The Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books Thread Book • Page 13

This is just triple posting now but I've finally finished Oathbringer and with that; a full re-read of the Cosmere. Damn, that was intense.

 

A Little Hatred is intense as hell. Still holding out hope that The Bloody Nine shows up, even though he did have a solid conclusion in Red Country

 

It's killing me that I haven't had time to dig into A Little Hatred yet.

 

Okay so I'm giving Malazan another try. I read book 1 several years ago and was confused as hell. Started book 2 a while back but wasn't in the right mindset. I'm 50 pages into Deadhouse Gates and I'm taking it seriously this time. I'm reading chapter summaries after every chapter, referencing the character guide frequently, and reading at a slower pace. So far I'm enjoying Deadhouse Gates and not feeling nearly as overwhelmed.

 

I ordered the first few books and tried but I was just lost as all hell and couldn't concentrate. We had two babies at that time and I wasn't sleeping and working like 60+ hr weeks and my brain was fried. I'm gonna try again in a few years.

 

It's not for the faint of heart. It's my favorite series of all time and it took 3 attempts for the first book and 2 for the second one lol. The Reread is definitely a fantastic resource. Also feel free to PM me because I will never stop singing the praises of Malazan

 

I'm starting The Wheel of Time series. About halfway through Book 1 and loving it. The SF Public Library has a book sale every year and I purchased all 14 books for a buck apiece.

I got chosen to be a beta reader for the new Jenny Lyons sci-fi book - never been a beta reader and this has me very excited. Her book The Ruin of Kings was one of my favorites from the year.

Other favorites from this year:
The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
Priory of the Orange tree by Samantha Shannon

Upcoming books I'm excited for:
The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons
Spark of the Resistance by Rebecca Roanhouse
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

What a great year for books!

Does anyone watch any Book Youtubers? Looking for recs.

 

Yeah I had heard that going into it but I still didn't take it as seriously as I should have. I didn't use any additional resources for the first book and just figured it would all come together at some point. But it never really did and I was just confused as hell. There were a lot of parts in GoTM that I enjoyed but all the confusion kind of sucked the enjoyment out of it. I'm excited to hopefully fully get into it this time as I know you and @Vivatoto both really enjoy it.

 

I mean it's fucking unreal how incredible those last five books are. Never read anything like it.

 

Well I read another 50 pages of Deadhouse Gates yesterday and I'm starting to really get into it. Where would you rank DG against the rest of the books in the series?

 

DG is jarring because it takes you across the world to a totally different setting than the one in the first book. In my mind, it introduces one of the most memorable characters, and the ending I'd say is top 3 out of the series.

I think it begins what is the best arc in the series as well.

 

Every book has plenty of their own truly awe inspiring moments, but honestly they just keep better and better, and not just the story coming together, but Erickson's writing improves exponentially, I don't know if I've ever witnessed such a strong transformation, let alone within one series. I thought DG was a lot better than Gardens and that was more or less when I decided I was all in, but if you're looking at the whole series, it's my second to least favorite. But again, that's just because everything that comes after is just so damn epic.

 

This will be the next big series I try to tackle. Right now I am listening to things I have already read as audiobooks to help me wind down before bed, but this is the next thing I try to actively read.

 

Would gladly participate if someone restarted the Malazan book club again here. Reading the series in a disciplined way kept me involved and I kinda fell off after the book club fell off. Would love to get that going again, even if it meant starting over.

 

Yeah. I finished Deadhouse and never started book three.

 

Damnit the pressure is back on me. I failed you all. I'm about to start book 3 of the Stormlight Archives, but I might be able to juggle both

 

Well I'd be interested in doing some malazan reading with you guys

 

i say this with all sincerity: OATHBRINGER OATHBRINGER OATHBRINGER

 

Fiinnee

 

I’ve never even started Malazan. Is it a lot denser than say LotR or ASoIaF?

 

I haven't read it yet, but everything I have read and heard about it points to it being much denser than LotR.

 

That sounds exhausting, haha. I basically consume all my fantasy books as audiobooks, which sounds like bad idea in this case base on what you all are saying?

 

I did Malazan 1 and 2 as audiobooks. They never lost me plotwise, though Eriksen’s writing leaves worlds to be desired in book 1.

 

Would you also say it’s denser than the ones I mentioned above?

 

So much denser.