What fantasy/science fiction book are you reading RIGHT NOW?

[I'm Murrin]

12/6/03 - The Eye of the World
18/6/03 - The Great Hunt
??/6/03 - The Dragon Reborn
26/6/03 - The Shadow Rising
30/6/03 - The Fires of Heaven
??/7/03 - Lord of Chaos
??/7/03 - A Crown of Swords
??/7/03 - The Path of Daggers
8/7/03 - Winter's Heart
20/7/03 - Crossroads of Twilight
??/7/03 - A Game of Thrones
??/8/03 - A Clash of Kings
18/9/03 - A Storm of Swords 1
2?/9/03 - A Storm of Swords 2
5/10/03 - Wizard's First Rule
8/10/03 - Stone of Tears
13/10/03 - Blood of the Fold
??/10/03 - Temple of the winds
??/10/03 - Soul of the Fire
??/11/03 - Faith of the Fallen
??/11/03 - The Pillars of Creation
11/11/03 - The Gunslinger
??/11/03 - Drawing of the Three
14/11/03 - The Waste Lands
16/11/03 - Wizard and Glass
??/??/03 - The Curse of Chalion (don't know exactly when I read it)
29/11/03 - The Dragonbone Chair
28/12/03 - Stone of Farewell
??/12/03 - Paladin of Souls
??/1/04 - New Spring
29/1/04 - Shadow
??/2/04 - Pattern
9/2/04 - Memory
16/2/04 - War of the Flowers
25/2/04 - Limbo
4/3/04 - One for Sorrow/Two for Joy (first bad book of the year!)
14/3/04 - Gardens of the Moon
23/3/04 - Deadhouse Gates
6/4/04 - Memories of Ice
14/4/04 - House of Chains
17/4/04 - Midnight Tides

And that's without re-reads (from June 03: 3.5 WoT, 1 aSoIaF, 1 Small Gods, 1 HHGttG, 1 Sourcery, 1 Curse of Chalion).
*sums up* Thats 41 books since June last year (when I started reading regularly). That means I'll need to read 9 more by June to round off the year.

[wayfriend]

Caer Sylvanus - You are dead on. Gene Wolfe leaves everyone else in the dust. His prose is beautiful, but that's just one gun he has. There's his remarkable use of vocabulary. There's his enjoyably frustrating technique he uses where he leaves things a mystery for a while. His topics are lofty and he has mastered world-building and his plotting is substantial. And his use of first person gets you hooked into the story.

If he had SRDs talent for drama and characterization, no one else would even bother writing.

-- Wayfriend

P.S. Reading Cryptonomicon for the second time. Oh my lord it's so good.

[Roland of Gilead]

I'm currently reading SRD's The Man Who Fought Alone. Some might find the martial arts discussions boring, but I think they're fascinating. This is my second Axbrewder mystery. This series is not on the level of Covenant or Gap, and certainly lacks the speculative elements I prefer in most of what I read, but I still like them.

[Romeo]

I recently finished up Steven Erikson's "Gardens of the Moon". Very imaginative writing! A warning, though - it's heavy stuff. I tried to read it last year (after Steve introduced me to Steve at a conference), but couldn't get through it. I tried again recently and realized my problem. Before I was only reading it in between other things - five minutes here, ten there, etc. I was running around so much that I doubt I read it at any time for more than thirty straight minutes. It's a complex story, though, and can't be read in bits and pieces like that (not by ME, anyway - heh heh). But this time I devoted more time to reading, and it grabbed and held me pretty hard.

Now I'm on to a friend's book - Son of Avonar by Carol Berg. She is just such a wonderful writer, and the stories and characters are absolutely captivating. Some people have noted that Steve tends to build a character so that you come to love them, and then he destroys them (not gratuitously, but still...). Carol seems to take the opposite approach. She gives you a broken character - that you immediately love and empathize with - and then shows you how they were broken, and how that fits into the entire story. And it's all in the first person, which isn't always easy to pull off. But she does it wonderfully. Son of Avonar (from the hundred or so pages I've read so far) is a MUST READ, as is her Song of the Beast. Once you read those, then pick up her first trilogy (Restoration/Revelation/Transformation). And she has another coming out this fall.

