Recreational Literary Endeavors
- Thread starter Luthorne
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I've finished in the past few days the first three books out of five of Conn Iggulden' Conqueror series (Wolf of the Plains, Lords of the Bow and Bones of the Hills).
It was a great and exciting read but the ending of Bone of the Hills stopped my motivation of continuing the series.
My only dislike for Genghis was his treatment of Jochi. Sure, don't make him your heir for having different eyes but at least treat him nicely and honor/value him when he serves as a good general and a brave warrior.:huh.:
It was a great and exciting read but the ending of Bone of the Hills stopped my motivation of continuing the series.
My only dislike for Genghis was his treatment of Jochi. Sure, don't make him your heir for having different eyes but at least treat him nicely and honor/value him when he serves as a good general and a brave warrior.:huh.:
Latest Nightside books. This guy really kills off too many people, he keeps having to introduce new characters and tell us how great they are before he kills them off. Anyway it feels like this would be better if it was written in comic form.
Edit.
Okay, I swear to Haruhi that if I see the Drood mentioned one more time I will set these books on fire in the hope that it will burn the Drood books that these are obviously psychically linked to.
Edit.
Okay, I swear to Haruhi that if I see the Drood mentioned one more time I will set these books on fire in the hope that it will burn the Drood books that these are obviously psychically linked to.
just read Grand Central Arena and Spheres of Influence by Ryk E Spoor. Good times! If anyone else has read them I have a question though: Who is K based on? her full name is Kimberly and she has red hair so... I'm leaning towards the obvious, but that may not be right. Given all the Hyperions are based on Progatonists I thought I'd poll the forum.
Do light novels count in this category? I mean, it IS a novel, albeit a short one. Anyways, in light of the upcoming movie Edge of Tomorrow, I decided to check out its source All You Need is Kill. Pretty enjoyable read, though it's depressing as war tends to be once you start thinking about it. Edge of Tomorrow is probably going to spawn a good amount of fanfics once its released, because the ending is left with an opening ridiculously open.
Just finished The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Very good. A really good fairytale for all ages.
Inverarity has an in-depth review for the interested.
Inverarity has an in-depth review for the interested.
Has anyone else read (parts of?) The Shadows of the Apt series? I've read the first 4, out of 9 with a 10th coming in 2014.
Instead of the typical elf/dwarf/centaur fantasy races, the universe is populated with humanoid-insects. The different types, called kinden, have abilities based on their type. Wasps can fly and shoot "stings" from the palm of their hand, beetles are very sure-handed, ants have a telepathic connection with others of their same species, etc. The magic/technological system is mainly divided by species, with characters either able to use machinery (Apt) or else having the capacity for magic although most can't/don't (Inapt). The basic plot so far involves the wasps attempting to make a world empire, and the struggles of a beetle to convince the separate citystates/nations to set aside their own rivalries to resist the wasps.
Instead of the typical elf/dwarf/centaur fantasy races, the universe is populated with humanoid-insects. The different types, called kinden, have abilities based on their type. Wasps can fly and shoot "stings" from the palm of their hand, beetles are very sure-handed, ants have a telepathic connection with others of their same species, etc. The magic/technological system is mainly divided by species, with characters either able to use machinery (Apt) or else having the capacity for magic although most can't/don't (Inapt). The basic plot so far involves the wasps attempting to make a world empire, and the struggles of a beetle to convince the separate citystates/nations to set aside their own rivalries to resist the wasps.
The 1632 series, specifically The Baltic War. It actually is alright, but some political developments seem... improbable and I really have to wonder at some of these coincidences. Juliet and Liz would really happen to know each other and wanted men like Leebrick would really feel like investigating?
I know, I know, in actual history there have been a number of major coincidences and improbable events. Just look at the Battle of Gettysburg. But still a bit more effort to make this less contrived would be welcome.
I know, I know, in actual history there have been a number of major coincidences and improbable events. Just look at the Battle of Gettysburg. But still a bit more effort to make this less contrived would be welcome.
...Edge of Tomorrow is the All You Need Is Kill movie? Fucking hell yeah, putting that on the list.
I just finished Republic of Thieves. I was horrendously disappointed, it's nowhere near as good as Lies of Locke Lamora, or even Red Seas Under Red Skies. Too much tell to show, not enough thievery or bastardry, or even gentlemanry, and the ending is weak. Locke gets off to easy at the start and doesn't get to do much of significance for the rest of the book. No wonder it took so long for Lynch to write it, he wrote all the good plot out of the book.
