Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hey everyone! I hope you had a good, not-too-much-snow-filled November.

Share what you are currently reading (or plan to read) in December here!

I'm currently reading:

- the second novella in the Binti trilogy in ebook;
- Temeraire #7 in audio;
- a zombie-packed first-in-series alternating ebook and audio :)

I finished The Stone Sky the other day. So first book: great, 2nd book: good, third book: meh, except for the ending. And now I'm Skyward bound. ;)

My bedtime book, Speaker for the Dead was probably my fastest DNF ever and I don't often DNF books, but this was just not for me. So, I've exchanged it for The Lightning Thief. About time I started this series and I think I can see why it's popular. It's a lot of fun and very clever.

I was listening to Damsel but having reached halfway I'm giving in, it's killing me! So I'm with the game keeper series, Blood Trail.

I'm reading Hunting Ground. Blackdog is on my radar too :)

Currently reading Born to Run by Christopher McCougall and listening to Mad Ship by Robin Hobb. I started Mists of Avalon a while back but it's been more of a read-when-I-don't-have-anything-else.

Finished The Chessmen of Mars, read The Master Mind of Mars in something close to one sitting (it was short) and started A Fighting Man of Mars.

So five more Barsoom books (including Fighting Man) and then it'll be time for Blackdog.

My list for this month is Unholy Night, Blackdog, Banewreaker and finally Godslayer.

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

And now it's Swords of Mars.

Finished Unholy Night. It was excellent. Here's my review. Now, I'm starting Blackdog.

Gold star!

Elise wrote: "My bedtime book, Speaker for the Dead was probably my fastest DNF ever and I don't often DNF books, but this was just not for me."

Oh, I abandoned Speaker for the Dead too, the first time I read it. Couldn't make it past 15%. Was too different from Ender's Game, and slow, full of philosophical dialogue, and pig-like aliens, really?
I gave this series another try last year in full-cast audio and absolutely loved it. This time, I knew what to expect lol

Finished Dread Nation; this is the zombie book I didn't know I needed to read x)

Now, onto Home (Binti #2) and Empire of Sand to finish a challenge, and then it'll be time for Blackdog!

Time for Synthetic Men of Mars, which is not the greatest book in the series, but which actually kind of prefigures a lot of 1950s monster/horror movies.

Trying to get through Red Sister. I want to love Mark Lawrence but i haven't yet read a single book of his that i connect with.

Joseph wrote: "Time for Synthetic Men of Mars, which is not the greatest book in the series, but which actually kind of prefigures a lot of 1950s monster/horror movies."

Did you ever read his The Monster Men? IIRC, it was pretty similar, but written by him a couple of decades earlier. It owed a big debt to H.G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau.

Jim wrote: "Did you ever read his The Monster Men? IIRC, it was pretty similar, but written by him a couple of decades earlier. It owed a big debt to H.G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau."

I'm pretty sure I did, but if so it would've been a couple of decades earlier, so I don't really remember it. As it happens, though, someone in another group I'm in also mentioned the connection to Monster Men, so I should probably reread it one of these years.

Have just finished Firewalker. It was an OK read but seemed to owe a great deal to Elizabeth Moon. If you want a better story of a girl running off to join a mercenary company then Sheepfarmer's Daughter is a much better book.

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Trying to get through Red Sister. I want to love Mark Lawrence but i haven't yet read a single book of his that i connect with."

Heeeh... That happens! Neil Gaiman is like that for me. Lots of people love what he writes, but I'm at best slightly annoyed when reading his works. Can't put my finger on what bothers me though....

Mine is N. K. Jemisin. I just don't get it with her books. I guess everyone has an author like that. I know of people who don't get Tolkien.

Ah, yes, Tolkien! I don't get Tolkien either :p

Can I add Robert Jordan to that list? I like the world and general story, but I hate his writing style and characters.

One thing I've noticed that is probably a peculiarly modern issue -- there are authors I follow on Twitter, etc., whom I really like in general, but their books absolutely do not work for me.

Joseph wrote: "One thing I've noticed that is probably a peculiarly modern issue -- there are authors I follow on Twitter, etc., whom I really like in general, but their books absolutely do not work for me."

Yes, Mark Lawrence is one of those for me. I follow him on goodreads and other facebook fantasy groups and I like him as a person and how involved he is with the readers, but I just cannot get into his books...

