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

[Lucki]

Just picked up Neuromancer last night, but haven't really dived into it yet. I've heard good things, so I'm hopeful.

Also been trying to find a series similar to Wheel of Time, any suggestions?

[Byrd]

For the Ready Player One fans. Not sure how I didn't see this coming when I read the book.



I may have to go back and read this again.

[Souj]

Finished 11/22/63
Really surprised there wasn't some super crazy ending like he's had with most of his more recent books. Surprised, but glad and relieved.
Also, I can't believe I missed the It reference in the book

[Manako]

Just picked up Neuromancer last night, but haven't really dived into it yet. I've heard good things, so I'm hopeful.

Also been trying to find a series similar to Wheel of Time, any suggestions?

What did you like about Wheel of Time? Only thing I can think of similar would be Raymond E Feist's Riftwar Saga, I love that.

[Indalecia]

I actually preferred the Serpentwar saga by feist, but pretty much stopped reading his books around 2000, so not sure what he's been up too lately.

[Manako]

I actually preferred the Serpentwar saga by feist, but pretty much stopped reading his books around 2000, so not sure what he's been up too lately.

I have yet to read the serpent war, I'm nervous because it's been so long since I read the original series. I also read the Empire Trilogy which he co-wrote with Janny Wurts which I don't think gets a lot of attention but is very good.

I'm on the second to last book of Wheel of Time, and can't get back into it, gotta just find time to get a good 2 hours in and I will be set. Recently I haven't had time to read and have like 4 books I'm currently in the middle of. After I started reading the novels that True Blood is based on its like it hindered my ability to read books over 500 pages, although I did manage to get through the latest Song of Ice and Fire.

[Darkmagi]

Recently finished reading the Mistborn series, really enjoyed it. Currently reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, simply amazing so far. Only finished the first book, but I have not been hooked like this since ASOIAF.

[Lucki]

Double

[Lucki]

What did you like about Wheel of Time? Only thing I can think of similar would be Raymond E Feist's Riftwar Saga, I love that.

I really like how well developed all the characters were and all the different story arcs that the characters had that eventually blended together.

[Souj]

So how slow of a read is the Wheel of Time series? Like is it a shit load of pages with a bunch of crazy made up hard to pronounce names and complex descriptions about things I don't care about while they go through pages of necessary information all while spending the entire first quarter of the book wondering who and what and why everything is and wtf is going on?
I can normally make it through that kind of stuff but atm I don't have a lot of time to read and if so I'd rather wait to read it once I get some more time.

[Indalecia]

In short, yes.

However, EVERYONE will come back. I'm not fucking kidding. If someone is mentioned for 3 pages in book one, he is going to have whole chapters dedicated to him 5 books later (Bayle Doman, anyone?)

Seriously, the depth is worth it. And oh yeah, you'll read the series once and I'll put money down, around book 5, you'll go back and read the first few books again and go "ooooooooh, I get it now"

Still worth it.

[Evane]

How important is the prequel to the series? Should I read it before reading book1 or stick to the year of release?

[Indalecia]

I would NOT read it until at least book 5-6. It does contain spoilers that kinda sorta ruin books 1-3.

[Marootsoobutsu]

I found the prequel largely irrelevant. I love WoT, but it really felt more like marketing than adding to things.

As for the series... while I love the world Jordan made, I cannot express how much better Sanderson is as a writer. The last two books have been fantastic from a writing standpoint, and are worth the wait.

Well I'm trying to read Chronicles of the Black Company but it hasn't been able to hook me despite throwing me into the wtf-is-going-on meat grinder off the bat. Two friends said it would be worth my time but boy do I feel so detached from the characters. Ugh so hard to push through.

Cook is probably my favorite modern author, but I will readily concede that it takes a little bit to get into The Black Company, especially right off the bat. He puts you in a world where the characters expect you to be roughly as familiar with the times as they are, and the first chapters of TBC, especially, are just kind of there. By the second book, it's great, and stays that way until the 3rd or 2nd to last book of the series, before it goes back into really weird territory again. That said, I think some of his other books (particularly Passage at Arms, a sci-fi submarine-type book, and The Tower of Fear, more fantasy), are easier to read and get into; he explains the setting a bit faster in them and re-reading isn't as required.

[BaneTheBrawler]

Speaking of series with different authors/writing styles...

I read the Dune prequels several years ago, and was so captivated by the universe that I tried to read the originals. I managed to get through the first few pages, realized I couldn't remember what I just read, and decided the writing style just didn't do it for me. Only the third time I've ever been unable to finish a book; the first two being Great Expectations and Catch 22.

[Jaybar]

I started this summer with the author Brandon Sanderson which has turned out to be a great idea. I've so far finished The Way of Kings, Elantris and currently finishing off the Mistborn series. I must say, I am very pleased to see his depth of work especially with a new saga coming out. Can't wait to re-read WoT now and actually read Sanderson's ending trio.

On the Dune comment - Herbert Jr's writing style is definitely more ... refined(?) than his father's. It was practically a chore for me to finish Frank's sequels before I got onto his son's final two books. However, Dune was probably one of the easier reads of the entire series since the complex series of plots didn't develop until the second and third book. I feel like I was the only one that was really excited with the ending, but probably because it finally tied up all the loose ends and made for an epic ending (character-wise - I love Miles Teg and Duncan).

[Seanr]

Read digital fortress, which is cheesy as hell (computers don't work like that Dan Brown!), then deception point because I like science and space topics, now I'm reading lost symbol. About a third of the way through. I dunno what to read next.

[Kerberoz]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DanBrowned
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...owned/DanBrown

[Seanr]

I knew all the shit was fake from when I first read the da Vinci code, he looks like a faggot, but the shit is captivating is you suspend disbelief

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/b...sentences.html

[Manako]

So how slow of a read is the Wheel of Time series? Like is it a shit load of pages with a bunch of crazy made up hard to pronounce names and complex descriptions about things I don't care about while they go through pages of necessary information all while spending the entire first quarter of the book wondering who and what and why everything is and wtf is going on?
I can normally make it through that kind of stuff but atm I don't have a lot of time to read and if so I'd rather wait to read it once I get some more time.

They are large books, so of course it does take a long time to read them. On the other hand they read fast, the sentence structures and ideas flow well enough that its easy to get through chunks of book at a time. I also am a skimmer which is very beneficial when every time you meet one of the characters he reiterates their quirks and feelings.

It is hard to get back into them after a long break though :-/ So many things to remember, and then I can't skim through the parts I normally would.