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Lothlos
Learned Scribe
USA
111 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Jan 2014 : 18:16:58
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Reading War of the Spider Queen Series and and Rose of Sarifal atm
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The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
-J.R.R. Tolkien
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DragonReader
Senior Scribe
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2014 : 22:43:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
DragonReader, I enjoyed THE THICKET very much. I'm a big Lansdale fan in general.
Thanks for the info. Now officially added to me "to read" list  |
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Thauranil
Master of Realmslore
India
1591 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jan 2014 : 12:39:31
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| Just finished William Shakespeare's Star Wars. Hilarious at times yet it still retains the feel of the original movies. Overall a great book if you are looking for something light and fun. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jan 2014 : 12:50:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Thauranil
Just finished William Shakespeare's Star Wars. Hilarious at times yet it still retains the feel of the original movies. Overall a great book if you are looking for something light and fun.
The rest of the trilogy comes out later this year -- The Empire Striketh Back and The Jedi Doth Return. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2014 : 00:13:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Went to Barnes & Noble yesterday; once again, bad experience. How I miss Borders. B&N likes their bookstore to stock the same kinds of things you are forced to read in school, and not much in the way of interesting. Their fiction section is two aisles, one of which is anime and graphic novels, and fantasy/scify have to share space with horror. There is a nice 5 aisle section on psychology though. You know, the kinds of books entitled "its okay if you want to eat human flesh... you're just 'special'. {ugh}
How big is your B&N? The one where I live has 15-20 aisles for fiction, 5 of which are Fantasy/Scifi. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Thauranil
Master of Realmslore
India
1591 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2014 : 12:15:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Thauranil
Just finished William Shakespeare's Star Wars. Hilarious at times yet it still retains the feel of the original movies. Overall a great book if you are looking for something light and fun.
The rest of the trilogy comes out later this year -- The Empire Striketh Back and The Jedi Doth Return.
That is good news indeed.
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2014 : 13:22:45
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quote:
Originally posted by zenmichael
I tried Off Armageddon Reef b/c I loved the concept. I absolutely adored the first 1/3 or so of the book, then it started getting SO bogged down in the minutiae of the different gadgets, and I got frustrated how the main character was essentially able to do ANYTHING without breaking a sweat. Somewhere around 2/3 of the way through the book I realized, 'Hey! This is just a sneaky way of writing UNGODLY OVEREXPOSITIONED alternate history!' Then I slammed my head into a table for an hour or two & quickly skimmed the rest of it.
I happen to love alternate history - the trilogy I have in my head (that I will probably never get a chance to write) is alternate history (but with a twist).
Here's the funny thing - my brother had given me my first Safehold novel as a Holiday gift two years back, and it was #2! I read it (missing the 1st didn't really matter all that much), and I was hooked. I plan to go back and read Off Armageddon Reef when I am all done with the series. I think the Merlin character becomes less & less important as the series goes on. Seeing how it has progressed, I can definitely see how the first one may have had a bit too much of him. Now he is almost always off-camera - the sheer number of characters now, and the many plots, has you all over the place (the world) all the time. In that way, I suppose it is a lot like WoT or GoT (I do so love Machiavellian politics mixed with carnage).
Its a shame you didn't stick with it - I think once the main Mary-Sue is out of the limelight, it becomes just a great neo-medieval fantasy series. Also, because of certain 'rules' setup in the novels, 'he' can't really do everything he should be capable of - I think its was a fairly brilliant way to keep his 'amazing abilities' in-check (and shoe-horns perfectly with the whole 'religious fervor' thing going on).
quote:
Originally posted by Entreri3478
How big is your B&N? The one where I live has 15-20 aisles for fiction, 5 of which are Fantasy/Scifi.
Enormous. I had three different Borders around me I used to frequent, and it is as least twice as big as any of them - two huge floors. I don't know who runs it, but they have very... ummmm... education-based tastes (reminds me more of a library... a SCHOOL library). For example, half of the second floor is a childrens books section! And on the main floor, 1/4 of the place is a non-book gift shop, 1/4 a music store (who still buys CD's?!)  , and the rest of that floor is split between a restaurant, magazine racks, games, 'best sellers' and clearance tables and the check-out area (which is extremely large for a place with very few customers). All the 'normal' stuff is up on the secnd floor, and as I said, half of that is all children's books.
