The Sword and Laser discussion

I'm just starting The Ice Shirt by William Vollman.

Catching up on some Asimov and Analog back issues after finishing Empress and The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind. After the short stories I'm going to start Spiritwalk.

I'm about 1/3 into City of Golden Shadow

I'm known for losing interest in series after book two. Here's hoping this one holds on to me. It's quite good so far.

Before They Are Hanged

Which is the follow up to The Blade Itself. So far, great!

Just finished Wake (WWW #1), and ordered Watch (WWW #2) from Amazon since my library won't be ordering it for several weeks, and I seem to have liked it enough that I don't want to wait!

I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind which clocks in around 1000 pages. I'm hoping to finish by the end of the month...

I just picked up Brave New World from the library. Starting it sometime tonight hopefully. Trying to re-read the classics from Highschool. See if my opinion has changed at all.

I just finished The City & The City by Mieville - I loved the concept but I think the writing gets in the way - weird tenses sometimes, and weird lingo, I think in his attempt to distinguish between the cities. How does everyone else feel about Mieville? I haven't read anything else by him.

Confessor by Terry Goodkind. Finally getting around to finishing the Sword of Truth series. I am kind of tired of the series but with one book to go I might as well finish it.

About two-thirds through Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey (not quite as spellbound as I was with the first book in the series, Kushiel's Dart, but still enjoying it) and still reading The Discoverers by Daniel Boorstin in small doses (which means I could be reading it for quite awhile lol).

Reading Robert Sawyer's WWW:Wake, just in paperback, about a blind girl that gets to see a consciousness in the internet (Serial Experiments Lain anime?). But there's this whole other plot about a SARS like disease in China...

Jim wrote: "Confessor by Terry Goodkind. Finally getting around to finishing the Sword of Truth series. I am kind of tired of the series but with one book to go I mi..."

I was the same - it was a relief to have the last book in my hand. That said I did enjoy most of it and there were nice touches to the story I really liked but the main problem for me was that he had decided to do a 10 (well 11) book series and he ran out of new idea 1/2 way through.

The whole series would have been better being 1/2 its final length

Paul

Paul wrote: "Jim wrote: "Confessor by Terry Goodkind. Finally getting around to finishing the Sword of Truth series. I am kind of tired of the series but with one boo..."

I loved Wizard's First Rule. I loved how Goodkind treated magic in that. The second book was also quite good, and I moderately enjoyed the third. But by that point I simply couldn't endure the romance between Richard and Kahlan anymore. Ugh. So sappy. That was the end of the series for me. Too bad, though.

I just finished "Turncoat" by Jim Butcher. It was a great read and now I am primed and ready for "Changes". There is something about Harry Dresden that you can't help but like him since he is the iconoclastic underdog of his generation.

I enjoyed the heck out of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Empire in Black and Gold and have been getting started on the second book in his "Shadows of the Apt" series, Dragonfly Falling. I've been finding it a fine melding of magical fantasy and a sort of early industrial, almost steampunk sf.

Just finishing up John Scalzi's The Ghost Brigades. Enjoying it. Scalzi is becoming standard travel reading for me: quick and not too heavy (perfect for sleepless flying).

I've been listening to the Dresden books through Audible and enjoying them quite a bit.

I'm reading Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro, short stories again. Another example of an author trying too hard to be shocking or dramatic, in my opinion. If you throw enough death and Bad Things That Happen, does that make it a good story? I prefer things that are more subtle.

I'm reading Before They are Hanged, which is the 2nd book in Joe Abercrombie's The First Law Trilogy.

Will, I just started that one as well!

Edit, I see I already said that above, sorry! Just got excited there for a second to see someone else reading it! :0)

Like at least two others in this thread, I am reading Confessor by Terry Goodkind. I am quite looking forward to being done with it though so I can get on to The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton. After reading all 11 Sword of Truth books in about six-seven months, I'm kinda tired of fantasy and want some epic space opera instead.

Currently reading my way through everything H.P. Lovecraft wrote.

Ben wrote: "....so I can get on to The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton. After reading all 11 Sword of Truth books in about six-seven months, I'm kinda tired of fantasy and want some epic space opera instead. "

excellent book - hope u enjoy it as much as i did

I'm working on The Book Thief for another book club. It's really interesting. Death is the narrator and he tells the story of a young girl living in Germany during World War II who, you guessed it, steals books from time to time.

Paul wrote: excellent book - hope u enjoy it as much as i did

I'd better, I already bought the whole trilogy!

I'm reading the latest jim butcher book, Changes. love that series, and this book is great so far (about half way through)

Ben wrote: "Paul wrote: excellent book - hope u enjoy it as much as i did

I'd better, I already bought the whole trilogy!"

haha - well I for one did enjoy them all although i found the later ones slower going - still good though

I just finished reading The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, and The Girl who Played With Fire both my Stieg Larsson. Both are mysterys and I liked them very much! I can't wait till the 3nd comes out in english. It's so sad that he passed away...

