reading_fox 2021 more reads

Happy New Year!
Last year was pretty good reading wise if in little else, so I hope I can maintain that and still manage to do more things!

As always full(er) reviews on the books page or via my profile.

Starting the new year and the new thread with a Santathing title - lud-in-the-mist a 1920s fairy fantasy, and one of the classics that founded the genre. Much better than many classics! A sleepy village having long abandoned Fairy finds their subtle influence pervading life once more.

Happy New Year!

I've been meaning to read Lud-in-the-mist--even have it on my e-reader. It may have to move up the ladder.

Wishing you a great year of reading and good things in life.

>1 reading_fox: Happy new year!

Happy New Year! Happy reading!

Happy new year! I too have a copy of Lud-in-the-mist and need to move it up the TBR pile.

>1 reading_fox:, >2 Marissa_Doyle:, >5 pgmcc: I have Lud-in-the-Mist in both the Ballantine and ebook editions. I read it years ago, and remember it being rather charming. Stardust and The Last Unicorn have a similar vibe, so if you liked either, you'll probably like this.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year!

Happy new thread, >1 reading_fox:! Hope 2021 is memorable for all of the right reasons.

Happy new thread. I think I borrowed the Mirrlees from the library once upon a time but didn't read it. Back onto the TBR it goes.

Thank you everyone! I hope I'll make the time to check in on other people's threads too.

>7 Maddz: yes agree to both, and also Charlotte English's alfenhyme series.

If you enjoy Lud-in-the-Mist, then you may want to check out The Well of the Unicorn and The Blue Star, although they have more in common with William Morris' epic fantasies.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Yes, Lud-in-the-Mist is also on my TBR pile. And calling to me...

Happy new year!

Continuing from your 2020 thread I really must say that I love the Chanur books. I repeatedly think that I'll reread them, but reading has been very slow for me lately and I won't take time from it by doing rereads.

Happ new year!

Last year TOR released the first five wayward Children novellas to celebrate the publication the sixth,
every heart a doorway down among the sticks and bones Beneath the sugar sky in an absent dream come tumbling down

Of which my favourite is IanAD by far - Lundy is just the slightly withdrawn, still sociable when required but just as happy in a book, child that I could easily have been. The Goblin Market with it's strict rules of fairness and loopholes has enough whimsy to be fun without being too silly. It's a shame theat Jack and Jill get a book each, because although they're a great counterpoint to the other characters they're not empathetic enough to entertain me. I'm not a big fan of novellas and it seems cheating somehow to make a series of them when you could have a more established world with greater depth and character development in the same number of worlds in a trilogy of novels.

>18 reading_fox: In an Absent Dream was the first one I read, and it's my favorite. It feels quite different from the others, perhaps because it's telling Lundy's earlier story. Also, the Goblin Market is a fully realized character, which I appreciated since it's a trope I enjoy.

I hope McGuire someday writes an adventure set in the spider world that gets mentioned in passing. Who would not want to shrink in size and defend a spider queen against a wasp army?

The curse of chalion for the group read. Just fun low-fantasy with interventionist gods. Can a returning soldier find peace as the Reign changes hands.

A memory called empire Santathing and recommended from someone's threads surprisingly similar plot to above without the gods. Imaginative and entertaining but both hot and cold, parts of it I loved, and then I'd find myself losing interest again. Clever politics of a not-chinese-styled Empire in space, and it's neighbour seeking to maintain Independence. Some great worldbuilding.

Two re-reads and the series finish the meri, taminy and the crystal rose. The first two ahd been ER titles some years back a few months apart, and I'd been browsing the independent BookViewCafe for new ebooks when I came across the third. I remembered the first two as charming low/religionous fantasy, and so they remained on re-read. God's will is interpreted via a mystical Mermaid on the welsh coast, as if Jesus was a woman. Hence fairly heavy on the feminism, but enjoyably so. The third is just dark and loses all the charm as there's a battle of wills between the unpleasant men and the various "witches". Could have been a lot better given the initial premise.

My parents were very impressed with physical intelligence a pop-sci booking purporting to look at what non-conscious processes influence our activities. I found it tedious, and frequently either obvious or dubious.

And yet again I wish authors would pick unique titles. How hard is it given the variety in the english language.

the windup girl excellent pick from Santathing. Very dark and given it's genetic plague background probably not the most suitable thing to be reading right now. Just a few little niggles with the technology and it could have been almost perfect. I wish authors would understand the science they try to foist into their books, that is the point of SF to explore the consequences of the possible. The setting to great, some of the details annoyingly not quite so much.

>22 reading_fox: The wind-up girl is dark and I know a lot of people HATED it mainly, I think, because of the way the exploitation of Emiko was shown. I can see why, but nevertheless I found it a very good read. I liked the idea of the Cheshire cats! The water knife was excellent too.

>23 Sakerfalcon: - I'd read some of his short story collections and wasn't blown away, but I may try more of the novels because he seemed to have a better voice in the longer format.

Blitzed through mistborn, well of ascention, hero of ages by BS. Mistborn is still the best, but you can't re-capture the magic of reading it for the first time and discovering allomancy along with Vin. HoA less annoying than the first time I read it, don't know if I've changed or just having a better understanding of how it fitted into the universe.

ER title. the western passage arrival (Author's need to not use : in titles, it messes up LT). 2nd in the series I've read, not bad, mash-up of vampires and zombies in a dystopian world, a struggling team of humans befriend a vampire and don't all die.

