I honestly don't know. I assume so, since I got it about 2 weeks ago. Heard about it, went down to the local bookstore and asked if they could order it, they said yes, but in hardback. Asked if I wanted to wait for the softcover, I declined.

Glad I did. Amazing. How can I keep falling in love with his characters?

And yeah, I really want book 2 now.

I just finished my last read through of the wheel of time! My perceptive on those books has really changed over the last 20 years. It was a really enjoyable re read. A more adult eye on things showed me a different side or the story I didn't pick up on in my teenage years.

And now I'm thinking of re reading Malazan (Ian C. Esslemont books included)

The end of unwilling God, with the consequences of what your wrote in the spoiler, was hard to read and wildly fascinating. Freaking malazan marines. They truly do give a shit.

Erickson is a master at his craft. I've read the OG 10 twice and given it a listen through. If you haven't listened to the first 10 books, I advise doing so. I picked up on several things I missed while reading.

BTW, www.bookdepository.com is where I always buy Erickson's books because they are released months ahead of when the US editions finally arrive.

Halfway through both of these both are great.
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Isn't Skyward a YA novel?

I guess

To some extent, but they're a nice, quick read and are a nice palette cleanser after some of Sanderson's denser books. I enjoyed the first two and have the third downloaded.

I keep wanting to get to the Malazan books, but it's pretty daunting. Is it best to just read sequentially, or is there a better entry point?

I’ve only read the main 10, so take this for what it’s worth, but I couldn’t imagine trying to work in the other books on a first read.

I'd go sequentially on Malazan. Book 5 is a good pausing point if you need to take a break.

Talking about the ICE books? Good info and some clarification in them, but if you don't read the ICE books, you really won't miss anything in the main 10 books of Malazan.

The ICE books are easier reads than Erickson's work.

Yeah, I mean, I assume that was the question. Sure, there are a few weirdos that suggest starting with 5 or reading 1-3-2-4, but those are pretty fringe ideas. There are a decent amount of folk that suggest reading the main 10 interspersed chronologically with the ICE. That seems like a fine idea for a reread, but I can’t imagine doing that on a 1st pass.

Yeah, the only part of IcE that I would personally recommend reading before the book of the fallen is Knight of Knives.

It’s an easier read and sets you into the world
fairly well. Would make Gardens of the Moon less of a “wtf” start.

Great point. I'll have to remember it when I recommend the series.

Looking at Sanderson's site for updates on Stormlight 5, and it really aggravates me that he wrote a bunch of "pandemic books" instead of working on the next Stormlight book.

Just finished Project Haily Mary by Andy Weir.

Thought it was fantastic! I have not read the Martian, his most famous work, but I may have to double back.

Setting my reading goals for 2023 ( I did this for the first time this year....and I read more than I had in years and throughly enjoyed, so I am gonna do it again).

Was thinking of finally tackling Malazan---I know many in this thread have read this series, and there is some debate on what order to read the books (where to mix in the ones written by Esselmount from what I gather). Any suggestions on a good reading order?

Thanks!

I recommend at least reading Knight of Knives first.

I would not recommend the newest prequel trilogy before BoF, though.

So start with Knight of Knives, then basically go in order throught the Erickson books?

I was thinking publication order, as that is how most folks would have done it, but am open to changing it up for the best story experience.

Thanks!

There are a few of the Esselmont books that can be helpful to read as you’re going through BotF (Return of the Crimson Guard is the main one).

I like Night of Knives first because it sets some of the stage you’re dropped into in Gardens of the Moon.

I started with GotM because I had no idea, but when I finally got to NoK I had quite a few "ooooooh, that makes sense" moments.

So I made an impulse buy on Audible - Reality Bleed by J.Z. Foster and Justin Woodward and was listed as sci-fi/horror. If you like ultraviolence and gore in your sci-fi escapism, well do I have good news for you. It's almost like they're exactly ripping off Doom 2016/Doom Eternal (it takes place on Mars with hellish creatures pouring in out of a portal we opened to another dimension), but it's kept me engaged. It's close enough to the game so far that I keep waiting to hear the Doom music start playing.

The premise is actually kinda cool - America and Russia at each other's throats with the space race beginning in earnest in the 70's when the Soviets shot down one of our Apollo missions, then America became obsessed with getting the higher ground of space, all the way to Mars. If you're looking for something to pass the time with a little bit of hellish nightmare-scapes, check it out.

That sounds awesome Bowser.

ETA: it is included in Audible Plus. Added to my library.

I'm about a third of the way through the entire series. It's.....intense. Lol. Enjoy!

Into the 2nd book of the first Season. Good stuff.

Has a bit of the same feel as Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series.

I've been making an effort to read/listen to more books this year. June to January I believe I finished 13, which looking at that is nuts to me.

