Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Yes I'm joining Age of Assassins. I don't think I'll make it to the Oathbringer party, though. Either way I'm looking forward to the ones we have scheduled. :)"

Oathbringer is a great one for audio. Kramer and Reading......

I love them on audio, and that's likely the format I'll enjoy. Tbh I'm avoiding the party because I'm too freaked out about spoilers lol. Someone wrecked the 2nd book with some careless comments and I'd like to avoid that this time around. It's going to be difficult, as EVERYBODY is going to be talking about it. I might disappear for a couple of weeks, lol.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I love them on audio, and that's likely the format I'll enjoy. Tbh I'm avoiding the party because I'm too freaked out about spoilers lol. Someone wrecked the 2nd book with some careless comments an..."

I expect I'm going to be ahead of just about everybody so I'm not as concerned.

That's a good plan. :)

Yeah not gonna lie I might disappear for awhile when Oathbringer comes out. That book is too important to me haha.

I haven't given it a lot of thought yet. So far looking to BR Menagerie by Rachel Vincent and Crimes Against Magic by Steve McHugh.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I now feel the need to figure this out. But I have no idea where to start.

So if no one has heard from me in a month or two, please send a search party...."

lol. Sarah? SAAAARRRAAHH..."

*Sends up signal flare from a distance.*

You guys just keep bringing up more series that I want to read.
I've accepted I'm a lost cause, lol
I accept that I will never be as organized as you all seem to be.
I can't even manage to complete a 12 set book challenge in a year because I get distracted when I see something multiple of my friends are reading or something new.
*shrugs* Oh well.

@Andrew I would love to buddy read Drenai with you! When should we start (next year)?

Man this thread is hot today haha... good job Scott

Okay here is my list of all the books I will hopefully read from now to next year all in no particular order with some being done in buddy reads but I'm to lazy to mark them so yeah:

Gardens of the Moon
Before They Are Hanged
The Spirit Rebellion
The Desert Spear
The Aeronaut's Windlass
Captain's Fury
Fool Moon
Knight's Shadow
Dissolution
Truthwitch
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Sherlock: The Essential Arthur Conan Doyle Adventures
Dune Messiah
American Gods
Neuromancer
Metro 2033
The Earthsea Quartet
Faithfull and the fallen (Should finish this soon)
Mage's Blood
Royal Assassin
The Last Templar
Wheel of time (LOVING THIS SO FAR)
The Waking Fire
Steelheart
The Rithmatist
The Emperor's Blades
The Rose and the Thorn
Saga, Vol. 4
The Way of Kings
The Shadow of What Was Lost
Stone of Farewell: Memory, Sorrow & Thorn Book 2
The Witchwood Crown
The Abhorsen Chronicles
Alanna: The First Adventure
A Time Of Dread
The Lies of Locke Lamora
A Morbid Taste for Bones
Battlemage
Guns of the Dawn
Empire in Black and Gold

As you can see there's quite a bit so yeah I'm gonna be a bit busy

My plan is to concentrate in the series I already own some books but didn't read yet, so I will be reading some of these:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Jackaby by William Ritter
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothruss
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Shattered Realms by Cinda Williams Chima
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Silo by Hugh Howey
Power Mage by Brian McClellan
Gentleman Bastard by Scott Lynch
The Checquy Files by Daniel O'Malley
Heartstrikers by Rachel Aaron
Manifest Delusions by Michael R. Fletcher
The Band by Nicholas Eames
Legion by Brandon Sanderson
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne
The Broken Eart by N.K. Jemisin

I will also continue reading Malazan and Wheel of Time that I already started this year.

Ahdam wrote: "Okay here is my list of all the books I will hopefully read from now to next year all in no particular order with some being done in buddy reads but I'm to lazy to mark them so yeah:..."

Some great books on this list!

A Morbid Taste for Bones is good, but later books in the series are better. The Brother Cadfael Chronicles is my favorite book series,

Margret wrote: "@Andrew I would love to buddy read Drenai with you! When should we start (next year)?"

Definitely next year. I have a couple of short series that I'd like to knock out first, plus get caught up on some other series. I was thinking about doing a pace of roughly one Drenai book per month. Would that work? If so, I could start pretty much anytime in 2018.

