Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread

[Souj]

Read the Ninth Rain by Jen Williams. It started out good, though really exposition heavy. Ended up getting a bit predictable by the end but still decided to start the sequel since I had time before Lost Metal came out.

I’ve stalled on it. Some of it is decent enough, but it’s not enough to motivate me to read atm but I also don’t think it’s bad enough to DNF. Every time I have time to read, I’m just like, we’ll, I could do THIS instead. And then I continue to not read.
Maybe Inshould just drop it for now and try to come back to it after Lost Metal and The City We Became.

[Wulfgang]

Latest Brian McClellan release ("In the Shadow of Lightning") was exceptional imo; would rec.

[Souj]

Didn’t know he had a new series coming out. Fuck. Now I also have that to read and Christopher Ruocchio’s 5th Sun Eater book Ashes of Man comes out the 13th.

Yeah, I’m abandoning my current book for now.

[synistar]

I guess I should shoot out an update about Red Rising book 6 titled Light Bringer. Release date is July 25, 2023.

But Brown couldn't finish it in one go. Book 7 titled Red God will be released "soon after" Light Bringer.

[Souj]

Not to be confused with Brent Week’s Lightbringer. And the sword from ASoIaF

[Tyrath]

Has anyone read Machineries of Empire trilogy? We thinking of doing that while I work my way through Black Company because I don't think I can do all 9 books in one good lol

[Souj]

No, but I just bought the first book on kindle for $6.50. Might read it after Lost Metal.

[Tyrath]

Ay Souj, just found out that the Black Company supposedly has a forthcoming book, even though the last one released was in 2000. Did you set me on a 9 book journey thats gonna cliffhanger? D:

[Souj]

No, it had a very solid and complete ending lol. Room for more sequels, sure, but closure all around.

Finished Lost Metal this morning, so I’ll be starting Ninefox Gambit next. I’m off the next two nights though, so probably won’t do any reading until the weekend as my off time will be spent editing my book #2.

Edit: the newest Black Company book to come out is apparently a sequel to another book that came out in 2018, which itself was an interquel, which takes place between Black Company book 1 and Shadows Linger book 2. I haven’t read that first one yet.

I did read The Silver Spike, which I hadn’t realized was a side novel because it was included in the omnibus I had read. It’s considered book 3.5 in the series.

[Tyrath]

Oh ok. Good to know.

I guess I'll read both the Port of Shadows and Silver Spike after I finish Book 3. Need to throw in Ninefox Gambit somewhere in there too.

[Souj]

I’ll probably try and read Port and it’s sequel once it comes out.

[Souj]

Well, I read chapter 1 of Ninefox Gambit. Want a sci-fi version of Malazan that drops you in even colder and into more confusion, this may be the book for you lol.

[Tyrath]

Oh boy. It took me a LONG time to get into Malazan because of how confused I felt at first.

[Souj]

Chapter two had me very worried. Started out with a completely different character, different location, different everything, with just as much confusion and a whole lot of Nouns. But then it s found it’s way back to being related to chapter 1 and even actually switched back to the 1st chapter character perspective. Ch3 continued with same character. Still throwing out a lot of Nouns and what seems to be the most complicated Harry Potter style house grouping I’ve ever heard of. Not trying to understand everything, and things are moving along. It’s ok so far. Has me intrigued enough to keep going.

I do have to say I am impressed at how much exposition has been in these first three chapters and just how little info I’ve managed to gain from it lol.

Edit edit:chapter 4 is better, but it seems this book genre is fantasy in space, not sci-fi. Still interesting.

[Souj]

Last post for Foxtrot Gambit.

Not a fan. Won’t be picking up book two unless it goes on a very cheap sale.

Warhammer 40k universe if the imperium factions were Hogwarts houses and their technology worked like LotR magic (you never know what anything’s capable of, but it’s always capable of doing anything- unless it’s not.) It’s also based on calendars and math. And by math they really mean magic. And by calendars… well, not really those either.

It was a mindless read, after Ingave up trying to figure things out, because by the time you might have started to, the book has already moved on. I didn’t try to figure out what would happen next or how they would solve a problem, because there was no figuring it out. A solution would be pulled from nowhere. You couldn’t guess other character motives and motivations because you were given nothing except what the character outwardly narrated about that specific character.

The book really started to grab me at the start of the last quarter. There was a plan. I understood what was happening and what several character were trying to accomplish. But then… they took that away. Won’t get into details as it kind of leans towards spoilers, but the ending went from exciting to boring pretty quickly.

[Tyrath]

Finished the 3rd book of the Black Company. Damn I'm really into this series now

Spoiler: show

I was CONVINCED the Lady was going to end up dying at the end of that to prevent the Dominator from rising again. Expectations subverted. Did not see her surviving but being depowered coming

Is it better to go straight to book 4 or should I read Silver Spike which I gather is a spinoff of everyone who didn't go South?

[Souj]

Glad your starting to get into it more.

Like I said earlier, the omnibus I read had thrown in Silver Spike as the first book of Omnibus 2, so I read it right after book 3. It does cover everyone who didn’t go south, like you said. And it brings all the northern stuff to a close. So It’s probably best to read it next, just because you’ll have all that northern stuff fresher in your head. If you like any of those characters who stayed behind, but it doesn’t have any impact on the story going forward.

I personally cannot recall how good I thought it was or wasn’t.

[Tyrath]

Cool thanks. Guess the Silver Spike is next.

[Souj]

Sun Eater book 5 done, now back to Discworld. Wyrd Sisters.

[Ayn]

I can always rely on you all for solid book recs. Thanks.

Seeing Black Company, Sun Eater, and Brian McClellan's books as solid picks.