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

[mallister]

Lol, good job man.

[synistar]

Got back into a reading rhythm. Recent books completed since late December.

Currently Reading The Strength of the Few.

Hemlock & Silver
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
The Tainted Cup
A Drop of Corruption
The Will of the Many

Some thoughts on Twelve Months (Dresden #18): Better than Peace Talks and Battle Ground. Either you get over the controversy in the previous two books and push on or drop the series. I have a friend who dropped the series and I know one event in this book would make her throw the book.

Spoiler: show

The power dynamic reversal between Lara and Dresden. Mab is a bitch for that but that's completely in character for her.

I'll will finish the series. I never took it super seriously to begin with, and I want to know the endgame after being invested in 18 books deep.

[Souj]

I’ve been putting off the newest Dresden books just cause ive been dreading how little I might like it. I did finally pick up the last Sun Eater book and started reading that though, as much as I feared a continuing drop in my liking of that as well. First 10% using the framing device it do was extremely weird. The 10% after that was retreading things I felt the last few books had already spent way too much time on, and at the 25% mark I’m a bit worried that it feels like I’m at the climax of the entire series yet there’s still a thousand pages to go

[Gredival]

So I just finished Crown of Swords two weeks ago, but I needed to pick up an audio book for a long drive. Found that even with owning the books already Amazon still wanted $15+ for Wheel of Time companion Audibles. I settled for the Poppy War Trilogy for $9 (after already owning the entire series from a previous sale but it having sat on the backlog for a while).

Enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, and finished it via regular reading in the last three days since my drive. I found it engrossing, but I am probably someone who probably would enjoy the school arc and the moral grey area of war much more than the standard person. The pacing felt scattered, however given that I'm in the middle of the WoT I just might be acclimated to a longer and more thorough build-up.

Want to finish off the Poppy War Trilogy, but also know that I should probably save them for when I need an audiobook and just get back to reading Wot.

[Souj]

Just found out Children of Time series got a 4th book tangentially related to the main series. Hoping it won’t be disappointing like Southern Reach’s 4th book Absolution was for me.

[Andalusian girls]

So I just finished Crown of Swords two weeks ago, but I needed to pick up an audio book for a long drive. Found that even with owning the books already Amazon still wanted $15+ for Wheel of Time companion Audibles. I settled for the Poppy War Trilogy for $9 (after already owning the entire series from a previous sale but it having sat on the backlog for a while).

Enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, and finished it via regular reading in the last three days since my drive. I found it engrossing, but I am probably someone who probably would enjoy the school arc and the moral grey area of war much more than the standard person. The pacing felt scattered, however given that I'm in the middle of the WoT I just might be acclimated to a longer and more thorough build-up.

Want to finish off the Poppy War Trilogy, but also know that I should probably save them for when I need an audiobook and just get back to reading Wot.

i'm a Poppy War Trilogy truther despite the blowback it gets from a lot of fantasy readers these days (which oft seems to be more about Kuang than the books). were her first efforts written between 19-24 so show some youthful deficits, the historical inspirations can be heavy-handed and obvious, the pacing remains an issue throughout with her forgetting novels need an ending and slamming through probably 1/3rd of the plot in 1/10th of the pages, but it's still an inspired Eastern fantasy banger with an engaging antihero protag and p cool magic-ontology.

hope she goes back to epic fantasy someday as an older, more developed writer.

[Souj]

The Suneater series could have been something great. It never was anything original, did nothing things like Red Rising, Warhammer 40k, or Hyperion hadn’t already done, but it was entertaining and fun to read all the same. And then a few books in, the series reached its peak. From there it was a downward spiral. The author got lost in his themes and wasn’t able to handle the massive implications of the expanded universe he opened his narrative up to.

He hid behind the shield of the “god works in mysterious ways” trope far too often, used ambiguity as his weapon of choice, and focused far too much on the moral implications and ideologies of parts of his story that meant nothing to the story thematically nor, ultimately, narratively. He would have his main character literally have the same discussion with three different people back to back, and even sometimes the same character over again to the point I literally thought I might have accidentally started to read the same page again. I could have maybe forgiven some of this, but then the ending gave no closure. No answers. No satisfaction.