Apocalypse Nyx stroybundle 'noir' collection of short stories. Dark sf but really strikingly fun, a grumpy mercenary leads a small team killing people with engineered insects. So much fun that I looked up the author, Kameron Hurley to find I'd already wishlisted the starts of her two series, presumably from conversations on LT.

A most wanted man - re-read but I'd forgotten this was not one of LeCarre's best. Key themes are there, but he never quite manages to get under the characters' skin and you're left not knowing all the details, despite knowing all their clothing and food choices.

wayfarers - all four of them finishing with the recent The Galaxy and the Ground within They're all charming. Wonderful cosy SF and fully recommended to all GDers who haven't already read them. (I'm sure they were pushed on some threads a couple of years ago). IMHO book 2 is the weakest, I don't like flashback story-telling, and I wasn't that interested in Pepper to start with, and unconvinced by the AI. Book 3 record of a spaceborn few is the highlight looking at the wonderful generational ships and what happens to the culture they fostered when they're no longer needed. Perfect metaphor for modern life, but subtly done with imagination and great characters. Galaxy is a close 2nd - the setting is more prosaic, and without a single human it's a bit more of grasp to get the characters, but the last half is superbly done - the kindness of strangers and the wonder of friendship. Positive and uplifting SF without being trite anywhere.

>22 reading_fox:, >23 Sakerfalcon: I remember enjoying The wind-up girl immensely, but The water knife is getting deeper and deeper into the TBR stack. Maybe I should bring it back up to the more imminent reading layer: thanks sakerfalcon for reminding me of it.

>24 reading_fox: Good to know that Hero of Ages might get better on the second read. I had liked everything of his that I had read so far but after that one he got removed from my author list, so to speak. (The blood and gore contrasted with the entirely touch-less love affair of the protagonist was already getting to me, tbh, so maybe HoA was just the final tipping point; I don't know.)

Neil Gaiman praised Lud-in-the-Mist in one of his essays, so I was not surprised to find that I enjoyed it in much the same way that I've enjoyed his stories. They have a lot in common.

The unspoken name from Tor's ebook program and an author to watch out for. As a first novel this is very good! not without flaws but incredibly imaginative. A splintered world with splintered gods, but easy travel between the pieces. An 'orc' is trained as an assassin to bodyguard a mage/priest but develops her own sense of purpose whilst trying to avoid her past ties with the gods.

complex er title, not impressed, was going ok ish as a dystopia with corporate greed etc, but then ruined whatever was promising with a truly dire ending.

god's war first of the Nyx novels, set before/around the short stories as above. Didn't quite appeal as much as I'd expected, even darker if possible. Still very clever though.

from timbuktu another ER title - actual non-fiction - tales from a career in foreign aid work. Not so much at the coal face as managing and organizing and spending money whilst abroad. Does sound like he enabled a difference made to the lives of many people in many countries, but fails to impart much passion into the obvious joy and good he did get from the job. Some interesting notes about the reconstruction of Iraq.

>1 reading_fox: Ooh - now this sounds tempting. I like all the older fairy stories, and this looks to be a good one.

>28 reading_fox: So glad that you liked The Unspoken Name. I thought it looked good when Tor was giving it away, and the ratings here on LT are pretty good!

cycle of fire one Janny's series that I'd never been able to find, now available as an ebook trilogy - same basic setting concepts as the others, a fleeing humanity has ended up in a 'typical' fantasy world of magicians and demons, but the justifcations work back to an SF premise which is quite clever and allows some more thoughtful motivations - although the alien/demon option didn't work for me. Brother and Sister take different paths when granted powers which decide the fate of the world, with added pirates. Good fun! and as gripping as Janny's writing always is.

V is for vengeance catching up on the last few of these that I didn't read for some reason. Feels very dated now as it's set in 1988. Still works as a fast paced crime novel though, probably readable as standalone without the other 20odd as few of them relate to prior cases.

call to arms mid series book from a storybundle. Police procedural average ok drug smuggling in a military base. Ok if you like Uk cop stories but nothing special

beneath the rising also storybundle world SF title - I like the principle of reading fromwider backgrounds but transplanting lovecraftian monsters into canada/middle east didn't really work, not a genre I'm keen on at the best of times. I did like the devil's bargain prodigy concept.

Sunrise alley I'd heard a few good things about the author but if this is typical of her writing I'll pass. The concepts were good, but the romance was cheesy and the writing didn't alleviate it. I believe this was one of her earlier novels, does anyone know if they get better? Or should I just mark them up as not for me.

>32 reading_fox: I've heard mixed reports of Asaro's Skolian Empire series. If I found them used I'd try them, but they sound potentially too romantic for me to want to spend much money on the first time.

