Those of you who made use of the previous thread will know what to do...
Since I was one of the more loyal users of last year's thread, I though it might be fitting if I were the one to initiate the new thread.
So, if you feel inclined to share with other Hatrackers what exactly you are reading or if you just want to keep an overview for yourself - this is the place to do so...
My list for 2010:
1. Playing With Fire by Derek Landy 2. The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy 3. The Way Of Shadows by Brent Weeks 4. Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks 5. Beyond The Shadows by Brent Weeks 6. Ghost In The Shell SAC: The Lost Memory by Junichi Fujisaku 7. Love All The People by Bill Hicks 8. At The Gates Of Darkness by Raymond E. Feist 9. The Case Of The Missing Books by Ian Sansom 10.Thief Of Time by Terry Pratchett 11.Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs 12.The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 13.Ghost In The Shell SAC: Revenge Of The Cold Machines by Junichi Fujisaku 14.Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey 15.Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb 16.Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett 17.The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan 18.The Novice by Trudi Canavan 19.The High Lord by Trudi Canavan 20.Bored Of The Rings by Henry N. Beard & Douglas C. Kenney 21.Dark Days by Derek Landy 22.Forest Mage by Robin Hobb 23.Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 24.Bones To Ashes by Kathy Reichs 25.A War Of Gifts by Orson Scott Card 26.PopCo by Scarlett Thomas 27.The Noticably Stouter Book Of General Ignorance by John Lloyd & John Mitchinson 28.Renegade's Magic by Robin Hobb 29.Company by Max Barry 30.Ender In Exile by Orson Scott Card 31.Technicolor Time Machine by Harry Harrison 32.It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis 33.Adrian Mole And The Weapons Of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend 34.Vintage Stuff by Tom Sharpe 35.Shadowmarch by Tad Williams 36.Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett 37.Mortal Coil by Derek Landy 38.Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett (re-read) 39.Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (re-read) 40.Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card (re-read) 41.Servant: The Awakening by L.L. Foster 42.The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger 43.Wilt by Tom Sharpe (re-read) 44.Walden -or- Life In The Woods by Henry David Thoreau 45.Sourcery by Terry Pratchett (re-read) 46.Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey 47.Moab Is My Washpot by Stephen Fry (re-read) 48.The DNA Cowboys Trilogy by Mick Farren *
* Officially I only read the first two books of the trilogy in 2010. But since they were in one binding, I have added the whole book to my list for 2010.
[ January 03, 2011, 03:48 AM: Message edited by: Mr. Y ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman The Truth - Terry Pratchett A Separate War and Other Stories - Joe Haldeman In War Times - Kathleen Ann Goonan Pump Six and Other Stories - Paolo Bagigalupi Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchett Forever Peace - Joe Haldeman Time Pressure - Spider Robinson
[ February 11, 2010, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
Finished:
1. The Grand Delusion: The Unauthorized True Story of Styx, by Sterling Whitaker 2. Mistborn: The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson 3. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson 4. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson 5. Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson 6. The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch 7. The Accidental Time Machine, by Joe Haldeman 8. Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov 9. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, by Edwin Abbott 10. The Naked Sun, by Isaac Asimov 11. Flashforward, by Robert J. Sawyer 12. Manifold: Time, by Stephen Baxter
[ June 23, 2010, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: Sean Monahan ]
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
Finished:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies The Last Lecture
In Progress:
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I actually plan on having this summer off, which I'm hoping will mean a chance to catch up on a lot of reading I've been wanting to do. I just finished reading a highly entertaining account of Teddy Roosevelt's mapping of the River of Doubt that I really enjoyed.
I almost don't know where to start though. I have barely read anything for fun in the past two years.
I'd like to read the Earthsea books, and A Song of Ice and Fire. Other than that, I'm actually a bit embarrassed to admit it, but, I'd sort of like to read the third Christopher Paolini book.
Posted by TheGrimace (Member # 9178) on :
Finished: Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman A Shadow in Summer - Daniel Abraham Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison Something from the Nightside - Simon R Green Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clark Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss Ender in Exile - Orson Scott Card Wastelands Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss (1st, 2nd and 3rd readthroughs because it's that good) 1776 (well, half of it =/) - Changes - Jim Butcher The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson Forever War - Joe Haldeman A Betrayal in Winter - Daniel Abraham Shadow of the Torturer & Claw of the Conciliator - Gene Wolfe The Princess & Mr. Wiffle - Patrick Rothfuss The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman Anathem - Neal Stephenson Altered Carbon - Richard K Morgan Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
In-Progress: Ilium -
Upcoming:
TBD
[ October 26, 2010, 06:54 PM: Message edited by: TheGrimace ]
Posted by anonymous (Member # 486) on :
I just finished The Looking Glass Wars, and I'm about to start Seeing Redd.
