What are you Reading Now?

[psychotick]

Hi,

And just to add to the OP, Soldier in the mist was excellent (great title too), but in this case Soldier of Arete was even better. One of the few times when a sequel has actually been better than the original. I haven't read Soldier of Sidon, probably because it was written half a dozen years later and I was past it by then.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Mythopoet]

Well, I'm struggling with Soldier in the Mist. And it feels like I'm struggling for the same reasons that I struggled with all of Wolfe's other books I've tried.

Characters are important to me. I want to feel invested in them or I lose interest. However, for some reason Wolfe seems to write a lot of characters who feel... detached. They seem to be emotionally detached from their own stories and so I have a hard time investing in those stories. How can I care about it when the character seems to hardly care about it himself? I mean, I realize that Latro has a very good reason to be detached. Every single morning when he wakes up he forgets everything that has happened to him. All he has is a distant, fuzzy memory of his home. I get that. It still doesn't help me to feel invested in the story when the main character himself is just floating along on the surface of events. I feel like it would have been more interesting from a different point of view, but that would have ruined the conceit that this is translated from the actual scrolls Latro writes everything that happens to him on.

Anyway, I'm going to soldier (ha) on.

On the side I've also decided to reread the Iliad and the Odyssey. I read them a long time ago so I've forgotten most of the detail and I want to consciously study the classic epic nature of the works this time around.

 

[Aspasia]

I'm reading Black Prism by Weeks. So far, it's pretty decent, I'm enjoying it and all the POVs aren't confusing me, interesting stuff is happening in all of them. I do think, though, that Weeks writes better dark/gritty type stuff (see : the first Night Angel), at least for me the writing of Black Prism feels a little ... flat? There's a lot of description of the magic system, it is quite unusual. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes. I feel like Night Angel had a little more punch to it (perhaps literally ). Also, I did read Warbreaker by Sanderson first, and I'm seeing a lot of similarities because both books have color magic - type systems and I keep getting confused as to what happened in what book. I plan to start a GGK pretty soon, maybe Under Heaven, and I have a compilation of Lovecraft's works that I really want to get into. Oh and I found out Republic of Thieves came out (!!!) (I'm a little behind in fantasy news ) and I LOVE that series, so I MUST get it soon. Also working on a very slow re-read of Wheel of Time, I still haven't read Memory of Light and don't plan to until I re-read past Lord of Chaos at least. I'm on Fires of Heaven right now, very slow going at the moment.

So many books, so little time! I also want to check out some of the newer books coming out.

 

[TrustMeImRudy]

Mythopoet! I have Odyssey reread on my reading list as I bought a copy for that reason, but I'm waiting to find a good copy of the Iliad first. Translator suggestions? I got Fagles for Odyssey.

Aside from that, i picked up Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler. It is a very odd book, but it is an interesting idea at first that evolves into a compelling piece that is also rather frustrating, which is good since the character [you] is just as frustrated as the Reader is for the same reason. <-- That sentence, if you've read the book, is so redundant.
Then go to a book my friend suggested called Maze Runner.

Aspasia, did you read the Wheel of Time books 8 - 10? I think those are the most difficult, as everything slows down around there. 8 was bearable, but 9 is slow and 10 just took me forever. After that it gets better and Memory of Light is worth it, I loved it and it somehow justified this series hyping me up for Tarmon Gaidon for so many years cause it carried through admirably.

 

[CupofJoe]

I've just started The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I'm trying to cleanse my fantasy pallet before I dive back in to writing over the holidays...

 

[Mythopoet]

I plan to start a GGK pretty soon, maybe Under Heaven, and I have a compilation of Lovecraft's works that I really want to get into.

I liked some of GGK's books, but I really disliked Under Heaven. Didn't even manage to finish it. I felt like it started with a good premise (the MC burying the dead from both sides of a haunted battlefield as a sort of vigil for his father's death) which was then totally abandoned in favor of visits to whore houses and bureaucracy. Maybe it got more interesting later on, but I had already lost respect for and interest in the MC.