>33 Sakerfalcon: I think I got Sunrise Alley when I was reading on a Palm m500 from the Baen Free Library. Can't remember it, though (I think it must be around 20-odd years since I read it) and I've not bothered with the others.

fear and longing in los angeles poor and derivative emo-werewolf. Oh how sad am I that my girlfriend can't cope with my macho-dogginess I'd better go find many other women to sleep with and fight some dudes to feel even better. At no point does he actually change into a werewolf. avoid - storybundle fail again.

the citadel of weeping pearls I never quite know what to make of Aliette de Bodard. At some point I'm going ot have to find a novel length work to read and decide to stay with her amazingly imaginative and bizarre worlds or abandon them all as just too outre and un-relatable. This is novella length, and confusing, but not actually terrible time-travel in dynastic space empires.

the Traitor re-read. Holds up just as well as the first time, and amazing debuet novel, that grips enthalls and wrenches in equal measure. Baru's island nation of easy living is conquered by the neighbouring 'civilised' empire and her way of life destroyed. She realises the empire is too vast to destroy from the outside and so chooses to attempt to overthrow it from within - however she has to make many sacrifices along the way. Her first appointment is as an accountant to a remote kingdom of feuding duchies, that are also reluctantly under empire control, and a strategic resource which can't be lost. This really is great complex politics, wonderful characters and real relationships.

the monster To Baru's disappointment she isn't sent on to the capital but must voyage south to try to prevent the navy from sparking a war, and prove that the neighbouring republic of peace 1000 years in duration is in fact nothing of the sort and ripe for overthrow. However still struggling with her head injury she turns to drink and companionship to calm her conscience and nearly makes a fatal mistake. The writing style has changed and I'm not a fan of the flashbacks or the brief excerpts from other characters.

the tyrant Better but still not as good as the first. Much more focused on Baru she's trying to juggle a lot of competing interests and get enough pieces back to the capitol to prove her mentor's success but not lose sight of her ultimate goals. I thought this was going to be the end of the series, but at over 800 pages it's still only a stepping stone. At least one more not yet written.

I do like that Seth Dickinson has had encouragement and beta reading from many of the up-coming and award winning names in fantasy genre.

>35 reading_fox: I understand what you mean about Aliette de Bodard; she covers the widest range of any author I have read recently. Her worlds are always envisioned in detail and deeply strange, but some have warm, relatable characters, whilst others are cardboard personalities in an alien landscape.

Personally I would recommend her recreation of Aztec society, Servant of the Underworld as a good novel to start with, as having real characters that you can become involved with, even though Aztec values are very different to ours.

>35 reading_fox: I got The traitor Baru Cormorant as a tor.com freebie. I'm glad you liked it; that will push it up the TBR pile.

>35 reading_fox: Ditto what >37 Sakerfalcon: said! Glad the rest of the series is high quality, too.

Sirgrus blackmane ER noir urban fantasy. Kind of works (better than many ER) but the noir is a bit forced and feels out-of-place sometimes. Setting is a revised history when WWII was against the orcs in europe and the dwarfs fought on the side of the US. But magic is fading and Prohibition is here, so it's rough.

Gridlinked re-read from 5 years ago. Usually remembered not a thing about this, but it didn't really get any more involving the 2nd time around. Cormac is too out of touch with others to be a useful protagonist.
Line of Polity didn't get any better, just don't care about any of the characters, most of whom will only appear in this book and Cormac himself it too bland. Some vast aliens but not enough to support them.

I know that I've mentioned this before, somewhere, but despite having read six of Asher's Polity books, and enjoying at least the first four that he wrote (Gridlinked, Skinner, Line of Polity, and Brass man) I then lost interest: too repetitive, characters that felt weak/uncharismatic, to keep me going.
I sometimes look at the books and think "maybe I should reread, to see if the present me is intrigued by them" but then dismisses the idea. My TBR pile is huge and so I'd rather make a dent in that.
Thanks, in a way, for validating that decision :-)

>40 Busifer: - I feel like that with Banks' Culture too. I should like these, the universe is absolutely amazing and clever, but somehow I just don't.

>41 reading_fox: I can definitely see that.

fiction river: spies Storybundle short stories collated by Kristine Rusch who's writing I generally enoy. Part of a themed bundle, but all of these are good, mix of noir, WWII corporate and a few oddities.

Water Knife projected water shortages in the US lead to corporate greed and human misery. I quie liked this, but it's not without issues.

souls lost part of the same storybundle, this time an urban fantasy/crime mix which works quite well. Small town america has made a pact with something and the descendants are learning about their responsibilities. I probably will pick up the completion of the duology at some point.

>43 reading_fox: I've had Water knife in my TBR pile for what feels like ages (checking the LT entry date tells me it's been three years). I keep intending to read it, but.. would you say it's interesting enough to pick sooner rather than later, or should I keep it waiting?

>44 Busifer: depends what's ahead of it! I'd read it over ULG but not CJC. It feels a little bit like KSR maybe slightly darker but if you're in that sort of mood it's not bad. Not overly long 400odd pages I think.

>45 reading_fox: Ah, my plan was for next read to be a KSR (The Ministry for the Future), and I remember enjoying The wind-up girl: it was why I got Water knife in the first place.
I'll definitely bump it closer to the top of the pile - thanks!

(I have some time yet to go with Chaos vector so the decision still lies in the future.)

>46 Busifer: I liked The Windup Girl slightly more than The Water Knife, but thought both were good. His Pump Six and Other Stories collection also contains short stories that relate to both of those books.

>47 ScoLgo: It’s been a few years, but I’ve read both The Windup Girl and Pump Six and Other Stories. I haven’t read The Water Knife. I was lukewarm on Windup, but I liked Pump Six better even though I’m not usually that crazy for short stories. The title story in particular has stuck with me.

souls lost from storybundle small town urban fantasy with fairly minimal 'fantasy' some spirits linger due to a deal made generations ago.

lion city also storybundle. Really weird Singapore SF. A bit like pixel juice without the reoccuring themes. Very very weird, but a great collection of short stories. I normally find things like this too weird for me, but the balance is great here, internally consistent just enough explanation to understand the premise, and some great twist/punch endings rather than just being wierd for the sake of it.

food of the gods yet more storybundle. Weird for the sake of it, gross full of gore and very confusing. Only finished because I wanted to see how bad it was, it never made any complete sense.

