The SP/RP hivemind would hate my book. Haha.
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What are you reading? (April 2015)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
The SP/RP hivemind would hate my book. Haha.
sparky2112
Member
ZING!!!!! (well played, sir)
sparky2112
Member
I'll have to check out North Face. Yeah, the company I was consulting with (Roche) held an offsite in Grindelwald, where the Eiger is located. It was early Spring, and during a break, I decided to hike up one of the mountains behind the Eiger. Let's just say that when the trail has a sign telling you not to go beyond a certain point at that time of year, DON'T. Way beyond that point, I heard an avalanche that was the loudest thing I've ever heard (short of the B-52 that once buzzed over my head) and I BEAT ASS back down the trail. God knows how long I'd have been up there had anything bad happened, given that nobody knew where I was...
That sounds terrifying. I'll keep it in mind if I get to visit there! (I'm picturing my shattered bones poking up between the ice and rocks, forever unfound).
Lucky you got to go there with your job
TestMonkey
Member
Finished Pacific Rims by Rafe Bartholomew and Flash Boys by Michael Lewis. The game is rigged, has always been rigged and will continue to be rigged.
Started The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis and The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. Capitalism is making me sad.
Started The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis and The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. Capitalism is making me sad.
D
Deleted member 125677
Unconfirmed Member
Sometimes you have to clean your mind and soul a little by reading a Henry James novel, and I've just finished the two first chapters of Washington Square and already feel a lot better
3 of 5.
What about the novel didn't click with you? I read this due to a reading bet, and I was blown away by the quality it (especially since the first book the person told me to read was too up its own ass <3 Mumei).
Ahem.
ClosingADoor
Member
Just finished Authority yesterday. Good read. Creepy vibes from time to time. And a real open ending, so need to pick up the third part soon to close the trilogy. Really wondering what is going on.
But for now I started on Old Man's War. 10% in right now, good read.
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But for now I started on Old Man's War. 10% in right now, good read.
You shouldn't be surprise by that fact. You know how I feel about super flowerly writing proses after all! :-D
I powered through Mr Mercedes (King) quickly as it was gifted to me. I did not care for it much. It's one of the Stephen King books in which many characters share the same "voice", use slang terms and phrases that people their age would not use (or are invented and sound silly/corny), and have characters making decisions or using reasoning that do not make sense. The "villain" is also laughably non-threatening.
I plan on finishing another King book this month that impressed me more when I started it. I hope it ends better.
I plan on finishing another King book this month that impressed me more when I started it. I hope it ends better.
RepairmanJack
Member
I think I need a recommendation. I'm tired of Ready Player One, and after thinking about Justified all week I need some kind of book with great characters where the villains are as good if not better than the protagonists.
Anything come to mind? I've thought maybe the Hannibal series, but not sure. I've heard more good about the characters than I have about the books themselves being good.
Anything come to mind? I've thought maybe the Hannibal series, but not sure. I've heard more good about the characters than I have about the books themselves being good.
Watch the Hannibal television series instead. I've read the books; the show is better.
RepairmanJack
Member
I do, that was sort of another reason why I wasn't sure about reading the books. Having prior knowledge going in I thought it would possibly get boring.
BrokenFiction
Member
I've had them sitting on my shelf for a while, but finally started reading Peter V. Brett's The Warded Man. Dang, this is a good book.
Oooh. Yeah, the television show elevates the material.
Tragicomedy
Member
I already pre-ordered your book on Amazon. I always support my Gaffers. I'm looking forward to reading it in May.
3 of 5.
That was my response as well. It was beautifully written, but ultimately a hollow and unrewarding experience. The protagonist is a grade A douche and I actively rooted against...well, everyone in the book.
I don't know. After reading a short synopsis about it, i really like the story and expected to much to be honest. It was indeed great written,
but after about 4/5 of the book, i was like, well that's it? expected more,
yeah, same here.
I really enjoyed The Warded Man, but felt like The Desert Spear (outside the first 20%) was an enormous step down and felt incredibly self-indulgent--to the point that it reminded me of the late-middle volumes of the Wheel of Time series. I stopped reading at that point, but I've heard enough good things about the two subsequent sequels that I might go back and give it another shot. Brett himself is a cool dude and has responded well to criticisms of his work.
Thanks! I appreciate the support. Hope you enjoy it.
BrokenFiction
Member
I like Brett a lot online, and that holds some cache with me. I'll keep going, because I hear Skull Throne is amazing.
