1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

Which book are you reading currently? #7

Discussion in 'Booktalk' started by Enagonios, Sep 7, 2007.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2008
    Messages:
    4,147
    Likes Received:
    224
    Gender:
    Male
    I really enjoyed reading the Black Company series, by Glen Cook... the point of view being from a sarky physician of a pretty rough group of mercenaries was very entertainging.
     
  2. Ziad

    Ziad I speak in rebuses Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2004
    Messages:
    4,088
    Media:
    57
    Likes Received:
    47
    I've started Into a dark realm and find it slightly inferior to Nighthawks for now, so I can see why you lost interest. It seems to be suffering from "middle of the trilogy" syndrome: nothing really important is happening but a lot of stuff is being set up for (I presume) resolution in the third book. The Conclave books were Feist's weakest IMO, so I'm rather glad that Nighthawks managed to pick up the same story yet improve the writing.
     
  3. AMaster Gems: 26/31
    Latest gem: Diamond


    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2000
    Messages:
    2,495
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    50
    Imperial Life in the Emerald City - this book taught me that Iraq can be hilarious. Still depressing, mind, but hilarious. For example, the following exchange from February 2004:
    Anyway. Well worth your time and money.

    Caine Black Knife - Matthew Stover. Sort of the bastard child of Philip K. Dick and Robert E. Howard. Hardcore, gore-riffic superbadass sword and sorcery (okay, mostly sword) fantasy with some future dystopia sprinkled on for seasoning. R.A. Salvatore wishes he were half the author Stover is (Stover wishes he had half the money Salvatore does). Highly recommended for anyone looking for some very well done stabby that's more than just very well done stabby. Might want to read Heroes Die first, but I think it works as a standalone

    A Cavern of Black Ice - J.V. Jones. Eh. Fairly good epic quest fantasy. Somewhat below Glen Cook's level (nevermind Martin/Erikson/Bakker/etc), substantially above Goodkind/Brooks/Feist/Douglass/etc. Nothing spectacular, but there are worse ways to spend your time and money, and I'll probably continue the series at some point.
     
  4. Ziad

    Ziad I speak in rebuses Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2004
    Messages:
    4,088
    Media:
    57
    Likes Received:
    47
    I finished Wrath of a Mad God, the final book in the Darkwar series. I found it very enjoyable in some ways but it's got some serious problems. There are far too many typos and this is not the first edition, so there's no excuse for so many of them. More annoying is Feist's complete inability to keep track of some major plot details - blatantly contradicting an earlier series is bad enough, but when he seems to have completely forgotten about major plot reveals from the same series then something's wrong. The book has some surprising twists, but they're brought about in exactly the same way he introduced similar major twists in earlier series (particularly in the Serpentwar), which is disappointing. Overall the Darkwar is a good read (Flight of the Nighthawks is very good) if you like Feist and an improvement on the previous series, but nothing spectacular.
     
  5. LKD Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


    Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2002
    Messages:
    6,284
    Likes Received:
    271
    Gender:
    Male
    I just finished "Storm Front" by Butcher and loved it. Cracking good story, no pretentious horse puckey, interesting characters, great descriptions and ideas. I highly recommend it. I'm on the second book, "Fool Moon", as we speak.
     
  6. joacqin

    joacqin Confused Jerk Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2001
    Messages:
    6,117
    Media:
    2
    Likes Received:
    121
    Reading "A fortress in shadow" an omnibus of the prequels to Glen Cook's Dread Empire books. I have a hard time knowing if I am really reading things in he right order and I ordered "Cruel wind" which I think is the dread empire omnibus but it was not in stock. Re-prints of old stuff can be confusing. As for the book itself, it is ok has not really caught me like the Black Company books even though this seems to be the pre-prestory to them but I am not sure.
     
  7. nataben1314 Gems: 10/31
    Latest gem: Zircon


    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2004
    Messages:
    356
    Likes Received:
    6
    selections from Summa Theologicus (sp?) by Aquinas,

    a cool economics book on long-term price fluctuations and the "rhythm of history"... I don't have the title or author with me at this exact moment...
     
  8. The Kilted Crusader

    The Kilted Crusader The Famous Last words "Hey guys, watch THIS!" Veteran

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2002
    Messages:
    1,870
    Likes Received:
    7
    Started The Founding a Gaunt's Ghosts omnibus set in the Warhammer 40k universe. I'm working my way through three big omnibus books just now :D
     
  9. Enagonios Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2001
    Messages:
    6,089
    Likes Received:
    5
    soldier of sidon wasn't good as the previous 2 i'm afraid.

    just finished un lun dun by china mieville right after, good stuff. still trying to find a copy of king rat around here.

    started confessions of an economic hitman by john perkins
     
  10. AMaster Gems: 26/31
    Latest gem: Diamond


    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2000
    Messages:
    2,495
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    50
    City of Pearl by Karen Traviss - pretty darn good. First contact stuff plus 'this technology is too dangerous' and so on.

