AliceTheOwl Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I finished Sunshine the other night. IMO, the best vampire novel I've ever read, and not a bad read, aside from that, either. McKinley sets her atmosphere VERY well, and her protagonists are wonderfully complex and human. She's the first I've read to truly capture Stoker's feel, and his point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I finished Sunshine the other night. IMO' date=' the best vampire novel I've ever read, and not a bad read, aside from that, either. McKinley sets her atmosphere VERY well, and her protagonists are wonderfully complex and human. She's the first I've read to truly capture Stoker's feel, and his point.[/quote'] I haven't read it, but it's gonna have to work hard to beat 'Salem's Lot, Those Who Hunt The Night, and Fever Dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vestnik Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I haven't read it' date=' but it's gonna have to work hard to beat[i'] 'Salem's Lot, Those Who Hunt The Night[/i], and Fever Dream. Sunshine was very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I haven't read it' date=' but it's gonna have to work hard to beat[i'] 'Salem's Lot, Those Who Hunt The Night[/i], and Fever Dream. I haven't read the other two, but I thought Sunshine was better than 'Salem's Lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I haven't read the other two' date=' but I thought [i']Sunshine[/i] was better than 'Salem's Lot. Ohh... try the other two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Troy, Fall of Kings. David Gemmell's last, completed by his wife. Just amazing. We lost a fantasy great when Gemmell passed. The story itself is a first rate re-telling of the fall of Troy, with some nice nods to biblical events and characters (Gemmell enjoyed dropping those in a few of his books), some of his signature death scenes, and a nod to the Roman take on the founding of the Seven Hills. Also includes a touching, only slightly cloaked tribute to Gemmell from his wife. A must buy if you were ever a Gemmell fan, a fan of historical fiction, or a fan of history based fantasy. Makes me want to re-start my Imperium Romanum campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted December 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Oddhat, I have Gemmell's "Sword in the Storm" book on my shelf of 'soon to read books'. What is your opinion on that book and the series it starts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Looking for Jake -- a collection of short stories by China Mieville An excellent set of lightly disturbing short stories from the author of Perdidio Street Station. A tough of horror runs through them all, and I'm reminded of early Stephen King. Well worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Oddhat, I have Gemmell's "Sword in the Storm" book on my shelf of 'soon to read books'. What is your opinion on that book and the series it starts? The Rigante series itself is not my favorite; the fourth book (Stormrider) was a let down after what came before. Sword in the Storm, however, is a classic, brining in Celtic myth (and hints of the Arthurian cycles, another Gemmell favorite, which he expands on in the sequels), Scottish, English and Roman history, and nods to his own work. Sword in the Storm, Midnight Falcon, and Ravenheart are all very good reads. As a gamer, they're also excellent examples of how to integrate magic into a gritty semi-historical setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted December 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Thanks, Oddhat! So, which IS your favorite Gemmell series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Thanks, Oddhat! So, which IS your favorite Gemmell series? The Drenai series, as a series. The early books showed hints of the talent he had and established a very compelling setting, while the later books (later written, not later chronologically) built on earlier characters and locations without excessive rehashes. A few of the books weren't up to the standards set by the best in the arc (particularly The Swords of Night and Day, which was a let down), but overall it's probably my favorite fantasy series. The Stones of Power series starts off on the wrong foot (imo) as an Arthurian tale mixed in with Gemmell's Atlantean mythos, but once Jon Shannow shows up it becomes outstanding. The Greek books are excellent, but they're more one massive novel split into two volumes than a series. Echoes of the Great Song is probably my favorite Gemmell book, but it wasn't his, and isn't a fan favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted December 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... My first Gemmell book was "Legend", book one of the Drenai series. A damn fine read! I own the second...."The King Beyond the Gate". Based upon what Oddhat has stated, I plan to read TKBTGate and the other Drenai books before reading "The Sword in the Storm" and the subsequent Rigante books. I have the opposite view of the "Stones of Power" books. I like the early ones, but not the last 'Jon Shannow' books. Which is a shame, because 'Post Apoc' is a sub-genre I have a strong urge to explore. Oddhat, You are the second person I know to recommend "Echoes of the Great Song" as the finest Gemmell book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Oddhat, You are the second person I know to recommend "Echoes of the Great Song" as the finest Gemmell book. It's a tricky issue, as it's a departure in many ways from his default story telling style. The mythic themes are closer to the surface, and doesn't neatly fit the boy-to-man or old-veterans-on-a-last-ride arcs that Gemmell loved exploring in his other books. So, if that is what you're looking for, it might not click for you. OTOH, I thought it did a great job of showing his craft, and the world itself was well conceived. No law says you have to like Shannow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dholcrist Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... It's a tricky issue, as it's a departure in many ways from his default story telling style. The mythic themes are closer to the surface, and doesn't neatly fit the boy-to-man or