Camorr - News and Views from Scott Lynch's Locke Lamora books

That sounds good, i'll keep an eye out for that one

I'm currently reading "The Two Towers" by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Not sure what is next on my list.

Yes, that would be the logical choice, if only all those other great books were not on my TBR pile. :D

I've started newcomer Robert V. S. Redick's The Red Wolf Conspiracy, and I shouldn't have waited a few months to read this one. So far an excellent epic fantasy, wonderful world-building, great characters . . . if the plot and action measure up for the next four hundred pages, it will be the best book I've read this year. 8-)

Almost finished with Redick's The Red Wolf Conspiracy, and it's crackerjack!! Best book so far in 2008, and highly recommended. I wasn't sure anyone could write a non-profanity, non-sexual referenced, only mildly graphic violence fantasy novel anymore that I could still find great entertainment and exciting and riveting. But Redick has done it.

Unfortunately, not yet available in the States, but you can get it from the Book Depository in trade paperback without paying the exorbitant overseas postage from amazon.uk.

Still don't know how they can do that, but I've used them twice, and the free postage is not a gimmick, and the service is fast and reliable. 8-)

I read Heart-Shaped Box last year, and although I enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. I don't think his father has anything to worry about yet. :P

Stephen King, for anyone else who is wondering but didn't want to check out the site. King has two sons, Joe and Owen. I think Owen has written a collection of short stories, but under his real name. I guess unlike his brother, he's not too proud to score points off the brand name. :P

I'm reading a pair of Dray Prescot books, only available as e-Books, Intrigue of Antares and Gangs of Antares.

I imagine these are before the time of most readers here, but very popular in the seventies and early eighties.

If you like interplanetary swashbuckling adventure, similar to Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series, they are worth locating at used bookstores. The author was Ken Bulmer, but he wrote them under the pseudonym Alan Burt Akers. 8-)

I just finished Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: The First Empire.

I enjoyed it. Not the best book I have ever read, but certainly a nice start to a series. I would have liked to have seen more of the plot lines fleshed out, less dependency on the magic by the characters, and a less rushed ending.

That being said, it is not stopping me from starting the second one, "Well of Ascension" this week.

I see I haven't posted on this thread for awhile, and I've probably read a dozen books since finishing The Red Wolf Conspiracy. Red Wolf was superb, second best novel this year, behind only the recently read The Steel Remains, sf author Richard Morgan's first foray into epic fantasy, which was spectacular. Very in-your-face graphic violence, sex and profanity, but never gratuitous, with great world-building, fantastic characters and vivid action scenes. Highly recommended.

Now I'm into Duane Swierczynski, a guy who writes these wild, quirky action crime novels, sort of in the Tarantino style. Three excellent ones - The Wheel Man, The Blonde and Severance Package, more plot twists than a bag of pretzels, and impossible to put down.

If you fancy a stretch away from fantasy, you wouldn't go wrong giving this writer a try. 8-)

I'm reading the third novel in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Voyager. It's actually a shame that so many readers assume this is a bodice-ripper - there is romance, to be sure, but it never overwhelms the plot or great historical background. Wonderful characters and story-telling - Gabaldon gives me hope that there are more fantastic female authors out there, and I have just yet to find them.
;)

Currently re-reading the whole Harry Potter series (now going through the Goblet of Fire), after that it'll be a re-read of Oscar Wilde's wonderful "the Picture of Dorian Gray" for a lecture, and after that Jonathan Strahan's anthology "Swords And Dark Magic - the New Sword And Sorcery" - like you didn't know why. ;D

Abercrombie and Weeks are also on my list, but they've got long waiting lists at the library and I'm not too patient a person. (I'm pleased to see, however, that RSURS has a solid ten-person wait.)

Brent Week's Night Angel trilogy!

I run into Jon Sprunk's "the Shadow's Son" in the bookstore - has anyone read it? Is it any good? Because it got me interested.

Currently reading Swords and Sorcery, going through Micheal Moorcock's. And loving it. Can't wait to get to Scott's, though.

RepetitiveNone, I love the Vampire Lestat! It's been long since I read it, but it's great.
Just started with the Secret History last night.

@ RepetitiveNone- I once tried to read Interview With a Vampire. I sadly only made it a few chapters in before putting the book down. If what you say is true, maybe I'll have to try it again. I was quite young then and I think her deeply descriptive writing style offended my slightly immature taste in literature. I've since changed :)

I'll give it a look!

