Favorite Reads

[Bridgeburner]

I feel like GRRM has got to be close with the next ASOIAF book. I think it needs to come out before the final season of the show.

I've 100% given up on him. He could release the rest of the series this week and I wouldn't buy it. I won't give him any more money (other than supporting the HBO series I guess). He's dead to me. HBO will finish the story for me now.

 

[ill]

I need to see an every 18-24 months schedule for me to be interested. I understand it's an art and can't always be scheduled but there needs to be an effort to not fuck with the people who pay your bills. He needs to show me that and maybe I'll come back some day.

I like what Sanderson has in the top corner of his website, giving really up to date info on all his works.

 

[Bridgeburner]

I like what Sanderson has in the top corner of his website, giving really up to date info on all his works.

View attachment 173981

Yep. Sanderson knows his job and does it. He'll have my business too.

 

[Mebert]

The Dresden Files books are good, low fantasy, almost trashy fantasy for me. Kind of a guilty pleasure. Really fun to read and great characters.

I want to read his Codex Alera books. I have them on my wish list, but haven't gotten to them yet.

I picked up Chuck Wendig's Blackbirds to read over the weekend while on the road. I didn't want to lug Oathbringer with me. It's alright, but I am not sure I am going to get into the series.

Other one that got recommended to me was Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I need to listen to the next one in the series.

I prefer Codex Alera to Dresden. The story behind it is even better. There is a writers message board that broke down into an argument. One side claimed a good enough central concept would make a good book even if you are a lousy writer. The other side claimed the central concept was less important than a well executed story.

One of the authors challenged Butcher to write a book with a cheesy central story concept that the first side would come up with. Butcher told them they could come up with 2 cheesy concepts.
The 2 ideas he was given:
1. Lost Roman Legion
2. Pokemon

And he wrote 6 books from that.

 

[ill]

Yep. Sanderson knows his job and does it. He'll have my business too.

is Skyward the next in his superhero/villain series?

 

[ill]

I prefer Codex Alera to Dresden. The story behind it is even better. There is a writers message board that broke down into an argument. One side claimed a good enough central concept would make a good book even if you are a lousy writer. The other side claimed the central concept was less important than a well executed story.

One of the authors challenged Butcher to write a book with a cheesy central story concept that the first side would come up with. Butcher told them they could come up with 2 cheesy concepts.
The 2 ideas he was given:
1. Lost Roman Legion
2. Pokemon

And he wrote 6 books from that.

on top of all that, the series is complete, so there is no waiting and you can read it all right now. I like that.

who knows how long the Dresden books will go on, but I will continue to read them as long as they do.

 

[Edonidd]

is Skyward the next in his superhero/villain series?

No skyward is a standalone. He said it's kind of a cross between a boy and his pet dragon type stories (his example was the White Dragon, one of the Pern books from Anne McCaffery, but said other people might be envisioning Eragon) and flight school type stories like Enders Game and Top Gun.

I think it's gonna be young adult, but just barely. Trying to cash in on that Harry Potter, Twilight, Vampire Academy, etc market.

 

[Edonidd]

I like what Sanderson has in the top corner of his website, giving really up to date info on all his works.

View attachment 173981

If you like that, Google "State of the Sanderson." Or "Koloss Head munching day"

He does an annual (long and detailed) blog post exllaining every second he spent writing last year, and his in depth plans for the next year. Including every single thing he ever has any intention of writing and if he'll dedicate any time to it that year.

In case you dont read it, he has absolutely no plans to write Stormlight book 4 this year at all. And plans on it being a 2 year writing process. So we're probably 3 years away from book 4.

 

[ill]

another one I started reading was the Evertide series by Todd Lockwood. The first novel, The Summer Dragon, was pretty good and I will likely grab the second when it comes out. Dude did art for Magic the Gathering cards, so he is pretty well versed in fantasy.

Todd Lockwood Answers Questions About The Summer Dragon - Unbound Worlds

 

[Bridgeburner]

No skyward is a standalone. He said it's kind of a cross between a boy and his pet dragon type stories (his example was the White Dragon, one of the Pern books from Anne McCaffery, but said other people might be envisioning Eragon) and flight school type stories like Enders Game and Top Gun.

I think it's gonna be young adult, but just barely. Trying to cash in on that Harry Potter, Twilight, Vampire Academy, etc market.

Yeah, I'll read it but I'm not real excited.

I would love an expansion of the Reckoners. One of my favorite short series. Would love to see those as films actually.

 

[ill]

Yeah, I'll read it but I'm not real excited.

I would love an expansion of the Reckoners. One of my favorite short series. Would love to see those as films actually.

I could see that being a SyFy tv show. I don't know if any of these could be made into movies though.

I tried to push my cousin, who works for Walden Entertainment, to look at The Broken Earth books by Jemison, but I don't think she ever did. I think that would be a cool series for a movie.

 

[Cobrabit]

I finished Oathbringer back in December, since I got the audible version and listened to it while driving (1.5 hours/day) and working around the house. Certainly doesn't drop off from WOK and WOR, moves the story along, but if it'll be another 3-4 years before book 4, then that's disappointing as a reader. He does have other projects and writing these epics take time, but like everyone else, we want to keep reading the story and the wait will be a pain.

