csyphrett Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. The Kanes have to raise Ra while fending off Apophis. An almost victory results. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished Ghost Story in one sitting. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassifiedTSBBR Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Killing Rocks, Book 3 of The Bloodhound Files, by L A Barant. She started off strong in the 1st one, the 2nd wasn't so hot (IMAO), but #3 is a resurgence. To be completely honest though, I think her greatest strength is in the world building, the plots are decent, & writing is craftspersonlike (& distinctly lacking in the sort of incoherency Laurell K Hamilton gets away with), but the amount of thought that appears to have gone into the world, & oblique exposition (as opposed to mass data dumps) in nice change from my favourite authors. (Ok, so I actually normally like Data Dumps) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I recently finished Unnatural Issue,the latest in Mercedes Lackey Elemental Masters series. Despite the misleading title, the true villain of the series is Richard Whitestone, who is probably the worst father ever. Blaming his only child for the death of her mother in childbirth, he has become a mighty necromancer, who plans to bring his wife back to life by transferring her soul into his daughter's body. The rest of the book details Susanne's attempts to evade him with the help of the other Elemental Masters, her nursing services in France during W.W. I. , a final battle in London between the two Earth Mages, and Susanne finally finding true love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read Out of the Water by David Drake. Carce must again be saved. The threat is Typhon, a giant mass of parts that destroys everything it encounters. Lots of time travel. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualplayer Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished A Dance with Dragons. Sucked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Fine. Then give me your copy. Picked up Inside Straight in hard cover yesterday for $1. Started reading that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished A Dance with Dragons. Sucked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... World War Z, by Max Brooks. Entertaining. Written by an American for Americans, but not too in-your-face with the flagwaving. ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished A Dance with Dragons. Sucked. Almost done with it. It is like Martin JUST CAN'T HELP HIMSELF. The book finally felt like the story was turning a corner and SMACK!!!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualplayer Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished A Dance with Dragons. Sucked. I know, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I question the constant addition of new POV characters, which is confusing and makes it harder to relate to anyone. But otherwise I was pleasantly surprised, I didn't get the sense that the plot was careening out of control the way it seemed in AFFC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualplayer Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I'm not too proud to admit I will pony up cash just to find out what's new with Brienne, Jaime, Tyrion, Arya and Jon. Bran's stuff was all foreshadow, no substance. If GRRM can write Sansa to redemption, or even likability, I'll kiss the hem of his robe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... All that has to happen is for Sansa to snap, tear off her rose-colored glasses, throw them on the ground and stomp on them. She is... well placed for that now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Dances With Dragons was depressing. But, Martin decided to make a book of it when he realised that he really needed to hammer home the point that "good people can make bad kings." In that light, the really surprising point is that we didn't get to see the outcome of the assault on Storm's End. What will we think of Varys if that goes south? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narf the Mouse Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... My own 2c is that the demise of the short story has badly hurt the novel industry. Without experience in writing story after story, each short, quick and complete, there's simply a lot less practice going around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I think you have a point, but I would modify it to say that the demise of the short story market is part of the problem. If you can't make money writing short stories, it's hard to break into writing as a career. There are exceptions, N.K. Jemisin being one of them, but I think there might be more N.K. Jemisins if there were more than half a dozen avenues for publishing short stories for money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narf the Mouse Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I think you have a point' date=' but I would modify it to say that the demise of the short story [i']market[/i] is part of the problem. If you can't make money writing short stories, it's hard to break into writing as a career. There are exceptions, N.K. Jemisin being one of them, but I think there might be more N.K. Jemisins if there were more than half a dozen avenues for publishing short stories for money. Indeed. Part of the problem is - I've tried reading short story anthologies and, for the most part - Not that high-quality. Like someone (or several someones), somewhere, wasn't really trying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burrito Boy Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I stick to old school anthologies--my cut-off date is usually the 70s or 80s--because the few modern anthologies I've tried have been junk. I'm not sure if writers aren't trying, like Narf said, or if there just isn't any good talent out there these days. Probably a bit of both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I have the impression that established novelists (and their support structures) don't put as much effort into short stories, and that some anthologies are just collections of things that big-name writers kicked out as exploratory writings or whatever. Short story magazines seem to be higher quality. Still hit and miss, of course, which is the nature of the medium, but the quality control seems to be higher because the filter is set for story quality, not author name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I tend to look for short story anthologies edited by Gardner Duzois, Ellen Datlow, or Terri Windling (or any combination of the three). Those are the three best fantasy/scifi/horror editors in the business right now, and they've got a good eye for great stories. Not every story in their anthologies is a winner, obviously, but generally you'll get more hits than misses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... What gets me is that I really like the short stories GRR Martin has written. Both in the Wild Cards universe, and the hedge knight "prequel" stuff he wrote in the Fire & Ice universe. Then he turns around and writes (and writes, and writes) the novels.... As to compilations/anthologies, I agree that there are a few good editors out there, but usually I look for an author I know is a good short story writer and hope he/she isn't just a tent pole. Neil Gaiman, for example. Also, I have a subscription to Analog SF&F. Highly recommend it. It is pretty consistent, with some real standout pieces as well. I discovered Rajnar Vajra through Analog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burrito Boy Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I tend to look for short story anthologies edited by Gardner Duzois' date=' Ellen Datlow, or Terri Windling (or any combination of the three). Those are the three best fantasy/scifi/horror editors in the business right now, and they've got a good eye for great stories. Not every story in their anthologies is a winner, obviously, but generally you'll get more hits than misses.[/quote'] Gardner Dozois is good and Martin H. Greenberg, who just died in June, edited some of my favorite anthologies. I could add a bunch of names if we were talking about old anthologies but Dozois and Greenberg are the only current editors that I trust. Although, I can't really call Greenberg current now that he's passed and besides he'd been editing anthologies forever! I'll look into Datlow and Windling as soon as I get a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I'll look into Datlow and Windling as soon as I get a chance. If you can find them, check "The Year's Best Horror and Fantasy," from St. Martin's Press, edited by Datlow and Windling. They put them out from about '90 to about 2006 or so. They are big, thick volumes with dozens of short stories, some from people you know and love and some from new, upcoming authors. In each one, there's maybe one story I hate, 10 or 12 I love, and the rest that are pretty good. (This is assuming you like Fantasy and Horror, of course)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I have always like the anthologies edited by Damon Knight. Those are mostly older anthologies, though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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