• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

What are you Reading Now?

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by PK Dick
I'd forgotten how different the film [Blade Runner] is to the book.
The copy I have dates from the early 80s and is a film tie-in so is a little more weird in that there are pictures of characters from the film...
 

Aurora

Sage
I finished reading "Writing The Breakout Novel".

I wish to get back the hours spent reading that waste of time. My $10, too, while we're at it.

On to greener reading pastures now with Autumn's Touch.
 
Traitor Son Cycle from Miles Cameron - really enjoyable while quite detailed and "bloat" style when it comes to writing. Also just finished Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. It was really enjoyable - very grim and gritty!
 
I finished Warcross by Marie Lu last night. I was disappointed. I wasn't expecting anything weighty, but that book needed to be longer. More development...of everything. It was about 2/3 the length the story needed.
 
I've heard a lot about how good it is, and I like Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's books, but I'm not sure whether I would read a book on the apocalypse and Biblical stuff, as I tend to stay away from those kinds of things.
 

Tom

Istar
I've heard a lot about how good it is, and I like Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's books, but I'm not sure whether I would read a book on the apocalypse and Biblical stuff, as I tend to stay away from those kinds of things.

I think you should give it a whirl. Yes, the story does revolve around the Biblical apocalypse, but it's told with a generous dose of humor and a skeptic's eye. I'm an atheist but I love this book.
 

Mythopoet

Auror
I think you should give it a whirl. Yes, the story does revolve around the Biblical apocalypse, but it's told with a generous dose of humor and a skeptic's eye. I'm an atheist but I love this book.

I'm a Catholic and even though the content would technically be considered extremely blasphemous, I also loved it. ;)
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
Finished Diaspora, by Greg Egan. Short review: holy $@#%!. If you like hard science fiction you’ve got to try this one.
 

Mythopoet

Auror
I've been reading a lot of manga lately. I reread and purchased all the volumes of From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa. It's an epic fantasy with romance about a Japanese school girl transported to a fantasy world as part of a prophecy. And I know that sounds super cliche but omg it's just so good. There's a really great cast of characters, the main couple is too precious for words. I want to pull them out of the pages and adopt them and protect them forever. Even though the main male character is literally an all-powerful being of destruction. lol

I also read all of the romantic comedy/drama Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. Every one always talks about how good this one is, but I wasn't hooked on the premise and the apparent love triangle. The premise is that the Soma family is cursed so that 12 of them at any given time become possessed by an animal from the chinese zodiac and if they are touched by a member of the opposite sex they will transform into that animal. A random school girl accidentally finds out about their curse and shenanigans ensue. But once you get past the more introductory content into the real meat of the story, it's surprisingly good family drama. Because the author doesn't just go "isn't this curse hilarious? Look, he's a little rat!" No, she digs into how the curse has effected each character and his or her relationship with friends and family. It's an incredible story.

And I've started on the highly regarded shojo historical fantasy romance Red River by Chie Shinohara, about a girl transported into the ~1500 BC Hittite empire as part of an evil queen's spell. So far, it's ok, but definitely not (IMO) as good as other similar portal fantasies like the above mentioned From Far Away or Inuyasha. But then I've got many volumes to go so it might get better.

I've also been reading The Celtic Twilight by W.B. Yeats and it is fantastic. Just such a fascinating look into the rich culture of rural Ireland at the time.
 
^I read Fruits Basket and liked it well enough. My bias about the romance came from my dislike of tsundere characters and the fact that prefer characters who are genuinely kind and nice from the 'get-go'.
 

Mythopoet

Auror
^I read Fruits Basket and liked it well enough. My bias about the romance came from my dislike of tsundere characters and the fact that prefer characters who are genuinely kind and nice from the 'get-go'.

Yeah, I disliked Kyo in the beginning because he was so aggressively tsundere. But as his development progressed I found myself sympathizing with him. And toward the end he was no longer acting like a tsundere at all. Kyo will never be my favorite character, but there are so many other wonderful characters that it doesn't matter. Actually, I think my favorite is Ayame. He's so over-the-top and hilarious. I love the way he speaks.
 
Top