February 2018 reading thread

[Brian G Turner]

Finished The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan. Very mixed thoughts about this, as if ever there was an argument for the second book in a trilogy sagging, this is an example. Main characters, especially Taniel, seemed to lack direction. All too often characters seemed to reach plot points for no other reason than the author wanted them there - not least by being hit on the head and blacking out, so other characters could take them to where they were supposed to go. And some of the plot reveals were just ... strange ... not least the identity of The Proprietor, and Nila suddenly developing powers without any foreshadowing. The whole point of Promise of Blood was that Tamas had overturned the monarchy to establish a Republic - but in this book there is no Republic, no leadership, and Tamas seems to have simply abandoned any attempt to set up government and governing. In effect, the founding premise of the first book seems to have been pretty much forgotten.

However, I've started The Autumn Republic, the last book in the trilogy, and it's coming out stronger. Hopefully that means the sagging is over and the story will build up to a decent ending.

 

[vanye]

Oath Of Vengeance, Terry Mixon , Glynn Stewart
Starship Mage series, Glynn Stewart
A Call To Vengeance, David Weber, Timothy Zahn, Thomas Pope.

Can you give some detail on Weber‘s „Early Manticore“ A Call to Vengeance? I read the first two (A Call to Duty, A Call to Arms) and found them less than stellar. Somewhat solid, but a lot of the same old trope about the military having to bleed for stupid/corrupt politicians, which Weber seems to love to carp on. And so far no goodies about Manticoran history.

So, what say you? Read or no read?

 

[WarriorMouse]

Weber has good reasons to carp on about stupid/corrupt politicians, he does live in the USA.
That said, in book 3 we see more of the stupid/corrupt politician stuff plus a change in the Monarchy. Long finally gets some recognition for his unique skill set and we see him make a couple of major decisions that affect his career and personal life.
If you found the first 2 less than stellar then book 3 won't likely disabuse you of that finding. I will stick with the series because dispite the slow start I can see some interesting possibilities in the characters.

 

[vanye]

Thanks, @WarriorMouse! And yes,Weber is all about possibilities - so many of them left on the wayside unrealized ...

Edit: The US do not have a monopoly on corrupt politicians, I am sure. It‘s the combination with the noble soldier (depicted as a warrior) that makes it hard to take for me. And then the implication that those who elected the politicians in the first place are unworthy. Etc. ...

 

[Danny McG]

Today I'm making a start on The Breach Trilogy by Patrick Lee.
I started one last year but then realised I had book two, waited until I got the others (one is a paperback and the other an ebook) and started all over again

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

Currently reading The North Remembers, fabulous fan fiction doing GRRM's job for him and finishing A Song of Ice and Fire

 

[Evan Purl]

I am currently reading Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor.

The book overall has a very complex and storyline. It is recommended that you read the other books by the same author to get his writing style before taking on some of his longest books.

The action to comedy ratio is strong and Rick Riordan does a great job of making the book at least readable for almost all ages.

 

[Parson]

Currently reading Starship Liberator by David Van Dyke and B.V. Larson I'm about third through this and it started strongly with a likable hero and a cause worth fighting for (although it had flash backs to tell the back story.... something I always find aggravating .... START WITH THE BEGINNING! .... end rant). It now appears to be settling into a clash of cultures and murky grays as to the right and wrong of things, so slowing down for me.

I have just started listening to Children of Time by Adrian Tchnaikovsky.

On deck for reading Gorig Cross by our own Stuart Orford.

 

[Paul_C]

I've put M John Harrison's to one side for a bit and started Something Coming Through - Paul McAuley, because while some of the stories were good, and some were what I like about his writing i.e. beautifully written but enigmatic (no idea what he's on about ) too much felt like scraps and bits of ideas thrown together and sold as a "collection".

