What we're reading, the SFF edition

[Dreity]

I haven't posted my reads in a while, so I've got some catching up to do. Hope the MEGO post doesn't crush anyone.

Nine Goblins - A novella from AW's own RedWombat. This was both adorable and dark, which is a combination I'm a total sucker for but have a hard time finding. It's also, I think, a definitive work on what goblins "should" be. You can change their appearance, their political standing, their preferred geography, but if their psychology, their "essence", is anything other than what I found in this book, then they ain't real goblins. Also, Sings-To-Trees is an elf after my own heart. Incurably elven, but you know, some elf stuff is obnoxious, and he feels that more keenly than any human who ever groaned and said, "Bloody elves".

Throne of the Crescent Moon - So, I liked the setting, and the author included several authentic details that made it come to life for me. However, although the magic had promise it never really lived up to it, the characters fell flat, and the plot had no surprises whatsoever. First novel issues, but the prose had flashes of insight that lead me to believe the author can develop into someone quite good. I'm glad it's done well, because it encourages publishers to get more diverse milieus out there.

Promise of Blood - Loved it. The conflict between the powder mages and the Privileged was so thought provoking. The Age of Enlightenment was such an interesting era, and it was wonderful to see someone capitalize on its potential in a fantasy setting. Can't wait to read the second one.

Fade To Black - By Mr.Flibble! This was great. I had just finished The Cuckoo's Calling before starting this, so I was already in that noir kind of mood. Really delivered on that front, and the magic was unique and intriguing. I also really appreciated how the romance angle was handled. A right mess, as it should have been, given what was established. I'll have to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy soon.

The Last Unicorn - I really ought to devote an entire post to this one, but basically it changed my life. No exaggeration. Everything about it, from the prose to the themes to the characters, was gorgeous and haunting. My SIL just had surgery that kept her off her feet for a week, and I gave it to her to keep her entertained. She devoured it and loved it (almost) as much as I did. I think I'm going to let her keep it and just buy another copy, which I will likely end up giving to someone else. I don't care. Peter S. Beagle is my new god. He can have all of my money.

 

[gloame]

I'd never heard of him, but in reading the comments, it sounds like he's kinda revived that aspect of SF that in a bygone era saw authors like Sir Fred Hoyle. The basic premise sounds a lot like something Hoyle would use.

Thanks for that link. I'm going to check out his books. A lot of them look excellent. Do you have one you like best? Or recommend starting with?

I've read it, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I liked that it tackled big science fiction issues while still making the story feel character driven.

And that shows how strange people's preferences can be. We've both liked Spin, but you really disliked Sanderson while I love everything he's ever written.

The concept for the book is just amazingly well done, I think. I'm only about 30% through, but so far so good.

That's really strange! Could be that our sci-fi preferences align but our fantasy preferences are just very different.

 

[Reziac]

And that shows how strange people's preferences can be. We've both liked Spin, but you really disliked Sanderson while I love everything he's ever written.

Or, why "you may also like" and personal recommendations rarely work for me.

 

[Reziac]

Thanks for that link. I'm going to check out his books. A lot of them look excellent. Do you have one you like best? Or recommend starting with?

Geez, it's been so long since I read them (30+ years)... back in the day, I loved 'em and read every one I could lay hands on, but my tastes have changed and today I might not. But I do recall they had a lot of big-concept plots. And that's about all I remember!

 

[gloame]

Or, why "you may also like" and personal recommendations rarely work for me.

I think one of the reasons this doesn't always work is because two books can have a similar vibe in over-arcing plot, but I've got to really like the writing to get into that plot. And the characters have to be, if not likable, then at least relatable or intriguing.

This may be why Sanderson didn't work for me; I just didn't care for his writing style, and the characters frustrated me.

 

[Reziac]

I think one of the reasons this doesn't always work is because two books can have a similar vibe in over-arcing plot, but I've got to really like the writing to get into that plot. And the characters have to be, if not likable, then at least relatable or intriguing.

That probably about sums it up. And it can be little things.

I'm reminded that in music, as I found when I was DJing -- frex, a lot of people can't tell Horslips from Jethro Tull (every time I'd play Horslips, I'd get a rash of calls demanding info on the "new JT album"), yet I like the former and dislike the latter. What makes writing click or not for a given reader is even more subtle and hard to describe.