Maybe because its in a Mall, in an upscale area, its designed more to be a gift-shop (which would include expensive 'glitzy' kids books for relatives). It doesn't seem to be targeted at serious readers at all.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 30 Jan 2014 13:23:55 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2014 : 18:00:21
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I still buy CDs... I prefer to have something physical instead of 1s and 0s, and having the CD means that I can recreate MP3s that get corrupted, or, when that format is replaced, I'll be able to just rip them all again.
More on-topic... I've never really considered the Safehold books to be alternate history, since -- in my mind -- alternate history starts at one common point and diverges from there. There are elements of Safehold's history that mirror the real world, but only in the broadest terms.
And Markus is right about Merlin, too -- he has set voluntary limits on what he can do. Those limits are slightly higher than those of the most fit Olympic athlete, but they are considerably less than those of Superman or a Terminator. After the first book or two, there is less focus on him, and considerably less showcasing his abilities.
He kind of reminds me of the ideal way to run Elminster: sure, he can go in and kick serious tail himself, but he prefers to aim people in the right direction and let them be the ones doing the deeds and making the discoveries. |
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Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 30 Jan 2014 18:02:03 |
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zenmichael
Seeker
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2014 : 00:34:37
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But see, Wooly, that's why it's SNEAKY. I would agree with you except that it kept being full of this whole, 'but, you see, on Earth in the old days, this came about in X fashion. Now, however, it is coming about because of Y. Hahaha, the differences.' And finally I was like, YOU'RE TRYING TO GET ME TO CARE ABOUT HISTORY, AREN'T YOU, DAVID WEBER?!? <throws things>
Markustay, definitely sounds like the series eventually gets to a place I might like better, but overall I have WAYYYY too much stuff I'm liking better, so no biggie.
Just finished "Mountains of Mourning" by Lois Master Bujold; just started "Rynn's World" (40k!) by Steve Parker |
Realms Remembered: A Chronological Read-Through (DR) of Forgotten Realms Fiction
http://www.youtube.com/rolereviewsal |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2014 : 03:48:57
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I should finish The Shadow Rising today.
I'll be tackling my new TPB I received yesterday -- collecting Marvel entire mid-90's crossover between the Fantastic Four and the Inhumans... Atlantis Rising.
I've never read this story in it's entirety [I could never find the requisite Fantastic Force issues that were part of the storyline]. So this should be a real hoot! Classic 90's Marvel comic book storytelling. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2014 : 05:24:19
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quote:
Originally posted by zenmichael
But see, Wooly, that's why it's SNEAKY. I would agree with you except that it kept being full of this whole, 'but, you see, on Earth in the old days, this came about in X fashion. Now, however, it is coming about because of Y. Hahaha, the differences.' And finally I was like, YOU'RE TRYING TO GET ME TO CARE ABOUT HISTORY, AREN'T YOU, DAVID WEBER?!? <throws things>
Markustay, definitely sounds like the series eventually gets to a place I might like better, but overall I have WAYYYY too much stuff I'm liking better, so no biggie.
Just finished "Mountains of Mourning" by Lois Master Bujold; just started "Rynn's World" (40k!) by Steve Parker
It's not an X event instead of Y event, both leading to Z result, kind of thing. The main parallels are that Safehold and Dark Ages Earth both have a feudal structure and an all-powerful Church. And then a Reformation of sorts kicks off... That's about it for parallels, since the Reformation on Safehold had different causes and triggers, and the one on Earth wasn't accompanied by rapid advances in technology and warfare, and a world war.
It's no more an alternate history than the Realms is. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Thauranil
Master of Realmslore
India
1591 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2014 : 12:35:14
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| I just started reading the Mark of Calth . A Horus Heresy anthology. It focuses on the brutal conflict on Calth between the traitor Word Bearers legion and the loyalist Ultramarines. |
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Euranna
Learned Scribe
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2014 : 14:18:08
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I am in the midst of The Unholy and Night of the Hunter, as well as reading The Adversary with The Sundered bookclub (3rd read through).
I have some books of short stories that might be up next. :) |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2014 : 21:14:37
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Just finished THE BABY BOOM by P. J. O'Rourke.
