Bazza Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 15 hours ago, L. Marcus said: No -- but thanks for reminding me! No problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 I am actually in the process of re-reading/listening to Zelazny's Amber Chronicles. I have always wished to see this one make it as an Epic TV Series such as Game of Thrones. With modern effects it is very doable and the story has always been a good one. Christopher R Taylor, Tjack and Pariah 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjack Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 On 7/1/2021 at 8:11 PM, Spence said: I am actually in the process of re-reading/listening to Zelazny's Amber Chronicles. I have always wished to see this one make it as an Epic TV Series such as Game of Thrones. With modern effects it is very doable and the story has always been a good one. Especially since the whole idea of multiple alternate realities is somewhat mainstream now. I enjoy rereading the series but my trick is to skip over the multi-page descriptions of the “hell-rides”. After the first few times they tend to slow the story down. But then again I’ve been rereading it every two years or so since high school about 40 years ago. Bozimus and Spence 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 I am about halfway through Susanna Clarke's Piranesi, and what a way it is ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Tjack said: I enjoy rereading the series but my trick is to skip over the multi-page descriptions of the “hell-rides” after the first few times they tend to slow the story down. I literally just did that less than 10 minutes ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ruggels Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 George R. R. Martin is at his core a nihilist, who loves a good yarn, but sneers at heroism, and all of his characters are disposable. Great story, but ultimately pointless. I love the approach, especially the flavor of English History, but the observation that his characters don’t grow or change is accurate. He’s kind of soured me on reading fantasy because he makes other authors look like cliche’d fan fic(wth exceptions), so I’ve kind of stopped reading recently, though I will do in occasionally for a short, trashy space ship Nobel from the Amazon cheap seats. Christopher R Taylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 Just now, Scott Ruggels said: George R. R. Martin is at his core a nihilist, who loves a good yarn, but sneers at heroism, and all of his characters are disposable. Great story, but ultimately pointless. I love the approach, especially the flavor of English History, but the observation that his characters don’t grow or change is accurate. He’s kind of soured me on reading fantasy because he makes other authors look like cliche’d fan fic(wth exceptions), so I’ve kind of stopped reading recently, though I will do in occasionally for a short, trashy space ship Nobel from the Amazon cheap seats. I find myself swapping around a lot fro my casual reads. Right now I am back to reading some of the classics. But before that I reading Fantasy/Isekai RPGLit books. And before that it was space opera. For me there are two kinds of books. 1) Non-fiction books that you read to learn something, these are books that you buy in hard copy and usually cost a pretty penny. These books are ones that I take my time to read and actually make notes and regularly flip back to re-read a passage or even chapters. 2) Fiction, these are disposable books that you may never read again. Kindle or PDF's are my usual formats for fiction. They are books that do not require any real effort and can be read at a fairly fast pace and are made to fill time. For space opera I recommend Weber's Honor Harrington series. All the storylines are pretty good with the exception of the Crown of Slaves spin off series, for me it was really not interesting at all. For a great series that centers around grand battles between large star fleets I recommend the Starfire series he wrote in collaboration with Steve White. The books were based on one of their old Starfire campaigns, Starfire was a old science fiction wargame from the 80's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 Friends sent me a book called Redliners by David Drake who worked with Weber on some Honorverse stuff. I can honstly say that I cannot recommend this book at all. It does not grip as a Honor Harrington or Dresden book does. Basically a military unit that is close to the edge is sent to safeguard colonists on a new planet and it goes very badly wrong as the planet is deadly. People die. The soldiers die. And I really felt so what ? The concept and feel did not get me. And it was under 400 pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 Just finished Battlegrounds. We see what high end magic is like for the first time in the Dresden Files and it is not pretty. I don't like what happened to Murphy, and I think the White Council made a major mistake in outlawing Harry again. He's like their tenth most powerful wizard and capable of going toe to toe with some of the other heavy hitters in the series (not Mab, or Odin, or the Archive, but some of the others). CES mattingly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 I'm reading Lord Dunsany again. It gets weird if you think about King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 2 hours ago, assault said: I'm reading Lord Dunsany again. It gets weird if you think about King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior enough. which book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 King Argimenes... is a play, not a book. Fantasy, nonetheless. Also reading Chu-Bu and Sheemish, one of Dunsany's short stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjack Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 I just finished re-reading Peace Talks by Jim Butcher and I’m about to start Battle Ground. They’re from the Dresden Files, a modern horror series that’s run about 15 books. They’re parts one and two of a major storyline. Kind of like Infinity War & Endgame were for the MCU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeroGM Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 Chronicles of Amber. Spence and Pariah 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 The Fall of Gondolin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 On 12/12/2021 at 2:02 AM, Tjack said: I just finished re-reading Peace Talks by Jim Butcher and I’m about to start Battle Ground. They’re from the Dresden Files, a modern horror series that’s run about 15 books. They’re parts one and two of a major storyline. Kind of like Infinity War & Endgame were for the MCU. Quite a few of us read this series. I have to finish Peace Talks. Friends introduced me to it. They also introduced me to the Anita Blake series which they gave up on after it became more about sex than plot. Risen by Benedict Jacka This is the end of the Alex Verus series and I will miss it. The whole thing was easy to read and was different. You don't have someone who is a heavy hitter or one who was destined to become one. Thus how do you outwit people who are stronger than you, have more clout than you or have more destructive power than you. In the last book the Council has to stop Anne before she does something that will spell the end of the world for the mages. Even Richard Drakh is going to help. Alex and Luna team up with the Council and try to save their friends, but can they do this without killing them ? I have not finished the series as I have to go back and read Forged