Author Topic: What are you reading? (Read 848831 times)

SpareInch · **Reply #2475 on:** November 19, 2014, 11:53:28 AM

Eaters of The Dead, by Michael Crichton. This is proper 70s Crighton, so it has that real edge of believability.

Unless you count things like

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Talia · **Reply #2476 on:** November 19, 2014, 01:24:38 PM

I just finished the novella "We Are All Completely Fine" by Daryl Gregory. It's about survivors of supernatural traumas who start a support group. I found it both really imaginative and very well written - this guy is turning out to be quite the talent. He seems adept at churning out these wildly different, inventive, genre novels that as of yet have dodged the curse of requiring sequels. This one is no exception - it's urban fantasy with a heavy horror crossover. I mean, one of the main bad guys likes to cut people open and --

but I won't spoil it

wintermute · **Reply #2477 on:** November 19, 2014, 05:02:56 PM

I just finished The Life of the World to Come by Kage Baker. I just discovered her company novels a few months ago, and I can't work out how I'd never heard of her before. While they're all great, this is the best so far, hands down.

The primary conceit in the series is that a 24th century company created immortal cyborgs and sent them back in time to rescue works of art and extinct animals in order to make the company insanely rich.

Listener · **Reply #2478 on:** November 20, 2014, 12:50:41 PM

Finished GRRM's A Feast For Crows. By far my least favorite book in the series so far, especially after how awesome the third one was toward the end.

Now reading Leckie's Ancillary Sword -- having some trouble getting into it, but she earned a shot with the first book.

Possibly going to read the next Carey Naamah book before going back to GRRM.

DKT · **Reply #2479 on:** November 20, 2014, 04:12:53 PM

Quote from: Talia on November 19, 2014, 01:24:38 PM

I just finished the novella "We Are All Completely Fine" by Daryl Gregory. It's about survivors of supernatural traumas who start a support group. I found it both really imaginative and very well written - this guy is turning out to be quite the talent. He seems adept at churning out these wildly different, inventive, genre novels that as of yet have dodged the curse of requiring sequels. This one is no exception - it's urban fantasy with a heavy horror crossover. I mean, one of the main bad guys likes to cut people open and --

but I won't spoil it

Ohhhhhhh, thanks for that! I listened to his novel Afterparty earlier this year and pretty much adored it. Easily at the top of my list for stuff I've read this year. I'll have to check out this too!

Uh, Listener, I finished Ancillary Sword a couple nights ago. I recommend you stick with it, definitely until the genitalia festival

Mostly listnening to podcasts and different short story collections/anthologies at the moment.

Listener · **Reply #2480 on:** November 21, 2014, 02:20:27 PM

Quote from: DKT on November 20, 2014, 04:12:53 PM

Uh, Listener, I finished Ancillary Sword a couple nights ago. I recommend you stick with it, definitely until the genitalia festival

"Genitalia festival". There's a pair of words I didn't expect to be next to each other in a sentence.

It's been so long since I've read Ancillary Justice that I've forgotten how to tell the actual sexes of the characters. I'm like 95% sure Seivarden is biologically male, and the same certainty that Breq is female, and maybe 75% that Anaander Miaanai is female, but beyond that? Insert Jackie Chan confused gif here.

DKT · **Reply #2481 on:** November 21, 2014, 03:37:58 PM

I'm reasonably sure you're right on Seivarden and Breq's sexes. I'm also remember reading Ann saying somewhere that she didn't know several of the characters' genders, and she was okay with that

charliesnike · **Reply #2482 on:** November 24, 2014, 01:29:59 PM

I am beginning Stephen Coonts' "The Traitor".

stePH · **Reply #2483 on:** November 24, 2014, 10:58:45 PM

So does "Ancillary Sword" refer to the penis of one of the characters?

I have the ebook of that on order from my library. Currently reading Consider Phlebas by iain Banks, also a library ebook.
I've been making heavy use of the Overdrive app on my iPod. Now I can borrow library books without even going to the library.

Fenrix · **Reply #2484 on:** November 24, 2014, 11:46:31 PM

I'm finally working my way through The Book of the New Sun as part of my exploration through Dying Earths.

