Books Fantasy Reads

Art Vandelay

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2015
Messages
5,729
Location
Northern Ireland
Good to see a bit of love for The Hedge Knight! Classic FF. I genuinely enjoyed the three novellas more than ASOIAF.
I was guilty of underrating it myself. I put it off for ages partly because I was annoyed that the series was never going to get finished with the end spoiled by the show and partly because I wasn't expecting much from some short stories. Having read them though they are great and I'd happily read more Dunk and Egg.
 

ivaldo

Mediocre Horse Whisperer, s'up wid chew?
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
28,699
I was guilty of underrating it myself. I put it off for ages partly because I was annoyed that the series was never going to get finished with the end spoiled by the show and partly because I wasn't expecting much from some short stories. Having read them though they are great and I'd happily read more Dunk and Egg.
There’s something very nostalgic about them. He hasn’t tried to make the books special in any way like he had with ASOIAF, with the ever expanding cast, grey POV characters and willingness to kill those characters off.

It’s very much a side story and because of that he could maybe afford to allow someone else to finish them off?
 

Revan

Assumptionman
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location
London
Is The 3 Body Problem worth the time and effort.? I have started it but can't get into the book.
First book is mostly okayish with some spectacular things (both spectacular good and spectacularly bad). Second book is downright unreadable, stopped reading at around 30% of it, and I very rarely stop reading books. No idea about the third one.

I read the books in English, so it might be just a matter of bad translation from Mandarin.
 

Edgar Allan Pillow

Ero-Sennin
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
41,443
Location
┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬


GAILSONE Series
- Big in Japan
- Red Rook
- Head of the Dragon
- TBC

Lovely series set in a superhero fantasy earth. Nearly most of the prominent cast are all women and the books (except 2) run free of the romantic tropes and portray the women as strong characters on their own and not as a sidekick to a male character. Writing is crisp, the novels get off toa quick start and rush headlong into a roller coaster ending. Page turner.

Book 2 though still a good book is the weakest of the lot, but the lag is well made up in book 3. There are some minor plot flaws and the power levels of the characters don't match well (only in theory), but still gels well in the books.

If you are looking for a light adventure novel, then dive in.

Rating:
Overall 8/10
- Big in Japan - 8/10
- Red Rook - 6/10
- Head of the Dragon - 8/10
 

oneniltothearsenal

Caf's Milton Friedman and Arse Aficionado
Scout
Joined
Dec 17, 2013
Messages
11,186
Supports
Brazil, Arsenal,LA Aztecs
Is The 3 Body Problem worth the time and effort.? I have started it but can't get into the book.

Absolutely it is. Don't listen to the other two at all. The first one takes a bit to get going but once you are a few hundred pages in there is no looking back. And the Dark Forest and Death's End are amazing works of science fiction. I have met a dozen or so people that don't even read Sci-fi that loved these books. of course its different strokes but these are outstanding works of science-fiction that are going to be talked about in 100 years unlike a lot of pop-up garbage that has writing that makes me throw up a little.
 

Revan

Assumptionman
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location
London
For those who liked Gentleman Bastards, Scott Lynch has confirmed that draft for Book 4 "Thorn of Emberlain" is ready.

Holy shit, this is awesome news.

On the other side, I have a strong feeling that Jean is going to check out in this book.
 
Last edited:

harshad

Play the odds, not the man - Poor man's Harvey
Scout
Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
11,884
Location
On a long road that returns to Old Trafford!!!
Absolutely it is. Don't listen to the other two at all. The first one takes a bit to get going but once you are a few hundred pages in there is no looking back. And the Dark Forest and Death's End are amazing works of science fiction. I have met a dozen or so people that don't even read Sci-fi that loved these books. of course its different strokes but these are outstanding works of science-fiction that are going to be talked about in 100 years unlike a lot of pop-up garbage that has writing that makes me throw up a little.
Thanks. I will finish this book and then see for the other 2

For those who liked Gentleman Bastards, Scott Lynch has confirmed that draft for Book 4 "Thorn of Emberlain" is ready.

There are seven planned books, right? I hope he has put his demons behind him and fully recovered.
 

AgentP

Full Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
4,957
Location
Chennai
For those who liked Gentleman Bastards, Scott Lynch has confirmed that draft for Book 4 "Thorn of Emberlain" is ready.