Now reading JOHNNY ALUCARD by Kim Newman. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2014 : 00:14:01
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| Finished Return of the Crimson Guard and The Eye of the World. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Drustan Dwnhaedan
Learned Scribe
USA
324 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2014 : 18:42:46
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Finished reading American Gods a couple of weeks ago. I would have liked to start reading the sequel (Anansi Boys, IIRC), but the friend I borrowed AG from decided to lend me William Gibson's Count Zero instead. *shrugs*
But I'm not going to read that just yet, since I borrowed Nodwick: Haulin' Assets from my DM. (Got to keep my priorities straight, after all.) |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2014 : 20:19:51
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| Reading Bloodfire Quest by Terry Brooks. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2014 : 00:13:18
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| Finished Bloodfire Quest. Starting Witch Wraith. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
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SteelGandalf
Acolyte
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2014 : 22:14:28
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| Just finished Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi. Re-reading Elfshadow, by Elaine Cunningham & Stormlight, by Ed Greenwood. These are 2 that epitomize the Realms, for me - lighthearted, fun high-fantasy. The type of novels that make me want to break out the dice, and get to gaming :) |
"Say nice doggie, but keep looking for a rock..."
~Chiun |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2014 : 15:30:36
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| I'm currently reading THE WIDE, CARNIVOROUS SKY, by John Langan, and A SEASON IN CARCOSA, edited by Joseph H. Pulver, Sr. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2014 : 15:32:00
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Reading Promise of Blood, book 1 of The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan. Quite engaging. It’s a like a fusion of Mistborn (by Brandon Sanderson) and Avatar (the TV series). Cool, innovative system of magic. There are a few nods to the Mistborn series, which probably is no surprise given that McClellan was once under Sanderson’s wing.
So far (I’m in chapter 12 now), I love what I’m seeing. Great characterization. McClellan deftly builds the tension among Field Marshal Tamas’s crew. My only hope is that the gods would be humanized at some point. I’m no fan of gods—never was. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Thauranil
Master of Realmslore
India
1591 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2014 : 10:01:40
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Reading Dragon Champion by E.E. Knight. A very interesting novel that has a dragon as its protagonist.
Really gives you an idea of a dragon's thoughts and feelings. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2014 : 03:13:15
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| Finished Witch Wraith by Terry Brooks. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2014 : 18:05:46
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| Just finished The Godborn. Going to start The Adversary. After that I will probably read Ravenwing (Warhammer 40K) or Dagger of Trust (Pathfinder Tales). |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2014 : 07:08:44
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Another non-fiction read for me, after finishing up Walking on Eggs. [Great book, BTW, and a fascinating introduction for anyone interested in the search for, and study, of dinosaurian-related eggs and the like.]
Now I'm on to another introductory work of a particular discipline I've always been fascinated with... Philosophy of Language. [Both the name of the discipline and the specific book I'm now reading.] |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2014 : 16:14:44
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| Started The Crown Tower by Michael J Sullivan. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
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Thauranil
Master of Realmslore
India
1591 Posts |
Posted - 09 Feb 2014 : 12:10:26
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| Almost finished Heroes of The Space Marines. Some very good short stories in this anthology, I particularly liked Honor Among Fiends. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2014 : 02:28:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Reading Promise of Blood, book 1 of The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan. Quite engaging. It’s a like a fusion of Mistborn (by Brandon Sanderson) and Avatar (the TV series). Cool, innovative system of magic. There are a few nods to the Mistborn series, which probably is no surprise given that McClellan was once under Sanderson’s wing.
So far (I’m in chapter 12 now), I love what I’m seeing. Great characterization. McClellan deftly builds the tension among Field Marshal Tamas’s crew. My only hope is that the gods would be humanized at some point. I’m no fan of gods—never was.
Now on chapter 30. Mcclellan really knows how to keep the tension get higher and higher by every page.
While some characters appear to be too powerful, McClellan keeps them in check in the most pluasible ways.
As I mentioned above, this book certainly has a few Mistborn touches here and there--even to a point that the characters themselves highly resemble those from said setting. Tamas is kind of the Lord Ruler and Kelsier rolled into one; Taniel, Kelsier and Elend; Ka-poel, Vin; Olem, Ham and Breeze; and many others.
I'm also interested in knowing more about the savage sorcery of the Dynize, and why a Predii Privileged mage seems to fear Ka-Poel, a nineteen-year old girl whose sorcery is an enigma to most. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2014 : 03:30:10
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| Finished The Crown Tower by Michael Sullivan. It really felt weak compared to the other Riyria books; sort of like a novella that was padded up to meet novel requirements. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
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What are you reading? (2014) (and 2015)
Topic Locked