It's so difficult with things like storybundle where LC was one of the best compilations I've read this year, and a very similarly described book was among the worst (although far from the worst ever). I've paused on Storybundle for a while although a few on the bundle still to go.

x every reliable. No change from any of the previous 23 Kinsey is a little older and maybe a little wiser than in A but not much. Two interlinked mysteries and a bit of neighbourhood drama thrown in for light relief.

>49 reading_fox: Lion city seems like something I'd enjoy, thanks for the bullet :-)

>49 reading_fox: I've taken a hit on Lion City too!

Edge of the woods paranormal werewolf ER title. A bit too romancey to really be my thing, but a good werewolf story. How to keep the pack secret when the whole town is in on it, but a new Sheriff has come to town. Good set-up for further books.

ain't nothin' personal another ER title, set in the 60s referring to events even further back is an odd choice for a police procedural. Investigating a race-crime decades later is always going to be tricky proposition. Took a while to get into it, especially as I've no references for the setting, but improved once I'd persevered. Oddly it's the third part of a series, and it's always hard to properly assess books without being familiar with the rest of it - I wish ER publishers (all publishers!) would be clearer about series order!

Secrets & Lies, Rusch Storybundle, short stories from the editor who's novels I like, but these weren't as good. Crime short stories really need some kind of punch to the ending, and unexpected twist etc, but these in all of a variety of settings just stopped, more like novels with fewer words which isn't the point.

Patient Zero recommended on here somewhere. OK action -zombie novel with a lto more focus on the action than on any of the details. The protagonist is fun, the rest I'm not so sure about. May try another in the series someday.

>52 reading_fox: So you almost scored a bullseye with Patient Zero until you said it was the first in a series. *sigh* I might compromise and put it on my wishlist...

>53 clamairy: I think narilka is a big fan, my understanding is each book more or less stands on it's own, with the hero facing different threats, so the zombies are just in this one.

>54 reading_fox: Yep, I am a Joe Ledger fan. I agree that Patient Zero stands well on its own if you didn't feel up to a series but wanted some zombie killing action. I've read 5 so far and each has featured a different monster of the week.

>52 reading_fox: Good to see you enjoyed it :)

>54 reading_fox: & >55 Narilka: I don't know why but I do love a good zombie yarn. 🧟‍♀️

balancing act, churcher the 6th installment in my friend's UK YA Dystopia. Having followed Bex and Ketty for 5 books this a look at the same events through the eyes of the nonredeemable Conrad. Drop dead gorgeous and he knows it. Life is fun, until he's tasked with influencing Ketty who is no pushover like the Postroom girls. Rachel's done a great job of taking a character that you really don't care for, and explaining his motivations. It's not my favourite of the series, but a worthy addition! The ending is quite bleak, but I've read the short story collection that's due out in summer as the definitive ending and they're much more uplifting.

nothing personal Storybundle, an assassin working the darknet and living an ordinary life. It's a bit odd, but just about hangs together. I think I prefer the Evil genius series which is a bit more light-hearted. An easy job turns out to have complications when the target reveals her boss had been trafficking young women.

Y is for yesterday the final Kinsey Malone mystery, sadly far from the best. I prefer these when they're just told from Kinsey's POV instead of cutaways to the various perpetrators across time. There's a lot of domestic drama added in (more perhaps than usual) which left a lot of loose ends and I've no idea how these were planned to completed in the one remaining book that we'll never get to meet. RIP MS Grafton, your tales brought joy to a huge audience, and I'm sure you'll be the first to admit they weren't high literature but they substantially better than most of the genre, Kinsey is one of the first kick-ass female detectives long before Laura Croft was even thought of, and for those of us who grew up before computers and mobiles were commonplace she'll always have a special place in our hearts.

to ride hell's chasm re-read of an old favourite. Classic standalone fantasy. A distrusted guard captain has to rescue a princess who's fled from her marriage day. There's little magic as such but the demons chasing them are capable of more than either expect. Janny's love for horses shines through.

Century rain another favourite re-read - direct contrast this is dark science fiction. Noir detective setting seems an unusual start but it quickly becomes apparent that 'proper' nano-tech space fairing SF is there as well. I love the juxtaposition of these storylines. I'm not sure it's Reynolds' best work, but it's unusual and clever.

Mandrake petals and scattered feathers
ER physical book! Weird fantasy, traditional interleaved short stories. Approximately set around one village in the forest with a crossroads guarded by the trickster. the lovers flee along different roads through the sea and mountains. Dark in places, and weird, but enthralling.

paperclip ER. I quite liked on of the others in this universe of mostly self-contained stories, but this just didn't make a lot of sense. Capitalist oligarchs are kidnapped by a 3rd world state for their responsibility in committing economic crimes, which is an interesting premise but the characters didn't work and the plot was often focused elsewhere.

court of the grandchildren another ER title - very preachy again an interesting premise, but tried to weave too much into it. A town planner is called to answer for the decisions he made 50 years ago that partly lead to the global warming crisis. Mixed in with this was a diatribe against the incorporation of AI into people's lives. The book would have been better with only one of the themes.