Brilliant! By the way, how do you guys get back into a series after a long break? I sort of forget the details of the story and remember just the overall plot. It's the same thing for me with Wheels of Time as well. I've read a few and now it's been so long that I don't even remember which book I need to read next. Just reading the synopsis off Wikipedia will do?
 

Edgar Allan Pillow

Ero-Sennin
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
41,443
Location
┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬
Absolutely it is. Don't listen to the other two at all. The first one takes a bit to get going but once you are a few hundred pages in there is no looking back. And the Dark Forest and Death's End are amazing works of science fiction. I have met a dozen or so people that don't even read Sci-fi that loved these books. of course its different strokes but these are outstanding works of science-fiction that are going to be talked about in 100 years unlike a lot of pop-up garbage that has writing that makes me throw up a little.
This was exactly what my brother said. He's still pissed at me for dropping Book 2 :lol:
 

Art Vandelay

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2015
Messages
5,729
Location
Northern Ireland
Brilliant! By the way, how do you guys get back into a series after a long break? I sort of forget the details of the story and remember just the overall plot. It's the same thing for me with Wheels of Time as well. I've read a few and now it's been so long that I don't even remember which book I need to read next. Just reading the synopsis off Wikipedia will do?
I tend to struggle slightly for a few pages and then it all just slowly comes back. I've had to start taking long breaks in the middle of series though because otherwise I end up blurring all the books I read close together into one book in my memory.

I'm hoping I can get to the third Gentleman Bastards book before he gets the next one out. Really enjoyed the first two and just recently finished the second.
 

Edgar Allan Pillow

Ero-Sennin
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
41,443
Location
┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬
Brilliant! By the way, how do you guys get back into a series after a long break? I sort of forget the details of the story and remember just the overall plot. It's the same thing for me with Wheels of Time as well. I've read a few and now it's been so long that I don't even remember which book I need to read next. Just reading the synopsis off Wikipedia will do?
I usually browse the old books some time before the release, re-read my favourite segments and just briefly look at rest to refresh memory.
 

AgentP

Full Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
4,957
Location
Chennai
I tend to struggle slightly for a few pages and then it all just slowly comes back. I've had to start taking long breaks in the middle of series though because otherwise I end up blurring all the books I read close together into one book in my memory.

I'm hoping I can get to the third Gentleman Bastards book before he gets the next one out. Really enjoyed the first two and just recently finished the second.
I usually like to read them all at one go. I can't resist the temptation! You still have plenty of time I guess till the 4th one comes out.

I usually browse the old books some time before the release, re-read my favourite segments and just briefly look at rest to refresh memory.
Cheers bud! I certainly have to do that if I ever want to get back on Wheels of Time.
 

Art Vandelay

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2015
Messages
5,729
Location
Northern Ireland
Am I doing something wrong when I open that link? I see a title mentioning "Some information from Brandon Sanderson about the show" then a bunch of people talking about it without any sign of what Sanderson actually said.
 

Fosu-Mens

Full Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
4,101
Location
Fred | 2019/20 Performances
Mark Lawrence? It's great. I just posted something last some pages back.

Edit: His new sci-fi books is out too.

So, it is nun/assassin/warrior in a school/monestary?
I know the writing will be good, but is the story saturated with the girl Main C fighting the unfair and evil oppressors that is old men, because she is a girl/woman, or is it more in line with OG Mistborn triology?
 

Edgar Allan Pillow

Ero-Sennin
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
41,443
Location
┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬
So, it is nun/assassin/warrior in a school/monestary?
I know the writing will be good, but is the story saturated with the girl Main C fighting the unfair and evil oppressors that is old men, because she is a girl/woman, or is it more in line with OG Mistborn triology?
It's unique in it's own way. The world is not as polished as mistborn, but still good. There is no feminist angle if that's what you are referring to.
 

ivaldo

Mediocre Horse Whisperer, s'up wid chew?
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
28,699
So, it is nun/assassin/warrior in a school/monestary?
I know the writing will be good, but is the story saturated with the girl Main C fighting the unfair and evil oppressors that is old men, because she is a girl/woman, or is it more in line with OG Mistborn triology?
I’m coming towards the end of the second book and it is, to an extent. It’s not in your face about it though, and I’ve not had an issue with it.
 

ivaldo

Mediocre Horse Whisperer, s'up wid chew?
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
28,699
Thanks. As long as it is not the main issue then it is ok!
Oh no, it isn’t like that. The ‘good guys’ are certainly more weighted towards the fairer sex, but the worlds magic doesn’t really allow for too much prejudice because the users find themselves in a privileged position, irrespective of gender. No idea what the 3rd book will be like, but up to now I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.
 