I'm also looking forward to reading Mistborn, Sean Monahan. How is it so far?
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
I'm about halfway through book 1, and I absolutely love it. And I'm not really much of a fantasy reader.
I particularly like the system of magic that he has implemented; it's very inventive.
Posted by anonymous (Member # 486) on :
I'm particularly interested in systems of magic (or religions), so that makes me look forward to it more.
Posted by daventor (Member # 11981) on :
I read the Mistborn trilogy last summer; they're awesomely entertaining with some nice plot twists. The magic system is great and I think the series (due to the nature of the magic system) has the best action sequences I've ever read in fantasy novels.
Posted by umberhulk (Member # 11788) on :
There's a one dollar book store near my house that I buy from chronically, so, a lot.
Definitely going to finally read Deathly Hallows, Crown of Stars, Malazan Book of the Fallen, Pastwatch, Great Expectation, Galilee, Mistborn, and bunch of comic books (Jonah Hex, Top 10, From Hell, Astonishing X Men, Preacher, Transmetropolitan)
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
Finished:
I Drink for a Reason - David Cross
In Progress: The Greatest Show on Earth - Richard Dawkins Endymion - Dan Simmons
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Just finished Under the Dome
I plan on reading some more Gaiman this year. I think I will finally given Chabon a try.
Now reading Starplex by Robert J Sawyer.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean Monahan: The Great War: Walk in Hell, by Harry Turtledove
Don't, stop, seriously, don't go on with the series. I know its addicting, and Turtledove is a hard habit to break. You want so badly to know what happens next. I read the first book in the Settling Accounts part of the series and promptly took the entire saga to a used book store. I know you won't take my advice, fellow Turtledove readers never do. But remember, I warned you.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Turtledove often has really interesting ideas, but his execution of them is almost painfully bad. The latter is more true of his newer stuff, I've found.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: Turtledove often has really interesting ideas, but his execution of them is almost painfully bad. The latter is more true of his newer stuff, I've found.
Mike killed Timmy.
2 pages later:
Remember back when Mike killed Timmy?
2 pages later
There was that time when Mike killed Timmy.
2 pages later
It really is a shame Mike killed Timmy.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
:: laugh :: Yeah, exactly.
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
It's taking me forever to get through it, mainly because I'm only reading it piecemeal between other books. I can't concentrate on it fully, because it's just too bloated, there are too many pages between interesting events, and there are way too many POV characters. I don't think I'll be reading more Turtledove beyond this series - but I do intend to finish this series eventually.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Love Turtledove's earlier books, still read the short story collections and one-shots, but the ongoing 6-book mega-war series bore me to tears.
I'll likely read "Guns of the South" again soon, though, for perhaps the 10th time.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, his older stuff isn't bad. I enjoyed A Different Flesh when I read it years ago, and I have a soft spot for both Guns of the South and How Few Remain. The first few books in the Lost Legion series were fun, and Household Gods was decent. Departures and Counting Up Counting Down are both pretty good short story collections, but I haven't read any that are more recent than that.
Of course, it's been years since I've read most of those; it's possible that they would suffer from the Highlander Effect if I were to reread them now.
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
Also, when I read about Custer and Dowling, I can't get the image of Zap Brannigan and Kif out of my head. I can just hear Dowling going, "Uuuhhh..."
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
Finished: "Sunshine" by Robin McKinley - Horrible read which is disappointing because it was recommended by three good friends and featured a great cover blurb from Gaiman.
Reading: "Whitney, My Love" by Judith McNaught - I decided to confront my fear of the romance department. I told a coworker I wanted a recommendation with witty banter and a Austen feel. So far it's a compete success.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
If you want funny romance, try Jennifer Crusie (although not her collaborations). I read all her stuff.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
How about "2010?"
Posted by thefamousmoe (Member # 12249) on :
As of Jan 1.