By far my favorite has been Adrian Tchaikovsky. I'm stoked the third book just came out, so I will likely start on that this weekend.

My least favorite, and this is by an extremely wide margin, Cixin Liu. I hated the series. I hated most everything about it. There was some interesting moments, but overall just hated it. I have no idea what it is so loved.

Biggest surprise to me has been how much I enjoyed Mammay. I'm about 60% done with Colonyside so please no spoilers for that. I will admit that I accidentally started with Spaceside (book 2), but it might be better read in that order: 2,1,3. It made book 2 this awesome detective novel in a way, and I'm not sure it would have been as fun. However, it does spoil book 1 of course, so it may have been much more enjoyable to do it in the right order... probably.

Dune audiobook was ****ing awesome.

Ringworld was silly, but I didn't love it as much as I thought I might nor as much as some friends thought I might.

Not on the list is Corey's Babylon's Ashes, but I read it before. I was on a work trip and didn't have anything to read or listen to at the airports/on the plane so I listened to it. I couldn't remember much of it from before. It's fun, like the rest of that series.

My list is:

I am aggravated that there doesn't seem to be a hardback version of Children of Memory published in the US. I did just see that there is a UK version, so I ordered it.

DAW Books Acquired By Astra Publishing House

So this is the literature thread that already existed that I wasn't aware of. The kind of literature that the fine folks from CP are into. Space adventures. Even you, Just Passin By? Not you too, JPB!

Read The Expanse series and come back and talk to us about Space Adventures.

Then read Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Both are probably over your head though prose wise.

Made it to season 2. If you're sticking with it, I'm curious as to what you think of it, if you decide to get season 2.

I finished out season 1 and will probably get into season 2 at some point, though I think I'm going to actually read season 2 instead of listening to it.

Good stuff.

I'm on book 27 or 28 (of 50+): <a href="https://www.blacklibrary.com/the-horus-heresy">Black Library - The Horus Heresy</a>
There are multiple series other than The Horus Heresy. It is a massive universe, with hundreds of books. Sci-fi/war

Warhammer 40k universe. Henry Cavill is developing a 40k series for Netflix... looks promising (he is a huge fan, and supposedly has full creative license). If done right, it will be amazing.

As an example see:

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I want you to quote in this thread just one paragraph, let it be long or short as is necessary for the occasion, to show me complex prose in a sci fi novel. And "The Road" does not count. Cormac Mccarthy wasn't a sci fi writer, he just decided to dominate the industry. Ball is in your court sir!

In all seriousness, if you haven't read The Expanse or Malazan Book of the Fallen, then you really can't speak to the level of prose.

Both are the equal of The Road and McCarthy's prose. Do yourself a favor and give either a shot.

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Just finished this which is a sequel to Black Sun not as good as the first but looking forward to the final entry.

I've never read The Silmarillion, so I figured I'd give it a shot on Audible. It's kind of difficult to follow the characters and locations and storylines due to it being so rapid fire, at least for me. Is that pretty much the way it goes if you read the book as well? It seems like there is so much thrown at the reader all at once.

The Silmarillion isn't really a novel with a narrative like LOTR. Instead, it's a compendium of myths from Middle Earth and reads like the Bible. So, yeah, it throws a lot of names and events at the reader in a short amount of time.

MONKEYMAN
Written by Ken & Carol Douglas
Available on Amazon

This is different. A book written by local writers about a primate research facility out by Lexington Missouri that has been able to successfully impregnate a bonobo chimpanzee with human sperm.

The story is about the offspring and how he ends up changing the world. This is book one with the sequel expected to be out later this year.

It's written like a premium series with a lot of short chapters and some really interesting characters. It's a family drama with a sci-fi twist. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Tried to upload a pic of the cover but I guess I don't know how. Just gets upload failure.

Sounds like a Planet of the Apes knockoff....could be interesting.

Have any of you read Ann Leckie's Ancillary series? I'm curious how others feel about it. I've read the first two books and like it quite a bit, but I'm a sucker for stories in which the author explores identity of self. I'm not sure how to describe it really. It has some impressive world building, but doesn't forget to tell a story too. I did have to find audio versions just to learn how to pronounce some of the names.

No, actually quite different. It concerns a human - chimp hybrid. A "humanzee". The story takes place in the Kansas City area.

Pretty interesting how they reveal some of the skills this hybrid possesses.

Expect the sequel out in a few months.

By the way, local writers. I know them, if anyone would like an autographed copy.

(And yeah, they, - the writers - are huge Chiefs fans, just like the humanzee that the story is about. The hybrid kid has a Mahomes poster in his room.)

I’m intrigued. What skills?