old-veterans-on-a-last-ride arcs that Gemmell loved exploring in his other books. So, if that is what you're looking for, it might not click for you. OTOH, I thought it did a great job of showing his craft, and the world itself was well conceived. No law says you have to like Shannow. I do so love hearing people talk about Gemmell (RIP). Echoes is probably my favorite one-shot book of his, though the Drenai mythos is easily the best. I started reading him with The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend, which I completed in about three hours. Soon as I finished that, I've bought up every book of his I could find without hesitation. His Druss and Waylander stuff (well, the first Waylander actually, the sequels are somewhat below standard) are phenomenal, followed closely by the Shannow books (also disliked the first few books of the series, and the last one was a disappoinment). Loved the Rigante novels, but as I recall it never actually ended. Did they ever actually complete them, or did he just move on without doing so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Loved the Rigante novels, but as I recall it never actually ended. Did they ever actually complete them, or did he just move on without doing so? Stormrider completes it, more or less. The Moidart, a man of Rigante blood, takes his place as emperor of Stone. His son sacrifices himself and in so doing becomes a Christ-like figure who will presumably play a similar historical role as an inspiration for a source-focussed religion. Never liked Swords of Night and Day as a coda to the Drenai books, or the last Waylander book. I was OK with the last Shannow book. There were probably points earlier in each series that I'd point at as "better" ends. OTOH, I never read a single book of his I didn't like enough to re-read; they all had something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dholcrist Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Stormrider completes it, more or less. The Moidart, a man of Rigante blood, takes his place as emperor of Stone. His son sacrifices himself and in so doing becomes a Christ-like figure who will presumably play a similar historical role as an inspiration for a source-focussed religion. Never liked Swords of Night and Day as a coda to the Drenai books, or the last Waylander book. I was OK with the last Shannow book. There were probably points earlier in each series that I'd point at as "better" ends. OTOH, I never read a single book of his I didn't like enough to re-read; they all had something. Hm, I read Stormrider, but for some reason I remember it as a cliff hangar. I'll have to get around to rereading them. As far as the Swords of Night and Day book goes, I think I enjoyed it just because it was something new with Druss in it, and anything with Druss in it got an automatic thumbs up from me. And he did have a sort of habit in ending his series with a sub-par book that he probably had never intended on writing. And yes, I agree completely, I've enjoyed all of his books so thoroughly that I never mind going back and rereading, though some are reread more often than others. Legend, First Chronicles of Druss, Waylander, and the first Jon Shannow book are all books I've read at least 5 times, and will be reading at least 5 times more. Also, did his wife ever release an explanation as to how all of his stories fit together, or was that something that she's still not ever going to divulge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Hm' date=' I read Stormrider, but for some reason I remember it as a cliff hangar. I'll have to get around to rereading them.[/quote'] There's a semi-cliff hanger in the coda. The settlers in the New World are saved by the natives, despite the warnings and prophesies about the corrupt nature of the settler's civilization. He might have gotten a book or two out of that if he'd wanted. Also, did his wife ever release an explanation as to how all of his stories fit together, or was that something that she's still not ever going to divulge? Not so far, though there were clues in many of the books. The missing piece, imo, was the connection (if any) between the star children and the stones of power. The common links seem to be: 1) Alternate groups of disembodied star children take physical forms on alternate Earths, inevitably dividing into pro and anti human factions. 1a) At least one of these groups holds the secret of dimension travel, and chooses to use it to cultivate magic on various alternate Earths, attempting to maintain those alternate Earths as magic rich natural resources. 1b) Interbreeding between Star Children and Humans results in bloodlines on multiple worlds with psionic / magical potential. Some of these humans, the most powerful, become as powerful as the Star Children. Most are limited to astral projection, clairvoyance, minor telepathy, and limited TK. Rituals, herbs, and communication with spirits can enhance these talents. 2) The Stones of Power fall to Earth, stones that can activate psionic potential in humans and effectively grant wishes, within limits set by the size and power of the stone and the imagination, skill and will of the human user. The pure Gold stones are exhausted by magic working. "Feeding" them with the blood of the living re-charges the stones, but also corrupts them, causing violent emotions to overwhelm the user. These stones are used to found a single ancient Atlantean civilization, which discovers dimension travel. Dimensional gates cause 'great flood" events on multiple worlds, ending that civilization. The survivors use the stones to achieve practical immortality and play the roles of gods, heroes and villains on multiple worlds. 2a) At least two alternate ancient Avatar civilizations learn the secret of manufacturing weak stones of power, charging them either slowly with sunlight (pure stones) or quickly with blood. At least one of these alternate civilizations gains the secret of dimension travel, apparently only using it once. May somehow be linked to the origins of the true, Sipritsi Stones of Power (speculation). 3) The Source of All Things is always the same in all alternate worlds, and is analogous to the Judeo-Christian G_d. His prophets are generally analogs of Biblical prophets. 