like $46 total.
Recently been reading through the Silo Series by Hugh Howey and it's been really good. Haven't gotten much into the third book since I just got it today, but read the first two in like, 3~ days and couldn't put them down for the life of me. Lots of suspense, great world building, unique world, big recommend if you are a fan of like, sci-fi/dystopian. It's also being turned into a TV show but don't know anything about it.
Also got around to reading the newest book from Sylvain Neuvel, 'For the First Time, Again' and it's a pretty weird situation. It's the classic "3rd book in a series that ended pretty well in the 2nd book" situation, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I can never tell if I love Neuvel's stuff because it's genuinely really good or if it's just because he somehow became my comfort author, but both I enjoyed both the Themis Files and the "Take Them to the Stars" quite a bit. More standard Sci-Fi stuff, though bit of alternate history mixed in and a whole lot more grounded compared to Silo.
Oh and on a completely different angle, recently also finished 'The Elephant Vanishes' by Haruki Murakami. I don't understand this guys writing and why its so enthralling because, to put it simply, he talks about the most painfully mundane stuff imaginable but at the same time you just cannot put it down. Its a collection of a bunch of short stories that are all really nice, but I don't think I can ever like explain them in a way that does his writing style justice. For example
Cardboard wizard and dog haver.
I've finished the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson yesterday and it ended up landing somewhere among my all time top 5, maybe even top 3. Book 1 and 2 are exciting, fast paced, creative and just a ton of fun all around. Book 3 was some tedious but necessary character building. Book 4 just completely blew me away. I've sweated through my clothes, I've laughed out loud, I've cried, I got engaged with the story like I rarely do. Big big recommendation for anyone who likes Science Fiction and / or YA.
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
While Stormlight 4 still sits in my reading corner waiting to be started in time for the expected release of book 5 later this year, I haven't had the stomach for such a heavy and deep saga lately. Instead, I've picked up The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers on a flea market. It's what I'd call a modern fairy tale, lots of fantastic creatures with one of them going on a big adventure. It celebrates reading and writing and shows the author's love for his craft. The story itself isn't the most impressive I've ever read, but I've really enjoyed it nonetheless. Light reading with some humor, excitement and lots of love for books. 4/5 stars from me.
Up next has come a book that has been sitting on my to read list for a very long time: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. I'm about halfway through after less than a week and so far it has been a blast to read. It's a little gore-y at times, but that actually fits the characters and the violence that is happening makes sense in the context of the story. What I like the most about it is that I get the impression that the author has really put his heart into this, it's almost like watching Jack Black in School of Rock - you can feel the joy it brings to the artist and that transfers to me, the reader. I'm really curious where the story is going next, so far I can fully recommend it.
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
Not much to contribute on my end, but I did read something lately so I guess that counts: "The Worlds of Borderlands", an encyclopedia-esque book about the Borderlands video game series. I guess I would classify it as "nonfiction for a fictional world", but it's got humorous descriptions on brand with the series at large and that's a plus for me. I hope to use the information with my Bunkers & Badasses rulebook to make more authentic tabletop adventures set in that universe!
I just finished T.H. White's The Once and Future King for the first time. Disappointed that I took so long to get to it; it's really freaking good. The Sword in the Stone is the best of the four books, but they all hold up and incidentally serve as an introduction to Arthurian myth. I also really liked two newer books from Adrian Tchaikovsky - City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds - they're epic fantasies with some rich worldbuilding and a sprawling cast of characters (for real, I think City didn't repeat a viewpoint character for the first third of the novel) and I saw that a third is coming out (or is already out) so I'll have to check it out ASAP.
For classics, in the past couple months I read (and adored) Les Miserables. It's very long, but the minute-to-minute read rarely felt like a slog. I also got into Crime and Punishment, which is also (obviously) very good. If you haven't read it and have a chance to check out the translation by Michael Katz, I would recommend it - he made the book very approachable.
Right now I've checked out from the library The History of the Hobbit by John Rateliff; it's a deep dive into the various manuscripts Tolkien put together in the two-ish years he spent writing The Hobbit and breaks down not only how the book itself changed throughout the process (fr/ex: Gandalf was originally the name of the lead dwarf and the wizard's name was Bladorthin) but also Tolkien's many real-world influences from Norse myth, Old English lit, etc. Very cool, but very very long.
By my calculations I have a few more months before I want to start a full re-read of the Stormlight Archive in preparation for Wind and Truth. It might be excessive, but I know there'll be some references or things I've missed in the earlier books that I'll catch this time through. I've got a few books I want to read in the interim, so I'll get cracking on those.
I don't want to cure cancer; I want to turn people into dinosaurs.
Nothing to add to my initial thoughts about The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins: A very entertaining and exciting story with some very cool twists. I honestly don't know which genre lable to apply here as it looks like Fantasy on the surface, but lore-wise it's probably closer to Science-Fiction? Anyway, it was a fun read.
