What are you reading ?

Just coming to the end of a re-read of 1984, after which I'm going to have a go at book one of the Demon Cycle. I'm way behind on fantasy books and it sounds pretty interesting.

The Warded Man is an excellent read, you'll find it hard to do anything else while you're enjoying that book.

Originally Posted by Carnifex
The Warded Man is an excellent read, you'll find it hard to do anything else while you're enjoying that book.

Agree with your opinion. It was the same for me up until book 4. I'm in book 5 now, and i stopped to read something else. Somehow it's not like the previous 4.

I intend to continue and hope to change.

By the way, i read Skullsworn by Brian Staveley and it's great.

Just finished Fatal Gate, another of Ian Irvine's books…I enjoyed the original series (especially the character "Flydd"), the magic system and world, but I feel subsequent books are lacking something. I just started reading another of the Witcher books (The Tower of the Swallow) which is all about Ciri…it seems quite different from the Witcher 3, and some things seemed to have been changed completely. I don't think the translation is that good, or the author has a rather odd writings style ;-)

I finished reading Hounded last night, the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles. I found it to be an excellent read, on how a current druid would live in function in today's world, and loaded with good humour as well. I've always had a soft spot for the Celtic legends/mythology, so for me this was an easy and welcome read. I've already requested the next novel in the series.

I'm reading The Land series by Aleron Kong. Vastly over-rated imo, but not totally horrible. It's litrpg, so basically about an Earthling who teleports to a world that lives by rpg-like rules. Leveling up stats, learning skills, building towns, etc. Like most authors who write in this genre, his protagonist is godlike and followers and fame flow to him.

Originally Posted by crpgnut
….Like most authors who write in this genre, his protagonist is godlike and followers and fame flow to him.

ugh…that drives me nuts. I like flawed/interesting protagonists…I remember some series I started about some warrior guy who was godlike and just so 'friggin' awesome…' I soldiered through the book then buried it deep in my bookcase.

I have a hard time finding fantasy novels I like. I don't know why. I just find it's much easier to find a good book in the other genre sections, like sci-fi and crime. I think it's because so much of it seems derivative, like a copy of a copy.

Originally Posted by booboo
ugh…that drives me nuts. I like flawed/interesting protagonists…I remember some series I started about some warrior guy who was godlike and just so 'friggin' awesome…' I soldiered through the book then buried it deep in my bookcase.

I think I read that book too and also buried it. Can't stand those either. That's why I enjoy books like the Farseer series.

I'm looking for something different to read, wonder if anyone has suggestions. Something in the realm of Dark Fantasy Horror Romance Gothic Period Piece. Something along the lines of Sleepy Hollow mixed in with Jane Eyre, Phantom of the Opera, and some good old fantasy magic thrown in for fun. Does this exist (that's great read)?

Originally Posted by Caddy
I think I read that book too and also buried it. Can't stand those either. That's why I enjoy books like the Farseer series.

I'm looking for something different to read, wonder if anyone has suggestions. Something in the realm of Dark Fantasy Horror Romance Gothic Period Piece. Something along the lines of Sleepy Hollow mixed in with Jane Eyre, Phantom of the Opera, and some good old fantasy magic thrown in for fun. Does this exist (that's great read)?

Something a bit different that fits some of your requirements - The Essex Serpent. Dark fantasy/Jane Eyre/Gothic period piece - that sort of thing. Not so much the fantasy magic.

Originally Posted by Ripper
Something a bit different that fits some of your requirements - The Essex Serpent. Dark fantasy/Jane Eyre/Gothic period piece - that sort of thing. Not so much the fantasy magic.

Cool beans, i'll check it out!

If interested in economics, I'd recommend the May issue of Prospect magazine, which is one of the four publications I read regularly. It makes the case for the need for a fresh view of economics. I have a lot of sympathy for this idea, as I've always found people who present economic orthodoxy as if it were scientific fact rather unconvincing - it's a lot more about ideology than science. Prospect is a pretty balanced magazine, without a clear political bent.

Took me a bit to get through the final book of the Demon Cycle, with all the hockey action on the past few days, and I am disappointed. Not like "The Passage" disappointed, but wow, did the final book focus on a lot of minutia that I didn't give a damn about. Still a good series to read and check out for yourselves as opinions can vary, I just thought the first book was, by far, the best.

I just started reading The Name of the Wind (first book in the Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss).

It appears I found where Skyrim got its "Arrow in the knee" quote as well as other inspirations for the game.

Man, that sad game only wishes it had the awesomeness of that book. After the Covenant series, Rothfuss's series is my second favourite of all time, I've been waiting for the third volume for……a bit. Don't ever do the disservice of putting this in television or film formats, it would only cheapen the tale.

Originally Posted by Carnifex
Man, that sad game only wishes it had the awesomeness of that book. After the Covenant series, Rothfuss's series is my second favourite of all time, I've been waiting for the third volume for……a bit. Don't ever do the disservice of putting this in television or film formats, it would only cheapen the tale.

So I should check out this Convenant series next?

I'm assuming your talking about the Thomas Covenant series? Not the vampire novels…

Originally Posted by Carnifex
Took me a bit to get through the final book of the Demon Cycle, with all the hockey action on the past few days, and I am disappointed. Not like "The Passage" disappointed, but wow, did the final book focus on a lot of minutia that I didn't give a damn about. Still a good series to read and check out for yourselves as opinions can vary, I just thought the first book was, by far, the best.

I'm just reading the first one, largely as a result of your recommendation earlier in this thread! Early days, but the characters and setting are interesting and I'm intrigued to learn more about the free cities. And the concept of the demon attacks is interesting.

Aye, that would be Thomas Covenant, Ur-Lord and Unbeliever. Lots of books, many wild and varied theories about what actually is going on/happened, and you will never ever see a television or movie made about these novels, because of something quite stark that happens in the first book. Yes, unless they were to remove that incident, that's a guarantee.

I knocked off two books this week, Midnight Riot and the Emperor's Blade. The first book I found quite similar to the Rook, in that there is a clandestine organization within the UK that deals with mystic matters, but this one is more attached to the police force rather than a ministry in its' own right. I found it quite engaging, and I'm looking forward to the next novel in the series.

The second book didn't grab me at first, I was maybe a hundred and fifty pages in before the story started to resonate. Now I'm quite keen to see what happens next, two of the characters I don't find really compelling, but it is worth sticking with them just to see where the tale is going. I do love me some empire building, and this has all the criteria needed to be a rousing tale, when all is said and done.

I started reading The Fifth Sally by Daniel Keyes