Revan

Assumptionman
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location
London
The first two were crap, this might be the first Cosmere book I'll give a miss.
 

celia

Full Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2004
Messages
497
From the extract of WhiteSand shown in the compilation, I really liked better what he has written than the comic adaptation, though they reminded me quite a lot of Naruto. But I am not a comic fan even if I used to read lot of manga.

Reading the comments for Warrior of the Altaii is interesting, so Robert Jordan didn't want to publish it and the book seems more to be for fans who want to see how his writing changed.

=

Finished One word kill, I didn't find it really interesting. I will probably skip the rest and wait for his next series (it seems a spin-off of Book of the Ancestor) : The Girl and the Stars out in April 2020.

I started reading Shadow (Scavenger #1) by K.J. Parker. I am slighty disappointed, maybe not enough dark humor even if there are quite many deaths. The MC is amnesic and tries to figure his identity while avoiding to be killed because there are people wanting to kill him.
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
28,234
Location
Tool shed
Everyone seems to rave about the Kingkiller Chronicles, but I'm about 200 pages into the first book now and not overly impressed. There's no doubt it's extremely well written but the story of "young talented boy suffers tragedy and decides to go be the best at something" is a bit dull. Does it get better?
 

kps88

Full Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
22,513
Everyone seems to rave about the Kingkiller Chronicles, but I'm about 200 pages into the first book now and not overly impressed. There's no doubt it's extremely well written but the story of "young talented boy suffers tragedy and decides to go be the best at something" is a bit dull. Does it get better?
It actually got worse the more it went on for me. Parts of the second book are really bad and the way he writes female characters is hilariously sad. I've no idea why it is so popular.
 

giorno

boob novice
Joined
Jul 20, 2016
Messages
26,701
Supports
Real Madrid
Everyone seems to rave about the Kingkiller Chronicles, but I'm about 200 pages into the first book now and not overly impressed. There's no doubt it's extremely well written but the story of "young talented boy suffers tragedy and decides to go be the best at something" is a bit dull. Does it get better?
No. Also what @kps88 said. Self-insert wish-fullfillment stuff. It's basically a japanese YA light novel but with good prose
 

Art Vandelay

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2015
Messages
5,729
Location
Northern Ireland
Everyone seems to rave about the Kingkiller Chronicles, but I'm about 200 pages into the first book now and not overly impressed. There's no doubt it's extremely well written but the story of "young talented boy suffers tragedy and decides to go be the best at something" is a bit dull. Does it get better?
I had the same issue and just gave up on it. It's page after page of some guy going on about how great he is.
 

celia

Full Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2004
Messages
497
Everyone seems to rave about the Kingkiller Chronicles, but I'm about 200 pages into the first book now and not overly impressed. There's no doubt it's extremely well written but the story of "young talented boy suffers tragedy and decides to go be the best at something" is a bit dull. Does it get better?
Nope, not really. The story was too random for me like we need a bad guy to beat or a big adventure to finish neatly the book, so we get it dropped without building. Though if you like more action, I suppose you get it.

I read that the second book is even more pointless.
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
28,234
Location
Tool shed
It actually got worse the more it went on for me. Parts of the second book are really bad and the way he writes female characters is hilariously sad. I've no idea why it is so popular.
No. Also what @kps88 said. Self-insert wish-fullfillment stuff. It's basically a japanese YA light novel but with good prose
I had the same issue and just gave up on it. It's page after page of some guy going on about how great he is.
Nope, not really. The story was too random for me like we need a bad guy to beat or a big adventure to finish neatly the book, so we get it dropped without building. Though if you like more action, I suppose you get it.

I read that the second book is even more pointless.
Thanks guys.

Now would be a good time to recommend me something else, then. Seeing as I thought that was supposed to be the best book this side of ASOIAF.