I'm also listening to Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. It's the first book I got on audible! :D
It's a noval about the History of Philosophy, but with a great story!

Wow, I just realized that none of those are "Swords" or "Lazers"....

I'm reading The Emerald Storm by Michael J. Sullivan. I highly recommend this series. I love fantasy series, but I'm a bit sick of super-epic fantasy series (I'm looking at you Robert Jordan, may you rest in peace), or George R.R. Martin's and Patrick Rothfuss' pursuit of perfection at the expense of the really good.

Sullivan is a nice antidote. His books are fun, fast reads, and these types of books are the reason I like fantasy.

I am currently reading Antares Dawn, by Michael McCollum (http://www.scifi-az.com/) having just finished his Gibraltar trilogy Gibraltar Earth, Gibraltar Sun, Gibraltar Stars.

If you like Peter F. Hamilton you will probably like these. Good hard Sci-Fi.

Also reading (listening to) the complete Dune series by Frank Herbert on audio books.

All excellent reads!

znark wrote: "Also reading (listening to) the complete Dune series by Frank Herbert on audio books."
Which version of the audiobooks are you listening to? I listened to one version of Dune and the guy reading made me want to gouge my ears out.

Daniel, I heard there was a version of Dune read by George Guidall. He is my favorite audiobook reader, so I can guarantee he would do a good job.

Vance wrote: "Daniel, I heard there was a version of Dune read by George Guidall. He is my favorite audiobook reader, so I can guarantee he would do a good job."

That's the one I need to find. I love, love, love Guidall's reading of Tony Hillerman's books.

Daniel, I ran this search on Bing and it had an Amazon reference, and a few other sources.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=dune+rea...

Daniel wrote:
Which version of the audiobooks are you listening to? I listened to one version of Dune and the ..."

This version from Audible: http://bit.ly/bpI4ki read by Scott Brick & Simon Vance

Oooh, I love Simom Vance. He's the one who reads Sophie's World.

Hope wrote: "I just finished reading The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, and The Girl who Played With Fire both my Stieg Larsson. Both are mysterys and I liked them very much! I can't wait till the 3nd comes out in..."

I loved those, can't wait for the third one!

Danny wrote: "Catching up on some Asimov and Analog back issues after finishing Empress and The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind. After the short stories I'm going t..."

I'm in the same boat. Time to cleanse my palate with some Asimov (just finished something I didn't like), have some back issues of Analog next to the bed, and gotta get caught up on the Windup Girl.

Christian

I'm still getting caught up on George R.R. Martin, but I just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch and very much enjoyed them. Especially as a between-Martin break. only intended to read the first one, but liked the Gentlemen Bastards enough that I wanted to stay with them a bit longer.

Apparently the third Gentlemen Bastards book comes out in June, and I plan to pick it up as soon as it does.

Just started reading "Changes" by Jim Butcher. So far so good. I am looking forward to yet another entertaining read. My next goal will be to read the "the Hero of Ages", the final book in the Mistborn trilogy. Long story short: I should be in for some good reading.

I'm on Robert J. Sawyer's 2nd book in the WWW trilogy, Watch. Gotta love the science education he feeds you, and somehow it all relates to Planet of the Apes...

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Veronica wrote: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Oooh, have you read it before? I liked that one a lot, I'm about 75% through the next in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire. I'm really enjoying it, and loved how The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo kept me guessing (and slightly freaked out).

Cryptonomicon and still waiting for the typical Stephenson 'aha...now I get it" moment.

Interestingly, my 13 yr old just read Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy, and loved it so much she is now on the third book! Budding SciFi lover!

terpkristin wrote: "Veronica wrote: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Oooh, have you read it before? I liked that one a lot, I'm about 75% through the next in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire..."

Nope, this is my first read (listen, actually). So far, so good! Love the narrator, too.

You guys know Dragon Tattoo is out now as a movie?

I finished reading Daemon by Daniel Suarez. Let me summarize by saying my mind was blown. What a great book.

Of course, you can't be easily offended by strong language and graphic content. It definitely is not a book for everyone; however, if you can handle it, the story is amazing.

Can't wait to read the sequel.

Daemon

In the car today on the way to a doctor's appointment, I finished The Girl Who Played With Fire. Truth to tell, the ending left me hungry for the 3rd book, I cannot wait until it's localized (and I hope they keep the Audible narrarator, he was quite good).

In print, I'm still slogging through Infinite Jest, and in audio, as of my car ride back to work from the doctor's office, I've moved on to Conspirata. So far, I'm having a bit of a tough time getting into Conspirata (about 30 minutes in), hopefully it grabs my attention as I listen to it more this week.

I am racing through "Brave Men Run - A Novel of the Sovereign Era" by Matthew Wayne Selznick. It's a fun stroll down the superhero road blended with a John Hughes movie. Only 20 or so pages left and I'm not sure what's next. Possibly the Surrogates Graphic Novel.

I'm reading Boneshaker my first "steam punk" novel and The Second Coming