Which book are you reading currently? #7

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The real problem with the Bonehumters was the plotting. Of all the threads the Ganoes Paran was far and away the best, while a few of the other main threads were very predictable in their outcomes - at least thus far. And that brings up another problem...resolution. I could go into some real detail with the story's numerous short-comings, but I don't want to give away too much of the story for anyone who has not read it yet.

But I thought that Midnight Tides was great, just about as good as Memories of Ice - and I really liked the plotting in every thread. But JSBB's criticism is still valid, even in Tides there were moments that gave one puase as to how far Erikson wanted us to suspend our belief in what was plausible, even in his Malazon world.

 

What really annoyed me in Midnight Tides was how "The Guardian" just shows up at the end, completely out of the blue, and turns what looked to be a good ending into a much less satisfactoy one. If Erikson had just left things as they were before throwing in that one last random twist I would have have been quite happy with the book.

 

Lies of Locke Lamora ... good one! Quite Fritz Leiberesque.

Now reading: Day Watch, Lukyanenko.

 

Finished Sarah Monette's Melisune. It were am roxxor.

 

re-reading Agatha Christie's Holiday for Murder. I love Hercule Poirot.

 

Finished the second Harry Dresden book last night. These books are some grade A entertainment. I like them a lot and the next time I am at the library I will grab any more they have as well.

 

Yeah the Harry Dresden series is really good and the best thing is that it seems to keep getting better. The first two books are good but the rest of the series is better.

I just finished Off Armageddon Reef. The set-up may be kind of weird but it is pretty classic Weber really. Naval battles between a small technologically advanced force and a much larger lower tech enemy - check. Political/religious scheming - check. Highly intelligent main character who is capable of cutting down large groups of enemies in hand to hand combat - check. That being said, this one was actually better written than most of the recent Honor Harrington novels.

On the way home I am going to be starting on The Bonehunters by Erikson. I feel like something lighter but unfortunately The Bonehunters is what I have in my laptop bag so unless I hit a bookstore on the way to the train station I really don't have a whole lot of choice.

 

I am re-reading Firstborn from the Kinslayer Wars trilogy. I love the story, but after reading Hobb and Sanderson, the writing seems almost childish because it glazes over places where the aforementioned authors would have made you really see it. Not to mention typos. Holy sh**! Whoever edited or proofread the book is blind, there are missed punctuation and spelling errors throughout the book, (T'he), (her eyes. turned green, almost as. if something), (andit), etc. It is so frustrating!

 

Re-read The Sparrow (Mary Doria Russell). It is still a wonderful book, more than ten years later, even without the moments of shock as the plot unfolds. However, in case I haven't previously said this, the sequel, Children of God, is far inferior and in some ways even detracts from the first.

I am hoping to actually read some things on my short Thanksgiving break. Of course housecleaning would be better from an objective point of view, but I already know I won't do that.

 

About halfway through Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: the Final Empire

I'm not sure how I feel about it. Mostly solid, but some of the characterization is less than believable (one thief gathers up his underworld friends and says, 'okay, we're going to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Y'know, the immortal dark lord who is the avatar of God and has ruled the entire effing world for over a thousand years? Yeah. Him' and the other thieves say, 'oh, cool. I mean, that's crazy, but you've done crazy things before, so I'm totally in').

 

is that a continuation of Elantris?

I just bought and started a copy of The Tyrant's Novel by.. heh, I forget, the guy that wrote Schindler's List.

 

Nah, not related Elantris, first part of a separate trilogy.

Actually, so far I think I preferred Elantris. Though that may change, depending on how he develops the characters in the second half of the book.

Finished it. No, my opinion hasn't changed. Y'know that phrase about reach exceeding grasp? It applies here. Sanderson attempts to do things that would be compelling if done well, but, ah, he doesn't do them well. It's a modestly entertaining story, but you absolutely have to turn off your brain, as it's more or less totally unbelievable.

The characters are predictable, the plot is not, for what it's worth.

 

I've just finished The Golden Notebook. It's brilliant, but intricate.

 

Hmm, AMaster, I really liked Mistborn. I loved Elantris a lot more, but I really liked Mistborn, even though it was a tad unbelievable. I mean, it wasn't entirely believable, the whole point was that the people could overthrow him whenever they want, as long as they banded together and overcame their despondent bonds of almost slavery. They just couldn't without the help of a reckless guy with powers comparable to a demigod.

 

The Dark Elf Trilogy
by: R.A. Salvatore

I'm really a fan of Forgotten Realms. I've been looking forward to have The Cleric Quintet after this one.

 

Haven't really been able to get into the Tyrant's Novel yet. Re-reading Agatha Christie's Evil Under The Sun.

 

Finished Elizabeth Bear's Blood and Iron. One of the better urban fantasies I've encountered, perhaps only behind Gaiman and Kiernan. It's also unrelentingly bleak (moreso, in fact, than ASOIAF or Malazan or Prince of Nothing. I think).

Now 2/3 through Judith Tarr's The Hound and the Falcon. Very, very good; somewhat similar to Hobb, insofar as it's heavily character-oriented. Tarr takes the emphasis on character further than Hobb does, at least so far, though there are indications that the third book in the omnibus might have more emphasis on Bid Events.

 

set aside the Tyrant's Novel. Finished Clive Barker's The Damnation Game. It was pretty good except for a crap ending. Some really disturbing parts as well.

Was able to find a copy of Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card in a used bookstore for 2$. The reviews I read on amazon are really promising, so I'm starting that tonight.

 

I finished The Bonehunters on Friday. I actually liked it a little more than I liked Midnight Tides. Once again we had an uber-character show up out of the blue to drastically change how the ending was going to work out but it was pretty obvious that something like that was going to happen - it was just matter of seeing who would show up. Both books had plotlines where I was groaning whenever they cut back to them - for Tides it was the Udinass/Featherwitch sections, for Bonehunters it was the Heboric/Cutter ones.

After finishing Bonehunters I definitely wanted something light and fluffy so I turned to Mr. David Eddings and his Elenium series. I finished Diamond Throne and Ruby Knight on the week-end and I am almost done The Sapphire Rose. They are certainly not literary masterpieces but they are very fun fast reads. Given how little time it takes to read them I am probably going to continue on and read the Tamuli trilogy after I finish Sapphire Rose. There is a fair drop in quality from the Elenium but I figure that it is good to clear the head a little before I go looking for something heavy to read.

 

Finished Eifelheim, Michael Flynn I think is the author. Pretty good though I should have waited for the paperback.