What We're Reading

[Madcat]

Ever since I started reading Joe Abercrombie I can't read anything else

[The_Bloody_Nine]

Ever since I started reading Joe Abercrombie I can't read anything else

Abercrombie? Mh, I think i've heard of that name before...

(click to show/hide)

Seriously, great stuff. I especially liked the last installment, the battle scenes with bremer... The only downside I think is that he is not offering anything really new over his now five books. His writing became better I think, but the main themes and illustrations and sarcastical view of things are allways roughly the same. Nonetheless, much fun to read.

[Ninja_Khorin]

Just finished the fourth Song of Ice and Fire book. All in all, he seems to be writing like an excellent GM should run a gritty role-playing game...draw out the hate with multiple intrigue plots thrown in and build up an extreme distaste for multiple characters that could all be the antagonist, depending on how your favourite characters go.

After reading quite a few books (K.J Parker, I'm looking at you) that didn't have any characters that you could really hate, this was wonderful.

I can only hope this doesn't result in a full party wipe.

It's an excellent series- everything I wanted and more.

Yes, Martin is truly an excellent writer. I can't wait for July to come so we get his next book

[jspook]

Abercrombie? Mh, I think i've heard of that name before...

(click to show/hide)

Seriously, great stuff. I especially liked the last installment, the battle scenes with bremer... The only downside I think is that he is not offering anything really new over his now five books. His writing became better I think, but the main themes and illustrations and sarcastical view of things are allways roughly the same. Nonetheless, much fun to read.

Bremer really doesnt do it for me.  He was just way too self serving for my tastes.  I dont think anyone is this last book was as memorable or as interesting as Logan was in the first three.  Or even the dynamic between Murcatto and Shivers in book 4. 

It seems this last book was pretty much all about futility, and the human struggle.  No one accomplished anything at all that was worthwhile.  I would also have prefered Calder getting to stick it to Bayaz rather than the other way around.  Other than that, I generally enjoy abercrombie as a new author.

[The_Bloody_Nine]

It seems this last book was pretty much all about futility, and the human struggle.  No one accomplished anything at all that was worthwhile.

Right, though IMO the futility of Abercrombie is somehow very cheerful and full of life. and yeah, its one aspect that was present in the other books as well, but it became very central in this book. For memorable characters GRRM is the better choice.

I'm curious what kind of trilogie Abercrombie will create after his next book.

[Formless]

I read the first 3 books by Abercrombie they were okay but I was not blown away.  Then I read the Heroes, very good book it explores war its meaning and what people get out it, it explores courage and fear.  Good book on my list of top 50. 

If like me, you really like the exploration of courage and fear a good book to pick up is Gates of Fire by Steve Pressfield, truly excellent work.

[Kalam]

Abercrombie's first is waiting for me on the shelf after I'm done with K.J Parker's Shadow, which is promising to be the (in my opinion) best Parker book I've read.

She'll probably fuck it over at the end, though, we'll see.

[Ninja_Khorin]

Just started reading Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon" a sci-fi/cyberpunk noir and a good one so far at that.
I'm anxious to read it, which is what I'm gonna do now.

[Count_RisArch]

Just started reading Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon" a sci-fi/cyberpunk noir and a good one so far at that.
I'm anxious to read it, which is what I'm gonna do now.

Phenomanal trilogy, second one is a bit poo but he really gets it together for the last book. The other really good book he's released was his first crack at fantasy with "The Steel Remains" gritty and shits over every stereotype typically attributed to the genre. Excellent read, bare in mind, however, while the lead character is an absolute battle-loving psycho (pretty much a fantasy version of Takeshi Kovacs) he is queer and there are some rather hard, gay sex scences. If this bothers you it may not be the title you're looking for...

...Although how a person could read pages and pages of ultra-violence, rape and general bastardry (tempered with pages and pages of head-melting intrigue and dialogue of course) which comes with all good, believeable sci-fi/fantasy and yet somehow be bothered about a little man love is beyond me...

On a final note avoid his other titles "Black Man" and "Market Forces" because compared to the Altered Carbon trilogy and the (soon to be) Steel Remains trilogy they are kind of shitty.

My 2c, enjoy the book!

[Ninja_Khorin]

Thanks for the tip, although I already knew all that
I'm considering reading steel remains, but the reason I'm reading sci-fi atm is that I'm a little burned out by the fantasy genre atm, especially read The Wise Man's Fear, which is a beast.
I'll finish the Kovacs trilogy and after that I might start read his other books, but I've been a little anxious to read ASoIaF again. But first I need a break from fantasy.

[Warcat]

Reading The Silmarillion, the names are a bit crazy, but apart from that its good.

[Tagora]

David Copperfield

[KaMiKaZe_JoE]

The Greek and Roman Myths, A Guide to The Classical Stories, Philip Matyszak. It's a good book, and I feel it explains ancient Greek and Roman mythology rather well. I consider this merely a primer of sorts, whereby I'll learn a little "general" information about Greek and Roman stories/culture. After this book, I'll be moving on to more old-school sources. Illiad here I come

The Inheretence of Rome, Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000, Chris Wickham. Starts off with a foreword explaining how examining the past through the lenses of Nationalism and Modernism is one of the biggest faults of today's historians (and people in general). The author uses big words, and doesn't afraid of anything. It's a history book, if you didn't catch that from the title...

[Malaclypse]

Meandering through Prometheus Rising again; really interesting book to come back to after time has passed.

[Banok]

I read gardens of the moon first time a few weeks ago

then I re-read a game of thrones

and I'm about to finish all 6 books of garth nix's the seventh tower (they are for teeny kids really but i'm bored)

next up I have asimovs foundation trilogy or mervin peake's titus groan and in a few days a clash of kings etc..

so yeah i'm reading alot, not really much games I wanna play atm waiting for DF:2.0, BF3 and TES:5

anyone read titus groan and actually recommend it out of interest?