What book are you reading...

Soldato
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Have been reading Ruin by John Gwynne, book 3 in The Faithful and The Fallen series. Aside from it being a little predictable with so many main characters surviving and escaping tight corners, I'm really enjoying the characters and the world. Looking forward to finishing and getting onto book 4.


This lockdown should hopefully give writers like Martin and Pat Rothfus some impetus to getting their books finished! (won't hold my breath)
Not worried about Martin anymore, it feels like he's given up anyway. I know the books can't be as bad as the show but I wouldn't be in a rush to read them now. As for Pat, I didn't realise the 3rd book wasn't out when I started, or how slow he has been. Really need the next book!
 
Soldato
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I don't think GRRM will ever finish the series. I think he saw the reception of Series 8 of the TV show and thought "I don't want that so if I never finish, I never have to endure it."
 
Man of Honour
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I don't think GRRM will ever finish the series. I think he saw the reception of Series 8 of the TV show and thought "I don't want that so if I never finish, I never have to endure it."

My understanding is that Martin agreed with Benioff and Weiss that the TV series would NOT have same ending as the books, so as not to be a spoiler for them. And given how much better at writing Martin is than B&W I would bet this is true.
 
Soldato
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My understanding is that Martin agreed with Benioff and Weiss that the TV series would NOT have same ending as the books, so as not to be a spoiler for them. And given how much better at writing Martin is than B&W I would bet this is true.
That's true but I get the feeling it's more like those days when you have some onerous thing to do (like me today, updating my CV) and you'll find any excuse not to get to it. I get the feeling that GRRM can't really be bothered to carry on with the books so he's just using S8 as his excuse (to himself).
 
Soldato
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My understanding is that Martin agreed with Benioff and Weiss that the TV series would NOT have same ending as the books, so as not to be a spoiler for them. And given how much better at writing Martin is than B&W I would bet this is true.

My 3 year old can write better than B&W based on the last few seasons we got from them :D
 
Soldato
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God help me I've decided on a full reread of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. There gos my next 6 months.
Don't say it like that! I've just acquired the entire set on my kindle after picking them up whenever they've been on sale and was planning on reading them soon, now you're just confusing the issue lmao!
 
Soldato
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Don't say it like that! I've just acquired the entire set on my kindle after picking them up whenever they've been on sale and was planning on reading them soon, now you're just confusing the issue lmao!

Oh please don't take my comment the wrong way, its my favourite book series of all time, you'll have a blast.
 
Soldato
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Recent been hammering through books. Last one I read was American Dirt. I personally thoroughly enjoyed it but there appears to be a big hoo-hah around it regarding race or penises or men with breasts or females with penises or beards or if I'm getting confused, something something 2020 or Trump or feelings or Mexicans.

What I'm trying to say is this. If you want a decent story, I can recommend. If you look at everything through a racial lens and trigger as easily as 12yo girl, stay away.

Also finished a decent personal memoir on a lady that was diagnosed with early stage dementia. Found it very interesting. It's called 'Somebody I used to know' by Wendy Mitchell.

Currently reading 'Circe' by Madeline Miller. It's a follow up book from her highly enjoyable first book, Song of Achilles.

There's been a few others but the above ones stand out to me.
 
Soldato
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Book 3 has probably been my favourite so far. Hoping the standard is of a high level all the way through the 8 books. I'll surely read them all now :)

I'll elaborate more on why i like book 4 when you've finished 3 as i might accidentally give something away.

The quality does continue...I think it helps it's two writers and maybe they keep each other in line and are constantly bouncing ideas off each other.
 
Soldato
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I'll elaborate more on why i like book 4 when you've finished 3 as i might accidentally give something away.

The quality does continue...I think it helps it's two writers and maybe they keep each other in line and are constantly bouncing ideas off each other.

I've been very impressed with the overall story arc and how seamlessly it all fits together. Disney should have got these guys to plan out the story for the star wars trilogy, maybe it wouldn't have been such an incoherent mess :p
 
Soldato
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The Human - Neal Asher. Third book of the Jain Trilogy. The Jain finally arrive after being trapped for millions of years inside a sun. The species that destroyed itself with advanced technology, who's scraps have destroyed several other advanced alien races, and nearly taken humanity a few times finally arrives in person. Asher brings the characters from the previous two books together in a massive battle that happens on many different levels across two star systems in order to try and stop the re-emergence of a hugely advanced and ancient alien species who is driven to destroy and subsume anything else it finds. Massive Prador and Polity fleets line up to make a stand at the nearby world, the last surviving resurrected member of a related Jain species offshoot, a couple of old Spatterjay captains (one crazy and mutated by Jaintech), the half human-half cyborg woman who fears losing her humanity as she uses Jaintech against the enemy in defence of the planet she's promised to protect, her adrenaline junkie war drones, and more all put in an appearance.

This is the big space battle Asher's been working up to for years, ranging from personal picotech and information warfare, right up to thousand mile long spaceships and enemy fleets pounding each other to death. Planets are taken over, gas giants are bombed, stuff goes boom. It's like a sci-fi war version of The Longest Day. You realise that the power of the ancient technology is itself a corrupting influence, because anything is possible if you control it, and that inevitably leads to becoming the thing you are fighting against.

A nicely rounding off of the story in another trilogy set in Asher's extensive Polity universe. It's one of Asher's all action, large scale space operas that puts the foot on the gas from the beginning and doesn't let off until everything explodes in a fireball. As the climax of the story of the first two books, it's a great third act that moves from the machinations of the first two books, into the culmination of seeing the legendary Jain arrive in person, instead of by proxy as with the previous Polity stories. Very recommended if you already knows Asher's Polity universe, and have read the previous two books in this trilogy.
 
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