Rug Monkey
Member
finished The Mayor of Casterbridge and Far From The Madding Crowd, beautiful, tragic and complex
For a change of pace i'm reading the Riyria books by Michael J. Sullivan after seeing an interview with him on A Dribble of Ink and loving them so far
For a change of pace i'm reading the Riyria books by Michael J. Sullivan after seeing an interview with him on A Dribble of Ink and loving them so far
He's a great dude in real life, too. I had a lot of fun hanging out with him at LonCon 3. I've been hearing similar things about TST, which has rekindled my interest in the series. The guy can write a magic-fueled action scene with the best of 'em.
That site. So overrated.
Just kidding. Thanks for the shout out.
Oh, I've got to read that interview. Just read the Riyria books recently and liked them a lot.
Edit: Well, that was short. Interesting that he writes the whole series before publishing the first. Is this a common thing?
bengraven
Member
If I liked most modern "gritty" fantasy (GRRM, Lawrence, Lynch, Abercrombie, etc) will I like Sullivan? I think Sullivan and Weeks are the two big fantasy names I still haven't read of the major players, other than a few chapters of Malazan.
Ugh, another white male Hugo winner.
(totally kidding and I did buy it. Congrats on the release man! When will be shipped/sent to Kindle?)
Ugh, another white male Hugo winner.
(totally kidding and I did buy it.
Congrats on the release man! When will be shipped/sent to Kindle?)Ugh, another white male Hugo winner.
(totally kidding and I did buy it.
My white guilt is through the roof.
Tide of Shadows and Other Stories will be loosed to the world on May 4, 2015. Thanks for the support!
Reading GAF! My short fiction collection, Tide of Shadows and Other Stories was officially unveiled last week and made available for pre-order!
A few details about Tide of Shadows and Other Stories:
Table of Contents
Official Synopsis
- A Night for Spirits and Snowflakes
- The Girl with Wings of Iron and Down
- Of Parnassus and Princes, Damsels and Dragons
- The Colour of the Sky on the Day the World Ended
- Tide of Shadows
In addition to the five stories (four originals and one reprint), Tide of Shadows and Other Stories also includes story notes for each tale. These give readers insight into the origins of the story and explore some of the ways theyve impacted me as a writer.
Cover Art
Cover illustration is by Kuldar Leement, a wonderful digital illustrator and graphic designer from Estonia. I did all the design/layout/typography myself.
Pre-order & Release Date
If you're interested in fantasy and science fiction, or just want to support a GAFfer, you can pre-order Tide of Shadows and Other Stories on Amazon right now for $2.99! It will be released on May 4, 2015.
I posted this with a moderator's blessing, but if it's over-the-line or too self-promotional, let me know and I'll edit the post.
Looks really interesting. I'll check it out. Is this your first published fiction or do you have any other works I can check out?
Maklershed
Member
I'll post here since its based on a book but Wolf Hall it's the best thing I've seen on PBS since the new adaptations of Great Expectations and Edwin Drood. I highly recommend it. Acting, costuming, sets, location are all great.
Thanks for the interest! I have a story -- "A Night for Spirits and Snowflakes" -- in the Sword & Laser Anthology. However, that anthology costs more than the pre-order price for mine, so not a terribly efficient way to get a taste of my fiction.
A story from the collection will be published for free online between now and the release date, however.
Been reading through more of the Vorkosigan Saga. Definitely addicting. Just finished Ethan of Arthos, which was a very interesting take on an all male-planet in sci fi. I don't think I've ever seen that.
I hate the feeling of not having a new book around. They're like my safety blanket.
I hate the feeling of not having a new book around. They're like my safety blanket.
Over the past several weeks I've become a bit obsessed with the Pathfinder universe, so I'm currently trundling through some of the campaign books and Skinwalkers by Wendy N. Wagner.
Fun, frantic, and nostalgic. Sometimes I'm in the mood for straightforward adventurous fantasy, and Wagner's novel is delivering that very nicely.
Fun, frantic, and nostalgic. Sometimes I'm in the mood for straightforward adventurous fantasy, and Wagner's novel is delivering that very nicely.
Been reading through more of the Vorkosigan Saga. Definitely addicting. Just finished Ethan of Arthos, which was a very interesting take on an all male-planet in sci fi. I don't think I've ever seen that.
I hate the feeling of not having a new book around. They're like my safety blanket.
Ethan of Athos is generally considered one of the weaker entries, too.