the route of ice and salt mexican reworking of dracula's voyage to whitby with a gay captain lusting over his crew. As bad as it sounds.

death by darjeeling first of the teashop mystery cosies. I like these sorts stories sometime. They're light easy reading, but can be fun. This isn't the best in the genre, but it's ok as the author finds their feet it may improve. a teashop owner has to chivy the police investigation along as a businessman is found poisoned whilst drinking her tea.

sixteenth watch Mil-SF supposed to be the coast-guard in space but there was no rescuing anyone and a lot more customs work / conflict with Chinese military. Not sure if it's a good ide a poorly executed, or a good plot forced into the wrong setting, but it didn't quite work for me.

dragon nimbus novels not one of Ire Radford's best. cliched fantasy/romance with uneven writing and a plot the lurches from one point to the next. DNF as there's no end in sight.

I think the average for all of the above just about makes 3* and I need something more engaging to read next.

>59 reading_fox: Thank you for reading all of those so we don't have to

>59 reading_fox: I really wanted to like the teashop cozy mysteries, but alas, that cozy genre isn't for me. Not sure why I can swallow Miss Marple just fine, but find myself ranked by the amateur women in the cozy mysteries who always know better than the police. Maybe because Miss Marple was so gentle about it?

the sentinel Lee child - co-authored by his brother who has apparently been writing for some time under his own name. It didn't feel right - somehow it felt like they'd been given a few facts from the early Reacher and left to get on with it, although the back words indicate it was closely collaborative. Plot was ok, just the style felt stilted.

a gamer's wish storybundle - one of their decent hits. A lovely urban fantasy in the LitRPG genre (I don't think Tim will swing for this one) which the author may have invented. First time I've come across it. Great fun. A geek (gamer) finds a magic ring and gets three djin wishes. Together they circumvent the normal consequences of wishing for magic by imbuing it upon him as a DnD style progression. With character scores. Really clever. I'm not sure how well it will stand up for the sequels because the idea is done, but I've bought the omnibus anyway.

Pacific Blue Tattoo also storybundle but less good. Greek goddess Persephone is placed into a standard crime plot for little reason and on consequence. Didn't care.

there before chaos down among the dead and the latest and concluding out past the stars the end of Wagers Space Opera series. Hail has to come to terms with vastly more powerful aliens/gods and preserve her sanity and empire as she does so. Good job she can rely on her friends and allies. I really enjoyed all of these, Hail is just great irrepressible fun, the Indian background is unusual and remains interesting and inventive, the juxtaposition between her friends from the dark, and her royal companions are still sparkling and although I wasn't taken with the aliens, they added the necessary drama. All ends wrapped time for something new.

cry of the firebird ER title - not bad although not brilliant urban fantasy starting out in russian peasant village a young girl learns she's inherited powers to control a magic world she never knew existed along with a man imbued with a pheonix and a lot of friends. Fun fast paced but not really thought through

the crystal cave recommended to me on a thread somewhere. Well worth it, somehow I'd not come across this 70s classic before. Really enjoyed it - the start of 5 books, this is the boyhood of Merlin up until the birth of Arthur. Lovely feel to the history, great blending of all the athurian legends and just well written. Will pick up the rest.

finding fire and other stories really the absolute last of my friends YA dystopia set in near future UK. This is the DVD Bonus Features - a selection of short stories from characters who didn't get a novel of their own, plus some of the author's thoughts. It's a lovely conclusion - several epilogues in some respects plus a few other views. I'm impressed that she can write short stories as skillfully as the novels because they're often harder. Can't wait to see what she's writing next. I've enjoyed beta reading the whole thing, and hope all her publishing efforts are worth it. The whole series is now on amazon if you're interested, and she has a free book at www.Tallerbooks.com to whet your appetite.

the family cross (circle seven) another ER urban fantasy - very well done. Unsuspecting rich heiress is introduced to the other world when someone puts out an occult contract on her. Fortunately she stumbles across a protector. Very well handled introduction of a naive woman to the darker sides. Interested to see where the series goes next.

>63 reading_fox: It might have been me that hit you with the bullet for that Merlin book. I just listened to the audio for the first two a few months ago. They have aged very well. I read the first two in my mid teens and really loved them, but was not as crazy about the next two. I suspect that is because I was much older (mid 20s!) and more jaded. I didn't realize there was a fifth.

Loads of storybundle books. All urban fantasy, nominally being introduced to magic. Some better some worse. Witches of wheeler park was far too much paranormal romance for me. Fight flight or shift was werewolf based, and better, nice balance between controlling what options are best for you. Among the hunted non-human based, nymphs are hunted by greek gods in a modern setting, but urgh. Simantov also urgh. Conspiracy end of the world stuff.

I finished off Tao Wong's LitRPG Wish trilogy, which remained fun, but as expected the initial enjoyment of the genre is the discovering the world-building, and especially the 2nd book struggled with pacing and interest, but was all rounded out nicely in the end without becoming as trite as feared. I also picked up a healer's gift which is similar but more explicitly set on a fantasy world. I'll read more here and there but too many at once become dull.

victories greater than death Tor freebe. Really not my thing. Teenage girls in space never quite that aliens could be as good as they are. Silly. Some bonus points for accepting language, handling of gender choices and intimacy etc, but not enough to compensate for the basic plot.

