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The Republic of Thieves is out?! also other book talk

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Posts

  • SheriSheri Resident Fluffer My Living RoomRegistered User regular
    So after like 3 solid weeks I finally finished Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

    That is

    A lot of book

  • tapeslingertapeslinger Space Unicorn Slush Ranger Social Justice Rebel ScumRegistered User regular
    Sheri wrote: »
    So after like 3 solid weeks I finally finished Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

    That is

    A lot of book

    I liked it but I can see why a lot of people are over/under whelmed by it

  • ChicoBlueChicoBlue Registered User regular
    I'm currently a little over halfway through Greg Egan's Permutation City.

    I've had to re-read bits of it to try and wrap my mind around some of the things being proposed, and then stop and look up what exactly a Von Neumann cellular automaton is.

    Some good cyberpunky times are being had in this book.

  • ProbadProbad Registered User regular
    I picked up and finished Ancillary Sword today, and I can't recommend that series enough to anyone who likes space opera.

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    Probad wrote: »
    I picked up and finished Ancillary Sword today, and I can't recommend that series enough to anyone who likes space opera.

    I got it for my birthday and will be reading it sooooon, probably after I read Red Planet Blues which is next in line after The Player of Games, which I started because Ancillary Justice put me in the mood for Culture.

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  • CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    Ancillary Sword was confusing, at least what I read. But I feel like it should be confusing, given the perspective.

    PSN:CaptainNemo1138
    Shitty Tumblr:lighthouse1138.tumblr.com
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    Ancillary Sword was confusing, at least what I read. But I feel like it should be confusing, given the perspective.

    I seemed to find people saying that online about Justice (googling one event just to remind myself what turned up an entry on Goodreads about 'explaining the book', other commenters on twitter saying they were baffled by it), but I ended up finding it more straightforward than I expected. Does Sword get more confusing?

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  • SheriSheri Resident Fluffer My Living RoomRegistered User regular
    Sheri wrote: »
    So after like 3 solid weeks I finally finished Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

    That is

    A lot of book

    I liked it but I can see why a lot of people are over/under whelmed by it

    I liked it as well

    I just feel like there were large swaths that could have been "told" rather than "shown"

    Which was incredibly evident when I tried reading a memoir after it, and the memoir was all "tell, don't show"

    I actually couldn't finish the memoir

  • tapeslingertapeslinger Space Unicorn Slush Ranger Social Justice Rebel ScumRegistered User regular
    Sheri wrote: »
    Sheri wrote: »
    So after like 3 solid weeks I finally finished Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

    That is

    A lot of book

    I liked it but I can see why a lot of people are over/under whelmed by it

    I liked it as well

    I just feel like there were large swaths that could have been "told" rather than "shown"

    Which was incredibly evident when I tried reading a memoir after it, and the memoir was all "tell, don't show"

    I actually couldn't finish the memoir

    I feel like a lot of that overwrought quality is deliberate, but I think the editors could have taken a firmer hand to it, yeah

  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    Reading The Sharing Knife: Beguilement right after reading Naamah's Kiss is some serious whiplash

    Bujold might be the best writer I was introduced to last year. Wow! She is super good. Man.

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  • THESPOOKYTHESPOOKY papa! Registered User regular
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    I love the Dresden Files. I found Dead Beat in the library - arguably one of the best in the series - and then started over at Storm Front, which is awful. The whole series improves as Butcher's writing gets better (and as it was mentioned, the whole idea was an assignment for a college writing class), but he's guilty of a lot of horseshit - in particular his female characters.

    Over the last few months or even year I finished the Republic of Thieves, First Law Series and Standalones, and now Kingkiller. Liked each, even though I maintain that Thieves jumped the shark so violently that I can only imagine how terrible the next one will be and the third Kingkiller book is going to have to do metric fuck ton of heavy lifting to stick the landing.

    What should I read next?

    If you liked The First Law, check out Abercrombie's Half a King. I think the sequel to that also came out today?

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  • ProbadProbad Registered User regular
    darleysam wrote: »
    Ancillary Sword was confusing, at least what I read. But I feel like it should be confusing, given the perspective.

    I seemed to find people saying that online about Justice (googling one event just to remind myself what turned up an entry on Goodreads about 'explaining the book', other commenters on twitter saying they were baffled by it), but I ended up finding it more straightforward than I expected. Does Sword get more confusing?

    I don't think you'll have any problem with Sword if you got through Justice fine.

  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    Sheri wrote: »
    So after like 3 solid weeks I finally finished Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

    That is

    A lot of book

    I liked it but I can see why a lot of people are over/under whelmed by it

    The best prep for N&S is to read a lot of Jack Vance and Patrick O'Brien

    Because if you have then it's like taking a gigantic speedball of that Vancecaine and O'Brion.