4) At least one group of humans, linked to the Star Children and possibly to the Atlanteans, is patrolling the alternate time lines and trying to push the histories of certain worlds in certain directions, for unclear reasons. It's a great meta-setting. I'd love to see his wife's view of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dholcrist Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... There's a semi-cliff hanger in the coda. The settlers in the New World are saved by the natives, despite the warnings and prophesies about the corrupt nature of the settler's civilization. He might have gotten a book or two out of that if he'd wanted. Not so far, though there were clues in many of the books. The missing piece, imo, was the connection (if any) between the star children and the stones of power. The common links seem to be: 1) Alternate groups of disembodied star children take physical forms on alternate Earths, inevitably dividing into pro and anti human factions. 1a) At least one of these groups holds the secret of dimension travel, and chooses to use it to cultivate magic on various alternate Earths, attempting to maintain those alternate Earth's as magic rich natural resources. 1b) Interbreeding between Star Children and Humans results in bloodlines on multiple worlds with psionic / magical potential. Some of these humans, the most powerful, become as powerful as the Star Children. Most are limited to astral projection, clairvoyance, minor telepathy, and limited TK. Rituals, herbs, and communication with spirits can enhance these talents. 2) The Stones of Power fall to Earth, stones that can activate psionic potential in humans and effectively grant wishes, within limits set by the size and power of the stone and the imagination, skill and will of the human user. The pure Gold stones are exhausted by magic working. "Feeding" them with the blood of the living re-charges the stones, but also corrupts them, causing violent emotions to overwhelm the user. These stones are used to found a single ancient Atlantean civilization, which discovers dimension travel. Dimensional gates cause 'great flood" events on multiple worlds, ending that civilization. The survivors use the stones to achieve practical immortality and play the roles of gods, heroes and villains on multiple worlds. 2a) At least two alternate ancient Avatar civilizations learn the secret of manufacturing weak stones of power, charging them either slowly with sunlight (pure stones) or quickly with blood. At least one of these alternate civilizations gains the secret of dimension travel, apparently only using it once. May somehow be linked to the origins of the true, Sipritsi of Power (speculation). 3) The Source of All Things is always the same in all alternate worlds, and is analogous to the Judeo-Christian G_d. His prophets are generally analogs of Biblical prophets. 4) At least one group of humans, linked to the Star Children and possibly to the Atlanteans, is patrolling the alternate time lines and trying to push the histories of certain worlds in certain directions, for unclear reasons. It's a great meta-setting. I'd love to see his wife's view of it. Wow, that's a fantastic summation of the meta-setting. I've seen some rambling speculation, but nothing terribly coherent though, and my own readings have been spread out over about 10 years, so I'm hazy on many parts. Damn, now I'm going to have to go back and read all the books over again. Good thing they're so damn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted December 10, 2007 Report Share Posted December 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just completed Fool Moon, Book 2 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Good read, probably not as strong as book one. About halfway through Grave Peril. Little unhappy about bringing in the Knight and Lea with no foreshadowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished Crashing Paradise by Golden and Sniegokski- The Menagerie battle and angel, a demon, hordes of vampires, and Clay's evil brother to save Eve and the Garden of Eden. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Now finished Grave Peril. Excellent book, just seemed a little distanced from the previous two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted December 17, 2007 Report Share Posted December 17, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Reading the Enemy by Lee Child which isnt scifi and Buso Renkin 9 which is kind of, picked up Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher and Baltimore by Mignola and Golden. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted December 17, 2007 Report Share Posted December 17, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Reading the Enemy by Lee Child which isnt scifi and Buso Renkin 9 which is kind of' date=' picked up Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher and Baltimore by Mignola and Golden.[/quote'] I picked up Baltimore as well, but am reading Flags of our Fathers right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read through The Enemy and Killing Floor by Lee Child. Not SF but still good mysteries/thrillers. Read Buso Renken 9. Kazuki and Victor are heading for a last showdown on the moon. Reading Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher. Five chapters in and the hero has to face his wolfish enemy and the human allies they have made while dealing with court politics by people who don't know what the enemy can do. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolgroth Posted December 24, 2007 Report Share Posted December 24, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished Innocent Mage by Karen Miller. I have to say that I like her characters a lot. Despite having almost no "real" action, the book was an overall fun read. The plot started to ramble a bit towards the middle and there was a couple of plot points that sort of just "happened" without any lead-in. As long as you aren't disappointed by the lack of any real sword-swinging, spell-flinging combats, you might like it. Currently reading the Awakened Mage and the prose seems to be a little tighter. More later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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