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

[dANdeLION]

My Life - Bill Clinton

[Spiral Jacobs]

Yess... join us!

I'm reading House of Chains. It is starting to get good.

Reading about Karsa, aren't ya? Just wait till you get to The Bonehunters. You'll be saying 'Ohh, shiiit' like I did.

[The Somberlain]

Bloody hell.
Chaos And Order is really, REALLY good.

Possibly the first book that I've found that I actually have to keep putting down because I can't mentally cope with the plot threads and the subterfuge and the betrayals and the sheer tension for more than a couple of hours at a time.

How this book could have been written at all is beyond me. There's so much going on, but it's all handled perfectly. Brilliant stuff.

(didn't want to put this in the Gap forum because, as I said, I'm avoiding it until I finish the whole series)

[Ainulindale]

Starting Justina Robson's Keeping It Real (first book in Quantum Gravity sequence) - I read a preview of this book a couple of months ago, and loved it so looking forward to reading it). I'm also seriously thinking about doing the unthinkable and reading Terry Brook's new Armageddon's Children (which comes out in August and merges his Shannara setting to his Word/Void series).

If that falls through I'm going to start Paragaea by Chris Roberson, a sensational short story writer whose last novel Here, There & Everywhere was seriously slept on. I also have parts III and IV of Harper Collin's effort to reprint Osamu Tezuka's classic Buddah graphic novels

I recently put up my interview with Scott Lynch, and my review of his debut The Lies of Locke Lamora.

[Spiral Jacobs]

I've just started the last part of The Dark Tower and I hope it's any good.

[Avatar]

Read The Last Gasp by Trevor Hoyle this weekend, interesting speculative fiction about global ecological catastrophe.

Now I'm re-reading Feist's Empire series, starting of course with Daughter of the Empire. Say what you will about his later work, these are still excellent.

--A

[stonemaybe]

Avatar wrote:

Now I'm re-reading Feist's Empire series, starting of course with Daughter of the Empire. Say what you will about his later work, these are still excellent

I will and could but probably only because his earlier stuff was so much better - I love the Empire series too!

Currently reading Ken Macleod 'The Stone Canal' which I'm enjoying but can't really understand yet why it's in the same series as Star Fraction - no doubt it'll all come together somewhere. I hope.

[pat5150]

Hi guys!

No fantasy debut received this much hype on this side of the Atlantic Ocean since the release of Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule. Indeed, we've been hearing about Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora for months now. Rave reviews abound, generating the sort of buzz authors and editors can only fantasize about.

Unfortunately, too much hype can also raise expectations to a level where readers' disappointment becomes inevitable. Aware of that particular fact, I wished to remain purely objective when I began to read this novel. It's been hailed as the best debut ever, after all.

And to ascertain that readers will not rush to buy this one based on the wrong idea, here is what The Lies of Locke Lamora is not: A grand fantasy epic vast in scope, the likes of which Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin and Steven Erikson produce. There are no philosophical and spiritual dimensions such as can be found in the works of R. Scott Bakker. There is no subtle human touch such as can be glimpsed in books by Robin Hobb and L. E. Modesitt, jr.

What The Lies of Locke Lamora is, however, is one ripping good yarn! In an interview, Lynch claimed that he wanted the novel to be "kick-you-in-the-ass fun." Well, it certainly is just that! If you're looking for something that will move you and stir your soul, look elsewhere. This one is an imaginative and convoluted caper. And as such, this fun-filled ensemble of adventures and misadventures is sure to breathe new life into the genre.

My advice to potential readers: Forget the hype. Don't buy this book thinking that it will awe you and blow your mind. Scott Lynch said he wanted to write something that would have people saying "oh cool!" as often as possible. And it's mission accomplished. This novel is a very entertaining read, to be sure.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is a complete joyride strewn with a remarkable number of corpses (he did mention George R. R. Martin as an inspiration, after all!). And if he keeps up the good work, Lynch will rapidly establish himself as one of the major players in the fantasy genre. I'm eager to sink my teeth into the sequel. . .

For the full review, check the blog. Also, there is still a copy of this one up for grabs on the blog. . .

Patrick
www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

[Roland of Gilead]

This book looks so freakin' good that I'm planning to break my cardinal rule - "Never buy a first edition hardcover by an unknown author." I've been burned many a time, most recently with Robert Newcomb's first novel several years ago.

But The Lies of Locke Lamora just looks like a can't lose proposition, so I'm going to take the chance.

[Nav]

That's a cardinal rule? I frequently find myself regretting not buying an author's first book in hardback, usually when I'm forking out £80 for it a few years later.

[Avatar]

I don't like hardbacks. They're awkward sizes, and usually heavy, and I hate the slip-covers.

Of course, I'm interested in what's inside, not the value or whatever it is that you're looking for of it.

--A

[I'm Murrin]

Well, The Lies of Locke Lamora is only out in trade paperback, so it's a moot point.
For those who don't like getting into something big when it's going to be a while to the end, you might want to keep in mind that this is book one of a seven book series, and will probably be followed by another seven book series after that.

[Ainulindale]

This book looks so freakin' good that I'm planning to break my cardinal rule - "Never buy a first edition hardcover by an unknown author." I've been burned many a time, most recently with Robert Newcomb's first novel several years ago.

But The Lies of Locke Lamora just looks like a can't lose proposition, so I'm going to take the chance.

I think it's brilliant.

Well, The Lies of Locke Lamora is only out in trade paperback, so it's a moot point.
For those who don't like getting into something big when it's going to be a while to the end, you might want to keep in mind that this is book one of a seven book series, and will probably be followed by another seven book series after that.

I also want to add (as noted in my review and interview) that while it is a planned 7 book cycle, The Lies of Locke Lamora stands very well on its own, telling a complete story.


and (sorry but everime he is mentioned I feel this is my obligation) - Robert Newcomb simply blows.

[Sorus]

Yess... join us!

I'm reading House of Chains. It is starting to get good.

Reading about Karsa, aren't ya? Just wait till you get to The Bonehunters. You'll be saying 'Ohh, shiiit' like I did.

Can't wait.

[gyrehead]

Well, The Lies of Locke Lamora is only out in trade paperback, so it's a moot point.

Well as some are in the US, the point is not moot at all as it is only available here in the US as hardcover.

For all its Hollywood elements, I do concur, though, that is a great entertaining read and worth the effort.

Currrently reading:

Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers
Sorcerer's Moon by Julian May
Farthing by Jo Walton[/b]

[dANdeLION]

I'm on "Gardens Of The Moon".

[I'm Murrin]

Well, The Lies of Locke Lamora is only out in trade paperback, so it's a moot point.

Well as some are in the US, the point is not moot at all as it is only available here in the US as hardcover.

You could have just said "actually, it's out in hardcover in the US." I wasn't aware of that, thank you for telling us.

[duchess of malfi]

I have been reading Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon. It is one of the funnest fantasy reads I have had in a while.

[The Somberlain]

I just read Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens. It was quite a fun read... though some of Pratchett's humour seems a bit more forced than it used to when I read the Discworld books.

[lucimay]

Yess... join us!

I'm reading House of Chains. It is starting to get good.

Reading about Karsa, aren't ya? Just wait till you get to The Bonehunters. You'll be saying 'Ohh, shiiit' like I did.

Can't wait.

page 93 of bonehunters.