Finished : John Dies at the End by David Wong
In Progress : Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
Under the Dome by Stephen King
To Read : soooo many but off the top of my head
Fiction:
Horns by Joe Hill The Rising by Brian Keene Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman Patient Zero by Jonathon Maberry Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
Non Fiction:
Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer (try to finish) A Foriegn Policy of Freedom by Ron Paul Blowback by Chalmers A. Johnson
Posted by thefamousmoe (Member # 12249) on :
ohhhh and i want to read the Book of the New Sun saga. I heard a lot of good things about it, like its up there with Lord of the Rings.
Lryhawn. Read the Song of Ice and Fire ASAP! heh. One of the best fantasy series I've ever read. The only bad thing though, there are only four books out so far and Martin is taking his sweet time releasing the next one.
Stephen, I'm reading Under the Dome right now. It's good, but I'm not really feeling it as much as his other books. Too much political going on and not enough supernatural. I'm bout half way through it though so many things will turn around.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by thefamousmoe:
Stephen, I'm reading Under the Dome right now. It's good, but I'm not really feeling it as much as his other books. Too much political going on and not enough supernatural. I'm bout half way through it though so many things will turn around.
Classic King definitely shows up. It actually turned into one of my favorites. Of course I loved the political stuff to, so that helped.
Posted by Mr. Y (Member # 11590) on :
~ersticker Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
My concentration hasn't been 100% lately, but I've managed to finish a few books.
The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. The bite sized format was actually pretty perfect for me right now. Some of the sections I've already gone back over two or three times.
American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson. Oh man is he funny. Even the dark, unpleasant parts of his life he managed to infuse with a sense of nostalgia and wry humor that made them tolerable. I wouldn't want to live in Glasgow, but it was interesting to visit through his eyes.
Reread David Farland's Runelords books, but I had to give up halfway through Sons of the Oak when I realized it was just too dark for my current state of mind.
Currently working on:
Katharine of Aragon by Jean Plaidy and The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. I'm close to the end on both, and I want to read more by both authors. Fortunately, my dad lent me all four of Cornwell's Viking books, so I'm set there.
Not sure which Plaidy book I'll go with next. I started with Henry VIII's sister Mary so I might go back to his sister Margaret to get a better picture of the family. I'm just not sure how much I'm interested in the wives, or even how many of them I want to feel sympathetic towards. I know everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story, but do I want to see Anne Boleyn that way? I don't know.
Posted by Mr. Y (Member # 11590) on :
Things that go (....) in the night. Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
Finished: Furies of Calderon - Jim Butcher Academ's Fury - Jim Butcher First Things First - Stephen Covey May Day - F Scott Fitzgerald Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind 1776 - David McCullough Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson Elantris - Brandon Sanderson The Gathering Storm - Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
Currently Reading: The Goal: A process of ongoing improvement - Eliyahu Goldratt
Reading Queue: Run Rabbit Run - John Updike The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - John le Carre Catch 22 - Joseph Heller Cursor's Fury - Jim Butcher
Posted by Mr. Y (Member # 11590) on :
!pmuB
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
Wow, I've been a slug the last few months. I managed to finish both books I was reading, but since February I've only started the first Percy Jackson book.
Good thing I've got The Complete Artist's Way by Julia Cameron coming. I think I need something to get past this mental block more than I thought.
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
Finished:
I drink for a Reason - David Cross The Greatest Show on Earth - Richard Dawkins Endymion - Dan Simmons The Engine of Reason - Paul Churchland The Rise of Endymion - Dan Simmons Blindsight - Peter Watts Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs - Chuck Klosterman Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein The Blank Slate - Steven Pinker Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer The Astonishing Hypothesis - Francis Crick Sweet Dreams: Philosophical Obstacles to a Science of Consciousness - Dan Dennett Justice: What's the right thing to do? - Michael Sandel
Currently Reading:
Ethics for the New Millenium - Dalai Lama The China Study - Thomas Campbell The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
So far this year Stranger in a Strange Land is my only re-read. I have a couple of very large books on my agenda though, I don't know if I'll be able to hit quite the same numbers I did last year.
Posted by daventor (Member # 11981) on :
Oy, folk with giant lists of books they've read makes me feel so illiterate; it's only since summer began I've really started reading for fun again; for school (besides partially reading several history books) I read:
The Bluest Eye- Toni Morrison Refuge- Tempest Williams (I think) 12th Night- William Shakespeare
Since summer started for me I've read:
Hidden Empire- Orson Scott Card Book of a Thousand Days- Shannon Hale
I am now currently reading "Sabriel," by Garth Nix.