One final question for today. Has anyone read the Eragon series? I was recommended this by a source I'm wary of, and I'm wondering if they are worth my time.

CoupeDeGrace, I read the first book of the Eragon series, well, Eragon, and it pretty much kicked everyone's ass. Even my ass, which is hard to do. But yeah, its great. Its got multiple languages in it, made up by the author, and a nice little glossary in the back. Its long, like 500 pgs, but definitely worth it.

To revive this topic - currently reading Jeff VanderMeer's City of Saints ad Madmen, about halfway through. The structure of the book confused at first, but when you get into it it's actually quite clever. I particularly like the story "Transformation of Martin Lake".

Sabetha, I don't have trouble with short story collections in general, but in the case of CoSaM it was a bit hard. The stories themselves are good - like I said before, "Transformation of Martin Lake" is excellent (although admittedly mostly because I'm of the opinion it expresses) and "the Strange Case of X" was thrilling. However, there is a lot of appendixes, and seeing as they take half the book it would have felt like cheating not to read them. VanderMeer is a funny man, I've been to a lecture he held and it also shows in his work, and has a firm grasp of different types of text, but reading about an imaginary squid got tiring very soon.
I also want to thank you for the tip - I'm always looking for thieves, and Mistborn sounds promising! I'll be adding it to my ever-growing list!

Finished Hannu Rajaniemi's the Quantum Thief yesterday, and recommend it warmly! (Includes a conman/thief! A charming one at that!) It's very interesting, and I'm looking forward to the next part.

Currently reading Dickens's Oliver Twist. It's a classic, which should be reason enough to read it, but what really inspired me was curiosity; I've seen a movie adaptation years ago, and when I read Lies for the first time I was almost put off by the prologue because it reminded me so much of what I knew of OT! Thus far I'm enjoying it, both as a wonderful piece of literature and as a game of "Spot the Parts That Are in Lies!"

I don't usually go for SF, either, but Rajaniemi is special. :D (For those who don't know and haven't googled him yet, he got a three-book deal from Gollanzc with just the first chapter of QT. If that's not impressive, then, well, I guess I'm just very easily impressed. Plus the fact that he is not writing in his native language.) I like the details he introduces, methods of communication and acquiring information in particular. I wouldn't mind having some of that stuff in the future.
Oh and don't worry, there is surprisingly little of space. ;)

I'm not very far into Oliver yet, but I'm making steady progress as I'm on a schedule (yes, stupid me is taking a summer exam...). It's no wonder Scott heard about it; the parallels keep popping up like mushrooms after rain. It's comforting, in it's way.
I've taken a liking to Dodger. He seems like an endearing rascal.

Dickens was indeed wordy! Took me a while to adjust to it, too, but after that it was very pleasant - no wonder it is considered a classic. Didger remained my favourite all the way through!

Now I'm reading Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, which I at the moment find to be alright. I love mannerpunk - and this is definitely mannerpunk - and I love Regency England, but there's something that makes it a bit heavy to read. (Might also be the edition I have - the font size is very small, and the 1006 pages are in proportion to that.) I remember this book being all the rage when it came out, but for some reason I wasn't interested at all back then. I was probably having my "serious fantasy" phase, and this is rather light reading in the end. I'm not very far yet, so I won't say anything about the plot, but I'm already very fond of Mr Norrell's character. A gentleman after my own heart! x)

Now reading George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords part 1: Steel and Snow. I wanted an edition with both of the parts, because for some reason it bugs me they aren't together, but the library didn't have one. Hmph. I'm not raving about this series, but there's something to it that's extremely addictive. If it had a personality, I would probably describe it as "conniving bloody bastard", in the best sense. A lot of stuff to remember, names and relationships to keep in mind, but it's not impossible.

It's me again! Reading Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns, and I think it's ver very good, and that people should check it out! There's a clever, murderous 14-year-old, out on a quest for revenge. If you read the blurb - and it's the same one my copy has - it doesn't do the book justice. Best read this year? I wouldn't be surprised.

Go for Dune; it is good! I am very picky with SF/fantasy. I happen to LOVE the gentleman bastard series but I also do not like a lot of stuff (like GRR Martin for ex, but the HBO show was good!). But stick with the first one because I hear that the other ones are bad. I haven't even read them because all my friends told me so and I don't want to next installments to ruin the first one.