Which book are you reading currently? #2

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I am reading Chasm City by Alaistair Reynolds, good, just as good as Revelatino Space. I would recommend him to everyone.

 

Coincidence - me too. Am now halfway through rereading Chasm City

 

Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson.

This is really good stuff, at least thus far. His rendering of the characters is quite vivid and powerful. Yet, it still suffers a bit from the same kind of jaded cynicism as George Martin's work, which I find unnecessary in fantasy adventure. But Martin's is in larger doses. Still, Eirkson does not seem to be plagued by the somewhat contrived, shallow plotting and strained narration that pevades Martin's books, IMHO. Erikson's plotting moves like lighting and his narration is pointed, while still having an effortless, almost off-handed feeling - quite remarkable, I think.

 

Chandos! You're reading some that is not about George Washington. These Stephen Erikson books rock. You're a pretty smart guy so you'll be able to join in the discussion in the Malazan thread and help me understand what is going on in these books.

Actually there might be one or two spoilers in that thread for you at the moment.

 

Finished Chasm City, absolutely amazing. Reynolds probably writes the best SF I have read in years.

I am about to start Scar by China Mieville now, it ought to be good judging by the other book I read by this dude.

Blasphemy Chandos! Dissing GRRM?!? How dare you? It is the jaded cynicism which is one of the main reasons that Martin stands so high above most other fantasy. The rest of your criticque (I have never and probably never will learn how to spell critique) against him is entirely baseless.

Erikson is great, it is in its own way more brutal and bleak than aSoIaF. One difference is that as an archeolog and anthropolog Erikson treats immense and bloody event like something ordinary, in a bit of an off-hand manner, like inevitable and normal occurances in history. It isnt as character driven as Martin. Despite the series not being character driven there is a large host of amazing characters.

 

amen.

Haven't been able to get into Pressfield's Last of the Amazons so I'll try it again later. Right now I'm deciding whether to read Pressfield's Legend of Bagger Vance or Daniel Silva's A Death in Vienna (picked it up this afternoon )

 

I have now finished Memories of Ice and have just started "House of Chains" by Steven Erikson. So far, so awesome. It's not even confusing, yet.

 

House of Chains is quite different from the other books in the series and it is seen as many as the weakest one yet published. I for one like that one as much as all the other ones.

 

I know you like that over-blown, medieval soap opera, Song of Fire and Ice, my friend. But the Erikson is vastly superior. After I get a bit deeper into Gardens of the Moon, we can discuss this better in the Malazan thread. I will see you, and HB, there...

 

Finished Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson, as well as Pandora's Star - Peter Hamilton.

Erikson's very good. Now, if only the rest of the series was actually in print. I suppose I'll have to wait a few years to read the whole thing, as the second book is only now in trade paperback form.

Hamilton's improving. He may just move out of the real of entertaining pulp scifi and into the realm of good scifi.

 

Wizard & Glass, & Amazon still haven't dispatched the next two which I ordered at the beginning of January.

 

AMaster, there are five books released in the Tale of Malazan book of the fallen. The latest is Memories of Ice which out to be out in paperback by now. Book 6, the Bonehunters isnt due for a year though.

Sadly the American market was slow in appreciating Erikson's writing and they dont seem to publish all the finished books in one go but take their time. You ought to be able to get your hand on Canadian copies though, amazon?

 

The Legend of Bagger Vance was such a waste of time.

Of all Pressfield's books, THAT was what they turned into a movie?

Anyways, I'm now reading A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva and it's shaping up pretty well.

 

I agree with Enagonios that Bagger Vance was terrible.

I'm starting to agree with Chandos that the Malazan books are better than the Song of Ice and Fire books. Plus, Erikson seems to release his books on a more regular basis than Martin.

 

Not really HB, he wrote the first one in the early 90's and it took a long while for it to be released. I dont really know about the others as they were all out when I started reading. I do know that Bonehunters will have taken him at least 2 years to write. Not as bad as Martin but not still not very fast.

However, I rank Erikson just as high as Martin. Martin, Hobb and Erikson are my by far favourite authors, no internal ranking.

 

I just started "The Frumius Bandersnatch" by Ed McBain. Typical Ed, always a good read.

 

Joacqin, yeah, I know they've all been released at one point or another--but right now they're pretty much all out of print here in the states. Gardens is the only one available in mass market paperback form.

Reading Ship of Magic, by Hobb

 

I read Gardens of the Moon in 1999 at which point I was under the impression that it was a new release. Now, only 6 years later, we have five quite big, high quality epics, with the 6th having a more firm release date than the next Martin book.

Writing a Malazan book is not like spitting out a generic Mills and Boons novel.

 

Just working my way through Spares by Michael Marshall Smith. Probably my all time fav book.

 

I am about half way through Harry Potter #5 now - I read The Last Hero by Pratchett somewhere in the middle of the #4.

The Last Hero was somewhat disappointing. It probably would have made a decent novel but, as it is, it is much too rushed to reach its potential. To tell you the truth I wasn't really impressed by the art either.