Hopefully, my list of 2010 books will be much longer by the time summer is over.
Posted by Craig Childs (Member # 5382) on :
City of Thieves by David Benioff Nobody's Angel by Jack Clark Act of Love by Joe R. Lansdale Hidden Empire by Orson Scott Card Memory by Donald Westlake Let's Study I Corinthians by David Jackman Big Bear Mambo by Joe R. Lansdale Choke by Chuck Pahluniak Watchmen by Alan Moore The Complete Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale
Posted by Threads (Member # 10863) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean Monahan: Finished:
[snip]
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson 3. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson 4. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson
[snip]
I'm reading the last one now and it's a great series. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it!
Posted by Selran (Member # 9918) on :
quote:Originally posted by TheGrimace: Upcoming:
Changes - Jim Butcher (re-read of other Dresden Books) - Jim Butcher
I just started on the Dresden Files books. I'm up to Proven Guilty. I discovered the series through the roleplaying game.
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
This is my list for this past month or so. I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty glorious to have reading history books as essentially a full time job. Though I do wish I had some time to read more fiction books.
· The French Civil Code, Jean Halperin · Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson · Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error, Emmanuel Laudrie · A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations, Clive Pointing · Climate, History, and the Modern World, Hubert Lamb · The Birth of the Clinic, Michel Foucault · Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault · A Short History of Medicine, Erwin Ackerknecht · Epidemics and History: Disease Power and Imperialism, Sheldon Watts · Plants and Empire: Colonial Bioprospecting in the Atlantic World · Imperial Eyes, Louise Pratt · Physical Sciences in the Middle Ages, Edward Grant (His son is actually the chair of my department) · Leviathan and the Air-Pump, Stephen Shapin and Simon Schaffer · A Social History of Truth: Civility and Science in Seventeenth Century England, Stephen Shapin · Green Imperialism: Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens and the Origins of Environmentalism, Richard Grove · Nature's Body: Gender and the Making of Modern Science · The Intelligibility of Nature, Peter Dear · The Unbound Prometheus, David Landes · The Transformation of European Politics, 1763 – 1848, Paul Schroeder · Peace, War, and the European Powers, 1814 – 1914, C.J. Bartlett · Revolutionary Europe, Jonathan Sperber · Imperialism: The Idea and Reality of British and French Colonial Expansion, Winifred Baumgart · Imperialism, J.A. Hobson · Selections from Gender and Imperialism, edited by Claire Midgley, and Geography and Imperialism, edited by Morag Bell, Robert Butlin, and Michael Heffernan · Tricouleur: French Overseas Expansion, Raymond Betts · Mission to Civilize: The Republican Idea of Empire in France and West Africa, Alice Conklin · The Age of Empire, 1875 – 1914, Eric Hobsbawm · A Turn to Empire: The Rise of Liberalism in Britain and France, Jennifer Pitts · Making Empire: Colonial Encounters and the Creation of Imperial Rule in Nineteenth Century Africa, Richard Price · Selections from Realms of Memory: Rethinking the French Past, Pierre Nora · France since 1870: Culture, Politics, and Society, Charles Sowerwine · Peasants into Frenchmen: The Modernization of Rural France, 1870-1914, Eugene Weber · Women’s Suffrage and Social Politics in the French Third Republic, Steven Hause and Ane Kenney · The New Regime, Isser Woloch · The Habsburg Empire, 1790 – 1918, C. A. Macartney · Exclusive Revolutionaries: Liberal Politics, Social Experience, and National Identity in the Austrian Empire, 1848-1914, Pieter Judson · The Making of the English Working Class, E.P. Thompson · Britons: Forging the Nation, Linda Colley · Liberalism and Empire: A Study in Nineteenth-Century British Liberal Thought, Uday Singh Mehta · Family Fortunes: Men and Women of the English Middle Class 1780-1850, Leonore Davidoff and Catherine Hall · Finance, Trade and Politics in British Foreign Policy, 1815 – 1914, Desmond Platt
ETA: Eesh. It looks like I'm bragging. I mostly only put all those up there in case anyone else had read some of them and would like to share in dorkieness.