I'm pausing Storybundle for a bit, and have some authors I trust a bit more (>64 clamairy: including the rest of the series - the 5th seems to be a later addition) lined up so hopefully more inspiring reading to come. I'll be away from keyboard for a bit, so may not get to review as comprehensively as I'd like to. Covid and weather allowing I'll be at some live music festivals which I've been really looking forward to and apprehensive about all year, but with less than a week to go it's looking good.

The appeal actual paper book picked up in a bookshop while OtherHalf was looking for textbooks. I know I was going to stick to authors I knew but this looked such fun I couldn't resist. It's also a rare novel that works better in pbook, vs ebook, because it's entirely epistolery - Messages/emails. A barrister takes on an appeal case, and asks his assistants to look at the evidence for him (standard legal practise). They message back and forth and share the evidence emails. It's a bit contrived but great fun and well told.

Gideon the ninth much recommended on here, and justly so. Lots of fun, a sarcastic soldier guarding a necromancer she detests but can't leave, as the pair compete with others in an unspecified challenge (the only guidance is don't open locked doors without permission) to become the UndyingEmperor's assistants. Just manages to stay on the right side of weird without becoming utterly strange.

the devil you know One of many many books with this title. Urban fantasy - I know the author from the Bridge stories, this is utterly different, despite featuring the return of the undead. Felix exorcizes ghosts, and becomes ensnared in case more complex than expected. Suddenly he's wondering where that ghosts go afterwards, which is a lovely touch. Many comparisons ot Harry Dresden, which is fair, this is a better start to the series than storm front was, I'll see how it progresses.

hollow hills continuation of Merlin's story. Arthur is born. We watch him grow up. the end. Could havea done with a bit more action, but the world building and Merlin's voiceis lovely easy reading.

last enchantment Arthur is now King, the witches are around, and plotting is happening. currently reading so can't say more. Just as good as the others.

Life update: (those on FB knows this already). I was expecting to still be away from keyboard, but after the 2nd music festival I had a positive LFD confirmed by pcr, so now I'm stuck at home isolating for 10 days. I will get a lot of reading done (if I'm not distracted by online/wildlife/weather). I fell fine. OtherHalf is immunocompromised so I'm in a tent in the garden to stay as far away as possible. :-( The 2 festivals were great, so wonderful to see live music again in person, with crowds. The artists clearly thrilled to have that energy back. The first festival felt a lot safer than the 2nd, and so it turned out to be.

>66 reading_fox: Sorry to hear about the quarantine, especially away from your partner.

I've tried Gideon a couple of times. Does it take a few chapters to kick into gear? I will admit to a quick DNF hook.

The first festival felt a lot safer than the 2nd, and so it turned out to be.

Yes, I think this is going to be the compromise for most people, who quickly will get a read for what actually is safer and works better.

>66 reading_fox: I really enjoyed The appeal too. I'm a sucker for epistolary novels and stories told via ephemera, and this was really well done. The author conveyed the various personalities through their messages so well.

I hope your PCR test comes back negative so you can go indoors again.

>67 libraryperilous: yeah Gideon takes a while to get going, but if you're not enjoying it by the time they've landed on the challenge planet I'd stop there. I found it novel and fun. Gideon is sarcastic enough to carry it through for me.

>68 Sakerfalcon: - positive. I've spent a week reading in the garden. At least it's sunny - in true british style too hot!

Enjoyed the Last Enchantment, I have one more to read but this really felt like it was intended to be the end.

A pale light in the black re-read of Wagers' new series. Coastguards in space competing in games and rescuing people. The conspiracy is a bit over the top but great characters.
Hold fast through the fire the 2nd. Described as Becky Chambers with kickboxing it doesn't quite work on either front really, the cosy is too much and the action not quite enough. Far from bad, just not as fun as Hail.

the Cuckoo's calling yes I know late to the party. I'd even watched the tv series before I got around to reading this. TV series a very good adaption captures the characters very well. Book is of course better, a good noir/PI/whodunnit.

>69 reading_fox: Some of us have to work still :( Annoyingly I booked my leave for next week, so I'll miss the really good weather.

At least we've been eating in the garden - lunch and dinner although himself disappears indoors fairly sharply after lunch (it's too hot for him). I've managed to read a bit more of Underland sitting over my lunch-time coffee.

>69 reading_fox: Are you out of the tent yet?

>72 reading_fox: - Yes. Gt incredibly lucky with the weather, 10 dry days in the UK! Even for summer that's unusual. Just managed to get the tent dry and put away, and then it started raining. Now back at work.

>72 reading_fox: I was thinking about you too. Sometimes I envy the urban campers in the creek behind our house. Being outside in the dark has always been lovely to me, especially when there is a moon to frost everything in its light. However, practically speaking, I'm not so fond of bugs, or shifting rocks to get a better feel under my back, or the skunks that wander by. It is lovely having a choice whether or not to be outside. Very glad the weather cooperated for you.

>72 reading_fox: Glad to hear that you got through that OK.

Wow lots more books to add! Not sure where I found all that reading time - train to and from a quiet weekend with MIL didn't add that many!

the book of Koli MR Carey's third universe, and my least favourite, probably won't bother with the rest. Dystopia with mildly mangled language, the active vegetation was fun but mostly unexplained. Boy seeks life outside village encounters technology and dangers. Riddley Walker is better.

Jasmine Throne Chance buy of an actual physical book also featuring active vegetation in a weird coincidence. Hindu/Buddest fantasy with female led priests fighting against their male rulers, with politics and direct action when necessary. Didn't quite grab me and I'm not sure why, maybe just needed more explanation of the world and less jumping between huge cast.