I also like the Kingkiller Chronicles and wish Ruthfuss was more active. Maybe he doesn't have a lot of other ideas/projects like Sanderson, and wants to stretch out this storyline for a long time to reap as much of the rewards before needing to write again. Hopefully he'll get the 3rd book out in the next year, but doubtful.

Jonathan Renshaw's Dawn of Wonder: The Wakening, Book 1 is really good for those that haven't read it yet, but he has the same problem as Ruthfuss. It's been years since 1 and his status for 2 currently is "1st edit - 3rd rewrite: 65%." So if you wanted another series to start that would be along a similar nature of Stormlight or Kingkiller, but don't like the wait between books, then don't pick this up. However, it is a good book and I'd love to read the next one.

 

[ill]

I don't like that Rothfuss is getting a television deal for Kingkiller Chronicles. That is certainly going to distract him. He has the spotlight on him now and it is hurting his ability to write and that worries me.

 

[Omar 382]

The Maltese Falcon: 3/5 stars. I enjoyed the first 3/4ths of the book a lot (a whole lot), but what the hell was up with the ending? It sounds like the author was a fan of the chapter "Exposition The Hell Out Of It" in the book "30 Ways To Deliver an Awful Ending." Still, I enjoyed it, and Sam Spade is a bad ass. I will watch at least one of the films, probably the most popular one (1941 I want to say?)

I also realized I didn't rate the book I read before The Maltese Falcon. 2001: A Space Odyssey[:] 3/5 stars. Much like the film adaptation (2/5 stars), very interesting concepts, but not a whole lot going on. It translates better on page I thought. At least in a book, Kubrick can't just write "And then dramatic orchestra music plays while shots of space are shown."

 

[ill]

been on a bit of a sci-fi kick lately. Finishing up Artemis and reading Autonomous, both of which are pretty good. Artemis is by the dude who wrote The Martian and you can tell. A lot of the same kind of math elements. Autonomous has been pretty good though.

Also going back to an old author I liked, Nelson Demille. Listening to The Cuban Affair, which has been pretty ok. It feels like a Carl Hiaason book, with less humor. No one should be allowed to write novels that take place in the Florida Keys but Hiaason.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

has anyone read the Sandman Slim books? Patrick Rothfuss gave them good reviews on Goodreads and I am thinking about diving into the first book. Kind of makes me think of the Dresden Files.

I am currently on book 5. My library has them all so I have lots left.

I find them like a R rated Supernatural. Not deep and heavy, but entertaining.

I like the premise, don't mind the lack of chapters.

And I like that even the hardcovers books are small. I get to work at 6AM, 2 hours before anybody else, so I usually read a few pages with coffee before anybody else shows up.

And then they are small enough that they fit inside my coat pocket.....

 

[PatsFan2003]

The Maltese Falcon: 3/5 stars. I enjoyed the first 3/4ths of the book a lot (a whole lot), but what the hell was up with the ending? It sounds like the author was a fan of the chapter "Exposition The Hell Out Of It" in the book "30 Ways To Deliver an Awful Ending." Still, I enjoyed it, and Sam Spade is a bad ass. I will watch at least one of the films, probably the most popular one (1941 I want to say?)

I also realized I didn't rate the book I read before The Maltese Falcon. 2001: A Space Odyssey[:] 3/5 stars. Much like the film adaptation (2/5 stars), very interesting concepts, but not a whole lot going on. It translates better on page I thought. At least in a book, Kubrick can't just write "And then dramatic orchestra music plays while shots of space are shown."

I agree. It provides a lot of the details needed to fully understand the whole story which is not something the film did especially well.

 

[Omar 382]

I agree. It provides a lot of the details needed to fully understand the whole story which is not something the film did especially well.

In a way, I admire Kubrick's film, and I wouldn't want an adaptation from him on that source material to be any different. At the same time, if, say- Christopher Nolan were to do a remake of it, that would be a totally different movie that I think, overall, I would enjoy more. But that doesn't take away from what Kubrick attempted, even if it didn't click fully with me (at least on first watch).

Of course, Nolan would never remake 2001, as he already made a movie that was in-part homage to it- Interstellar (4/5 stars).

 

[PatsFan2003]

In a way, I admire Kubrick's film, and I wouldn't want an adaptation from him on that source material to be any different. At the same time, if, say- Christopher Nolan were to do a remake of it, that would be a totally different movie that I think, overall, I would enjoy more. But that doesn't take away from what Kubrick attempted, even if it didn't click fully with me (at least on first watch).

Of course, Nolan would never remake 2001, as he already made a movie that was in-part homage to it- Interstellar (4/5 stars).

Which I really liked a lot even if the end was only slightly hokey as hell with the "time room"

Yeah I like 2001 a great deal still. The space special effects still hold up amazingly well.

 

[Omar 382]

Which I really liked a lot even if the end was only slightly hokey as hell with the "time room"

Yeah I like 2001 a great deal still. The space special effects still hold up amazingly well.

"It's infinitely complex! They have access, to infinite time and space, but they're not *bound* by anything! They can't find a specific place *in* time, they can't communicate. That's why I'm here. I'm gonna find a way to tell Murph, just like I found this moment."
<How, Cooper?>
"Love, TARS, love. It's just like Brand said. My connection with Murph, it is quantifiable. It's the key!"