Fantasy Book Club discussion

I'm trying something new for myself this month - a reminder personal event to keep me on track:

http://www.goodreads.com/event/show/3...

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny- in progress
A Song for Arbonne by
Guy Gavriel Kay
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
Blaggard's Moon by George Bryan Polivka
Armor by John Steakley
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

and possibly Avempartha if I can squeeze it in.

I'm currently working on:

The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov (This includes I, Robot plus a slew of other robot stories...)
Mistborn The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Upon finishing those, I plan to work on the following for GR group readings:

Neverwhere: A Novel by Neil Gaiman
Storms of Vengeance by John Beachem
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Carrie by a fellow named Stephen King

and once it arrives, I'll slip Avempartha by Michael J. Sullivan in there.....

I've got four books going right now:

Hammered by Elizabeth Bear

The Flame in the Bowl Unbinding the Stone by Marc Vun Kannon


City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer

Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson (I've been working on this one forever.)

I have quite a few books in my to-read drawer. I don't know what's next. It'll depend on my mood.

I've designated April as Trilogy month, so I'm gonna try to get through the First Law, Shanarra and Farseer Trilogy. Also I'm reading Tigana and waiting for Deadhouse Gates to arrive.

This month I hope to finish a couple books that I started last month:

Irresistible Invitation 40 Day Reading Book Responding to the Extravagant Heart of God,
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide Five Complete Novels and One Story

I started Neverwhere a couple days ago, and should finish that next week.

Books I want to read this month:

Jennifer Rardin's Once Bitten, Twice Shy
and
Stardust by Neil Gaiman

There are so many sitting by my bed...these are the ones on the top of the list right now.

I'm currently reading Making Money.
Next I plan on reading The Crown Conspiracy, and then rounding out my current S&S kick with Midwinter.

Then it's on to catching up with some faerie stories which have been recently released, including Faerie Lord The Faerie Wars Chronicles, Little (Grrl) Lost and Fablehaven Grip of the Shadow Plague. Then we'll finish up the YA trek with Attack of the Fiend...

Oh, I also want to reread Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch and Neverwhere for groups, so I'll have to fit them in somewhere, too...

That should take me into May, I think... which already has its own, growing waiting list...

Well I'm getting close to the end of A Game of Thrones by GRRM.

I've also been reading Thunder of Time by James F. David, which is a sequel to a book called Footprints of Thunder about dinosaurs that get transported to the modern world. However, I see myself giving up on this one soon because it's turning out to be a disappointment and not as good as the first book.

After that I'm going to reread Neverwhere A Novel for the book club.

Then I may get into A Clash of Kings if I'm not feeling intimidated by its size. Reading two massive tomes so close to each other can be daunting. So, other wise instead I might go for The Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick.

That's the plans for April for now.

Twiligt Watch by Sergie Lukyanenko which im already and done later tonight.

Then it is :

The Hills of Dreams by Arthur Machen
The Gun by C.S Forester
Kiss Her Goodbye by Allan Guthrie
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

I just finished Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh. Amazing read. I reviewed it, if anybody wants to click through--

Anybody who likes Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine or Laurell K. Hamilton-- I'd stack this book up against the early Anita Blakes... Yeah, it's that good.

After finishing Robin Hobb's Farseer triology last month, I decided (and started) to read sequel triologies; Liveship Traders and Tawny Man triologies.

Just finished Neverwhere A Novel for the second time. I'm excited to discuss it!

Hi Mohammed, how'd you like Twilight Watch? Love that series, altho the latest, Last Watch, felt a but glossed over than the previous ones.

I'm finishing up The Bonehunters which is taking me forever, for some reason I have done an abrupt about-face and haven't gotten any serious reading done in weeks and weeks!

Then I'll be reading Helprin's Winter's Tale for a group here. Been wanting to read that for about 25 years now.

I just finised ....

World War Z An Oral History of the Zombie War

Came highly recommended by my husband and daughter. I did enjoy it quite a deal but we do disagree on a few points.

I finished my reread of Neverwhere A Novel by Neil Gaiman a couple of days ago. It was just as good as last time.

I'm about half way through The Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick. It's proving to be bizarre, but really interesting. My first time reading something from Dick. But I have currently set it aside for now to get into

Avempartha by Michael J. Sullivan. So far it has been really hard to put down! :)

Ohhh I like to heare that Elise...I must say that my recent re-reading of Avempartha gave it a special place in my heart in relation to the series. It used to be my "least" favorite but after re-writes I really like what it turned into. Glad you are enjoying it!