Posted by Mr. Y (Member # 11590) on :
Another 2 months have passed (almost), so I thought I'd shove this thread back to the top once more.
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
I just finished the Codex Alera series. It was good, but not great. It got a lot better after the first two books. Both of Jim Butcher's series are like that -- the quality improves substantially a few books in.
I'm on book 8 of the Dresden Files. The series has found a good "pulpy" niche that is both comfortable and entertaining.
I'm about halfway through George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones". It's fairly good. I mostly started it because of the new HBO series based on the novels.
I'm REALLY looking forward to two August releases: Terry Brooks continues his pre-Shannara series with the "Bearers of the Black Staff", and Brandon Sanderson is starting a new series with "The Way of Kings". I don't see how Sanderson has time with the new WOT book coming out in November.
Posted by Emreecheek (Member # 12082) on :
I feel like I haven't read much of anything this year. I hate how college pretty much forced me to stop reading for pleasure, so that I scramble to read in the summer.
I've read (Not counting rereads):
CS Lewis: The four loves ..........Reflections on the Psalms ..........Surprised by Joy ..........The Screwtape Letters ..........The Abolition of Man Lynn Flewelling: Luck in the Shadows .................Stalking Darkness .................Traitor's Moon (By far, this is one of the best fantasy series I've read in a long time. And the only one with a believable gay protagonist, that didn't read like poor fan-fictions)
Bart D. Ehrman: Jesus, Interrupted Jan Siegal: Prospero's Children Charles DeLint: The Ivory and the Horn (ssc) ................Moonlight and Vines (ssc)
Books in Process:
CS Lewis: A grief Observed ..........Til we Have Faces
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Discipleship
Books I plan to read this year (Upon reflection, perhaps this should be retitled "Books I plan to read this year and the next):
Lynn Flewelling: The Tamir Trilogy, the rest of the Nightrunner series.
Patrick Rothfuss: The Name of the Wind
Robin Hobb: The Farseer Trilogy
K.J. Parker: The Engineer Trilogy - Scavenger Trilogy
Brandon Sanderson: Final Empire series
CS Lewis: The Great Divorce ..........The Problem of Pain
Jane Lindskold: Breaking the Wall series
Orson Scott Card: Treason Octavia Butler: Xenogenesis triogy David Farland: Runelords series Ursula K. LeGuin: The Left Hand of Darkness ..................The Telling ..................The Dispossesed ..................Cheek by Jowl (Essays) Charles DeLint: Tapping the Dream Tree ................Muse and Reverie
[ July 29, 2010, 12:39 PM: Message edited by: Emreecheek ]
Posted by Mr. Y (Member # 11590) on :
Bumping this thread...
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Just finished Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Almost 1000 pages but couldn't put it down--can't wait for the next one! Brandon is getting better and better.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Way of the Kings is really good, Not great, but well worth reading.
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Way of the Kings is really good, Not great, but well worth reading.
It's great compared to 99% of the rest of what's out there. I just finished a couple of the George R.R. Martin books, and it beats those handily.
Can you recommend anything else in the page count range (700+) that it doesn't beat handily? Martin? Jordan? Goodkind?
I think not. . . .
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I have to say Martin still owns Sanderson, IMO, although their styles are so different that it's not really apples to apples. Sanderson owns Jordan and Goodkind, however, although Brandon probably wouldn't want any comparison to Jordan.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
If he didn't want comparisons to Jordan, he shouldn't have accepted the gig to finish the series. Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Oh, and Sanderson toally owns Martin in one very important way -- he's actually writing and publishing books.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
True.
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
quote:Originally posted by advice for robots: I have to say Martin still owns Sanderson, IMO, although their styles are so different that it's not really apples to apples. Sanderson owns Jordan and Goodkind, however, although Brandon probably wouldn't want any comparison to Jordan.
Both writers rely too heavily on archetypes (rather than characterization) to convey personality. Jordan was a master of characterization, though he didn't have a real handle on much else.
Martin's characters really don't show the growth, however, that Sanderson is able to convey. They are very static. I love the idea of a tragic hero / heroinne, but Martin seems to exploit the notion. Sanderson, however, shows characters in a constant state of thought and change.
Both authors do a good job of pacing -- Martin is slow and steady while Sanderson uses a lot of motion. One uses an imagined world of the highest caliber, while one uses a very detailed mirror of our own history.
