What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

[Ghost Archer]

Wish I could say I have been reading sci fi or fantatsy but alas, I cannot. For many years now, something like a dozen, I have had no interest in either genre. I guess a steady diet of such fare for something like 30 years exhausted me. My current readings consist of techno thrillers, mysteries, psycho thrillers, historical fiction, history aod biographies. Currently I have just finished Patrick O'Brian's HMS Surprize and Clive Cussler's Golden Buddah. I am also reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and A Cold Heart by Jonathan Kellerman. I will be starting Patrick O'Brian's Mauritius Command in the morning.

The O'Brian books: I suggest one reads from the beginning as they are a series. The Cussler book was merely okay. I didn't feel it was up to his usual standards. Kellerman is, perhaps, my favorite psycho-thiller author and all of his books are excellent studies on the evils dwelling in the human mind. Dan Brown reminds me a good deal of Robert Ludlum which is a good thing. So far I am enjoying it.

[Rage]

I just finished reading Fools Fate by Robin Hobb. I was acrtually disapointed. I love her works but the last book of each trilogy is formulaic enough for me to pick out exactly what is going to happen.

 

I also just read Monstrous Regiment- Its the standard Pratchett fare, meaning thats its funny, and makes you think. It isn't pee your pants funny like Hogfather, The Last Continent or Theif Of time, and it isn't a thriller like Night Watch was.

 

I also just read Lavondyss, Holdstocks sequel to Mythago wood. Personally I felt it was kind of a let down in areas, but it was still very interesting.

[Fuzzy Gnome]

I just read the Apocalypse Troll by David Weber. After being put to sleep by the Shiva Option by the same author, I was taking a chance. But I liked it. It was a heroic adventure that concentrated mostly on the two main characters rather than a theater-level strategic analysis like Shiva.

[BishopofB&W]

The Adept by Kathleen Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris.

It's an urban fantasy set in modern Scotland combining psychic powers, hermetic magic, and Scottish history and legends. It has some nice ideas for power special effects and organizing Lodges of do-gooders. The only problem I had with it, and this is not to disparage the story, is that it was billed as a regular fantasy when it was really written for women. By that I mean that every action is described in excruciating detail like in a romance novel. The main character is also like the hero of such a novel. He's a male Mary Poppins -- practically perfect in every way. He's so perfect that he has very little personality. It's well-written, but be warned.

[Guest joen00b]

Katherine Kurtz... did she write the Deryni series?

[BishopofB&W]

Originally posted by joen00b

Katherine Kurtz... did she write the Deryni series?

 

Yes. I haven't read that yet.

[Guest joen00b]

I picked up the entire Deryni series from a used book store on recommendation from a friend. They're very religious (is that the word I want to use), but cool none the less. the mental powers brought a new aspect to the genre, but I just can't seem to get into them all that much.

[Lightray]

Originally posted by Mutant for Hire

I tend to think the Black Company series is more or less over. The last book had a feeling of finality to it, much as the Silver Spike more or less resolved all of the fates of those who didn't go south.

Last time I'd talked to him at Archon in St. Louis (well, Collinsville IL) he said he there would be another Black Company novel, but was was working on other projects first. He's been to every Archon I can remember, because he's a bookseller and has a booth in the dealer room. He's very good about autographing anything of his that you buy.

 

Also just finished A Wrinkle In Time, A Wind In The Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and Many Waters by Madeline L'Engle. Can't believe I missed reading those as a kid.

[TheEmerged]

Re: Re: george R.R. Martin's novels are frustrating and ultimately pointless

 

Originally posted by joen00b

I think there was growth in the characters, and the first three books took place over the course of only a few months, ehll, Winter was just starting at the beginning on A Game Of Thrones and it had yet to snow in the lower lands yet.

 

Joe, you did understand that winter is not an annual occurance in the world the story takes place in, right?

[zornwil]

I've been terribly remiss in reading. However, I have been recommending for some time "Lives of the Monster Dogs" (or some name very similar, not handy at the moment, ask me if you can't find it). It's very interesting. Probably an 8 out of 10, might just be a 7, as it does have some flaws - it's the author's first novel, and a somewhat weighty one. I thought it was thought-provoking as well as entertaining.

[Twilight]

Recently finished reading Exile's Honor and Exile's Valor by Mercede's Lackey. They focus on the Herald Aleberich who was Weaponsmaster during the reign of Queen Selany and her father King Sendar. Some might find it a bit slow going, as Lackey focusses primarily on characters and thier interaction and events secondarily, though it all follows and advances the plot. It's a good quick read however and you get some nice satisfying action in the end and Lackey does write a good fight scene, even if she doesn't do them often.

 

If you can wrap your brain around some of the aspects of the Valdemar stories, notably the fact that the Companions are telepathic horses and Aleberich like Yoda talks you should enjoy the story fairly well.