This may be why Sanderson didn't work for me; I just didn't care for his writing style, and the characters frustrated me.

Yeah, that's pretty much where I'm at with it. I can read a little, then start to feel like it's just a description of a world, rather than a world. And the characters do nothing fresh for me either. So tho it's not really 'bad', I've not enough interest to want to get back to it once I've stopped.

 

[BethS]

And I also feel the same way about Sanderson. I've tried to read two of his books, including Mistborn, and I just...really disliked them. A lot.

Try The Emperor's Soul. It's short, it's very different from anything else he's written, and there's a reason it won a Hugo award.

 

[gloame]

Try The Emperor's Soul. It's short, it's very different from anything else he's written, and there's a reason it won a Hugo award.

That was, unfortunately, the other Sanderson book I tried to read. That and Mistborn.

 

[phantasy]

Finished the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

Not a bad book, and vastly different than the stuff I'm accustomed to reading. It was nice to read a book with a female MC written by a female author that I actually enjoyed. Many on goodreads fault her for poor writing-there's lots of repeats and stuff that could have been cleaned up- but I thought it was fine enough that I could continue reading although some parts were confusing. It did hook me and I love the freedom of the metaphysical. The thing that surprised me most was how much romance there was in this story (that sex scene was too over-the-top/funny for words), I haven't read something with so many sexy misunderstandings in a long while and it's not something I'd like to do keep doing although I see the point of it as a learning experience. I'll probably read the next one eventually.

Finished Carrie now as well. Pretty good, pretty creepy. I can see why it was so popular.

 

[BethS]

that sex scene was too over-the-top/funny for words

Question is, was it meant to be?

 

[phantasy]

Question is, was it meant to be?

Have you read it? If so, do you agree with me?

I don't think it was suppose to be funny. It might be just me, I look for satire in all the wrong places. Sometimes romance and horror scenes can be so over the top I just find them silly, as if overly confident in their creativity.

 

[rwm4768]

Have you read it? If so, do you agree with me?

I don't think it was suppose to be funny. It might be just me, I look for satire in all the wrong places. Sometimes romance and horror scenes can be so over the top I just find them silly, as if overly confident in their creativity.

It was sex with a very powerful god. I don't really remember it being over-the-top.

 

[phantasy]

It was sex with a very powerful god. I don't really remember it being over-the-top.

What can I say? The fact that they broke the bed and shattered the glass illicited giggles from me. Not to mention all the wierd meta stuff that went on during. I've never encountered such a scene before.

But like I said, it's probably just me.

 

[Jagster]

I completed The Magician's Guild, the first book in Trudi Canavan's Black Magician Trilogy. I found it a little slow at first, though that may have just been book hangover stemming from the last book I read, but it picked up and unfolded at nice pace. I found it extremely easy to read and I made progress a lot faster than I had anticipated. It was one of those books where I'd sit down for a few minutes to read and then be amazed at how much I managed to complete. The story just flowed very well IMO and that made it a breeze to read.

 

[Morri]

What can I say? The fact that they broke the bed and shattered the glass illicited giggles from me. Not to mention all the wierd meta stuff that went on during. I've never encountered such a scene before.

But like I said, it's probably just me.

It's been a while since I read it, but didn't they travel through the cosmos and see whale faces? I didn't think much of it as I was reading it, but now that I look back on it there were some strange parts.

 

[BethS]

Have you read it? If so, do you agree with me?

I don't think it was suppose to be funny. It might be just me, I look for satire in all the wrong places. Sometimes romance and horror scenes can be so over the top I just find them silly, as if overly confident in their creativity.

No, I haven't read it; I was just curious as to whether the effect was deliberately OTT or it it was unintentionally hilarious. Sounds like the latter.

 

[rwm4768]

No, I haven't read it; I was just curious as to whether the effect was deliberately OTT or it it was unintentionally hilarious. Sounds like the latter.

To me, it seemed more deliberately over the top, but not meant to be funny. I didn't find myself laughing at it. I felt like it made sense with the world and characters Jemisin created.