Plotting, pacing, story devices -- all of that aside, Sanderson shows his marks in his consistency and characterization. His writing may prove slightly more formulaic at times, but it's consistently stronger.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
In terms of imagery, Martin wins hands down. I am always able to see with clarity whatever scene Martin is describing (which is often why I have a hard time taking Martin in large doses--I get overloaded with the vividness of it). Sanderson doesn't do a good job with it IMO. I have a hard time picturing what is happening in his scenes.
Sanderson is very plot-driven. After Way of Kings I can already tell what elements are going to play into the resolution of the story in Book 3. He builds every detail in very meticulously, and everything is there for a purpose.
I get the feeling Martin is feeling it out as he goes along. There won't be a neat tying up of all the details when (if) the series ever concludes.
I do agree that Sanderson is good at bringing characters through change. Martin, however, does it much more subtly, or maybe by the sheer volume of experiences you endure with the person. I still don't know why I like Jaime now, and when that transition occurred. But many of his characters are pretty static, even though they are well defined.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
This past week, I read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
It was FANTASTIC. They were so gripping that I ended up with a Lost Weekend, where I blew off two parties, a cake-baking session, two workouts, and homework so I could do nothing but read. I haven't had a lost weekend like that in a long time, but the books made it worth it. Tightly written and edited, brilliantly plotted, strong characters, no one is a horrible person and no one is a saint, surprises all along the way, and a definite evocation of realism that led to the story haunting me for the entire next day (I finished early Sunday morning). I can't recommend them enough.
---
I really enjoyed Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, even if the last book dragged quite a bit. How many chapters ended with a character thinking, "We're doomed. DOOOOOMMMEDDD!" It got a bit wearing, and then everything whirled together a little too fast. It felt like there was a lot of filler. But I really liked it, and while I love The Song of Fire and Ice, at least Sanderson is actually writing and publishing. I hope Martin hasn't frozen with fear because of his own success.
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
What bothers me most about Martin (other than the fact that character growth is glacial, if existant at all) is the fact that he seems to actively avoid showing conflict, action, and / or battle scenes. In the first two books of ASOIAF (the only ones I've read so far), there were SO many good chances, and he missed them all.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Huh. I have to take Martin in small doses precisely because there is so much action and no punches are pulled. I read him wincing every paragraph, waiting to get blindsided again. It's a world of monsters that can attack at any moment.
Sanderson has more faith in humanity, I think.
Hunger Games--loved the first one, was OK with the second, and finished the third only after two tries and some prodding. I felt she did her best writing in the first book when the idea was fresh, and struggled over the next two books with what was left--a weak love triangle.
Edit: Hey, 5,000!
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
It was the second that I felt was a little directionless, at least until the Quarter Quell started. I loved the third book precisely for its chaos and senseless casualties - it felt like a war.
While the love triangle was a little prolonged, I loved the resolution of it - it made sense. It wasn't mythic or destined and she wasn't stupid or enthralled, but how it worked out made perfect sense to me. She had solid and sensible reasons for the life she chose.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I LOVE the first Hunger Games. And I remember being impressed by the second book because it still felt fresh and unique even though she was basically repeating the plot of the first book.
I waited months for the third book and could not have been more disappointed. I understand what she was trying to do and I agree that it was a realistic depiction of war, but it also lacked all the elements that made me fall in love with the series (the action and the characters).
I'm starting the sequel to "Maze Runner" tonight and I'm actually afraid that its going to let me down like "Mockingjay" did.
I did just finish Rick Riordan's "The Lost Hero" which is a new series that is a sequel his Percy Jackson books. Characters from that series make some cameo appearances but its still about this new generation of demi-gods. I thought it was pretty good aside from a few nitpicks. I was happy that he stopped doing so many out-of-body dream sequences. He overused it in the Percy Jackson books and then massively abused it in "The Red Pyramid." They're still there in this new books but its not as prevalent. However, he's moved onto a new obsession with letting multiple characters take the lead in various chapters. In "The Red Pyramid," the brother and sister trade off telling their story and in "The Lost Hero" there are now three different characters that Riordan switches between. It would be obnoxious if I didn't enjoy his side-kick characters so much. It makes me wish he'd tell a story entirely from the perspective of a character who ISN'T the lead hero.
