What have you been reading?

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I also love the Gentlemen Bastards, but keep in mind that Scott Lynch is in the same boat as G.R.R.Martin when it comes to deadlines. For the moment I consider the GB series as a trilogy, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if I ever see Thorn of Emberlaine in print. Ditto for The Bastards and the Knives.

(If the Scott Lynch Scott Lynch who registered here recently is the same guy, I hope he can give us an update).
 
I also love the Gentlemen Bastards, but keep in mind that Scott Lynch is in the same boat as G.R.R.Martin when it comes to deadlines. For the moment I consider the GB series as a trilogy, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if I ever see Thorn of Emberlaine in print. Ditto for The Bastards and the Knives.

(If the Scott Lynch Scott Lynch who registered here recently is the same guy, I hope he can give us an update).

More so than George. I'd put Scott more in like with Patrick Rothfuss. George at least continues to write and release books he's just sort of painted himself into a corner with his main GoT series. Scott and Patrick appear to struggle to release books and in the case of Scott if I recall correctly what my wife has mentioned to me, that he suffers from some mental health issues. Honestly I'm really patient when it comes to either of the three and I'm happy when any of them release a new book.
 
More so than George. I'd put Scott more in like with Patrick Rothfuss. George at least continues to write and release books he's just sort of painted himself into a corner with his main GoT series. Scott and Patrick appear to struggle to release books and in the case of Scott if I recall correctly what my wife has mentioned to me, that he suffers from some mental health issues. Honestly I'm really patient when it comes to either of the three and I'm happy when any of them release a new book.

It took Cormac McCarthy 16 years to complete his first novel(s) after The Road.
 
It took Cormac McCarthy 16 years to complete his first novel(s) after The Road.

I can totally understand why. The Road is a masterwork, and I don't know how you continue writing after that...
 
I've been reading Becky Chambers Sci-Fi series "Wayfarers." I'm sad it's not one continuing story but a set of stories all in the same universe, they are good but I wanted more of the same characters after the first book.
 
These past 3 months I've been reading Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. Excellent fantasy book involving a plot of rebellion against two independent Wizard Warlords that have divided and conquered a Renaissance Italyesque peninsula. Tigana, one of the city states that ruled a province in the peninsula, killed the son of one of the Wizard Warlords when they were being conquered. As retribution the Wizard wiped the name and history of the province from the memories of everyone not born in Tigana before the spell was cast.
Great setting and I really like the way magic is portrayed, with it being tied to the land and people. So Wizards of the Peninsula can cast small magic, but if they cut off the 3rd and 4th finger on their had they can cast more powerful magic.
I highly recommend it.
 
These past 3 months I've been reading Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. Excellent fantasy book involving a plot of rebellion against two independent Wizard Warlords that have divided and conquered a Renaissance Italyesque peninsula. Tigana, one of the city states that ruled a province in the peninsula, killed the son of one of the Wizard Warlords when they were being conquered. As retribution the Wizard wiped the name and history of the province from the memories of everyone not born in Tigana before the spell was cast.
Great setting and I really like the way magic is portrayed, with it being tied to the land and people. So Wizards of the Peninsula can cast small magic, but if they cut off the 3rd and 4th finger on their had they can cast more powerful magic.
I highly recommend it.
Kay has also been doing historical fiction for the last couple decades. Well, kinda historical - he usually changes the names but it's obvious. I read Under Heaven about Tang China last year and it was worth it if you're into that time/place.
 
These past 3 months I've been reading Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. Excellent fantasy book involving a plot of rebellion against two independent Wizard Warlords that have divided and conquered a Renaissance Italyesque peninsula. Tigana, one of the city states that ruled a province in the peninsula, killed the son of one of the Wizard Warlords when they were being conquered. As retribution the Wizard wiped the name and history of the province from the memories of everyone not born in Tigana before the spell was cast.
Great setting and I really like the way magic is portrayed, with it being tied to the land and people. So Wizards of the Peninsula can cast small magic, but if they cut off the 3rd and 4th finger on their had they can cast more powerful magic.
I highly recommend it.