slikmar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 23 hours ago, death tribble said: Quite a few of us read this series. I have to finish Peace Talks. Friends introduced me to it. They also introduced me to the Anita Blake series which they gave up on after it became more about sex than plot. Risen by Benedict Jacka This is the end of the Alex Verus series and I will miss it. The whole thing was easy to read and was different. You don't have someone who is a heavy hitter or one who was destined to become one. Thus how do you outwit people who are stronger than you, have more clout than you or have more destructive power than you. In the last book the Council has to stop Anne before she does something that will spell the end of the world for the mages. Even Richard Drakh is going to help. Alex and Luna team up with the Council and try to save their friends, but can they do this without killing them ? I have not finished the series as I have to go back and read Forged Agree with all said above. Loved the Verus series, will miss him. I also read Blake up to Obsidian Butterfly, which to me is the best in the series because it isn't about sex. She started off explaining that she knew nothing about detective work and was really writing a fantasy series, but I also felt dealt way to much with sex. Also, the author let her personal life enter the books to much, especially regarding sex. She went from being with a bigger guy represented by the original shapeshifter in the series to a smaller guy represented by the panther one. Battle Ground is brutal and changes everything as much as Changes did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 Not finished yet but I am reading "Out of the Silent Planet" by CS Lewis and its excellent so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 Just finished listening to Age of War in Michael J Sullivan's Legends of the First Empire series. I read both Riyria Revelations and Chronicles and sincerely enjoyed both. This series is much less lighthearted but equally well written and I have enjoyed the writing and story, but I feel after this one, getting a posse together to track down and flay Mr. Sullivan for the emotional rollercoaster of emotions invoked in this book is completely forgivable. Most of that was semi sarcasm. I would absolutely recommend any of the above series to anyone looking for good reads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 Forged by Benedict Jacka So I read the penultimate book last. Alex goes after Anne but she is a step ahead of him as she takes revenge on the Rakshasa. However Rachael/Deleo is after Alex and trying to kill him. Alex turns up with Cinder to take out Levistus's source of power, a store of knowledge. Doing so becomes more complicated as Rachael attacks again and Cinder wants Deleo to stop and go back to normal which Alex tries to help with as payment for Cinder's help. This leads to a final confrontation between Rachael and Alex and ties one of of the longest running plot threads of the series. Then we have the team up between Anne and Alex vs Levistus. Alex uses the store of knowledge as a weapon against the councillor and his forces. He tricks the Light Council into pursuing him somewhere else before he comes back to attack Levistus's stronghold. Anne leaves Alex before he has the final confrontation and we get rid of the most loathsome of Alex's foes. Of all the enemies the one who had the comeuppance due was Levistus. A lot of the problems in the series are his fault a fact that he cannot and will not accept. So good riddance. Part of the book is setting up the final book in the series but we say a final goodbye to Cinder and Morden who get away unscathed notwithstanding battle damage in Cinder's case. In order to appreciate this book you have to have read the earlier books but this was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 On 7/1/2021 at 6:51 PM, Tjack said: I enjoy rereading the series but my trick is to skip over the multi-page descriptions of the “hell-rides”. After the first few times they tend to slow the story down. On 7/1/2021 at 9:08 PM, Spence said: I literally just did that less than 10 minutes ago Zelazny also had a hell-ride of sorts in his final book, A Night In the Lonesome October. Given that the central issue of the book is a ritual to welcome the Old Ones back to Earth, I suppose it's not out of place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattingly Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 Finally got around to Ready Player Two. It seems impossible to recapture the magic of the first book, but this is an enjoyable ride through the same neighborhood. B+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted March 17, 2022 Report Share Posted March 17, 2022 On 2/18/2022 at 3:27 PM, slikmar said: Just finished listening to Age of War in Michael J Sullivan's Legends of the First Empire series. I read both Riyria Revelations and Chronicles and sincerely enjoyed both. This series is much less lighthearted but equally well written and I have enjoyed the writing and story, but I feel after this one, getting a posse together to track down and flay Mr. Sullivan for the emotional rollercoaster of emotions invoked in this book is completely forgivable. Most of that was semi sarcasm. I would absolutely recommend any of the above series to anyone looking for good reads. I have now finished the whole 6 book series, Titled the Legends of the First Empire, and despite (or maybe because) numerous "Jesus, Grampa! Why'd you read me this story?" moments, it is fantastic. He has become one of those authors that I will watch for anything he does. I love his fore/after words that he talks about his process. I listened to the audiobooks and the reader, mister Tim Gerard Reynolds, works with the author and is friends with him after doing the initial Riyria books. This series is much more epic fantasy along the lines of Tolkien, and takes his idea of using people who are the least likely heroes. I know Hermit has also read the series, so if you wonder if is for you and trust him more, ask him his opinion. The books are about the foundation of the Empire we see in Riyria and the characters mentioned only as legends in their series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 20, 2022 Report Share Posted March 20, 2022 On 3/17/2022 at 6:45 PM, slikmar said: I have now finished the whole 6 book series, Titled the Legends of the First Empire, and despite (or maybe because) numerous "Jesus, Grampa! Why'd you read me this story?" moments, it is fantastic. He has become one of those authors that I will watch for anything he does. I love his fore/after words that he talks about his process. I listened to the audiobooks and the reader, mister Tim Gerard Reynolds, works with the author and is friends with him after doing the initial Riyria books. This series is much more epic fantasy along the lines of Tolkien, and takes his idea of using people who are the least likely heroes. I know Hermit has also read the series, so if you wonder if is for you and trust him more, ask him his opinion. The books are about the foundation of the Empire we see in Riyria and the characters mentioned only as legends in their series. I finished them too. I didn't enjoy them as much as you did; and the Riyria books in my mind are great where as these are more 'good' but Legends of the First Empire had it's moments. And some stuff worth stealing for games ... such as a really detailed Afterlife, for example Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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