I realized something today... maybe I wouldn't be so daunted by all these series being listed if I hadn't just started the Incomplete Series challenge some of you guys are nearing the end of your first year on...

I'm already looking down the barrel of 30-60 Incomplete series and a ton of UTDs... I don't need 30 more to flood me yet... not that that's stopped me from picking 5-10 series anyway...

Jan 20th start? There's 13 total I think

I have a grand total of TWO gigantic series that I must finish next year.

-Malazan Book of the Fallen by Erikson: this is the highest of the highest priority for me, it's about time to dive into the number 1 biggest fantasy series of all time. (and the most highly acclaimed other than SA I think.)

-Realm of Elderlings by Robin Hobb: another huge series that I must finish next year. I own all books in UK paperback already, just waiting for the last one in March.

That's it. Those two alone are 26 books already xD

Other series I'm hoping to finish too:
-Shadow Campaign by Django Wexler
-Low Town trilogy by Daniel Polansky
-Bloodsounder's Arc by Jeff Salyards
-Draconis Memoria by Anthony Ryan

the rest is que sera sera :D

Got some bad news for you Petrik Malazan is 26 books and RotE is 16 books. Good luck with your reads.

Bill wrote: "Got some bad news for you Petrik Malazan is 26 books and RotE is 16 books. Good luck with your reads."

No no. I know Malazan world is 26 books.

That's why I stated, BOOK OF THE FALLEN. The rest of the Malazan series will have to wait in 2019. I'll probably read some of Empire too to follow the recommended order, but need to see how Esselmont did in comparison. I heard from a lot of his fans on how inferior he is to Erikson

I'm undecided on whether or not I want to do all 26 of the books or just the main series like you're planning to.

Margret wrote: "I'm undecided on whether or not I want to do all 26 of the books or just the main series like you're planning to."

Yeah me too. Will have to see how I feel on Esselmonts books first.

Cool idea! I am ashamed to say I didn't hv a list and just totted one up now.

Series I will START in 2018
Malazan
Draconis Memoria
Inda (have Book 1)
Tide Lords (have Book 1)
Hyperion Cantos (have Book 1)
Stormlight Archive (need to buy)
Long Price Quartet (need to buy)
Red Rising (have the first two books)
The Dagger and the Coin (have the first book)

*Note: I love how this section of my list kinda casacades...it's a cool visual

Series I have ongoing or will soon start
ASOIAF (2 published books yet to be read)
Gentlemen Bastards (caught up to current)
Kingkiller (caught up to current)
Book of the Ancestor (saving Red Sister for Dec)
The First Law
Sevenwaters
Low Town
Expanse
Riyria Chronicles
A land fit for heroes
The faithful and the fallen
Kingsbridge (Book 3 in Dec tbr)

*Thanks for the update on Hulick, @Samir, I will not buy Book 2 of Kin

Re-reads and reboots
Red Queen's War
Farseer (*not very high priority)
I usually re-read one Harry Potter and one Roald Dahl book each year...

Standalone buddy read I will be looking to do in 2018
The Stars My Destination

Sarah wrote: "I now feel the need to figure this out. But I have no idea where to start."

Yeah, I SO didn't have a list nor even a clue of what series I have ongoing (I'm sure I've missed a few out), then I saw this thread...
And the urge came over me :-)

Start with your bullet journal, then your bookshelves, finally your GR tbr (reverse order works great too) that's what I did.

Sarah wrote: "...I get distracted when I see something multiple of my friends are reading or something new."

Don't we all?

Margret wrote: "I'm undecided on whether or not I want to do all 26 of the books or just the main series like you're planning to."

I know nothing abt Malazan except that it's good. I didn't even know there were two separate "tracks" so I'll just go with what the group suggests.

Malazan is a bunch of series: Book of the Fallen, Empire, Buechelain & Korbal Broach, Kharkanas, and Path of Ascendancy... the first 3 weave together... the last 2 come after... there's a master series list if you check the series book details of one of the books...