Murmurs in the dark ER title early halloween tales, short stories some of them as good as MR James but mostly not quite so good, I'm not a fan of humorous ghosts.

ZRT division Tennessee meh. ER zombie book but didn't really work, tried too hard too tangled plot, poor characters and unbelievable (even for zombie!) world-building

the wicked day Story of hte build-up to King Arthur's death told from Mordred's POV rather than Merlin as previously, mostly works but only because Modred uses a very similar detached style which is cheating really. I did like it. There's one more left in the series but I've no idea what it's got left to tell!

Spellslinger recommended to me by my precocious 10yr old niece! Great fun, YA fantasy very fast paced, but clever world. Kellen has very little magic and uses his wits instead. A passing stranger helps him realise the world may be a lot more complicated than he first thought. Very narrow focussed as is typical of YA but really enjoyable.

The silkworm 2nd of Rowling's alter-name crime dramas set in london with the grumpy Strike and upbeat Robin. Macabre death of an author is a bit grim, and Strike doesn't sit will in the pretentious author/publisher crowd. Gripping drama all the same.

the rig Clever science fiction blending gang rivalry with social media and aracne technology on scattered planets, what else do people have to hope for but the chance of redemption. Two interleaved storylines don't look like they'll ever merge until a very clever twist 3/4 way through. Not my favourite style but worked very well with quite a limited cast.

I've read all the Felix Castor books more than once and they're a hoot. There's enough 'real crime' stuff in there that I don't mind the supernatural. It's done in in a matter-of-fact way that just works.

Ditto the Cormoran Strike books - they are long and sometimes overly complicated, but I like the characters, especially Robin, so I keep coming back.

>75 reading_fox: I discovered the Spellslinger series a few years ago. I am glad you enjoyed it; I have completed the whole main arc now, and found it worth the trip. (N.b. Second book, IMHO, is the weakest of the lot.)

>75 reading_fox: Can The Wicked Day be read as a standalone? I quite like Mordred as a character, but I'm not a big fan of Arthuriana or the kind of magic system Stewart seems to use in this series. I really love Stewart's travel adventures, though. I've read all of them.

I don't think the Spellsinger books are right for me, but I'm intrigued by the Greatcoats series.

>78 libraryperilous: WD probably can, there are a few references to Morgan and Morguesse's actions which may not be clear without the prior trilogy that explains them, but it's all set from Mordred's view and mostly happens after the events in the first three have already occurred.

>77 -pilgrim-: I'll keep that in mind thanks. I suspect my niece will want to talk through the whole series with me, she's up to book 4 by now.

>76 Bookmarque: Have you seen the TV series? I (very unusually) watched that first and am impressed at how true to the books they managed to make the characters. Fortunately I remember very little of the plots so the books aren't spoilered.

down a street that wasn't there a quick read today of 7 short stories by MB. All very good! I should find more of her urban fantasy, I enjoyed the Dragons, and wasn't so taken with Onyx court.

>79 reading_fox: With the second book, I feared Kellen was going to get a new girl, a new magic system and a new country with each subsequent book. Thankfully, the series did not actually go that route - and everything has consequences/reasons further on.

>78 libraryperilous: I have also read the first of the Greatcoat movels, but it just never held my attention in the same way.

>79 reading_fox: I haven't - we don't have cable or satellite and streaming is near impossible with our slow and limited internet connection. I'm glad they did a good job though.

>79 reading_fox: Thank you. I've added it to my TBR.

>81 -pilgrim-: I'm a little on the fence because books that are inspired by my favorite classics often fall flat for me. Actually, I've just read the synopses of Spellslinger books 4-6, and they do sound very interesting.

>75 reading_fox: I'm glad you enjoyed The Wicked Day. I remember not liking it, but I have no memory of why. Might have just been because it wasn't Merlin telling the story.

I've got a 15yr LT badge! (I'd better buy some books!) Doesn't time fly. The site has changed a lot and yet remained virtually the same. It';s not easy to tell how many I've read in that time, but I've entered some 1600 reviews which is a close indicator (although some of early additions had short reviews added even if I hadn't recently read them).

I'm just about court up in reviewing after reading a succession of books back to back without updating LT.

In the woods following a recommendation on here - enjoyed the story but the main detective is such a jerk I'm not sure I want to read any more of him. Anyone know who the rest of the series follows?
vicious circle Didn't pick up where I expected and made light of the demon partner which would have been more fun.
the smoke scented girl an odd Storybundle fantasy, with a government mage tracking down a new potentially very potent magic, only to find it's an unwitting girl. Characters were good but I'm not sure the world was quite thought through, which is a common issue I have.
rotten row picked up because I enjoyed the author's short story. Fun SF looking at consequences of downloading into bodies (cf altered carbon, kiln people etc) and art.
career of evil my least favourite Strike novel, because we get excerpt from the deranged antagonists mind, both unpleasant and a writing technique I dislike.
Rosemary for reversal predictable Storybundle urban fantasy. Guess which herb might counter a novice witches unplanned spell?
dead men's boots 3rd of the Felix series, and I'm giving up here because they've already lost the inventiveness of the first, and aren't doing anything interesting with the ghosts. Somewhere along the series I'm sure the Grand Plan will feature but that hook is too shallow to drag me.
Angel Hunts another storybundle urban fantasy. This time it's massively overpowered protagonists going up against actual gods, yet no infrastructure gets damaged. Kind of fun though, with assassins destiny and family all intertwined.
Lethal White fourth and best of the Strike books so far - I think there's only one more to go. The TV adaptions have done these proud, staying very true to the books, which are a well balanced mix of plot and the detectives personal lives. Does have odd moments of telling rather than showing, but remains engrossing.

