Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Jan 10th.

In

Mayim wrote: "In"

Unrelated to this, but are you still good to read Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear in Jan?

sure, have we agreed on a date? second half of the month would be better for me I guess

Mayim wrote: "sure, have we agreed on a date? second half of the month would be better for me I guess"

We didn't decide a date, but later in the month would be better for me too. Could we do the end of Jan, around the 25th?

Yea I'm in...

Jenna wrote: "Mayim wrote: "sure, have we agreed on a date? second half of the month would be better for me I guess"

We didn't decide a date, but later in the month would be better for me too. Could we do the e..."

sounds perfect! thank you

Mayim wrote: "Jenna wrote: "Mayim wrote: "sure, have we agreed on a date? second half of the month would be better for me I guess"

We didn't decide a date, but later in the month would be better for me too. Cou..."

Kk I'll set up a thread.

Here it is: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I am in! Also reading this with another group. What a coincidence.

In

I am so looking forward to this, especially that Inta is the MC and I loved her in the Curse fo Chalion.

Yay!!!

Spot. :)

Chapter 2
Looks like there will be some (view spoiler)[travelogue (hide spoiler)]

Silvana wrote: "Chapter 2
Looks like there will be some [spoilers removed]"

Yeah, I can't say I'm enjoying this one as much. I liked Ista in the first one but not enough to want a POV from her.

I didn't really like Ista so I'm a little weary starting this. Hope I'll warm up to her since it's her POV. :)

Good luck guys. I'm not reading since I just read it a couple months ago but I want to know what you guys think. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first.

Laura wrote: "I didn't really like Ista so I'm a little weary starting this. Hope I'll warm up to her since it's her POV. :)"

I'm hoping the same thing :)

I'll be starting this tomorrow probably... need to do Dragonlance first...

I'll try the same Iain.

same

This is the novel that won the Hugo, so it has to be better than the first one!

:D

15%. My fear has come true. (view spoiler)[travelogue with description of landscape and building and whatnots. I hate travelogue. (hide spoiler)]

However, the world is still as immersive as before. I kind of forgot some of what happened in TCOC, actually. I did get a weird vibe from Ista (as seen from Caz POV) but here I got to know more.

(view spoiler)[all the visions, dreams and ghosts are enough to drive one crazy. and everyone treats her like a glass. no wonder she wants to runaway (hide spoiler)]

For some reason I thought this was about the Royesse... my bad... (I think the cover had something to do with it)

Just starting...

Just to be clear... I know this makes no sense... both the girls paired off in the first book...

I'm about 35% thru now: (view spoiler)[ I hope the background romance here isn't for the young, possibly infertile, wife to die so Ista can take her place... assuming there is another romance in this one... (hide spoiler)]

I really like the courier, and the travelogging hasn't been too bad for me...

Iain wrote: "I'm about 35% thru now: [spoilers removed]..."

Keep reading...

Just started... Rough cold running in the family and is slowing me down... I love Ista!

Iain wrote: "I'm about 35% thru now: [spoilers removed]

I really like the courier, and the travelogging hasn't been too bad for me..."

I love the courier too! ANd I really feel for Ista... She deserves some real life, but I don't want her to be reckless, just because she craves adventure either...

I loved the Origin story of the G-ds in Ch. 3... And I guess we should be expecting something with a Demon to be happening soon...

I really like the priest:) He is adorable! Ch. 5 and Foix and the bear... This is kind of hilarious:):):)

I'm starting today! You like it so far? Am I to be excited?

it is a quiet start, but I am cool with it right now:) I think the g-ds and the dreams are going to be very central in this story, so have to pay attention to those threads...

Around 90% now: I saw some real similarities to all them Sevenwaters books we've been reading lately... (view spoiler)[ Journey... kidnapping... rescue... in a strange castle... intrigue...

Mixed with the Chalion lore we learned in the first book... more demons, less curses... (hide spoiler)]

Iain wrote: "Around 90% now: I saw some real similarities to all them Sevenwaters books we've been reading lately... ..."

Agree, but when a genre is this established you're going to get similarities. I still this so far I like this series better than Sevenwaters. The lead players are more real and less cliched in my opinion.