[Southern Cross]

I just finished reading a compilation of Gene Wolfe's The Sword of the Lictor andThe Citadel Of The Autarch.while it's clear that The Book of The New Sun is a classic SF tetralogy (even after only reading the last two books in the series,it's stil an imperfect work,especially The Citadel Of the Autarch ,which included the Autarch Severian's attempt to gain the New Sun as a postscript! I rank both novels as follows:

The Sword Of the Lictor :9/10

the Citadel Of The Autarch : 8/10

[Bozimus]

Originally posted by Southern Cross

I just finished reading a compilation of Gene Wolfe's The Sword of the Lictor andThe Citadel Of The Autarch.while it's clear that The Book of The New Sun is a classic SF tetralogy (even after only reading the last two books in the series,it's stil an imperfect work,especially The Citadel Of the Autarch ,which included the Autarch Severian's attempt to gain the New Sun as a postscript! I rank both novels as follows:

The Sword Of the Lictor :9/10

the Citadel Of The Autarch : 8/10

 

What rank did you give "The Shadow of the Torturer", first book of that series? EvilLuke told me that he ranks Gene Wolfe the finest overall writer he has encountered and gave me the above book to read.

[Bozimus]

Originally posted by death tribble

I've got Across the Nightingale Floor but not read it yet.

 

Currently reading book 3 of Ian Irvine's View from the Mirror books. So far so good.

 

I cannot find AtNF at Amazon. I did find an author called Lafcadio Hearn that writes about Japan.

 

How was the first and second Ian Irving book? I have considered starting this series...

[Lightray]

Originally posted by Southern Cross

I just finished reading a compilation of Gene Wolfe's The Sword of the Lictor andThe Citadel Of The Autarch.while it's clear that The Book of The New Sun is a classic SF tetralogy (even after only reading the last two books in the series,it's stil an imperfect work,especially The Citadel Of the Autarch ,which included the Autarch Severian's attempt to gain the New Sun as a postscript! I rank both novels as follows:

The Sword Of the Lictor :9/10

the Citadel Of The Autarch : 8/10

The postscript of Severian's winning the New Sun is more fully detailed in The Urth of the New Sun.

 

I've found you really need to reread the series several times to notice some of the subtle things Wolfe is doing. The GURPS New Sun suppliment is actually very good at untangling the whole thing.

 

And, of course, The Book of the Long Sun and The Book of the Short Sun are set in the same universe as the New Sun -- though it's something that you only gradually realize. Severian even has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo.

[Lightray]

Originally posted by Bozimus

I cannot find AtNF at Amazon. I did find an author called Lafcadio Hearn that writes about Japan.

Across the Nightingale Floor

[Bozimus]

Originally posted by Lightray

Across the Nightingale Floor

 

Weird, that the search didn't work for me, but works for you.

 

Thanks!

[Bozimus]

Originally posted by Lightray

Across the Nightingale Floor

 

This book is at a library I frequent!

The sequel is also available...

May I never lose that warm glow from finding out about another cool series of books...

[death tribble]

Boz,

 

re the View from the Mirror by Iain Irvine

 

I just finished book 3 yesterday. It deals with a little magic in a quasi medieval world where you have four different species of humans. The characters hop backwards and forwards across a continent as they search for a way to stop a great evil implementing his plan and getting loose again.

The two main heroes are unusual. One is a story teller with no physical skills (like sword fighting) or mental ones (like telepathy) while the other is an impoverished landowner. But the latter is a blending of three of the different species. This makes her unique and prone to madness. She can also form links like empathy.

I would try and find the first book and read that. If you like it read the series. The first and third books definitely have cliffhangers that you may want to follow on with.

[Bozimus]

Originally posted by death tribble

Boz,

 

re the View from the Mirror by Iain Irvine

 

I just finished book 3 yesterday. It deals with a little magic in a quasi medieval world where you have four different species of humans. The characters hop backwards and forwards across a continent as they search for a way to stop a great evil implementing his plan and getting loose again.

The two main heroes are unusual. One is a story teller with no physical skills (like sword fighting) or mental ones (like telepathy) while the other is an impoverished landowner. But the latter is a blending of three of the different species. This makes her unique and prone to madness. She can also form links like empathy.

I would try and find the first book and read that. If you like it read the series. The first and third books definitely have cliffhangers that you may want to follow on with.

Thanks!

 

Sorry for that belated thanks, I lost track of this thread for a time.

 

Quick question, how long till things start hopping? I have the attention span of roadkill and need books that get beyond the set-up phase within the first 75 pages or so...

[Allandrel]

Just finished the sixth Honor Harrington book by David Weber. This time he cut back the scale of operations substantially, with only limited engagements. Character development was a bit short, with subplots plumping the book out. I'll probably continue the series, but not for a while.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Bozimus]

Clash of Kings finished

 

Finished book 2 of the Song of Ice and Fire by G.R.R. Martin.