I like those 'gritty' authors too, but I didn't think very much of the Sullivan book I read (The Crown Tower). It's fluff. It had a decent set up, but pretty shallow characterisation and an idiotic plot in the end. I'm not going to continue with them. I haven't read Weeks yet either, every time I flip open my copy of the first night angel book it lands on some cliche or other. I will give the Black Prism a go though, as supposedly he gets better.
Yeah, Sullivan's novels won't satisfy you if you're looking for something like Abercrombie or Lawrence. I'd recommend Kameron Hurley, Glen Cook, or Richard Morgan.
Re: Brent Weeks -- I enjoyed The Black Prism enough, but found the world building and magic system a bit sloppy and overexplained. However, the second volume is a monumental improvement and was easily one of my favourite fantasy novels the year it was released.
Oh, that's good to know! It's now moved higher up my to-be-read pile, thanks
Incidentally, I also gave up on Brett after The Desert Spear, but have heard enough good things about the next books to be tempted...Would anyone be interested in a new list/recommendation thread? Looking at the OP(well, a cursory look anyway), our stuff has grown stale. Tastes change, great works are discovered for the first time. Even if that's not the case for you personally, I think it would be beneficial to those of us searching for the next book to have a supplementary thread. I don't know how it would go exactly, favorite fiction/non fiction books? Maybe something a little more casual sounding like "current favorites" if the absolute sounds like an imposing proposition.
It might be more useful to create a list in this thread and then post a new list/recommendations thread afterwards. I have the feeling that most of the recommendations will be 'stale' if a new thread is started first. If it is started afterwards, the list compilers can simply pick and choose from interesting recommendations and add them to the list already complied here.
I only meant stale in the sense that it has seemingly been years since we've had one, I don't mind if To Kill a Mockingbird or something gets to the top or if we frame it differently(although, if titles that are ubiquitous to school curriculums dominate that would be kind of boring). My preference is to do it in a way where we get substantial participation, a separate thread from the start could do that or it could drop off the front page in the first hours never to be seen again, unlike a thread like this.
Plasticine
Member
Finished Clickers by J.F. Gonzalez and Mark Williams. It was a fun B-movie monster romp. Filled with gore, carnage and action it was a lot of fun. The characters were nicely sketched out and the titular monsters were cool. A blood thirsty cross between a lobster and scorpions the Clickers emerge from the ocean and attack a sleepy small town. Not only are their claws razor sharp, but their stingers are loaded with poison that causes its victim to swell until they explode. Definitely an entertaining and fast read even if the writing is a little repetitive and the language is a bit simplistic.
Up next:
I've had this in my Kindle forever. I recently saw the awesome looking limited hardcover edition at a local bookstore and finally decided to give it a read so I can decide if I should add it to my collection.
Up next:
I've had this in my Kindle forever. I recently saw the awesome looking limited hardcover edition at a local bookstore and finally decided to give it a read so I can decide if I should add it to my collection.
macfoshizzle
Member
just started this. on the first chapter. so far so good!
Its fantastic. Enjoy.
Lupin the Third
Member
OP suggested I cross-post this here from the "I can't remember the name of X" thread, so here goes:
EatinOlives
Member
I don't usually read, so I don't know why but I got the urge to read this:
So far so good. I'm at the chapter where it's basically a biography of L. Ron Hubbard, which as interesting as it is I think it's too long in the tooth. I don't know the structure for the rest of the book but IMO this chapter could've definitely done with splitting it into two parts, with some of the modern-day commentary being placed in between the two. Fascinating read so far but the chapter is so long it's starting to sap my strength
So far so good. I'm at the chapter where it's basically a biography of L. Ron Hubbard, which as interesting as it is I think it's too long in the tooth. I don't know the structure for the rest of the book but IMO this chapter could've definitely done with splitting it into two parts, with some of the modern-day commentary being placed in between the two. Fascinating read so far but the chapter is so long it's starting to sap my strength
Destination: Void, The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect by Frank Herbert
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destination:_Void
There's actually a fourth that takes place twenty five years after the trilogy, The Ascension Factor, but it's not necessary to enjoy the trilogy.
CaptainofIndustry
Member
I'm reading "The Killer Ascendant" by Barry Eisler. It's part of the John Rain series. I'm really enjoying it.
The Killer Ascendant (Previously Published as Requiem for an Assassin) (A John Rain Novel) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1477820833/?tag=neogaf0e-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1477820833/?tag=neogaf0e-20
The Killer Ascendant (Previously Published as Requiem for an Assassin) (A John Rain Novel) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1477820833/?tag=neogaf0e-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1477820833/?tag=neogaf0e-20