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
quote:Originally posted by advice for robots: Huh. I have to take Martin in small doses precisely because there is so much action and no punches are pulled. I read him wincing every paragraph, waiting to get blindsided again. It's a world of monsters that can attack at any moment.
Sanderson has more faith in humanity, I think.
Hunger Games--loved the first one, was OK with the second, and finished the third only after two tries and some prodding. I felt she did her best writing in the first book when the idea was fresh, and struggled over the next two books with what was left--a weak love triangle.
Edit: Hey, 5,000!
A lot of action happens in the story. Unfortunately, it is left out of the books.
A Song of Fire and Ice SPOILERS:
. . . . . . . . . How many cities were attacked? Exactly how many of the battles were actually followed by a participant?
Posted by 0range7Penguin (Member # 7337) on :
I have read the first of the Mistborn trilogy, Elantris, and the Gathering Storm. I feel that while he might not be the best author ever he is definatly a really good read and one of the best Fantasy authors I have read in a while.
Definatly one of the best newish authors who is still putting out a lot of work. Looking forward to reading the rest of his work. Super excited for Towers of Midnight only a month to go!
As far as comparing him to Robert Jordan I feel that while he is not the same author he definatly does the series justice.
*SPOILER FOR WOT* Plus I feel that while Jordan kept the pacing in his early works the last three or four books dragged horribly. When we are told that the split tower is going to war and Perrin is going after his wife in like book 7 and still nothing has happened by book 11 I at least was getting very frustrated with the series. Not to mention Rand just flitting around for like a book and a half with no real purpose...
I for one am glad that things are getting wrapped up finally.
Edit: The pacing seems a lot more natural on the audio series for WOT. Good voice actors and I really enjoyed it. Would recomend it to anyone.
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
Penguin,
Have you tried listening to the abridged WOT books? I tried listening to it with my wife (after I'd read all of the current books in the series), and even I was confused.
You just can't chop up a 700 page book into an eight hour listen.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
quote:Originally posted by Herblay:
quote:Originally posted by advice for robots: Huh. I have to take Martin in small doses precisely because there is so much action and no punches are pulled. I read him wincing every paragraph, waiting to get blindsided again. It's a world of monsters that can attack at any moment.
Sanderson has more faith in humanity, I think.
Hunger Games--loved the first one, was OK with the second, and finished the third only after two tries and some prodding. I felt she did her best writing in the first book when the idea was fresh, and struggled over the next two books with what was left--a weak love triangle.
Edit: Hey, 5,000!
A lot of action happens in the story. Unfortunately, it is left out of the books.
A Song of Fire and Ice SPOILERS:
. . . . . . . . . How many cities were attacked? Exactly how many of the battles were actually followed by a participant?
MORE SPOILERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If every single battle and siege were recounted in the books, 1) they would be 2,000 pages apiece and 2) the plot would get bogged down horribly. I think GRRM uses big battles like most other authors--as big transitions or climaxes. Stannis' attack on King's Landing at the end of Clash of Kings was a pretty large-scale battle, as I recall. It wasn't told from a general's perspective but we got a pretty good picture of what was going on and the stakes involved. There's the Red Wedding at the Walder's to look forward to. You do hear about many battles and various fights that happened off the stage, but my impression is that GRRM is using them more like chess pieces to advance the plot. Meanwhile, there's plenty of action.
Posted by 0range7Penguin (Member # 7337) on :
quote: Penguin,
Have you tried listening to the abridged WOT books? I tried listening to it with my wife (after I'd read all of the current books in the series), and even I was confused.
You just can't chop up a 700 page book into an eight hour listen.
No I hate listening to anything abridged so I was speaking of the unabridged version.
Posted by Mr. Y (Member # 11590) on :
Final bump of the year! Last chance to complete your lists and/or chat about books! Come one and all!