  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    I mean not that'd know what a speedball is like ofc.

  • bowtiedsealbowtiedseal Registered User regular
    darleysam wrote: »
    Harper Lee has announced that the long-ago-written sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird is to finally be published, which I'm mainly posting about here so I can call it 2 Kill 2 Mockingbirds.

    I want to be excited, but I'm a little sketched out, especially in light of the weird authorized/unauthorized biography controversy of last year

    http://jezebel.com/harper-lees-editor-and-publisher-swear-shes-excited-abo-1683798503

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    Probad wrote: »
    darleysam wrote: »
    Ancillary Sword was confusing, at least what I read. But I feel like it should be confusing, given the perspective.

    I seemed to find people saying that online about Justice (googling one event just to remind myself what turned up an entry on Goodreads about 'explaining the book', other commenters on twitter saying they were baffled by it), but I ended up finding it more straightforward than I expected. Does Sword get more confusing?

    I don't think you'll have any problem with Sword if you got through Justice fine.

    Excellent!
    darleysam wrote: »
    Harper Lee has announced that the long-ago-written sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird is to finally be published, which I'm mainly posting about here so I can call it 2 Kill 2 Mockingbirds.

    I want to be excited, but I'm a little sketched out, especially in light of the weird authorized/unauthorized biography controversy of last year

    http://jezebel.com/harper-lees-editor-and-publisher-swear-shes-excited-abo-1683798503

    Yeah, reading this thing yesterday made it seem a whole lot less of a good thing than it seemed at first:
    http://the-toast.net/2015/02/04/questions-harper-lee-editor-interview/

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  • N1tSt4lkerN1tSt4lker Registered User regular
    Grey Ghost wrote: »
    http://www.avclub.com/article/charlie-hunnam-replaces-benedict-cumberbatch-lost--214727

    Cumberbatch couldn't star in the Lost City of Z adaptation because of all his new popularity causing scheduling conflicts, so he's been replaced byt Charlie Hunnam which makes no sense

    Also have you read Lost City of Z yet? Read it. Reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaad iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

    I loved this book. It is such a stunning journey. Cumberbatch was an excellent choice. I'm not sure how I feel about Hunnam. Not sure at all.

  • YaYaYaYa Decent. Registered User regular
    whelp

    I read Scott McCloud's first graphic novel, The Sculptor

    then buried my head in my hands for a good ten minutes

    that is one HELL of a thing

  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    Where does one begin with Jack Vance and or Patrick o'brion?

  • CaptainNemoCaptainNemo Registered User regular
    I'm reading Mistborn.

    I swear to god calling yourself the Sliver of Infinity is the most badass thing I've ever heard.

    PSN:CaptainNemo1138
    Shitty Tumblr:lighthouse1138.tumblr.com
  • Captain MarcusCaptain Marcus now arrives the hour of actionRegistered User regular
    edited February 2015
    The Prince of Thorns trilogy was great. So was the epilogue at the end, explaining why the story ended when it did and didn't go all R.A. Salvatore. I dunno if it's a spoiler but I'm spoilering it anyways.
    If you’ve got this far then you will have read three books and several hundred thousand words on the life and times of Jorg Ancrath. It will now be apparent that you’re not going to be reading any more – and you might, with some justification, wonder why I have chosen to shoot what could well have been a cash cow squarely between the eyes.

    The easiest and best answer is that the story demanded it. I acknowledge that I could have told the story to go jump off a bridge and turned events in a direction that allowed me to produce a book 4, a book 5, 6 etc. In years to come when I’m eating cat food cold from the tin I may wish that I had. The truth is though, that I wanted you to part company with Jorg on a high. I would rather readers finish book 3 wanting more than wander away after book 6 feeling they have had more than enough. There is a tendency for characters who march on past their sell-by date to become caricatures of themselves – to tread the same ground, growing more stale with each step. I hope Jorg avoided that fate and that together we’ve built something of worth.

    Captain Marcus on
  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    Where does one begin with Jack Vance and or Patrick o'brion?

    With Jack Vance, I would suggest The Demon Princes series for SF (Star King is th first ) or Lyonesse series for fantasy. Then just everything.

    Patrick o'brien well start with the first and read through to the last.

  • BucketmanBucketman Call me SkraggRegistered User regular
    I still need to read the 2014 Dresden Files book. I should get on that before the new one comes out.

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited February 2015
    I'm trying to decide what to read next. I just finished The Player of Games which I enjoyed more than I expected, and Red Planet Blues was the likely candidate, but I've had 2312 waiting for over a year now which I feel bad for not having read yet, and I'm wondering if something that's not sci-fi might be of interest, like American Gods which I picked up from a charity shop a few months back because I've never read any Gaiman.

    darleysam on
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  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    THESPOOKY wrote: »
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    I love the Dresden Files. I found Dead Beat in the library - arguably one of the best in the series - and then started over at Storm Front, which is awful. The whole series improves as Butcher's writing gets better (and as it was mentioned, the whole idea was an assignment for a college writing class), but he's guilty of a lot of horseshit - in particular his female characters.

