What are you reading?

AFter plowing through about 7 or 8 Drizzt novels followed by the second Ultramarines omnibus I've nearly finished The Fall of Berlin 1945 by Beevor. As you'd expect it's fairly grim.

After seeing the above I might try the Mordants Need next. I quite enjoyed the 6 TC books a few years back.

-kaos
 
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Finished reading the Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton. Three huge volumes that really formed a single story, which took me more than 100 hours to read through, spread over just as many days. As others have said before me: "Glad I read it. Glad it's over". I'd rate it 4/5. I was kept intrigued from start to finish without getting sidetracked, which is always an indicator for a good story in my book. I liked how the final chapter tied up all loose ends. Even if it was a bit abrupt after all that had been happening, it provided a good sense of closure.

Now I'm about ready for one of the following:
  • next Xeelee book (Ring)
  • next Malazan book (Reaper's Gale)
  • next Stormlight book (Words of Radiance)
 
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I'm reading the 2nd book of the Last Kingdom series, The Pale Horseman. This one is just as good as the previous book, I really recommend this series to anyone that would be interested seeing how England dealt with the huge issues that the Danes brought right to their shores. It really has it all, I've been totally enthralled with both of these books.
 
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Just finishing up Firestorm by Taylor Anderson, having just recently burned thru Distant Thunders and Rising Tides. Really fun and easy reading action military series I can honestly say is retaining its quality through its 5th book. After I finish Firestorm I'm going to re-read Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company. I think my mind set reading this the first time was a little off, because I really didn't care for it, tho its highly acclaimed. I'm going to re-read it and see if the second time around I'll enjoy it more.
 
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The Bourne Identity

Over the last week I picked up the Blu-ray "The Bourne Collection" and watched them all. I started to wonder about the books and how different or not they are from the film.

The books, the first three, arrived yesterday and I started reading. I am 30 pages in to "The Bourne Identity" which delves further into the reasons why Jason has no memory but all his skills are still there. Something I did not question in the film.

The book was published in 1980 while the film came out in 2002 so I expect some big differences.

It makes me wonder if the book will spoil the film if it tells me about logical inconsistencies.
 
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Chainfire by Terry Goodkind.

Bought it years ago but never read it. It's one of his weaker books (and that's saying something). While I really enjoyed his vision in the earlier parts of the Sword of Truth series, things are getting really stale and it feels like he wasn't too enthusiastic about continuing or simply lacked the planning in his plotline to deliver. It seems like he's rushing it (just now got to the part where the 'ultimate battle foretold by prophecy' was discovered to take place, uhm, very soon).
 
Lavondyss, by Robert Holdstock, some twenty years after I first read it.
Prior to that, The Algebraist by Ian M Banks. Bit shallow, that one, and not as good as his earlier stuff.
Before that was the Unorthodox Engineers by Colin Kapp. Now that was fun - like an old british wartime film with the weirdness level turned up.
 
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Reading The Silmarillion. It's my 3rd attempt, my first one being like 23 years ago, second one like 15 years ago. So many names! So for this attempt I just decided to ignore the names and just concentrate on the things that are happening. So instead of reading "Rahur, in Eldar Magarawe, son of Vilmar killed Funaor son of Feldaor in the hills of Karad-Al-Gazur", my mind just reads "some dude killed another dude in a hill".

It's working so far as I'm past the middle of the book in the Second Age now.
 
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Almost finished Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It is a YA title, quick and easy to read with some incredible photographs. Apparently the film will be released next year. It is being directed by Tim Burton, so it should be suitably dark and strange. On a more Adult note-The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell is one hell of a rollicking story, best not to know anything about it, just read it. The author also wrote Cloud Atlas, so it may give you some indication of what is in store, although this one is a more direct and cohesive story.
 
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my mind just reads "some dude killed another dude in a hill".
Haha, yeah, I read a lot of books like that. The names that actually get repeated will eventually find their way into my short-term memory anyway.
 