Yea... I left that part out of my little summary there... I do like these more... and I like Bujold in general... this is another book I haven't been paying close enough attention to while listening, probably because it's hitting so many of the same beats... and I've been listening to so many fantasy books recently... I certainly didn't have to pay attention the way I did with Curse of Chalion last month...

Ch. 9... (view spoiler)[ What the heck? What is he? And he has a young wife? Hmmm, there is more to this than I thought... (hide spoiler)]

Ch. 12... (view spoiler)[ "Go ahead! Kiss him! " this was so sweet! I love the groom... for now, you never know what will happen later... (hide spoiler)]

Up to Ch. 16... I am fascinated about how Bujold has turned the tables of main heroins in this story. If it was just a regular romance novel, Catti would be the (view spoiler)[ good hero who is doing everything possible to save the life of her lover, while Ista would be the bad guys, who plays by the rules and has no heart, so she tries to reverse poor Catti's efforts... Hahaha! Just so cool!!! (hide spoiler)]

Up to Ch. 20... I want to slap Catti until she shuts up!!!

I can see the similarities with Marilier's Dreamer's Pool too. I like this kind of fairytailish vibe.

47% in. There's a weird dead man kink in this novel.

I liked that we got some recaps from previous novels and bit by bit of details revealed by Ista during her contemplation of the situation.

I do miss Caz's dark humour.

I thought I was doing so well...on pace with Choko... and then you just blew way past me! Wishful thinking I guess. You are a reading machine!
It also doesn't help that sadly, I'm really not enjoying this one. I guess I just like Cazaril too much.

I loved Caz as well, but this gets interesting-creepy.. The second half gets faster and a bit more intense...

Choko wrote: "Just started... Rough cold running in the family and is slowing me down... I love Ista!"

I love ISta too. And I admire Bujol's writing. The way she writes... she doesn't mince words.

"It's only a habit, you know. I'm not mad anymore, really."

or

"Who am I, when I am not surrounded by the walls of my life? When they have all fallen into dust and rubble?"

I know that such super reflexive and intimate writing is not for everyone, but for me it works. I ask myself the same questions. I feel Ista, and even though I liked her previously already, I bond with her easily.

Another striking thing is the ability to paint the things and people we thought we knew (from the previous book) in an entirely different light. Like it wasn't the world and people we knew. Like it was some strange landscape, entirely different and because of that, even more interesting.

Silvana wrote: "I can see the similarities with Marilier's Dreamer's Pool too. I like this kind of fairytailish vibe.

47% in. There's a weird dead man kink in this novel.

I liked that we got so..."

Yea... it was the things like (view spoiler)[ the angry comatose handjobs (hide spoiler)] that caught my attention when I otherwise wasn't always paying close attention... like wtf?

Mayim wrote: "Another striking thing is the ability to paint the things and people we thought we knew (from the previous book) in an entirely different light. Like it wasn't the world and people we knew. Like it was some strange landscape, entirely different and because of that, even more interesting. ."

well said.

Your comments are real interesting guys. I'll wrap up Dragons today and start with this also.

Mayim wrote: "Choko wrote: "Just started... Rough cold running in the family and is slowing me down... I love Ista!"

I love ISta too. And I admire Bujol's writing. The way she writes... she doesn't mince words...."

This is exactly how I feel. Ista is an adult. I love the way she does not over-dramatize every little feeling or attraction. She is very aware of her own failings, but she is also aware she has some strengths and she is comfortable with them by this point in life. I love the was LMB writes a mature woman, despite her having some issues.

Now, juxtapose this mature woman, who is bored out of her head and tired of being treated as a criminal mental patient, who finally goes out in the world, and there are those weird (view spoiler)[ dead people walking and a chick giving that hand job to a comatose man (hide spoiler)], and it becomes kind of strangely-hilarious and still more retrospective than the horrorish way it could be spun otherwise, and I am in book heaven. It is light, but not brainless, and I am enjoying it quite a lot!

CH. 24... Well, talk about literal translation of the sigh the g-d gave her:):):) He is a lecherous little g-d, sin't he?:)

OK, nobody commented on the scene about ladies hairdos versus horse tail-dos?! How is it possible, it was hilarious!

Haha! I did think that was adorable, but I found most of the conversations between the two of them very funny 😊