Hello again. It’s that time of the month. (Actually I’m rather late, we’re nearly halfway through February already). What are you reading? What did you just finish up? What’s on your to-read list next?! Let me know in the comments below. I want to know what you’re excited about.
Also, find me on Goodreads to stay in the know as far as what I’m reading, what I have lined up to read and so on.
I just finished reading the excellent Child of a Hidden Sea, by author A.M. Dellamonica, which is a modern take on the Narnia-esque portal fantasy, but with pirates. The second book arrives later this year. Check out my spoiler-free review.
I’ve also recently had the extreme urge to start Robert Jordan’s epic 14-novel fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, which I should be starting fairly soon with The Eye of the World.
Also, I’m going to give Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale an advanced review, if I can read it in time for its next month’s release date. It’s basic premise is, what if the Roman Empire never fell, and they had discovered America.
Also, please share on Twitter/Facebook/whatever to give others a chance to see what you’re excited about! Not excited about anything? Here’s my list of 25 anticipated F&SF books in 2015.
Geekritique
I have almost finished reading Pulse from Robert Cook and it has been truly awesome so far. I have already read the other in the series that feature the same great cast of characters but this is definitely my favorite to date. Very high-tech military action from an author that has first hand experience as Vietnam Vet. If that is your kind of thing, this book is a must-read.
http://robertcooknovels.com/
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I just finished The Killing Moon by N K Jemisin, and started in on The Shadowed Sun, it’s sequel. So far I really like the duology, though I’m most looking forward to the second one. It’s speculative fiction, you might like it!
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I’ve heard of it before! I might like it actually. Will check out.
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I’m currently reading Demon Haunted World By Carl Sagan as my February book. I love him and would recommend anything Sagan to all. I’ve actually been toying with the idea of getting into Wheel Of Time. I attempted it about 2 years ago and couldn’t. My boyfriend has read all of them and always goes on about how good they are. I also think that the negative reviews on the secret eppy are making me more interested in reading them.
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Have to say that shelfie of Star Trek novels is epic and puts mine to shame. I’ve just come back from backpacking in Australia, and am looking forward to catching up with Una McCormack’s latest.
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Haha, they were a gift bequeathed to me. I’m ashamed to say, besides looking real pretty, they haven’t been touched.
That sounds like a lot of fun!
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If you ever fancy giving some a try, I say go with the Destiny trilogy. With Abrams taking the screen back to an alternate TOS, this is where the books really put their own spin on continuing the TNG/DS9 era.
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I’ll definitely take that into consideration. Thanks!
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Right now I’m finishing up the first Mistborn cycle with The Hero of Ages which is very satisfying to read. I also just got a copy of Brandon Sanderson’s yet to be released White Sand which I have started and definitely has one of the most interesting magic systems I’ve come across in my brief fantasy stint. I’m also working my way through the first Foundation book, and reading through the Star Wars Legacy comics as well as Batman Eternal. As soon as I’m done with The Hero of Ages I’m going to jump right into The Alloy of Law, I can’t wait to see what this world looks like in a different time period.
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Very cool. And how is your fantasy stint going, knowing your heavy sf background?
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MUCH more smoothly than I anticipated. From what I’ve read so far fantasy relies much more on strong character arcs and I am really enjoying that.
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All those Star Trek books are so pretty…. I finished vol. 3 of Preacher and am currently reading a biography of Robert Mitchum, and after that I’m going to read Maus I think.
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Haha, thanks! Good choices.
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I was first told about Wheel of Time by one of my co-workers. That turned me on to Brandon Sanderson since he finished the series. Recently, I bought the first few books for my dad. He’s loving them so far.
As for me, I’m still plowing through my 100 book goals. I’m finishing up Prodigy by Marie Lu right now. Next up is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and Reboot by Amy Tintera.
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Have you read the Wheel of Time?
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Nope, but I keep hearing they are good.
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Currently finishing off Akarnae, a new release by Lynette Noni, which I only found out about through blogging. It has some flaws, but is still a fun and compelling little fantasy/science-fiction tale. After that, will read either Catch-22 or The Universe versus Alex Woods, which I got out of my library.