I had championed this series in the beginning, suggesting it every chance I got. I dont think I’ve ever had a series I’ve done so vast a turn on except the Game of Thrones TV show- I will admit at least Suneater remains better than that. And one more thing that the author threw in at the very end that literally made me laugh and question why the hell he put it in

Spoiler: show

is making Hadrion Jesus. Nearly literally. The betrayal, the literal “it is finished” quote, the spear in the side, the obvious revival, all played straight like the author was just trying to see just how many other stories he could rip off. Maybe I’m reading into his intentions wrongly, though.

I am being harsh, I know. Probably more than I should be, but I think it’s because I’ve been following this series since day 1. Nothing hates more than a fanboy spurned.

[Zealot]

The Fox Hunt, debut novel by Caitlin Breeze. Very British. Excellent use of language and a downright eerie, tension-packed first act. The horror elements diminish when the more fantastical parts of the story are delved into but still an engrossing read. Hope to see more from her.

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[Zealot]

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. Delightful so far, about 3 quarters of the way into it. It does take awhile to get going but I'm disappointed I have to put it down to get some sleep now.

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[-Zer0-]

I am late to the game, but finally got around to Dungeon Crawler Carl and am blazing through the audio. Goddamn, Jeff Hays is amazing. Halfway through This Inevitable Ruin atm and already preordered Parade of Horribles.

Didn't really know litrpgs were a thing until DCC.

[Rulke]

I am late to the game, but finally got around to Dungeon Crawler Carl and am blazing through the audio. Goddamn, Jeff Hayes is amazing. Halfway through This Inevitable Ruin atm and already preordered Parade of Horribles.

Didn't really know litrpgs were a thing until DCC.

Eyyy! So I just sat down to revisit this thread and say that I picked up Dungeon Crawler Carl as well (though I am reading the books). My friend who lent me them swears by the audio though. I am on book 3 now. One thing that's great about this series is its very easy to pick up and put down and not forget anything. To me at least. I am reading it super casual while my wife has been going through cancer treatment. I started the series back last August but really only read it when we're at some chemo session together and the like. Anyway, that's not important to the book or this thread other than I think it lends a very light tone to the series which I like.

[Qalbert]

I'm about a third of the way through his new (non-DCC) book Operation Bounce House, and it's been pretty interesting. Still has some humor but not as zany.

[Qalbert]

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/dun...ne-1236705436/

The live-action “Dungeon Crawler Carl” TV series is now officially in development at Peacock, Variety has learned.

Based on the LitRPG book series of the same name by Matt Dinniman, the project was originally acquired by Universal International Studios in early 2025, though no network or streamer was attached at that time.

As previously reported, Chris Yost will write and executive produce the series, with Seth MacFarlane set to executive produce under his Fuzzy Door banner. Dinniman is also an EP, as is Fuzzy Door’s Erica Huggins. Rachel Hargreaves-Heald will serve as executive in charge of production for Fuzzy Door.

[Qalbert]

Swung by the library to return Operation Bounce House and the Licanius trilogy and was fortunate enough that these were both available.

[Bweigelt]

Oh shit I didn't realize Faith of Beasts came out yesterday. Mercy of Gods was so good and Livesuit changed the dynamic so interestingly for such a short novella.

[Tyrath]

Just finished Lions of Al-Rassan. Okay, now this is what I was expecting when everyone was hyping up GGK. Fionavar was okay, but this book was fucking fantastic. Might do Tigana next.

[Andalusian girls]

ey yo fantasyheads i went through The Black Company and Tales from Earthsea recently and aim to shoot into a new fantasy series. between Ken Liu / Fonda Lee / Joe Abercrombie / Scott Lynch we got any strong favorites or partisans

[Tyrath]

I've only read First Law series, so I'll co-sign that.

[Qalbert]

Abercrombie is great, Tyven would advocate for it if he still posted, you can read his new one The Devils, it's a standalone/first in a new series and could give you an idea if you like his style. Scott Lynch is fun but unfortunately pulling a GRRM/Rothfuss and it's been years since the last one. Fonda Lee is more like a crime/gang series with some mystical elements. Haven't read any Liu.

[Bweigelt]

Abercrombie is good cause while it's all connected, the two trilogies and the three stand alone's are able to be taken in bite sized chunks so you don't have to read them all at once. I've only read the first book in the Ken Lui's Dandelion Dynasty but it was quite good and works pretty well as a stand alone. Lynch has been sitting on an almost finished Thorn of Emberlain for like 12 years now, he's got mental health issues that have kinda derailed his career and the best book was definitely his first so enter at your own risk. Fonda Lee's stuff isn't really what I'd call fantasy but it's probably the best of the bunch. It's very character driven if that's what your into.