Kevin's Watch

Being a slow reader who also has sleep apnea, I fully understand the problem. I almost never do rereads, even when I really want to. I've reread Neverness, but not the Requiem.

(I've read the first four Malazan books three times, which is something of a miraculous feat for me. And a testament to their glory.)

I liked the Malazan books much more than Requiem.

--A

Me too. I was absolutely addicted to Malazan for a couple years.

Malazan is one of those things that fascinates you in the moment but, at the end, leaves you feeling cheap and used, vowing "never again". Requiem, on the other hand, is worth re-reading from time to time.

Everyone ignore him. He likely took a blow to the head this morning. Both series are amazing, even if Malazan rates higher in my eyes.

I must admit, I only read the first 5 Malazan books, possibly due to the sheer size of the undertaking, based on being a slow reader (no sleep apnea though, that would certainly add difficulty to the mix - one of my employees has it which is as close as I come to understanding its real difficulties) and having competing demands on the shelf. I remember enjoying it, but it must not have grabbed me enough to keep going. Now it has been a few years and I am not sure I could face the prospect of catching up and trying to work out what is going on before reading book 6.

Part of your problem may have been that book 5 (and 7) are probably the worst of the series, saved only by Tehol and Bug.

--A

Midnight Tides was actually one of my favorites. (Though admittedly that had a lot to do with Tehol & Bugg.) The scenes of utter despair broken by scenes of over-the-top weird humor shouldn't have worked as well as they did.

Dragons of a Lost Star.

It's sorta weird being back in Krynn again. Especially this one, which is a bit reminiscent of The Wounded Land.

--A

Re-reading the Eternal Sky trilogy by Elizabeth Bear. Sooo worth rereading. So rich and full of beauty, and great characters. And horses. I'm in the middle right now. So good!

I read Neverness a while back and while I appreciate the brilliance, it just didn't grab me. Unlike Moby Dick, I wasn't able to fully appreciate the pages-long discourses on the nature of reality, I guess.

Dragons of a Vanished Moon, last of the War of Souls trilogy.

--A

wayfriend wrote:Malazan is one of those things that fascinates you in the moment but, at the end, leaves you feeling cheap and used, vowing "never again". Requiem, on the other hand, is worth re-reading from time to time.

I sort of agree with this. The Malazan series is great while you read it, but some of the choices in direction are questionable in my opinion, especially in the later books.

Also, the series has been diluted by countless and unending Esselmont inferior peripheral works.

Pfffffffff. Many years after I thought I was beyond being absolutely thunderstruck, Malazan filled every waking moment for a couple years. I've been that captivated a few times. Covenant. The Stand. But I read Malazan all at once, having to wait only for the last couple books to come out. That's how many thousand pages? And I reread the first four immediately after I read them, needing to absorb it all more thoroughly before I went on. That's probably a few thousand right there. And I'm the slowest reader any of you know. I'm sure I ate throughout it all, but I really couldn't say. I've never been more enthralled by, or grateful for, any books.

I tend to like the Esselmont books...still reading them as paths back to that world / universe / whatever.

Can't wait for the Karsa books either...

--A

I don't have any problem with ICE whatsoever. He's no Erikson, but I've enjoyed a ton of books by other people who aren't Erikson. The current trilogy is great, and I frankly love RotCG.

I'm not a voracious fantasy reader like many here seem to be. I read a lot of books, but truth be told most are non-fiction.

I am invested in only five fantasy series right now:

1) A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin. Is this series even still a thing? I don't watch the television show. Is there ever going to be another book? Who knows.

2) The Great God's War, by SRD. Obviously.

3) The Tarnished Crown, by Karen Miller. Deliciously depressing.

4) Legends of the First Empire, by Michael J. Sullivan. Innovative.

5) The Last King of Osten Ard, by Tad Williams. A return to greatness for the author after the awful Shadowmarch books.

That's it for fantasy series. I highly recommend all of them, btw, with the possible exception of Martin, because why bother if the author himself doesn't seem to care?

I should also mention that I will put things aside to read anything Guy Gavriel Kay puts out, the man is brilliant and second only to SRD on my list of favorite authors.

I recently bought the first of that Sullivan series. It was one of the Kindle daily deals. I might give it a go soon.

Re-reading Ender's Game.

--A

Horrim Carabal wrote: 1) A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin. Is this series even still a thing? I don't watch the television show. Is there ever going to be another book? Who knows.

I'm looking forward to Fire & Blood, even though it's a prequel-type thing rather than a continuation.

It's like he doesn't even want to finish the series. Going by the last 2 books, he may, (like Jordan before him) have lost his way a bit. Hopefully he finds it. And finishes the series before somebody else has to...

--A