SpareInch · **Reply #2485 on:** November 25, 2014, 01:13:02 PM

I just started to reread H.G. Wells's Apocalyptic tale, The War In The Air. Mostly because I want to nick his world building for something of my own.

stePH · **Reply #2486 on:** November 25, 2014, 10:39:54 PM

Quote from: Fenrix on November 24, 2014, 11:46:31 PM

I'm finally working my way through The Book of the New Sun as part of my exploration through Dying Earths.

I read Shadow of the Torturer a couple of years back and it completely failed to grab me. When the narrator said, "Here I pause. If you wish to walk no farther with me, reader, I cannot blame you. It is no easy road," I had no regrets to part ways with him.

Fenrix · **Reply #2487 on:** November 26, 2014, 02:10:30 AM

Quote from: stePH on November 25, 2014, 10:39:54 PM

Quote from: Fenrix on November 24, 2014, 11:46:31 PM
I'm finally working my way through The Book of the New Sun as part of my exploration through Dying Earths.

I read Shadow of the Torturer a couple of years back and it completely failed to grab me. When the narrator said, "Here I pause. If you wish to walk no farther with me, reader, I cannot blame you. It is no easy road," I had no regrets to part ways with him.

I did that with a Stephen King book. "It gets worse after this. If you liked this ending, stop here." DONE! Followed by the book being tossed across the room.

Since SHADOW is very clearly a setup book for the series, and they're fast and easy to read, I figured I'd give the rest a chance. Also the rest of my Dying Earth book club decided they liked it enough to keep going. I haven't found it yet to be better than Zothique, though. Some beauty, some decadence, but not quite the same caliber.

stePH · **Reply #2488 on:** November 26, 2014, 04:29:04 PM

Quote from: Fenrix on November 26, 2014, 02:10:30 AM

Since SHADOW is very clearly a setup book for the series, and they're fast and easy to read, I figured I'd give the rest a chance.

I couldn't see why they're so highly regarded by Eley and others here. But then again, lots of people here also like Firefly, so there's no accounting for taste.

stePH · **Reply #2489 on:** November 26, 2014, 06:03:19 PM

Quote from: Fenrix on November 26, 2014, 02:10:30 AM

I did that with a Stephen King book. "It gets worse after this. If you liked this ending, stop here." DONE! Followed by the book being tossed across the room.

The Dark Tower book 7, right?
The last good book of that series was book 4, Wizard and Glass. He lost his mojo on that story during the long hiatus. And the ending was just a blatant and unapologetic insult to the Constant Readers.

Fenrix · **Reply #2490 on:** November 29, 2014, 03:48:23 PM

Quote from: stePH on November 26, 2014, 06:03:19 PM

Quote from: Fenrix on November 26, 2014, 02:10:30 AM
I did that with a Stephen King book. "It gets worse after this. If you liked this ending, stop here." DONE! Followed by the book being tossed across the room.

The Dark Tower book 7, right?
The last good book of that series was book 4, Wizard and Glass. He lost his mojo on that story during the long hiatus. And the ending was just a blatant and unapologetic insult to the Constant Readers.

Black House, actually. After this and Talisman and a couple of his short stories, I decided that I cannot abide Peter Straub.

I read The Gunslinger and was unmoved. I prefer Zothique for end times filled with dark wizards and cultists.

wintermute · **Reply #2491 on:** November 29, 2014, 08:20:11 PM

I just finished Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake. Five stars, but I can see it not appealing to some people.

Devoted135 · **Reply #2492 on:** December 01, 2014, 03:27:33 AM

Finished Outlander, and while I enjoyed it, I also discovered a quirk I didn't realize that I have. The genre of the book (and evidently of the whole series) is so ambiguous that I found it actually unsettling. I started it expecting fantasy, and got a story that was 80% historical fiction and 20% fantasy. Then about halfway through we added a healthy dose of romance...

Anyway, I had no idea how much defying my expectations of genre would throw me off, and I found it interesting that it did.