The flashback stuff was much better than the current day plot, but unlike in the other books it doesn't manage to shed light on the current scenario. The character interaction was generally good and belonged in a much better book.
I just finished Republic of Thieves. I was horrendously disappointed, it's nowhere near as good as Lies of Locke Lamora, or even Red Seas Under Red Skies. Too much tell to show, not enough thievery or bastardry, or even gentlemanry, and the ending is weak. Locke gets off to easy at the start and doesn't get to do much of significance for the rest of the book. No wonder it took so long for Lynch to write it, he wrote all the good plot out of the book.
The flashback stuff was much better than the current day plot, but unlike in the other books it doesn't manage to shed light on the current scenario. The character interaction was generally good and belonged in a much better book.
Just finished The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.
As the title suggests, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August covers the first fifteen lives of Harry August. Harry is a kalachakra, a type of person who lives dies and then lives again. Upon death, he is born again as a baby, regaining his memory slowly between the ages of 3 and 4.
The early novel is about Harry exploring his lives and what it means to be a kalachakra. As the story moves on the plot starts in earnest, with an almost spy novel plot as Harry duels with another kalachakra across multiple lifetimes for the fate of the future.
I really recommend this book. Very good.
As the title suggests, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August covers the first fifteen lives of Harry August. Harry is a kalachakra, a type of person who lives dies and then lives again. Upon death, he is born again as a baby, regaining his memory slowly between the ages of 3 and 4.
The early novel is about Harry exploring his lives and what it means to be a kalachakra. As the story moves on the plot starts in earnest, with an almost spy novel plot as Harry duels with another kalachakra across multiple lifetimes for the fate of the future.
I really recommend this book. Very good.
Just finished The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. It was very good. Its by the Swedish author Jonas Jonasson and even in translation, the narrative has perfect pace, style and beat. The story is simply wonderful.
New season of Game of Thrones started again so this will be my 5th attempt at actually reading the books again. Not that I follow the TV series too much either, I casually watch every so often.
After my previous attempts, I managed to finish Game of Thrones and got part way into Kings but lost my motivation again. The book series just isn't to my tastes but I have a feeling that every time a new season stats, I will attempt to read it once more.
After my previous attempts, I managed to finish Game of Thrones and got part way into Kings but lost my motivation again. The book series just isn't to my tastes but I have a feeling that every time a new season stats, I will attempt to read it once more.
Just finished Blood Song by Anthony Ryan.
Very good story. I loved every minute of this book. We follow Vaelin from childhood to adult. We hear his trials and tribulations.
On the down side, it can be hard to remember which made up fantasy name belongs to each character and I find the lack of ancestor worship outside the Unified Realm a bit unrealistic.
Anyway, I recommend.
Very good story. I loved every minute of this book. We follow Vaelin from childhood to adult. We hear his trials and tribulations.
On the down side, it can be hard to remember which made up fantasy name belongs to each character and I find the lack of ancestor worship outside the Unified Realm a bit unrealistic.
Anyway, I recommend.
I just started reading The Elenium for what is probably the 15th or so time. I have an unhealthy David Eddings addiction. The man knew how to play the tropes and still keep things entertaining.
So, I've been reading the Percy Jackson stuff, I've read most of the first series, I'm on the last book of it. I've read some fanfic for this franchise in the past and I'm somewhat familiar with the myths. My Big question to any fans of the series is this:
Am I the only one that thinks becoming a hunter messed with Thalia every bit as much as Kronos messed with Luke pre-possession? Cause that's what it seems like to me. It looks like becoming a hunter messes with your head from the evidence. Thalia appears much less connected to Luke despite him being her closest, and only, friend for years and probably being love interests at one point, at least to the point where she originally said no to the Hunters because of him.
To draw what may be an invalid comparison, it seems a lot like how people react to being turned in the Dresden Files. Your likes and personality are still roughly the same, but your priorities are different and the way you look at the world is significantly altered. Makes me think that Thalia as she was ceased to exist when she became a Hunter.
Am I the only one that thinks becoming a hunter messed with Thalia every bit as much as Kronos messed with Luke pre-possession? Cause that's what it seems like to me. It looks like becoming a hunter messes with your head from the evidence. Thalia appears much less connected to Luke despite him being her closest, and only, friend for years and probably being love interests at one point, at least to the point where she originally said no to the Hunters because of him.
To draw what may be an invalid comparison, it seems a lot like how people react to being turned in the Dresden Files. Your likes and personality are still roughly the same, but your priorities are different and the way you look at the world is significantly altered. Makes me think that Thalia as she was ceased to exist when she became a Hunter.
Looked it over. Feels like it's more potential than execution.