    Mainspring by Jay Lake - Steampunk! Flying Royal Navy ships! Victorian weirdness! A world that is literally clockwork! Solid prose! Happy making!

    Fitzpatrick's War by Theodore Judson - and now for something completely different. It's presented as an annotated memoir, complete with intro and afterward. Basically, imagine Germany won WWII and now, 70 years later or so, Goebbels is writing what amounts to a confession (it's not actually WWII or Goebbels, but that gives you a rough idea of what to expect)). The annotations are from a professor who, um, very much is in line with the official history, which doesn't exactly present the HUGE WAR as being a bad thing. They pretty well convey societal attitudes as well (one footnote states that the narrator's daughters 'never disgraced themselves, which is the highest compliment that can be paid to a woman'). Also, Steampunk! Pretty good, and somewhat different.
     
  11. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2000
    Messages:
    10,140
    Media:
    63
    Likes Received:
    250
    Gender:
    Male
    I just finished 'American Facists' by Chris Hedges, and just started 'The Iron Wall' from Avi Shlaim, an excellent book.

    On a lighter note, I'll also read some books and poems by Heinrich Heine.
     
  12. Iku-Turso Gems: 26/31
    Latest gem: Diamond


    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2005
    Messages:
    2,393
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    28
    An intorduction to social psychology..can't remember the title...
     
  13. Ziad

    Ziad I speak in rebuses Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2004
    Messages:
    4,088
    Media:
    57
    Likes Received:
    47
    The pillars of the earth by Ken Follett. It's a long (too long maybe?) book with some great bits and some not so good bits. Though it has a tendency to meander things do fit in together nicely at the end. Overall it's quite good.
     
  14. Enagonios Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2001
    Messages:
    6,089
    Likes Received:
    5
    still on confessions, but also started the white house mess by chris buckley. HILARIOUS.
     
  15. Dice

    Dice ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2002
    Messages:
    5,125
    Media:
    24
    Likes Received:
    149
    Gender:
    Female
    Very Bad Deaths - Spider Robinson. What a great book. This writer has a deadly sense of humor. Just the right kind of twisted. And in my luck I discovered that my local library has a sequel of this book in hard cover.
     
  16. AMaster Gems: 26/31
    Latest gem: Diamond


    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2000
    Messages:
    2,495
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    50
    The Steel Remains - Richard K Morgan: this book is faaaaantastic. Between this and Caine Black Knife, it's been a really good month for fantasy. Once again, y'all should read these two.
     
  17. joacqin

    joacqin Confused Jerk Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2001
    Messages:
    6,117
    Media:
    2
    Likes Received:
    121
    Oh, thank you Amaster, I have The Steel remains on my nightstand and is about to start it today. Thank you for getting my hopes up. :)
     
  18. AMaster Gems: 26/31
    Latest gem: Diamond


    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2000
    Messages:
    2,495
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    50
    All the better to bask in your inevitable disappointment, my dear.

    But no, I did quite like the novel. His protagonists are in familiar Morgan territory--damaged goods badass--but, y'know, Morgan does that pretty well. His take on the Oh So Scary Others was, to my knowledge, unique and at the same time blindingly obvious in hindsight. Why the hell hasn't that been done before?

    Oh well.
     
  19. joacqin

    joacqin Confused Jerk Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2001
    Messages:
    6,117
    Media:
    2
    Likes Received:
    121
    Read the first three chapters and Morgan is not exactly subtle. The angle of a homoesexual protagonist is cool but it seems to take up quite a bit of space.

    Anyhoo, I have forgotten this and I do not know how. I have read "The return of the Crimson Guard" and I must say that Esselmont is now on par with Erikson. I was not too fond of "Night of Knives", it was ok but not great. Crimson Guard is great and a MUST for anyone who is into the Malazan world. I am almost suspecting that it is Erikson who has written it, I really can not discern any difference in writing style or ability.
     
  20. Enagonios Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2001
    Messages:
    6,089
    Likes Received:
    5
    @joac

    awesome, i can't wait until it comes out in normal-size paperback. as you say, night of knives was a bit of a letdown
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.