Thanks Iain. I'll have a look. I don't own any of them yet so the list will help.
I'm not planning to finish every series on my 2018 list, but I will at least try to start all of them. I also want to give my Australian fantasy reading a boost, hence Marillier & Fallon.
I like completed series so that I can get all the books at once and don't have to go thru the Martin/Lynch angst cycle. With all due respect, they should name a medical syndrome after those two xcuz the waiting is so painful, esp Lynch. I'm cunningly pacing myself on the Martin. I only allow myself a book every two months, after reading the first three back to back.
Not to mention Rothfuss & his tenth anniversary edition. Which I will prolly buy (sucka!)

Just fyi Zaara.. Lynch is struggling with depression and he's really open about it. It's why his books took damn long to finish. Believe me, I'm waiting for it eagerly too, but cant blame him really. It's not like he's asking for it like "God give me depression so i can delay my books".

While for GRRM and Rothfuss... I have no comments

Petrik wrote: "Just fyi Zaara.. Lynch is struggling with depression and he's really open about it. It's why his books took damn long to finish. Believe me, I'm waiting for it eagerly too, but cant blame him reall..."

Yeah, that's gotta suck and blow...I kept up with Lynch's blog until he posted abt moving cross-country to get married to Elizabeth Bear, I think it was?
Didn't see too many updates after that so thanks, Petrik. Makes the waiting bearable knowing, no? Also, I guess the books will get a bit darker, will be interesting to see how they grow. There is a premise that the artistic temperament is often accompanied by depression, most famously expounded by Kay Redfield Jamison , so he's in very famous company.
Still sucks and blows, though and the (worldwide) pressure, can't help.
I'm not a habitual hater and this is my first time even cribbing (aloud), I promise. But you're right and I'll switch it off. If it weren't for these blokes, we wouldn't have those stories.
Also we have 3 series in common, Malazan, low town, and draconis so I guess we will meet on the threads.

Hahaha don't worry, I get what you mean, with each book taking so long to release, in a 7 planned books too will, of course, infuriate people, just thought you didn't know about the depression thing that's all.

Minor spoiler on RoT here (view spoiler)[We can already see how dark the story became in Republic of Thieves between Locke and Sabetha. Lynch himself said that their relationship wasn't meant to progress that way but after the divorce and depression, which made the process of writing and releasing RoT turns to 6 years, Locke and Sabetha's relationship changed as well because of it. (hide spoiler)]

Yeah, we will meet and discuss for sure on those threads! xD

If there is enough animo we can do a BR for American Gods?

Petrik, you know I never thought of that while reading Republic? Ima gonna refresh myself with the series when @Ahdam and Co read it so I will look out for that.

Wow looks like I'll be expecting a dramatic shift in story in gentlemans bastards (as I say with hesitance)

As to authors taking long I understand lynch predicament and him taking so long Martin I honestly don't know and rothfuss is doing something I'm not sure if it's because of what he's been doing recently but I'm not gonna bother getting angry about it since I have better things to do than diss authors

Also Saar I've had American gods in my shelf for a while and I really want to read it so I can watch the tv series as well so if your up for it sometime next year then I might join with you for it

Ahdam wrote: "Also Saar I've had American gods in my shelf for a while and I really want to read it so I can watch the tv series as well so if your up for it sometime next year then I might join with you for it"

I'm in too.

I try not to be too harsh on authors... it's harder, though, when you're all caught up...

If you KNOW an author has gotten slow at releasing for whatever reason, you can slow your reading and still have something new of theirs to read if/when you want... when you're all caught up, tho, you're out of luck...

It's one reason I wasn't pushing too hard to continue with Red Seas Under Red Skies until the BR popped up... and I haven't started Name of the Wind yet...

Oh gods....I am supposed to finish the incomplete series before starting new ones.