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I’d go with Catch-22, that book is fantastic. Can’t really go wrong between those two though…
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For my audio books I just completed Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, I think I will head toward something in the detective/crime genre. On kindle I am about to start beta reading an urban fantasy. My next three NetGalley books are all very technical architecture related books. To keep it light I have been throwing in trade paperback comics and short stories on Tor.com.
Wheel of Time has been on my “to read” for quite a while, but the 14 volumes has halted me. Good luck with that. I am curious to find out how you enjoy it.
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I’m very excited to read the Wheel of Time. Also excited to read Elantris. Sanderson is my favorite author currently.
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I really enjoyed both “Legion” novellas and “The Emperor’s Soul” which is a novella in the Elantris universe and the first “Mistborn”. I didn’t get into “Steelheart” and “Elantris” quite as much.
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His Stormlight Archive series is my all time favorite fantasy series. I recommend it like none other.
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Did you listen to the Graphic Audio version of Elantris?
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I listened to the unabridged recording narrated by Jack Garrett and produced by Recorded Books. I buy almost all of my audiobooks from Audible.com. I thought the narration was well done, but the book was not up to Sanderson’s usual standard. (I just posted by review on my blog this morning).
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I just finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which I loved. Next up is Poirot Loses a Client, by Agatha Christie (I like a classic murder sometimes), Snuff by Terry Pratchett, and The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (I think it’s coming out in July; I have an advance copy-loooooong story) by Natasha Pulley. And… now I have to add the Remembrance of the Daleks novelization mentioned up there. Hmph.
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Hahaha nice! You’ve got a healthy list.
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Definitely do that. I honestly can’t recommend it enough. There’s terminology written the Dalek language.
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Thanks, sounds good. I’m up for trying it out, as a passive fan of Narnia-type fantasy stuff.
So I’m currently reading God Collar (Are you there God? It’s me, Marcus.) by Marcus Brigstocke, comedian and writer. I actually met Marcus the other night at an impro comedy show. He signed my book and told me a friend of his had told him to write about something to which he doesn’t have all the answers, and can blast away opinion in the form of questions. Like a review said of this book, ‘makes you laugh, think, and then fight back the tears’. Brigstocke is asking genuinely big questions, while being funny and rightly pointing out certain ironies in faith systems, and helping me to admitting that, whatever your faith, there is so much stuff out there that we just don’t know.
I recommend.
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That sounds really beautiful actually.
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Breed, by KT Davies (Fox Spirit Books, 2014) – a grimly humorous and sometimes heroic quest caper, with plentiful swearing and a bodycount to die for. Alternating that with Thomas Harlan’s Oath of Empire epic alt-Roman Empire series, and Catastrophea, a BBC Dr Who novel (3rd Doctor & Jo Grant). I’d be dipping into a long list of history books that I keep buying too, if only I had more time…
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I’m still slogging away at Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. It’s good, but long. And I keep letting first-reads and netgalley books bump it since they are up against launch dates. I just finished a graphic collection [Trees, Vol. 1 by Warren Ellis] that I’ll review tomorrow. I have two netgalley books: Chronology [an anthology of sci-fi] and Eternal Ephemera [natural biology treatise on the uber-long side] by Niles Eldredge the former cohort of Stephen Jay Gould. Seems like the perfect balance to me: a long fantasy novel in a series, an anthology of shorts, and a non-fiction.
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That’s a good way to keep your palette diluted with other genres. Nice.
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Currently, I’m on Ben Aaronovitch’s Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks novelisation, which is even better than the television serial. Chapters begin with the day and time, so it really feels as if takes place over that twenty-fifth anniversary weekend. There are also cutaways to other texts published in the Doctor Who universe, like military history books from the nineteen-eighties about Rachel Jensen and Thal histories about the Kaled war, including extracts from Davros’ biography. We also learn more about the characters – I had no idea the Vicar’s blindness was caused by a bullet at Dunkirk, for example. It really builds the theme of war and futility, but even more than its source material.
And then next, I’m going to try and get Travelling to Infinity: my Life with Stephen, which was adapted by Anthony McCarten into The Theory of Everything, which I saw yesterday and am going to be reviewing soon.
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Wow, that novelization actually sounds fantastic. I might put that on my to reads list!
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