As for Thalia, no idea. To be honest I just spent a lot of time irate with the Ares girl. Achilles sat out the Trojan War because he was angry, yes. He sat out a war. Over one woman (I know that in reality it probably was more than a bit different but this series says that the myths are true so it was over one woman). She sat out the war for all of western civilization and whether or not it'd be tormented for eternity by a crazy monster god. Bit of a difference in the stakes of the war. The Greeks always could just go home. Not like the Trojans would follow them and slaughter every one of their people.
Anyway, less venting, more Thalia. She just seems a bit less developed. Anabeth had more time on screen, well, page, to go over this. So Thalia was kind of hurried through her development.
And for the Hunters in general, I really just wish that fanfic writers would find some more original purpose for them than "Lesbians!" and "Percy is betrayed by everyone regardless of how OOC it is and of course the girls plus Artemis who spend eternity not with men with fall down before his mighty Wang and this totally isn't just ripping off Harry Potter cliches".
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Reading more 1630s stuff. Michael Stearns is basically a Stu. I'm sorry, but the guy is an undefeated prizefight boxer, excellent politician, natural general and correctly calls pretty much every good or bad major policy in the books I've read so far. I'm honestly outright hoping to see him outgeneraled by someone who just knows more about combat than he does.
As for Thalia, no idea. To be honest I just spent a lot of time irate with the Ares girl. Achilles sat out the Trojan War because he was angry, yes. He sat out a war. Over one woman (I know that in reality it probably was more than a bit different but this series says that the myths are true so it was over one woman). She sat out the war for all of western civilization and whether or not it'd be tormented for eternity by a crazy monster god. Bit of a difference in the stakes of the war. The Greeks always could just go home. Not like the Trojans would follow them and slaughter every one of their people.
Anyway, less venting, more Thalia. She just seems a bit less developed. Anabeth had more time on screen, well, page, to go over this. So Thalia was kind of hurried through her development.
And for the Hunters in general, I really just wish that fanfic writers would find some more original purpose for them than "Lesbians!" and "Percy is betrayed by everyone regardless of how OOC it is and of course the girls plus Artemis who spend eternity not with men with fall down before his mighty Wang and this totally isn't just ripping off Harry Potter cliches".
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Reading more 1630s stuff. Michael Stearns is basically a Stu. I'm sorry, but the guy is an undefeated prizefight boxer, excellent politician, natural general and correctly calls pretty much every good or bad major policy in the books I've read so far. I'm honestly outright hoping to see him outgeneraled by someone who just knows more about combat than he does.
Sadly you'll be waiting in vain. Stearns is basically a plot device. For a long time he acts as mission control with Senor Abrabanel while action happens across Europe.
On the topic of Percy Jackson I do have to agree that the execution is lacking. It gets better over the first series, but I'm honestly surprised that something like this managed to get as popular as it is. There's a lot of Telling rather than Showing going on. As far as Clarisse goes you have to remember that a lot of the stuff that happens to the Half-Bloods is supposed to parallel Greek Myth. It may have been obnoxious for that to happen, but given the existing tensions between cabins (Nobody likes Ares Cabin, they're kinda a bunch of jerks) it's understandable that they'd feel slighted when literally EVERYONE else sides with Apollo Cabin.
Annabeth has a hell of lot more development than Thalia does, that's true. Rachel Dare has a surprising amount though. The problem is that most of hte characters don't get much development cause Percy doesn't interact with them on screen. Its similar to how in Harry Potter the only students who really had any development were the Golden Trio, and maybe Neville, Malfoy, and the Weasleys?
I get the Thalia alteration because we see two girls become Hunters, and both of them exhibited dramatic personality changes. Bianca went from "Magic Is real?!" to a really Gung-Ho Hunter and willingly gave her life to save Percy as part of what I read as buyers remorse for abandoning her brother to be a Hunter. Thalia on the other hand explicitly refused to join the Hunters in the past because she cared about Luke, and joined them not because she stopped caring but because she didn't want the Prophecy to happen. Then the next time she figures in she's again, more gung ho. Granted at that point it'd been more than a year, but she's still reads as drastically different to me. I may be reading in stuff that isn't really there though.
On the topic of Percy Jackson I do have to agree that the execution is lacking. It gets better over the first series, but I'm honestly surprised that something like this managed to get as popular as it is. There's a lot of Telling rather than Showing going on. As far as Clarisse goes you have to remember that a lot of the stuff that happens to the Half-Bloods is supposed to parallel Greek Myth. It may have been obnoxious for that to happen, but given the existing tensions between cabins (Nobody likes Ares Cabin, they're kinda a bunch of jerks) it's understandable that they'd feel slighted when literally EVERYONE else sides with Apollo Cabin.