Full reviews on profile etc.

Time for some science fiction! any recommendations?

>85 reading_fox: Congratulations on the 15th!

>85 reading_fox: Happy 15th Thingaversary!

In the Woods. I too was a victim of Tana French recommendations here. I read The Wych Elm first, which convinced me to read more. It was standalone.

Then I started the Dublin murder squad books in order, starting with In the Woods. I thought the same of the main character, but, I understand he is not in the subsequent books. The second book is about the detective who was his partner in the first book.

>85 reading_fox: Happy 15th!!!

Peter is correct. That particular character never shows up again.

I think I DNFed the 5th Cormorant Strike book. Or perhaps it was more of a 'read 5 pages and didn't pick it back up' thing. I haven't watched any of the series yet, but I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it.

>85 reading_fox:
For your information, >88 clamairy: was one of the active protagonists in the campaign to have me read Tana French.

Thank you, Clam!

>88 clamairy: good to know thanks.

Dune partly because I haven't re-read it in many years and it needed a longer review in my catalogue, and partly because apparently there's some film coming out of it. My copy is a paper book as old as I am, and the story itself even older, which surprised me! It's stood the test of time remarkably well, and just about makes it as SF rather than ScienceFantasy, so there's no SuckFairies allowed. Dune's a wonderfully fully imagined world, that the characters stride around - it could do with more characterisation to be true, but I still enjoyed it massively. Politics religion lasers and Giant Sand Worms what more could you want?

Wow a whole month without an update. I have been reading, although for life reasons just less prolifically than sometimes, and the review writing has totally taken the hit. APparently it's only been 1 book a week! Although all of them were heavier going than average:

Downbelow station on of CJCs classics, that I needed to re-read and review properly. I'd thought I remembered the plot as being mostly based on the world, but it isn't - it's the politics of station life, and the rare insight into the Fleet mindset. Early Company Wars and totally gripping.

a history of what comes next didn't appeal, focused on a depressing bit of history, re-casting a few key figures in the race to space as aliens requiring humanity to bootstrap itself to the stars so they can get home - became increasing less sensible, and didn't have the setting or characters to justify it. I won't continue the series. Thought provoking author though.

troubled blood the last? Strike novel, and perhaps the best. More focused on Robin and Strike their lives and dramas, interspersed with a case we don't really care about. Fun.

Inhibitor phase Reynolds latest entry back inot the Revelation Space universe, feels forced and unnecessary rather than genuine desire from an author to tell a particular tale. Reconnects with a few characters and goes back to the same old places.

At some point life will return to 'normal' and I'll update this on a more regular basis!

2 ER titles, The Witch Collector, weaks was ok, but had an icky romance forced into it which detracted from the clever world-building. and blaze in, blaze out which was aimed at the US hunting market I think, and didn't resonate with me at all.

the likeness because everyone upthread said it was worth persevering with. Correct, without Jerk as the lead detective it works much better. Again Tara writes really amazing friendships. the coincidence/murder is a bit odd, but the characters absolutely shine. Has been a UK Tv series, apparently very well done. OtherHalf has seen it before I'd read the books.

network effect MurderBot Novel, so much better than a novel, although a bit confusing in places SecUnit remains great fun.

Harrow the Ninth disappointing, very confusing without any of the levity and irreverence Gideon brought to the first. I nearly put it down several times, but there's just enough cleverness to keep it going. A lot of time-line jumping and Harrow re-imaging the past which is difficult to comprehend. Plus a lot of gore of course. Fewer characters but less memorable and more opaque. I think it's setting up a grander scene for the final two, but I'm not sure I'll bother finding out.

Now to try some lighter reading for the last week of the year!

>92 reading_fox: Having read several of the Dublin Murder Squad books before watching the series it didn't work that well for me. I think I would have enjoyed it more with a different lead actor. The actress that played Cassie was perfect, though.

Finished off the year as I started it = with a re-read of memory called empire and then the sequel, desolation called peace

These are both great, cultural comparison SF, just as it's meant to be. First from an independent territory looking into the poetic Empire neighbouring them, and then the sequel is the reverse, as the Empire faces an external alien threat. Both feature the same two women, Mahit the ambassador to the emprire, and Three Seagrass, her cultural liaison. There are several moments of real awareness as one or other of them realises they can never fully fit into their chosen society.

And that's it for 2021. A grand total of 119 books up some 20% from previous years (silver lining to covid), 3 of which are re-reads, mostly science fiction n (39), fantasy (56) and crime (28), with grand total of 2 non-fictions, much worse than average (ditto covid). 19 ER titles, all ebooks none that memorable.

Hard to pick any highlights that stood out especially, most were re-reads fo favourites. I enjoyed robert galbraith becky chambers alistair reynolds dune etc. Rachel Churcher finshed off her YA dystopia with a lovely collection of short stories that rounded it off neatly.

>94 reading_fox: Glad you enjoyed both of the Arkady Martine books. I thought the second one was a bit weaker than the first, but still solid.