I wasn't a fan of Kay's Finoavar Tapestry books as they were far too derivative of Tolkien but he grew into a much more impressive writer in the decades since.
 
I used to love the Mahabharata tv show that was on the UK's Ch4 years and years ago.
I take it that's the Peter Brook directed version?

I remember being thrilled when I discovered a DVD in an old ecclectic DVD shop that no longer exists.

Now of course, because we in a decadent age of plenty and abundance, you can watch all 5 hours on Youtube.
 
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I'm reading the Vorkosigon books again (I'm on the last one chronologically at the moment, which is also that last one I've seen published afaik)
That'd be Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, right? There was a novella, "Flowers of Vashnoi" that was published more recently that takes place a bit before it in the chronology.
 
I'm reading the Vorkosigon books again (I'm on the last one chronologically at the moment, which is also that last one I've seen published afaik)
I read Shards of Honor with a book club after I pushed it on them, and I really need to keep reading. I got to Winterfair Gifts (or the one after) and lost track so never got further. One woman who's read them all says skip the last few because she starts phoning it in.
 
Finished the latest Jack Reacher book by Lee Child and Andrew Child, No Plan B. It was one of those books where there are 3 or 4 plots going on. You know that they're all going to come together at the end, but I found one of the plots uninteresting and annoying for much of the book.

However, when the plots finally did all come together, they did so in a way that was far more satisfying than I anticipated, and made having read the "boring" plot worthwhile.
 
Reading book three of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, called Oathbringer. Re-read book 1 and 2 which were fine, but overlong I thought. Things (in both books) tended to pick up in the latter half/third and make the wait worth while. I couldn't help but think this series would be ideal for a Game of Thrones/HBO style adaptation and an RPG. Apparently the RPG will arrive in 2024 so may be worth a look.

Sanderson is a prolific writer and has lots on his plate - a kickstarter raised just short of $42 million for four books and $4 million for a set of fantasy miniatures so he's not short of money or work. Whether he'd commit to a TV show/movie with the series of books only 4 in (out of 10) is probably not likely. That kickstarter for the books is staggering though ( HERE), wonder where it stands on the Kickstarter all time list.

Just checked. Top, about twice as much as number two on the list (list HERE). Bonkers.
 
I'm working my way through the "Northanger Abbey Horrids" with the plan to read Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey when finished. These "Horrids" are a collection of the stories referenced in her novel.

Just finished Castle of Wolfenbach by Eliza Parsons; there was much swooning, fainting and weeping, and that was just me. :tongue:

It was ok, but a bit silly, and reminds me of a young adult romance novel. There is much misery and villainy but also true love, handsome nobles, and pirates so they cover a lot of ground. As I read more books of the genre and period (this one written in 1793) it does help me to get my mindset into the time and appropriate plots for games set in the period.

I got into my current reading list in support of Ghastly Affair, and now Chaosium has released Regency Cthulhu covering a similar genre but with more tentacles, which is very timely. Honestly I'd be much less interested in that setting for CoC if I wasn't reading these books.


Next up is The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe written in 1794.

Still plowing through The Mysteries of Udolpho...
 
I read Year of the Demon by Steve Bein. It's a very good one IMO, and basically shows you what flashbacks should be like in RPGs...say, Vampire 5, which is the other thing that I'm reading:smile:.
Back to YotD, I noticed that Bein reused the same trio of characters twice. Reincarnation is a bitch if you want actual change, nee? But then at least the relationships between them were different every time. So I count it as a win:wink:!
 
Finally finished The Mysteries of Udolpho. It is a big book, more than 700 pages so it felt like it just went on and on and on. Other than having a feeling of can we get to the point, it wasn't bad. The basic story and writing are good, but it just meanders kind of like reading the main characters daily journal for two years.

The author also apparently pioneered the Scooby Doo ending, but I'm finding that to be common for the genre along with the misery, tragedy, misery, implausible happy ending. Also takes some getting used to the "strong female characters" and all of their weeping, fainting and being locked in rooms.


As with Wuthering Heights people need to talk, a little communication would have averted a lot of trouble and made a much shorter and happier story.