Annabeth has a hell of lot more development than Thalia does, that's true. Rachel Dare has a surprising amount though. The problem is that most of hte characters don't get much development cause Percy doesn't interact with them on screen. Its similar to how in Harry Potter the only students who really had any development were the Golden Trio, and maybe Neville, Malfoy, and the Weasleys?
I get the Thalia alteration because we see two girls become Hunters, and both of them exhibited dramatic personality changes. Bianca went from "Magic Is real?!" to a really Gung-Ho Hunter and willingly gave her life to save Percy as part of what I read as buyers remorse for abandoning her brother to be a Hunter. Thalia on the other hand explicitly refused to join the Hunters in the past because she cared about Luke, and joined them not because she stopped caring but because she didn't want the Prophecy to happen. Then the next time she figures in she's again, more gung ho. Granted at that point it'd been more than a year, but she's still reads as drastically different to me. I may be reading in stuff that isn't really there though.
I finished Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan, squeal to Blood Song I mentioned above. Here's the blurb.
I liked it but it wasn't as good as the first. I think part of it was a shift in genres. The first read like heroic fantasy. We followed Vaelin through his life and enjoyed his adventures. The second branched into high fantasy - multiple view point characters telling a tale of world changing importance. The hints of this big picture tale certainly existed in Blood Song but I miss the focus of the first novel.
Overall, good but not great.
I liked it but it wasn't as good as the first. I think part of it was a shift in genres. The first read like heroic fantasy. We followed Vaelin through his life and enjoyed his adventures. The second branched into high fantasy - multiple view point characters telling a tale of world changing importance. The hints of this big picture tale certainly existed in Blood Song but I miss the focus of the first novel.
Overall, good but not great.
To me, a rather large flaw of the first series was sticking with the reverse Harry Potter "each book covers a single summer between school years" conceit.
It was fine at the beginning, but toward the end, not only was it ridiculous that everything plot-important took a break for nine months but it felt like we were missing out on all of the character development that should logically have been taking place over the course of the school year.
It was fine at the beginning, but toward the end, not only was it ridiculous that everything plot-important took a break for nine months but it felt like we were missing out on all of the character development that should logically have been taking place over the course of the school year.
That is a flaw in Rick Riordan's style yes. It's not even a full summer really, all of the books take place over the span of a few days as the apocalypse is impending. By the time you get around to the Heroes of Olympus series its changed a bit, after the first one in there the other 4 take place over the course of a single summer.
You get a lot of moments where you realize, 'hey what about all those other months'. Especially when you consider that when they're outside Camp they should be facing monster attacks more and more frequently. It's canon that there are basically no Greek demigods in their twenties because the near-constant monster attacks kill 'em all. The only reason there are Roman Demigods older than that and able to have families is because their camp is larger and features a small town (called a city for some reason) where the campers can live.
It's one of the weirder parts of the fandom where that gets totally ignored. It's like, oh hey Percy and Annabeth (or the author's pairing of choice) can totally grow up and be happy outside camp as adults without HORDES OF MONSTERS trying to kill them.
You get a lot of moments where you realize, 'hey what about all those other months'. Especially when you consider that when they're outside Camp they should be facing monster attacks more and more frequently. It's canon that there are basically no Greek demigods in their twenties because the near-constant monster attacks kill 'em all. The only reason there are Roman Demigods older than that and able to have families is because their camp is larger and features a small town (called a city for some reason) where the campers can live.
It's one of the weirder parts of the fandom where that gets totally ignored. It's like, oh hey Percy and Annabeth (or the author's pairing of choice) can totally grow up and be happy outside camp as adults without HORDES OF MONSTERS trying to kill them.
Went over Highschool DXD on a whim. Pretty much as I remember. But one thing stuck out. They can just ban you from using powers in these rating matches.
Question. What in hell is the point of these matches if you work your ass off to get increased power, and then you're told you can't use it. To paraphrase Penny Arcade, this is banning cars so you can give the horses a chance. You aren't getting a real sense of the capabilities of the teams unless you're acting under the assumption that everything will always be in a rating match.
Well at least Rias' parents aren't a cliche.
Question. What in hell is the point of these matches if you work your ass off to get increased power, and then you're told you can't use it. To paraphrase Penny Arcade, this is banning cars so you can give the horses a chance. You aren't getting a real sense of the capabilities of the teams unless you're acting under the assumption that everything will always be in a rating match.
Well at least Rias' parents aren't a cliche.