I finished Dark Moon last night. I really loved this one. Just everything about it. And it seemed more focused than the first book. And then I soon became very annoyed when I found out the third book wasn't available on Kindle. Why the first two books, but not the third? I don't know. So I had to order a physical copy, which is coming soon. To be continued...

I love Mark! I really enjoyed my first series by Jemisin but struggled after that. Jordan’s series was good but the hair tugging and spanking!!

Elise wrote: "I finished Dark Moon last night. I really loved this one. Just everything about it. And it seemed more focused than the first book. And then I soon became very annoyed when I found ou..."

This seems to be an issue with audible from time to time.

The Hobbit is still one of my favorites to this day and I really love Mark's books also.

The end is nigh -- after reading Llana of Gathol in something approaching one sitting, I am starting John Carter of Mars, the last of Edgar Rice Burroughs's books about, well, John Carter of Mars.

(And I admit that I'm cheating a bit -- I'm skipping entirely over the first novella in the book, the execrable and ghost-written "John Carter and the Giant of Mars" and only reading the second, "Skeleton Men of Jupiter".)

Blackdog, here I come!

Never read any Jemisin nor Jordan. How Long 'til Black Future Month? is on my TBR for 2019 though :)

I've really liked the Jemisin books I've read (the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and Broken Earth trilogies).

I started Jordan at some point in the late 90s/early 2000s and made it about half a dozen books in before my interest just kind of petered out.

The end books of Jordan's series were really good.

And I have just begun Blackdog. Only about half a chapter in, but the world certainly seems interesting.

Helen wrote: "The end books of Jordan's series were really good."

You mean... Those written by Sanderson? x)

Started The Son of Summer Stars.

Ok yes I do but it’s very faithful with the braid tugging and spanking fading away.

Finished Blackdog. Now on to Banewreaker.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum (Yes, the guy that wrote the Oz stories.) was a lot of fun. Highly recommended for all ages. Best of all, it's completely free of any taint of religion. I gave it a 5 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jim wrote: "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum (Yes, the guy that wrote the Oz stories.) was a lot of fun. Highly recommended for all ages. Best of all, it's co..."

I've never read the book, but it also gave rise to one of the wilder Rankin-Bass animated specials I've ever seen.

Ghost in the Ring by Jonathan Moeller

Ghost in the Glass by Jonathan Moeller

The Crimson Queen

The Harrowing of Twilight

Finished Oathbringer reread. There isnt enough space here for me to rave properly about this do ill just say that this would get 6 stars if that were possible
Also finished Children Of The Nameless which was good

All three books of The Stormlight Archive are absolutely great.

Ghost in the Amulet by Jonathan Moeller

Finished Skyward last night. It was very good, and now the wait for the next book. :/

Now reading Empire of Ivory. And I think I have time to finish one more book before the year ends, which will probably be The Lightning Thief.

Finished Blackdog on the way home from my parents' this morning (my brother was driving, I hasten to add) and started Fire & Blood.

So, I finished Banewreaker and I thought it was great. It was like a fantasy from the golden age. I really don't understand the low scores but then again, I don't really understand a lot of what's happening in the fantasy world of today. The only bad thing about this book is it has no real ending. It's just the first half of a whole book. So I'm on to Godslayer.

Tnkw01 wrote: "So, I finished Banewreaker and I thought it was great. It was like a fantasy from the golden age. I really don't understand the low scores but then again, I don't really understand a l..."

I liked Banewreaker a lot. Godslayer...not so much.

I think the low reviews were from people thinking it's cliché and not realizing it was deliberate, and very good, send up of Tolkienesque fantasy tropes. Essentially retelling the triumph of good over evil as a tragedy.

Godslayer, well I don't want to spoil it, but I found the plotting a little too obvious in a couple of spots, and it shook me out of my suspension of disbelief.

I'm looking at it as a continuation of a whole book.

As far as the low score. I believe these may be some of the same people who rate other Fantasy classics with lower scores. Not all of them though. They probably are younger, into Urban Fantasy, Dystopia or Jacqueline Carey's other books (which are completely different from the Sundering) or other books that are more of a reflection of todays younger readers.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, I'm just saying I'm from a different era and grew up on Tolkien, Lord Dunsany, Le Guin and other Classic Fantasy authors and I miss these type of Fantasy Books that are really well written.

Finished The Lightning Thief the other night. Totally loved it. Now I find myself wanting to read all of Rick Riordan's myth books. Few authors do that for me. :D