Anyway here are my list (some are bought already):

Long Price Quartet - Daniel Abraham (good to know some people have the same plan)
Imperial Radch - Ann Leckie
Book of the Order - Philippa Ballantine
Vatta's War - Elizabeth Moon
Shadow Ops - Myke Cole
The Interdependency - John Scalzi
The Legends of the First Empire - Michael Sullivan
Skeen - Jo Clayton
Path - Diana Pharaoh Francis
Patternmaster - Octavia E. Butler
Leningrad Diptych - Catherynne M. Valente
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser - Fritz Leiber
Firefall - Peter Watts
Midnight, Texas - Charlaine Harris
and last but not least, The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars - Michael Dante DiMartino

Margret wrote: "Jan 20th start? There's 13 total I think"

I wasn't planning on doing the two prequels, Knights of Dark Renown and Morning Star. So just 11 books for me once excluding those two. But if I'm wrong and those two prequels are significant enough that they will leave holes in the series, then I would definitely be on board with reading them too.

January 20th start date for Legend works for me. Planning on the 20th of each month thereafter should be fine, as well.

As for the Lynch books, they aren't as difficult for me to wait for since each book is fairly self-contained. While there is still a story arc that crosses through all books, it is somewhat simple and therefore easy to remember where the story left off. Not like Martin's ASOIAF, which has rendered a re-read of the entire series mandatory with each long-awaited book release. ASOIAF just has waaaaayyy too many threads to keep track of when you have to wait years between books. At least for me, that's why I can wait patiently for Lynch but want to scream expletives in Martin's face until he sits down and actually writes something.

Andrew wrote: "As for the Lynch books, they aren't as difficult for me to wait for since each book is fairly self-contained. While there is still a story arc that crosses through all books, it is somewhat simple ..."

very well said, I think for Gentleman Bastard, I don't have to do a reread to understand each installment. Just a synopsis would be more than enough because each book is very self contained

Ok Andrew. I'll set it all up when I wake up this afternoon... zzzzzzz

@Andrew: point!

I agree and will add its additionally tough because the TV storylines don't match the books making it even more complicated.

Don't they? Since I only started reading the book series this summer I've made it a point to (fanatically) avoid the TV series (no mean feat when you consider all the promos and the constant spoiling on the Net and social media)...I'm caught up to halfway thru Season 2 and it seemed pretty faithful to the books so far.
Can't wait to see (view spoiler)[ Joffrey get it! Gleeson's amazing. (hide spoiler)]

I pretty much only watch sports on tv, so I'm the one dude in America that doesn't watch GoT. My wife has been getting me into a couple Netflix originals though, so I have at least seen Stranger Things and season 1 of House of Cards. I've probably seen less than 25 total tv episodes all year.

HBO is too expensive for my tastes. I'll just wait for the next costco sale and binge them lol. I haven't seen it either (aside from a few random spoilerish episodes recently - doh! I didn't realize it spoiled book events).

I haven't watched game of thrones either due to lack of interest and my dad frowning me from watching it with him in the room (he's watched them all so it's weird)

It's the same thing with walking dead and other famous shows I just give up on them but I might watch it one I read some of the books

Niki Hawkes wrote: "HBO is too expensive for my tastes. I'll just wait for the next costco sale and binge them lol. I haven't seen it either (aside from a few random spoilerish episodes recently - doh! I didn't realiz..."

You can get HBO now off of a fire stick or similar device for only $14.95/mo. It's a good deal for all the content. They'll give you a free month to see how much you'll use it. You can burn through all 7 seasons in a month even if you don't sign on. But then there's still all their other series to add value.

Thanks for the heads up - I can totally binge 7 seasons in a month lol.

Niki is now reminiscing to pre children days where binge watching had a whole different meaning :D

lol Margret gets me.

Let's see 2018. Going to start by catching up on my shame, then maybe I'll swing to McClellan or Stavely, etc for something new.

Farseer Trilogy - Yes. I've read Assassin's Apprentice and the sequel has been lingering about a chapter or two in on my kindle far too long now.

Vorkosigan Saga - Time to get this up to date.

Karkhanas (Erikson)- Just one book in advance of the release of the third in 2018. Plus I haven't The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach to complete my Malazan readings.

Broken Earth - (Jemisin) If I don't finish it before the end of the year 2 books to go.

Shadow of Magic (Schwab) - 1/3 in.

Takeshi Kovacs - 1/3 Gotta get back into this before it comes to Netflix as a show. (Altered Carbon)

World of the Five gods - 1/3 into this. Loved Curse of Chalion, but have yet to come back to knock it out.