 

I want to give it a 10 of 10. It did NOT do what soooo many sequels do (disappoint, drag out, serve as a stop-gap for book 3, etc.) instead it seemed like one steady continuation of the story. Good pacing, no real complaints.

 

Yet something...prevents me from giving it a 10. Not sure what that something is...

 

So, 9.5. IMO, doesn't get much better than this. I am holding off reading book 3 with a supreme effort of will (don't want to end up waiting 2 years for book 5).

[Bozimus]

Originally posted by Allandrel

Just finished the sixth Honor Harrington book by David Weber. This time he cut back the scale of operations substantially, with only limited engagements. Character development was a bit short, with subplots plumping the book out. I'll probably continue the series, but not for a while.

 

Patrick J McGraw

 

Many friends have steered me towards "Honor Harrington". I read the first book, but never the 2nd, for reasons that my 40 year old mind cannot recall.

 

Currently getting my space opera fix with "Deathstalker".

[Dr. Anomaly]

Just finished Starlight, by the late, great Hal Clement. It's a sequel to Mission of Gravity, probably his most famous work. It's an old friend that I felt like re-reading.

 

I don't think it's as good as the first Mesklinite book; I'd give it about a 7 out of 10. It's rather slow-moving, more concerned with political/philisophical maneuvering than with planetary exploration. Ultimately the main reason I didn't like it as much is that it didn't "go anywhere"...that is, while the primary socio-political goal of one of the main characters is accomplished, the book as a whole felt like I'd come in on the middle of things and left before the end. Sort of an extended 'day in the life' story, and while I do like those on occassion, this didn't feel like it had enough context to carry it off on its own.

 

Now I like Hal Clement's stuff in general, and even at his "worst" he's far better than a great many authors. Mission of Gravity, besides being his most famous work, is also his best. Mr. Clement excelled at holding firmly to major scientific principles in his stories, or to a reasonable extrapolation given what is known to science at the time he was writing. His aliens 'make sense' and are all the more fascinating for that. He doesn't just stick a cat's head on a human body or make them humans with a funny skin color -- they physically make sense for their environment.

 

His best-known creations, the Mesklinites, resemble foot-long caterpillars or centipedes with two scorpion-style pinchers at either end. This low-to-the-ground form is very practical when you consider that their normal environment has a gravitational pull of 200g, and that at the pole of their world it goes up to over 600g! Yes, the gravity of their home planet varies between equator and pole, but there is a very reasonable (and scientifically plausible) explaination for this. (Nutshell: it's a supermassive world that rotates extremely fast. Not only does this cause an effective decrease in gravity as you get closer to the equator, but it has flattened the world out into roughly the shape of a fried egg.)

 

Hal Clement is one of those who were long ago dubbed 'hard' science fiction writers, and one of those most deserving of the title. If you've read and like the work of Robert L. Forward, Dean Ing, or (probably) Larry Niven, you should be well-pleased with the work of Hal Clement. He may have been writing before any of these other gentlemen, but just because most of his works are a number of decades old now doesn't lessen their impact, or their enjoyment value. Give him a try; you'll like him.

[Barwickian]

SF: Nylon Angel by Marianne de Pierres

First novel by an Australian author. Sub-Gibson cyberpunk adventure set in Oz. Rather light reading, but reasonably enjoyable nonetheless. It follows the adventures of one Parrish Plessis, bodyguard, soldier-girl and gang slave, during a gang war. It's reckoned to be the first in a series; I'm unsure whether I'll pick up the second one.

 

Fantasy: Waylander by David Gemmell

I've lost count of the number of times I've read this book. Gemmell's one of my favourite fantasy authors, and Waylander is probably my favourite of his characters. Top-notch heroic fantasy.

 

And, although they weren't asked for...

 

Historical: Clarissa Oakes by Patrick O'Brian

I started reading the Aubrey/Maturin series in chronological order last summer, planning to get to the 10th book, Far Side of the World, before the movie came out (I succeeded). I've thoroughly enjoyed the series, which I'd recommend to anyone without a moment's hesitation. Unfortunately, I haven't enjoyed Clarissa Oakes (the 15th in the series) as much as the others; I'm getting somewhat bogged down with it, so instead I turned to...

 

Non-fiction: The Autobiography of a Seaman by Admiral Lord Cochrane

Cochrane was the model for Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey - the first novel, Master & Commander, is directly based on Cochrane's cruise aboard HMS Speedy in 1800/1801, and the 11th, The Reverse of the Medal, is based on Cochrane's trial for stock market fraud in 1814. I've read a couple of biographies of the great frigate-captain alongside the Aubrey/Maturin series, but only just got a copy of his autobiography. It's superb reading.

 

Hmm... Napoleonic Hero, anyone?