Just now discovering this thread, as an avid lover of Sci-Fi and Fantasy I’m looking forward to forward to checking in periodically. I’ve migrated to audiobooks in recent years, working my way through 50-60 books per year.

As for the prompt in the OP, my favorites of all time:
1. Foundation Series - Asimov (the classic)
2. Eon Series - Greg Bear (the less well known)
3. Star Wars Expanded Universe - Multiple Authors (this was my childhood, reading nearly 200 of the books before Disney acquired the franchise and made my childhood non-cannon)


Lately I’ve been sucked into the world of GameLIT (books that incorporate some sort of video game like mechanics or worlds… like Ready Player One which was my gateway). It’s genre adjacent to this thread. If anyone else is into GameLIT or LitRPG and wants to share notes, happy to chat via PM.

One that I would HIGHLY recommend for anyone who cares enough to be in this thread: the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. It’s one of the most hilarious and entertaining books I’ve ever read / listened to. It’s a fantastic mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy. The basic synopsis is that Earth is turned into a massive sadistic game show for an intergalactic audience with life and death stakes. The dust jacket description and cover art is honestly a bit of a turn off (I avoided it for a long time), but it’s a fantastic listen and has become one of my all time favorites.

Would highly recommend if you have a spare audible credit.

We find out that primates, like chimps and others, have highly developed abilities to communicate via sensory perceptions, which is influenced by proximity and relationship. By the end of the second book, we find out how that skill, in particular, saves the world. That along with some physical abilities make Charlie a very unique boy and then eventually man. I don't want to give away too much of the story.

Let me know if you'd like a copy and I can send you one. The first book is available on Amazon. Book 2 should be done really soon. It goes into editing probably next week.

Posted in the general books thread instead of this one by mistake:

Just finished Justin Cronin's "The Ferryman"....Scifi with some interesting twists and a dash of dystopia thrown in. Enjoyed it.

My son just read The Hobbit and is now diving in on LOTR. He is almost 18, and used to read a ton, all the Dresden File novels, Bobiverse, and a bunch of other stuff. Over the last couple years he hadn't been reading much at all. Is good to see him back into it, and sounding like he'd be open to some of my favorite series like The Expand and Malazan Book of the Fallen.

I stumbled on to the Starsea Cycle books by Kyle West. I didn't feel like I was crazy into them, but next thing I know I'm about to start book 10, the final book, in the series.

It kind of feels like the author is ripping off a number of other well known and established sci-fi/fantasy movies and stories to write this series, but it's just different enough to make it work. And I've enjoyed the ride, as well - a good mix of sci-fi and fantasy.

Project Hail Mary was a 10/10 for me.

By Andy Weir, who wrote The Martian… last I heard it is being adapted into a film with Gosling as the lead

It's been almost 8 years since the last book in the series.

Richard Fox has added a 10th book to the Ember War Saga.

The Fall of Earth (The Ember War Saga Book 10) by Richard Fox released today.

Fantasy - Gene Wolfe - "Latro in the Mist" is a 2 book reprint combo of a 3 book series. The final book came out many years later, after Wolfe took time off to take care of his wife. Takes place 2500 years ago in Greece, when the Persians are trying to invade. Our hero gets wounded fighting too near a Greek temple, and the resident goddess curses him to lose his memory as he sleeps. Our book is his 'daily update' so he knows who he is, where he is, and why. Good prose, and you soon really feel for the guy and his helpers. One sidebar to the head wound - he can now see the supernatural beings, gods, goddess' and 'vampire', etc..all around in ancient Greece. If he touches them, everyone else can see them. This leads to a few orgies. That's enough to hook those who'll enjoy it and I don't want to give too much away. My favorite novel, and I've read quite a few. Other Gene Wolfe stuff is worth checking out @ the lie-berry, but this one - I buy 2nd hand copies when I see 'em cheap, just to give away to friends. It's that good.

Finally started The Stormlight Archive. I'm about halfway through The Way of Kings. I'm undecided so far. It's not bad, but hasn't really hooked me yet.

It probably won’t until the last two or three hundred pages. The first 75% of that book was a slog.

I’ll say it’s worth it, though. Words of Radiance and Oathbringer are two of my favorite books of all time.

Appreciate the perspective. I read another hundred pages this weekend, so about 60% through, and I feel like it's about to get going.

It most likely will. Way of Kings was my first Sanderson read so I was unfamiliar with what they call the “Sanderlanche”. Sounds like you’re coming up on that now.

Where are you in the book, by the way? I’d like to live vicariously through you.

Lol, Sanderlanche. I hadn't heard that before. Feels appropriate.

The Way of Kings spoilers for anyone who hasn't read it yet, be warned:

Hell yeah, shit’s about to kick off soon enough.

Let me know what you think once you’ve finished.