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
Here's my 2010 book list:
I drink for a Reason - David Cross The Greatest Show on Earth - Richard Dawkins Endymion - Dan Simmons The Engine of Reason - Paul Churchland The Rise of Endymion - Dan Simmons Blindsight - Peter Watts Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs - Chuck Klosterman Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein The Blank Slate - Steven Pinker Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer The Astonishing Hypothesis - Francis Crick Sweet Dreams: Philosophical Obstacles to a Science of Consciousness - Dan Dennett Justice: What's the right thing to do? - Michael Sandel The China Study – Thomas Campbell The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood Ethics for the New Millennium – Dalai Lama Animal Farm – George Orwell 1984 – George Orwell Science Fiction and Philosophy – Susan Schneider Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson The Ego Tunnel – Thomas Metzinger Kinds of Minds – Dan Dennett Brave New World – Aldous Huxley Why People Believe Weird Things – Michael Shermer Foundation’s Edge – Isaac Asimov Foundation and Earth – Isaac Asimov The Golden Compass – Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman The Amber Sypglass – Philip Pullman The Blackwell Companion to Consciousness – Susan Schneider
I'm currently reading Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. It's been roughly 15 years since I read this book and though I always remember loving it, I'm happy to report it's still a simply marvelous book. It seems impossible to have something so smart and so funny exist in one package, and yet it does.
My other favorite books this year were Blindsight and Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?. The links go to my goodreads reviews of the books. They're the two books I read that I can't wait to reread. If you're into philosophy and consciousness Dan Dennett's Kinds of Minds and Metzinger's Ego Tunnel were also fantastic.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Let's see:
Passage at Arms -- Glen Cook Midnight Tides (Malazan #5) -- Steven Erikson Distress -- Greg Egan The Many Deaths of the Black Company -- Glen Cook The Company -- KJ Parker Jhegaala (Vlad Taltos #11) -- Steven Brust The Praxis (Dread Empire's Fall #1) -- Walter Jon Williams The Sundering (Dread Empire's Fall #2) -- Walter Jon Williams Conventions of War (Dread Empire's Fall #3) -- Walter Jon Williams Singularity Sky -- Charles Stross The Bonehunters (Malazan #6) -- Steven Erikson The Machinery of Light (Autumn Rain #3) -- David J Williams Quarantine -- Greg Egan Incandescence -- Greg Egan Reaper's Gale (Malazan #7) -- Steven Erikson
Pretty narrow range this year -- basically either gritty fantasy or gritty SF, aside from a bit of quirkiness in Egan and Stross. Also, some pretty fat books, especially the Malazan books. I'm reading #8, Toll the Hounds, right now, and I got #9, Dust of Dreams, for Christmas. The final book comes out in early 2011, so I'll wrap up the series in 2011.
Reaper's Gale was great and might be my favourite of the year, since I didn't love the last few Black Company books quite as much as I loved the first three. A few long-running arcs concluded very well in Reaper's Gale, and it packed an emotional wallop.
The Company is also a strong contender, but I found some elements of the resolution a little pat. I'm definitely eager to read more Parker, though, she's definitely my favourite discovery of the year. I've got her Engineer trilogy, so I'll read that in 2011.
I've also become a Greg Egan fan this year. He writes very good if slightly quirky hard SF. Distress was probably my favourite of his from the year, but Incandescence is very close behind -- how he makes the derivation of general relativity from first principles by an alien race as riveting as any action scenes I've ever read is beyond me, but it's brilliant. I've got his latest, Zendegi, and I'll be reading that in 2011.
Aside from authors I read in 2010, I'm dying to read more Peter Watts, but there's no sign of the last part of his Rifters trilogy being reprinted anytime soon. I might have to cave in and get it from his website (he's put everything up free under Creative Commons at rifters.org). I'm also desperate for book 2 of R. Scott Bakker's second trilogy, The Aspect-Emperor, which is supposedly going to be titled The White-Luck Warrior. I read The Judging Eye when it came out in 2009 and was completely blown away. It might still be my favourite read of the last two years, but you've got to read his first trilogy, The Prince of Nothing, first.
I'm hoping to see another book in Glen Cook's Instrumentalities of the Night series, too. It isn't on the level of the Black Company, but it's pretty good and it's more Cook, which I'm always happy to read.
I've also got Guy Gavriel Kay's latest, Under Heaven, and I'll read that next year too. It's been a long, long time since I've read any Kay -- I skipped his previous book, Ysabel, because I'm not really into fantasy set on Earth, so I'm curious to see if I still enjoy his work as much as I used to. Five years ago he was probably my favourite writer.
So next year will ideally be more of the same -- Erikson, Parker, Egan, and hopefully Cook, Watts and Bakker. Plus Kay.
Oh! Another book I'll be picking up next year is Leviathan Wakes, by James S. A. Corey -- the pen name of Slash the Berzerker and Daniel Abraham when they collaborate.
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