Lovecraft, on the other hand, was fantastic. I read his full works about a year ago and I have nothing but respect for his sheer imagination. A lot of it was downright creepy and disturbing, but I still couldn't put it down. Personally, I liked the Dream Cycle stories (which are strongly influenced by Lord Dunsany) over the Cthulhu Mythos stories. But I think Lovecraft should be required reading for any fantasy writer.

Mythopoet! I have Odyssey reread on my reading list as I bought a copy for that reason, but I'm waiting to find a good copy of the Iliad first. Translator suggestions? I got Fagles for Odyssey.

I don't really know anything about different translations. I just picked up the Samuel Butler translation because it's what was on our bookshelf as part of a series of great works we have.

 

[Noma Galway]

I'm reading, Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. It's about a wizard detective solving crimes in modern London. Described as 'What would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the Fuzz' by the Sunday Times. It seems quite good so far, although I think I prefer Harry Potter.

Sounds like Dresden in London

I'm reading Republic of Thieves, the King Raven trilogy, and reading a couple unpublished novels.

 

[Nagash]

Brave New World ~ Huxley

 

[Noma Galway]

Brave New World ~ Huxley

We read that for our Honors class. I love it

 

[Caged Maiden]

Falconer It's about a guy who goes to prison after a fight with his brother leads to the brother's accidental death and is basically a look into him, as a person, as a husband, as a heroin addict.

 

[Ruby]

Sounds like Dresden in London

Hi Noma, I think it may be. I haven't read any of the Dresden books. They're the next on my "to read" list. They sound good!

 

[Noma Galway]

Oh, they're great! I loved them, and the show was pretty good too. I read them after I read the Codex Alera.

 

[MFreako]

Neuromancer by William Gibson.

 

[uknowitbeb]

A Dance with Dragons and The Way of Kings

 

[Steerpike]

Two I've most recently added to my "currently reading" list are an anthology tribute to Gene Wolfe, and Jane Eyre.

 

[SDWallwork]

currently reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of time series. Loving it

 

[Feo Takahari]

I went to see my uncle today to help clear up a minor legal issue. He's previously pawned off entire boxes of old books on me. This time, he showed me his collection, and invited me to pick anything I liked.

Seven decades of science fiction and fantasy! Original prints of Edmond Hamilton's books, side-by-side with the works of Diane Duane! Forty-odd volumes in the Perry Rhodan series, one shelf below a pile of Star Trek tie-in novels! I didn't even know where to start!

I wound up picking up Little Fuzzy, which Ireth and Psychotick previously mentioned. Let's put it this way: if you ever want to know how to write a "cute" character who's likable and not just irritating, READ. THIS. BOOK! (If you can't find a print copy, it's on Project Gutenberg.)

 

[yonig]

You're right, can't wait for the next one!

 

[TheCatandTheBat]

I saw both the Kingkiller books from Rothfuss and the Night Angel trilogy from Weeks mentioned...I loved the two Kingkiller books and am eagerly awaiting the third, though I agree that the second one was a bit slower. Still, there is something about the way he writes that really draws me in, though I can't quite determine what it is. His style is just so unique.

I adore the Night Angel trilogy. Dark, gritty, raw...you really form a bond with the characters and so the violent battles and emotional moments really keep you on edge. I'd highly recommend it. Weeks is quite the master at character development.

I tried reading the first of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series but was struggling to get through the first bit of it. While I enjoy imagery and authors who are good world-building, too much at once gets a little cumbersome. I'm the type that if you don't reel me in on the first few pages, I'm not likely to keep reading.

Which brings me to what I'm reading now: R.A. Salvatore's "The Lone Drow" from the Legend of Drizzt series. I've read all 14 of the previous ones leading up to this point and am still neither bored nor disappointed. Salvatore is my favorite author and a master of not only words but action sequences. They are descriptive, realistic, and stunning. The imagery of the fight is spectacular and you really feel that you can follow each move smoothly because of how well it flows.

 

[kayd_mon]

I have finally begun Abercrombie's The Blade Itself. I am just getting into it, and I like it, but so far it hasn't lived up to the hype. Often times I have to give a book more than the first third to love it, so I'm not worried.