Just finished Mistborn this weekend, then ran right thru Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn. Read half of Carrie last night and started Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand today. Once I breeze thru these quick reads, I'll be looking at getting epic again with Avempartha and The Well of Ascension

About 1/2 into The Time Traveller's Wife.
Well, I am not impressed so far.

Nice idea, I like the romantic bit but I dislike all the unnecessary bits about art, music, literature etc. I am not familiar with most of them and these bits are very boring and have nothing to do with the story line.

Not sure whether it is fantasy ot some other genre? Maybe mystic realism?

Sandi wrote: "I've got four books going right now:

Hammered by Elizabeth Bear"

I'm a bit late on the uptake here... but please let me know how you like(d) this book. I read New Amsterdam by her, and have been meaning to pick up some more of her stuff at some point. Hope it's a good one. :>

Astra wrote: "Nice idea, I like the romantic bit but I dislike all the unnecessary bits about art, music, literature etc. I am not familiar with most of them and these bits are very boring and have nothing to do with the story line."

Those are the very things that took that book from good to awesome for me. But I can see how they would probably appeal to a very specific type of person, and I think a lot of people didn't like those things. But for me they helped create a larger picture, something that made Henry and Clare's world a place I wanted to stay in, beyond the plot and story and characters. I absolutely love that book, it's my favorite.

As far as genre, it's not really fantasy or sci fi really. I see it as more of a general fiction book with some fantasy elements, but it's really not the focus and the way it's written makes those elements negligible.

Starting Clive Barker's [Book: Weaveworld] tomorrow. Haven't had a whole lot of time to read, so that one will probably take me the rest of the month.

Right now I'm reading "Heir Apparent" by Vivian Vande Velde. It's really good so far. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to read right now. Between promotions for my book and homework for my college coursework I'm pretty well swamped.

Summer vacation is just a few weeks away, however, and I have three more books lined up to read. The first two Erec Rex books by Kaza Kingsley and "The Sorcerer King" by Frewin Jones.

Lori wrote: "Hi Mohammed, how'd you like Twilight Watch? Love that series..."

Me too - this would be an interesting series to discuss. I haven't read the last two - how did you like them Lori? You mentionedd that The Last Watch wasn't your favorite. How about Dusk Watch (aka Twilight Watch)?

Dusk Watch
The Last Watch

Finished and loved Avempartha and Watchmen. Working on City of God. About to start Sons of Avalon Merlin's Prophecy. Anyone tried this one yet? I may have missed it in a thread. It's a GR Author.

Currently working on:
Fragile Eternity
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 1-4
I Capture the Castle
May Bird and the Ever After Book One

and will then be reading:
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Bones of Faerie
Close Kin
In the Coils of the Snake

Maybe I will get through a few more as well...

I'm reading City of Glass by Cassandra Clare and while its a good story all together, the female lead is too weak for my taste. I'm a big Tamora Pierce fan.

Which brings me onto the book I hope to have tomorrow: Bloodhound: Beka Cooper by Tamora Pierce. Loved the first book-- like policemen and women who walk the line, only cooler. Way cooler. Way, way, way.....

Libby wrote: "About to start Sons of Avalon Merlin's Prophecy. Anyone tried this one yet? I may have missed it in a thread. It's a GR Author.
..."

I have the book but have not read it yet....Michael read it and gave it a good review. The author Dee Marie is a great person.

I have a question..... just curious about the BDB series is Lover Avenged the last one for her series or will there be more? I just finished Phury's book and I am waiting for the next one...but I hope there is more I really like them!

I just finished A Clash of Kings. I am loving this series!

JG wrote: "I just finished A Clash of Kings. I am loving this ser..."

Woohoo! Another Martin fanatic joins the flock... :-D

JG: I'll be interested to see how you feel about book 3!

Just finished Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett, and am now reading Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. btw I loved Coraline, did anybody else see it or read the book?

Barbm1020 wrote: "Just finished Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett, and am now reading Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. btw I loved Coraline, did anybody else see it or read the book?"

I saw it, but didn't read the book. I found the movie quite enjoyable, though. Not suited for very young children, though. There are some rather disturbing images here and there.