 

[BethS]

To me, it seemed more deliberately over the top, but not meant to be funny. I didn't find myself laughing at it. I felt like it made sense with the world and characters Jemisin created.

Thanks for weighing in!

 

[rwm4768]

Finished Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. This might actually be my favorite epic fantasy book of all time. Even though it was incredibly long, I wish it could have just kept going. Now I have to wait for the next book.

Sanderson did a great job developing the characters in this one. Shallan, especially, became a much stronger character. There were some very interesting revelations about the world and characters.

I'm still not sure about some of the interlude sections, but there were others that left me very curious about how they're going to tie in to the story.

I really liked The Way of Kings. I absolutely loved this one. Of course, I haven't met a Sanderson book I haven't liked.

 

[LOG]

Finished Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson.
I just picked up the series again after stopping for several months. It's one of those works that can wear you down if you consume it too quickly and I devoured the first 8 novels in about 3-4 weeks I think.

The first 8 books I thought were good, but something seems to rub wrong about number 9. I'm not sure if maybe Erikson is trying to continually top himself in terms of grimdark to keep the series' tension and is paradoxically cutting himself off at the knees, if the flow of the overall series (now that I'm beginning to see it) is just wrong, or if Erikson might even be making me feel this way intentionally for some unknown reason in book 10. It wouldn't be the first time Erikson made me feel something as part of a grander scheme.

 

[rwm4768]

Finished Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson.
I just picked up the series again after stopping for several months. It's one of those works that can wear you down if you consume it too quickly and I devoured the first 8 novels in about 3-4 weeks I think.

The first 8 books I thought were good, but something seems to rub wrong about number 9. I'm not sure if maybe Erikson is trying to continually top himself in terms of grimdark to keep the series' tension and is paradoxically cutting himself off at the knees, if the flow of the overall series (now that I'm beginning to see it) is just wrong, or if Erikson might even be making me feel this way intentionally for some unknown reason in book 10. It wouldn't be the first time Erikson made me feel something as part of a grander scheme.

Do you feel like you can connect with the characters in that series? I have trouble getting into the story because most of the characters seem like they blend together. I like to understand why a character's doing what they're doing, and Erikson doesn't seem to favor that type of writing.

I get the sense that all these amazing things are happening, but I feel like I'm watching them happen from up on a mountain, looking down at the characters with binoculars.

 

[Papaya]

Do you feel like you can connect with the characters in that series? I have trouble getting into the story because most of the characters seem like they blend together. I like to understand why a character's doing what they're doing, and Erikson doesn't seem to favor that type of writing.

I get the sense that all these amazing things are happening, but I feel like I'm watching them happen from up on a mountain, looking down at the characters with binoculars.

That kind of reading experience doesn’t work for me at all.

 

[LOG]

Do you feel like you can connect with the characters in that series? I have trouble getting into the story because most of the characters seem like they blend together. I like to understand why a character's doing what they're doing, and Erikson doesn't seem to favor that type of writing.

I get the sense that all these amazing things are happening, but I feel like I'm watching them happen from up on a mountain, looking down at the characters with binoculars.

Well I don't empathize with most of them, but then I don't think I should. Empathizing with characters in the Malazan universe would be disturbing . . .
I don't feel like they blend together though. I can understand why it might feel that way since there are so many characters and Erikson isn't in the habit of spending a very long stretch of time with any of them.

 

[rwm4768]

Well I don't empathize with most of them, but then I don't think I should. Empathizing with characters in the Malazan universe would be disturbing . . .
I don't feel like they blend together though. I can understand why it might feel that way since there are so many characters and Erikson isn't in the habit of spending a very long time with any of them.

I guess that's why I have trouble with that series. When I read, I want to empathize with the characters.

I can respect what Erikson does with his story and world, but after pushing through four books, I'm just not sure it's my style of fantasy.

I might give it another try at some point. Tastes can change with time.

 

[phantasy]

Finished the Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin.

It was good and better written than the first, just didn't like the conclusion as much. I wanted the girl to gain something at the end, seriously she went through all that for little pay-off. I mean they barely torture the MC in the other book and she gets...well, more than she deserves for sure. LOL.

Now, I debate reading between fantasy or horror again. Decisions, decisions.