DKT · **Reply #2493 on:** December 01, 2014, 10:46:40 PM

I love the Book of the New Sun - I think I've been pretty vocal about that. Big Dying Earth sucker here. But if you didn't like the first one, it's probably not the series for you. If I could take a grad level course on a SF series, that'd be the one I'd want to sign up for and dissect. (I really should try and do the whole series again sometime soon. Ha.)

Fenrix, the first Viriconium book by M. John Harrison is pure Dying Earth bad ass adventure, a very quick read, and nowhere near as intentionally distanced as Wolfe's books. Not so much the rich language you get from either Wolfe - or for that matter, Smith - IIRC, but loads of fun and cool shit. The other books and stories are less fun, though perhaps better written. The third one is almost a dark comedy, and I don't know why we don't see more Dying Earth books that read like Coen Brothers movies...

I loved the first of King's Gunslinger books, and have been mixed (at best) on the rest. One day I'll read the last two.

Fenrix · **Reply #2494 on:** December 02, 2014, 12:09:46 AM

Quote from: DKT on December 01, 2014, 10:46:40 PM

I love the Book of the New Sun - I think I've been pretty vocal about that. Big Dying Earth sucker here. But if you didn't like the first one, it's probably not the series for you. If I could take a grad level course on a SF series, that'd be the one I'd want to sign up for and dissect. (I really should try and do the whole series again sometime soon. Ha.)

Fenrix, the first Viriconium book by M. John Harrison is pure Dying Earth bad ass adventure, a very quick read, and nowhere near as intentionally distanced as Wolfe's books. Not so much the rich language you get from either Wolfe - or for that matter, Smith - IIRC, but loads of fun and cool shit. The other books and stories are less fun, though perhaps better written. The third one is almost a dark comedy, and I don't know why we don't see more Dying Earth books that read like Coen Brothers movies...

I loved the first of King's Gunslinger books, and have been mixed (at best) on the rest. One day I'll read the last two.

So far we've done Jack vance, Clark Ashton Smith, and Gene Wolfe. We're going to follow that with GRR Martin's Dying of the Light. Not sure what's after that. I'll add your suggestion to the list for consideration. Once we've had enough we're going to close with the GRR Martin edited tribute anthology Songs of a Dying Earth.

I'm excited for the next phase once we're done with Dying Earths. We're going to spend a year or two working on the history and evolution of horror from Shelley to Joe Hill.

Varda · **Reply #2495 on:** December 02, 2014, 12:19:50 AM

Quote from: wintermute on November 29, 2014, 08:20:11 PM

I just finished Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake. Five stars, but I can see it not appealing to some people.

Ohhh, did you pick it up on my recommendation?

One of my favorite SF books in recent memory. And yeah, definitely not for everyone. Apparently, they're about to make a TV series out of it, which should be... interesting. I'm cautiously excited.

wintermute · **Reply #2496 on:** December 02, 2014, 01:15:30 PM

Quote from: Varda on December 02, 2014, 12:19:50 AM

Quote from: wintermute on November 29, 2014, 08:20:11 PM
I just finished Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake. Five stars, but I can see it not appealing to some people.

Ohhh, did you pick it up on my recommendation?

At least in part, yes. I also have Nnedi Okorafor and Octavia Butler in the pile.

Listener · **Reply #2497 on:** December 04, 2014, 01:38:12 PM

Finished The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Rothfuss -- I can understand why people might not like it, though.

Finished Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey -- there was some damn depressing stuff in there, religion-wise.

Now reading A Dance With Dragons by GRRM. Four chapters in and all my favorite characters are back. Thank goodness.

lowky · **Reply #2498 on:** December 17, 2014, 04:23:36 PM

Just finished The Last Town, book 3 of the Wayward Pines series by Blake Crouch. I have been reading them through the Kindle Lending Library thing. interesting series so far.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

danooli · **Reply #2499 on:** December 18, 2014, 01:56:31 PM

I've been listening to the Wheel of Time series and am up to book 5, The Fires of Heaven. I've read up to book 10 and stopped when Robert Jordan died and have forgotten most of the plot points, and when a friend mentioned that Brandon Sanderson nailed the ending, I started this epic reread...