Next came a real gem, a book that I'd call one of the best Science-Fiction pieces I've ever read: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (the guy who also wrote The Martian). It has an incredibly dense atmosphere, amazing suspense, a super likeable protagonist, lots of nerdy science stuff, a good bit of humour and emotion, ... it was a real page turner. Most nights I went to bed speculating how the story might progress and super impatient to continue. Big big big recommendation to all of you Sci-Fi people!
I've made a habit of taking a short break between books to cool down and digest the story I've just finished before commiting to another. Guess that means I'll finally start playing Hades this weekend. The next book I'll read already sits on my nightstand though. It's another shot at fantasy: The Blacktongue Thief by Chistopher Buehlman. The sequel should have come out this month so no waiting time for the story to continue in case I like it.
Generally speaking though, I'm finding myself falling out of love with Fantasy unfortunately. Maybe I'm just another victim of modern times killing my attention span, but I find it harder and harder to enjoy epic fantasy series like The Stormlight Archives (I have book 4 waiting for me for months now and I kind of avoid it...) in favor of one-volume Science-Fiction that focuses on storytelling and nerd stuff instead of character studies. Not too happy about that, but it is what it is and life is too short to read books you don't enjoy imo. Maybe the Thrill will come back one day or I just haven't read the right stuff lately.
What are you guys and gals up to these days book-wise?
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
Finally got around to finishing two of Sanderson's secret projects Yumi and the Nightmare Painter and The Sunlit Man. TSM was OK. Yumi is probably my favorite of the four secret projects - a decent little mish-mash of epic fantasy and rom com.
On the classics front, I read my first full Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities. It's great. I've a few other Dickens novels on my TBR list.
I also just finished a really good nonfiction book, Landmarks by Robert MacFarlane. It's a nature book about nature books, and about nature words (specifically those used by rural natives of the British isles) that builds a bond between the land and those who live there. He writes about the lives and works of a lot of other nature writers so I've got a bit of a list of books to check out. Currently listening to J.A. Baker's The Peregrine on that recommendation (read by David Attenborough) and it's fantastic so far.
I don't want to cure cancer; I want to turn people into dinosaurs.
Decided to skip The Blacktongue Thief for the moment and read The Moon is a harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein instead. The language initially turned me off a bit, as the whole book is written the way the protagonist is speaking. Other than that it was a great read, focusing mostly on politics similar to the Ender’s Shadow series by Orson Scott Card. Exciting till the very end, if partly a little predictable. Enjoyable, easy lecture.
Last month I got a little bonus at work and I used part of it to treat me with a few sci-fi books. I’ll report back on each of them!
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com
It was mentioned in the thread four years ago (wow time flies), but my aunt won't stop talking about Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. She loves the "Wax & Wayne" books in particular. Coincidentally, they're making a deckbuilding table game for Mistborn that comes out next month.
The company that's putting out the Mistborn deckbuilding game is also doing a Cosmere TTRPG (Stormlight is coming out first, with a Mistborn "expansion"(?) coming a year later) that did pretty well on Kickstarter a month or so back. It sounded interesting (it's basically the standard d20 rules, but they added in a special d6 "plot die" for bigger moments) but I'm not big into tabletop roleplaying (don't have too many in my neck o' th'woods who I can play with, anyway) so I only sortof paid attention to it. On the "Wax and Wayne" front, I really enjoyed Alloy of Law but am lukewarm on the three that followed - they're fine stories, but I feel they require the reader to have a fairly deep knowledge of the innerworkings of the Cosmere to enjoy them.
So, Books. I've started my slow reread of Stormlight, and I'm in Words of Radiance at the moment (yes, I really do need three months to read four Stormlight books, and anyone who has seem them can confirm this - But I'm also reading Edgedancer and Dawnshard as part of the reread). I do this so I can read other things at the same time because my brain loves getting distracted. Right now I'm doing some spooky reads for October: read Turn of the Screw by Henry James and now I'm trying Salem's Lot by Stephen King.
Before the Stormlight reread got going I read Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (solid, not the best Discworld) and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, which is a book that is very confused about what it wants to be - it's trying to be both murder mystery and high concept scifi but it can't seem to give either enough space and so it ends up being a confusingly bland rollercoaster which judders to a halt thanks to some incredibly clunky contrivances and vague handwaving explanations. The murder mystery is the kind that ends with so many twists that you're not even sure who, if anyone, was murdered or why (which is usually a good way to tell that the author has no clue what they're doing and is just trying to "outsmart the reader") and the scifi stuff (if it is even scifi) is barely mentioned so you really have no idea why anyone is where they are or why they do the things they do (or how the world they inhabit even exists, or why, or what anyone is doing there). What's even better is that the copy I read had an interview with the author included, where he effectively admits he has no clue about his own story's worldbuilding (which 50% of the time is nonexistent and the other 50% of the time is complete balderdash that sounds like he made it up three seconds before). I hate ranting, but I despise even more books that are so lazily put together that they it feels like they're actively insulting any reader who expects them to hold together for even the briefest moment.
I don't want to cure cancer; I want to turn people into dinosaurs.
Quick update:
I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com