Anyway two of the "horrids" down, 5 to go before I get to Jane Austin's Northanger Abbey.

Next up is The Necromancer (or the tale of the Black Forest) by Karl Kahlert.
 
Read "The Human Familiar" and the rest of the Familiar and the Mage series enjoyed the first book a lot though the later ones weren't as fun (good, but not as willing to embrace its madness, I think.) Also, read the first Tea Princess novel "Coup of Tea" I wonder if the author knows how Coup is really pronounced. Because it seems like a terrible horrible stretch otherwise. I've been hitting a lot of 'cozy' fantasy and sci-fi and finding I enjoy them a lot.
 
Finished Hail Mary, and Poul Anderson's High Crusade, now reading Ensign Flandry by him. Yes, I did walk by box of his book in the basement of a used book store. These places are kind of like my haunt, I'll be ghost one day moaning: I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream!
 
I've been reading an odd mix of 40's Weird Tales Horror and contemporary Cognitive Science stuff.
 
Just wrapped up the huge history on Vikings I posted about earlier in the thread and trying to decide what non-fiction book to start next...
 
Decided to read some comics.

I always loved Love & Rockets but Herandez's solo books tend to be more grotesque, surreal and pulpy, which is very much my jam.

Stuck Rubber Baby is one of those much talked about underground comix classics that was hard to actually find but this 25th anniversary edition is widely available. Just started it but what really stands out right away is just how many pretty the B&W pointillist artwork is. This is a lovely looking, expertly drawn comic.

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I'm making a start on Emmanuel Todd's The Explanation of Ideology (translated by David Garrioch). This is purported to trace connections from family structure to political values. I suspect that it probably draws a long bow, and I suspect from summaries I've heard that it is rather weak on Austronesian society and may fail to observe important distinctions within Africa. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
I finished the second Carnacki collection from William Meikle, and am still reading the Tales from the Magicians Skull #0, Into the Macrocosm and Occult Detective Monthly sampler. I've also finished Weird House Magazine issue one from Weird House Press, and a chapbook called Dark is the Water & other wyrd tales by Susan Earlam. Most of the stories are micro/flash fiction, but the title tale is a short story. Pretty interesting mix of stories
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I've also been reading Tales of Attluma, which are stories set in a Sword & Sorcery setting that the author created for his hero Oron. The Oron books are getting a re-release in the near future, so I thought this would be a good primer before they do
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Carnaki! Awesome.
I love Meikle's take on the character. I read his version first, then picked up the original stories. I read 1-2 of them, but reading Meikle's take made the originals feel less interesting. Not the stories themselves, but the character himself. I know in the first original tale I read, Carnacki admits to getting scared and running away during an investigation. I just thought that was a bit much for someone with his reputation. In Meikle's stories, he never flees, but he does admit that he comes close many times. He also pays a price for sticking it out (exhaustion, etc), which I find more engaging. I'll finish the rest of of the original stories eventually, but I dig Meikle's take better. Plus he had Carnacki meet Captain Gault (another Hodgson character, and has met Churchill on a few occasions. I also like that he's used the Mythos in a couple of stories, but not overtly so. They're just entities from the Outer Dark to him, and not a separate threat.
 
Finished the Necromancer. A little odd because it was apparently originally several stories that were combined into one and the edges where they were glued together is a little rough. Overall an interesting story with much use of bandits and potential supernatural and gives a good idea of the kinds of shenanigans people on the fringes of civilization might encounter in the 1600-1700s.

Giving the Horrids a break for a bit, and in honor or getting TDM's Casting the Runes I'm going to give M.R. James a run with his collection Ghost Stories of Antiquity.
 
Gilberto Perez's The Material Ghost blew my mind when I was studying film, he is both very rigorous about form and poetic as a critic. Got this later book by him from the library but I'm loving it so much I know I'm going to spring for a hardcopy of my own.

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Besides reading heaps of this for game prep...

Numenera Revised Edition (Discovery & Destiny)
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The next books in my fiction pile are first a bit of whimsy, followed by a bit of grimdark...

The Land of Ingary Trilogy
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The Gentlemen Bastards Trilogy
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That will take me some time
 
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