[Encryptic]

Murrin: How was War of the Flowers? I've been trying to get a hold of it from the library but it's constantly checked out so I haven't had a chance to read it.

Is it as good as the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy?

[[Syl]]

War of Flowers was a good story. Not as moving as MS&T and not as in depth as Otherworld, but a really good balance between the two. Ideally suited for a long car ride or rainy weekend.

Glad to see another Wolfe fan around, Wayfriend. Not sure if I mentioned it upthread, but I have a board dedicated to him, reachable by the icon at the bottom of my post.

I've been out to sea the last few days. I was lucky enough to find Zindell's The Broken God at the library before we went out. Man, I thought Neverness was good. Anyway, I've been completely absorbed in this book. The plot is a lot slower than in Neverness, but that actually works in the book's favor, considering the layers and layers of philosophy woven into the book. And when this book is done, I have The Wild ready to go.

After that it's Gaiman's American Gods.

[danlo]

The Lightstone was a very cool introductory book in a series-I'm ordering the 2nd: The Lord of Lies tomorrow! In the meantime I'm catching up on TOT and Mordant Dissection chapters and need to find a simple quick read, but what?

[Encryptic]

War of Flowers was a good story. Not as moving as MS&T and not as in depth as Otherworld, but a really good balance between the two. Ideally suited for a long car ride or rainy weekend.

Cool. I'm looking forward to picking it up soon.

Meanwhile, I've got the new book in the Recluce Saga "Wellspring of Chaos" to tide me over. Just picked it up from the library today.

[birdandbear]

The Lightstone was a very cool introductory book in a series-I'm ordering the 2nd: The Lord of Lies tomorrow! In the meantime I'm catching up on TOT and Mordant Dissection chapters and need to find a simple quick read, but what?

Harry Potter, of course.

Or maybe The Neverending Story...

[danlo]

Never! I shall never become Potted!

[I'm Murrin]

I've finished The Darkness That Comes Before ad now I'm at a loss as to what I should read next...

[Dragonlily]

Danlo, I held off from reading Potter for a long time, but when I finally let myself be persuaded, I was glad I did.

[duchess of malfi]

I am reading Gene Wolfe's Latro in the Mist, and am enjoying it greatly. It is a two book series that now is being printed in one big trade paperback.
Latro is a soldier in ancient Greece who recieves a horrible head injury that affects his memory. After his injury, he is also able to see, meet, and talk with gods, goddesses, and other supernatural beings...

[Brinn]

I'm reading the newest Gene Wolfe...The Knight. Just picked it up yesterday. Anyone else read it?

[[Syl]]

Oh yeah. Great book. As good as New Sun (say, Shadow & Claw), imo. You know I have a Gene Wolfe board, don't you Brinn? If you have any thoughts or insights on the book...

[Dragonlily]

Duchess, I agree with you about SOLDIER IN THE MIST. Endearing character and an atmosphere that enfolds you.

[duchess of malfi]

Latro was a great read! Next I believe I will read David Zindell's fantasy novel The Lightstone. I love his science fiction books, now I will tackle his fantasy ones...I had to order them from England, though, which seems odd since he's an American author.

[Lord Mhoram]

From what I understood from our resident Zindell expert (a.k.a Danlo) isn't he more popular in Europe than here in the states?

[danlo]

Its not that he's more popular in Europe or Australia it just that Zindell got so screwed by Bantam/Spectra in the States that he's decided to publish soley through Harper/Collins-Voyager Classics out of the UK. But he lives in Boulder Colorado.

[duchess of malfi]

I wish he would pick up a US publisher then...