    Over the last few months or even year I finished the Republic of Thieves, First Law Series and Standalones, and now Kingkiller. Liked each, even though I maintain that Thieves jumped the shark so violently that I can only imagine how terrible the next one will be and the third Kingkiller book is going to have to do metric fuck ton of heavy lifting to stick the landing.

    What should I read next?

    If you liked The First Law, check out Abercrombie's Half a King. I think the sequel to that also came out today?

    Just finished Half a King - good - but it was jarring how he pulled his punches, especially with how vivid he is elsewhere.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • PoorochondriacPoorochondriac Ah, man Ah, jeezRegistered User regular
    THESPOOKY wrote: »

    The comedian who runs that also runs GuyFromYourMFA

    She's a national treasure and a true hero

  • THESPOOKYTHESPOOKY papa! Registered User regular
    Had to transfer my Audible account to Australian Audible to get the version of Half the World with the right narrator

    Worth it so far

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  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    I finished Night Watch on the bus to work this morning

    There's a part of me that knows that it is, essentially, a trashy fantasy novel

    But there's something so incredibly Russian lit about it that elevates it, in my mind

    Anyways I recommend it highly if you're into both urban fantasy and spy-fi bureaucracy

  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    Took me a moment there to realize you weren't referring to the Pratchett book


  • ShenShen Registered User regular
    Booted up my Kindle for the first time in a while to do some comfort reading and the screen is cracked! It's an old model with the keyboard and no backlight, should I get the Paperwhite or splash a little extra and pick up the Voyager? I do like the physical buttons for page turning my model has.

    3DS: 2234-8122-8398 | Battle.net (EU): Ladi#2485
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  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Shen wrote: »
    Booted up my Kindle for the first time in a while to do some comfort reading and the screen is cracked! It's an old model with the keyboard and no backlight, should I get the Paperwhite or splash a little extra and pick up the Voyager? I do like the physical buttons for page turning my model has.

    That's the biggest thing that I miss from my old one. I loved those physical page turn buttons. The back light on the paper white makes up for it in spades though. I can't speak to the voyager but I love my paper white. It is amazing.

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    webguy20 wrote: »
    Shen wrote: »
    Booted up my Kindle for the first time in a while to do some comfort reading and the screen is cracked! It's an old model with the keyboard and no backlight, should I get the Paperwhite or splash a little extra and pick up the Voyager? I do like the physical buttons for page turning my model has.

    That's the biggest thing that I miss from my old one. I loved those physical page turn buttons. The back light on the paper white makes up for it in spades though. I can't speak to the voyager but I love my paper white. It is amazing.

    I can't vouch for the Voyager either, but the Paperwhite is fucking amazing. If the Voyager really is a step up above the Paperwhite then I'd say definitely go for it. Otherwise, grab the Paperwhite.

    JtgVX0H.png
  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    I bought some books!

    The third Witcher novel
    Neil Gaiman's new collection, Trigger Warning
    And Horrorstör, a horror novel by Grady Hendrix set in a furniture store which is totally not IKEA (@Lost Salient is to thank for making me aware of this one)

    Books!

  • HermanoHermano Registered User regular
    How are the Witcher books? It always seems like the translation can let non-English books down, they end up being very dry


    PSN- AHermano
  • EtchwartsEtchwarts Eyes Up Registered User regular
    Based on a friend's recommendation I've started reading The Name of the Wind

    I like it so far! Kind of rote fantasy, but I like the story telling gimmick

  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    They're pretty good translations!
    I think the short stories have a little more of a playful tone, since a lot of them are riffs on classic fairy tales, and the novels naturally have to strike a little more epic tone, but they're certainly easy to read

    Certainly not like the worst translation ever, the Dragon Tattoo books

  • HermanoHermano Registered User regular
    Yeah they were pretty bad

    I might have to check out a Witcher book though, thanks


    PSN- AHermano
  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    Oh I also bought Reamde by Neal Stephenson, which I was initially skeptical about but somehow by the end of the sample made me go, sure, I care about the drama surrounding the development of this fictional MMO

  • YaYaYaYa Decent. Registered User regular
    Grey Ghost wrote: »
    Oh I also bought Reamde by Neal Stephenson, which I was initially skeptical about but somehow by the end of the sample made me go, sure, I care about the drama surrounding the development of this fictional MMO

    noooooooooooooooooooooooo why didn't you come to me first

    it stops being about the MMO like...200 pages in

    I have never been angrier at a bait and switch

This discussion has been closed.