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So instead of reading "Rahur, in Eldar Magarawe, son of Vilmar killed Funaor son of Feldaor in the hills of Karad-Al-Gazur", my mind just reads "some dude killed another dude in a hill".
Haha, yes. This is exactly the reason why I quit after 20 pages fifteen years ago. Never gave it a second attempt. But looking at your timeframe I still have time.

As a side note - couldn't find the music thread - I'm really enjoying the lotr soundtrack through my recently acquired headphones. I came to the conclusion that the music of lotr contributes the most to my experience of those movies.
 
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Reading The Silmarillion. It's my 3rd attempt, my first one being like 23 years ago, second one like 15 years ago. So many names! So for this attempt I just decided to ignore the names and just concentrate on the things that are happening. So instead of reading "Rahur, in Eldar Magarawe, son of Vilmar killed Funaor son of Feldaor in the hills of Karad-Al-Gazur", my mind just reads "some dude killed another dude in a hill".

It's working so far as I'm past the middle of the book in the Second Age now.

I probably remember more names and ancestries in the Silmarillion than the Bible. ;) I also read all the History of Middle Earth books, and have somehow managed to keep all the alternative versions of the Book of Lost Tales, etc separate from the published Silmarallion. Probably has to do with having read the Silmarillion about 6 times vs only once for the History of Middle Earth. The HoME books are quite a slog. The Silmarillion is a walk in the park in comparison. :)
 
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Neuromancer by William Gibson. Lately I'm having a real addiction towards all things cyberpunk and as far as I understand this is considered one of the classics and founders of the genre.
 
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Neuromancer by William Gibson. Lately I'm having a real addiction towards all things cyberpunk and as far as I understand this is considered one of the classics and founders of the genre.
I haven't actually read any Cyberpunk yet, as far as I can recall. So keep us updated about your newfound addiction, please.


I finished Baxter's Ring from the Xeelee Sequence. It was another 3/5 book for me: OK-ish story presentation (lots of in-your-face explaining) made up for by fantastic ideas from the astronomy department. I'm already looking forward to Raft and Flux, which further explore themes that were briefly touched upon in Ring.

But first it's time for more Erikson.
 
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Enjoy - NyxVampira!!
In terms of cyberpunk "Neuromancer" is canon. Other excellent books from the 'mists of time' are "Stations of the Tide" - Michael Swanwick, the collections "Mirrorshades" and "Burning Chrome" (with the title story the quintessential cyberpunk for me), "Shockwave Rider" - John Brunner, for me Neal Stephenson's "Snowcrash" is decent but quite derivative (which is heresy to some :) ). Other are "Schismatix" - Bruce Sterling, "When Gravity Fails" - George Alec Effinger, etc. etc. I'm personally not a huge Rucker or Cardigan fan, just don't get the style as they seem too effected, but many people love their work.
Let me know what you like!!

One caveat, Neuromancer (and other books) is over 30 years old so on my last reread some parts were dated/passed by in a technology sense.
 
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Finished a few books since I last posted. Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook. Much better the second time around, I didn't have my expectations set in a certain way and so enjoyed it much more this time. Finished the Destroyermen series up to Deadly Shores by Taylor Anderson and they were great. Really great alternative history/war series and I think would make a tremendous RTS setting. Finally I just finished Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell. First time reading this author and I'm very impressed with his writing. Characters are enjoyable and the pace is fast with lots of action in this alternative history of around the time of Troy.
 
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Just finished the first Witcher novel, The Blood of Elves. Great book, with a lot of backstory that really enriches the relationships between Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer and Tris. Really cool stuff. I also started with the next book in the series, Time of Contempt. This one is also turning out to be cool. I love the way the writer chooses to tell the tale. He uses a kind of witness-to-events-point-of-view for most event, and only sometimes does he tell it from Geralt/Ciri/Yennefer's point of view. Anyway, I also just found out how Emhyr is Ciri's father. Great stuff. It's not really a spoiler, since that's practically the main mission you get from Emhyr, at his court in Vizima.
 
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Ancillary justice,
Sci fi with a nice twist, really original.

My only problem with it is that the writer is not really a science nerd, and i am....

So the sience behind some things are a bit Thin, but a great read!
 
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