 

[williamjm]

I read Lisa Tuttle's The Curious Affair of the Somnambulist and the Psychic Thief. I liked the short story featuring Jespersen and Lane in GRRM's Rogues anthology so I thought the first novel featuring the characters might be entertaining as well. I thought it was good fun and a nice contrast in tone to the apocalyptic gloom of the Broken Earth trilogy which I'd been reading beforehand, I liked the characters and the Victorian setting although the plot felt a little bit too contrived at times and it felt like the villain should have been caught some time before the climax of the story. It's not hard to work out what Tuttle's literary inspiration for this is, even if a story featuring two Victorian detectives wasn't enough a clue, their first meeting has Jespersen doing the classic Homes-meets-Watson deductions by observing Miss Lane although it had a nice twist that Lane immediately dismisses his deductions as being things anyone with half a brain could have deduced and pointing out what he got wrong.

Next up I'll continue with N.K. Jemisin's The Obelisk Gate, I'm interested to see where the story goes in the second book.

I've put M John Harrison's to one side for a bit and started Something Coming Through - Paul McAuley, because while some of the stories were good, and some were what I like about his writing i.e. beautifully written but enigmatic (no idea what he's on about ) too much felt like scraps and bits of ideas thrown together and sold as a "collection".

Harrison is a brilliant writer of prose, but there have been several of his stories where the point of the story completely eluded me.

 

[Bick]

I finished Elizabeth Moon's Trading in Danger a couple of days ago. It's light and airy, but its also well written, and quite absorbing. Moon's characterization is a little simple (you're good or bad), but I found myself rooting for who I was supposed to. This is the first book of Vatta's War, and I would probably recommend it on the whole. It shares similarities with Bujold and Weber, but imho its possibly better than them. At least, I enjoyed reading about Ky Vatta more than Honor Harrington. I may well return to this universe when I next need to scratch an itch for modern, light, space opera.

I've now moved on to Haggard's King Solomon's Mines. T'riffic so far. More as I read it, doubtless in a Haggard thread somewhere.

 

[Extollager]

Do that, Bick!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I have started reading Plain Murder (1930) by C. S. Forester, much better known for the Hornblower novels. This is a crime story, as was his 1926 novel Payment Deferred, which I read and enjoyed. (I also saw the 1932 film adaptation, with Charles Laughton, which was also quite good.) Forester's books are unusual among British crime novels of the period in that they are realistic suspense novels rather than whodunits.

 

[tobl]

Today I'm making a start on The Breach Trilogy by Patrick Lee.
I started one last year but then realised I had book two, waited until I got the others (one is a paperback and the other an ebook) and started all over again

i know it's sci-fi and i read all 3 ... didn't disliked it but not sure what to think of it. plenty of action but the concepts... strange

 

[Foxbat]

Just started Charles XII And The Great Northern War by Robert Bain. It's a conflict I know very little about so it should be a learning experience

 

[Danny McG]

i know it's sci-fi and i read all 3 ... didn't disliked it but not sure what to think of it. plenty of action but the concepts... strange

Well I'm halfway through book three by now.
I would have maybe said they are more very high level techno thrillers, however things are getting really odd and sci do now with book 3 plot

 

[Parson]

I am racing through (if you can listen and race at the same time) Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky and it is brilliant. It was the winner of the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke award. I'll review it at the end but I don't have to get to the end to feel very comfortable recommending it. I would say that Tchaikovosky's writing reminds me of Peter K. Hamilton with a story which is entirely more accessible than most of his latest work.

 

[Rodders]

I’m currently reading War In Heaven by Gavin Smith.

Military Sci Fi with a lot of swearing. It’s okay so far.

 

[Mouse]

Finished Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman last night. If I could tell a story half as well as Neil Gaiman I'd be happy.

Gonna start The Butterfly Isles by Patrick Barkham tonight. Which is a book for lepidoptera nerds.

 

[vanye]

I’m currently reading War In Heaven by Gavin Smith.

Military Sci Fi with a lot of swearing. It’s okay so far.

Yes, certainly an odd one. Read it quite some time ago and have the follow-up in my to-read shelf but never felt quite like reading it. If you like military SF with a seriously dark twist, though, this one is certainly one you should try. And the writing is great.