Barbm1020 wrote: "Just finished Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett, and am now reading Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. btw I loved Coraline, did anybody else see it or read the book?"

I read the book and saw the film. Not one of my favorites of his, but I enjoyed the both well enough. I didn't get to see the movie in 3d, though, which was annoying.

Ah yes, I didn't get to see it in 3d, either, which would have been nice.

Barbm1020 wrote: "Just finished Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett, and am now reading Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. btw I loved Coraline, did anybody else see it or read the book?"

I loved both the book and the movie. They were very similar to each other so I was happy with the movie adaptation.

I'm reading Storms of Vengeance by our very own John Beachem in preparation for the upcoming discussion. In addition, I'm also reading Watchmen, an absolutely brilliant work, and finishing up The Shock Doctrine The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein, which should be required reading for all citizens of the U.S.A.

Elise wrote: "Barbm1020 wrote: "Just finished Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett, and am now reading Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. btw I loved Coraline, did anybody else see it or read the book?"

I loved both the bo..."

Small Gods is one of my favorites!

Liked Coraline very much but read The Graveyard Book -- amazing.

Leslie wrote: "I'm also reading Watchmen, an absolutely brilliant work,

Isn't it? The scope is incredible - it pretty much comments on the entire human condition.

How is Storms of Vengeance so far?

I do want to read [Book: The Graveyard Book] very much. But then, I'm turning into something of a Gaiman groupie. Hehe.

John wrote: "I do want to read [Book: The Graveyard Book] very much. But then, I'm turning into something of a Gaiman groupie. Hehe."

Nothing wrong with that! I didn't move onto other fantasy until I had read everything Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman had written ;-) Everytime they publish I drop everything else!

I'm reading a ton of books this April, most carried over from previous months. My current read that I am blazing through is "Swallowing Darkness" by Laurell K. Hamilton.

I am also reading many things. I am reading in rotation and there are too many to mention, but some of the books are:

1. Angel's Blood by Nalini Shingh
2. Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance by Julia Cameron
3. A Promise for Spring by Kim Vogel Sawyer
4. The StormCaller by Tom Lloyd
5. Counting Heads by David Marusek
6. Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman
7. Some Like it Wicked by Teresa Medeiros
8. Dance with the Dragon by David Hagberg
9. Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance
10 Revelation Space by Alistair Reynolds

I will stop with #10, but you get the idea. I have given up on trying to curb my appetite. It's better to just ride the wind. :-)

I finished Avempartha and The Divine Invasion. I really enjoyed both of them. I thought Avempartha was a huge improvement on The Crown Conspiracy. Now I can't wait for book 3!

The Divine Invasion lays it on you heavy with the religious symbolism. It was a strange story, but I liked it. Now I think I'm a new initiate to Philip K. Dick's work and finding myself wanting to get my hands on everything he's written. :)

Now I've just started The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

So far in April I've read...

Dark Need A Novel of the Darkyn by Lynn Viehl
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop
The Steel Breakfast Era The Decadent Return of the Hi-Fi Queen and Her Embryonic Reptile Infection by Carlton Mellick III
Breathers A Zombie's Lament by S.G. Browne
The Littlest Hitler - Stories by Ryan Boudinot
Overqualified by Joey Comeau
Look at My Striped Shirt! Confessions of the People You Love to Hate by The Phat Phree
Heaven's Bones by Samantha Henderson
Dream Warrior by Sherrilyn Kenyon
A Kiss to Remember by Teresa Medeiros
Caressed By Ice by Nalini Singh
Dhampir Child of the Blood by V.M. Johnson
The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey
Deathwish by Rob Thurman
Magick on the Edge Adventures in Experimental Magick by Taylor Ellwood
Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
Now I'm reading God of Clocks by Alan Campbell

...It's been a slow month but after making this post I can't help but feel I should look into getting a life...

Libby asked me what I think of Storms of Vengeance so far. All I'll say at this point is it is holding my interest. I want to wait for the discussion to comment in detail.

Leslie wrote: "Libby asked me what I think of Storms of Vengeance so far. All I'll say at this poi..."

Glad to hear it's at least holding your interest, Leslie :-).

Just started Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist

I finished Blaggard's Moon yesterday but didn't get a chance to start my next adventure to Grimspace because my daughter bought a piano and found a small army of young men to move it home for her. :)