The Sword and Laser discussion

Wow it's August already. Don't know about anyone else but this year is moving quick.

OK let's see what I've got planned for August.

For book clubs I'll be reading Assassin's Apprentice, The Master and Margarita, Against the Tide of Years, The Rook, Cloud Atlas, and need to finish Under Heaven.

On my own I want to read Thieftaker, A Confederacy of Dunces, A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Columbus Affair and we'll see if there's time for anything else.

I really wish I could get through as many books in a month as you. How fast do you read?

David Sven wrote: "I really wish I could get through as many books in a month as you. How fast do you read?"

I average around 10 books a month. I generally never end up reading the books I plan to, except for my book club reads. I'd say I'm a fast reading though it depends on the book.

Just finished Deadhouse Gates and now will read one or two of the short stories from The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, Vol. 1 before continuing with Memories of Ice

Igor wrote: "Just finished Deadhouse Gates and now will read one or two of the short stories from The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, Vol. 1 before continuing with Memories of Ice"

I envy you the first meeting with Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. Those two are just all kinds of wrong. The second book is my favourite.

Is it that good, yes? :D

The first is good, the second my favourite. The third wasn't as good as the previous 2 but then some people say that's their favourite. The fourth book is a different style of book altogether which you'll either love or hate. I wasn't too fussed about the 4th one. But they both have a cameo role in Memories of Ice and there is scene towards the end of that book that's among my favourite snapshot moments. I'm definitely going to have to re rate those books up because they're sticking with me.

So, would you recommend to read first two (Blood Follows and The Lees of Laughter's End) then Memories? I thought to leave remaining two after Memories and the following one.

True enough about re-rate, some books can do that.

(edit: reading order fixed)

Just finished , currently reading and ...

Igor wrote: "So, would you recommend to read first two (Blood Follows and The Healthy Dead) then Memories? I thought to leave remaining two after Memories and the following one.

True enough about re-rate, some..."

Oops I mixed up books 2 and 3. Lees of Laughter's end was my favourite. I actually read it second by mistake so that why the mix up. The books are all stand alone so it doesn't really matter when you want to read them. But if you are reading the 1st two then the extra 120 pages for the 3rd and best of the bunch I think would be worth it.

Book 4 doesn't really feature the two Necromancers a lot. Its more about a bunch of hunters who are on their trail who meet up with a bunch of writers/performers on their way to a competition. Food gets tight so they make the performers tell stories to decide who gets to live and who gets to be eaten.

Anyway, book 4 you could definitely leave till whenever.

Ok, once again, thanks for an advice!

Just finished the Long Earth:


It would be a perfect book pick for the Sword and Laser. Written by Pratchett and Baxter its literally a sword and a laser. :) I mean I call it a scifi, but it does have the exploration of fantasy and certainly the whimsy of Pratchett.

I plan on reading Assassin Apprentice of course and Bitter Seeds is on the way.
Doctorow liked Bitter Seeds, has Nazi and British agents fighting using magic, sounds hard to lose with it.

im going to finish then read a few lasers:

, , and maybe

Strangely enough I just joined S&L but read - The Secret Speech. It just arrived as my library order and I always feel obliged to get through librabry books quickly.

I have The Blade Itself on my reader and want to get started on it, but of course I would love to get involved in the group and should start the pick of the month. Well, maybe I'll lurk a little longer and join in September.

I hope to finish Perdido Street Station. I started it in ebook, but it was depressing me. I took a break from it, then got it in audiobook and came back to it. Let's see if I can stick with it!

Other books to finish: Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy and Indemnity Only.

I just started The Surgeon, The Harp of the Grey Rose, and my LibraryThing Early Reviewers selection The Void.

I'm going on vacation soon, and I hope to read Grave Witch, Hot Six, Ill Wind, Master of None, Grave Sight, On the Edge, Sweet and Deadly, and Blood Cross.

Still trying to find time to finish Reaper's Gale and Existence.

I'm about 1/3 of the way through Shadowmarch by Tad Williams and am really enjoying it.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. I'm enjoying Quantum Thief; however, I think it needs a glossary.

I am in the middle of the last book of Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan. It is entertaining enough for me to keep me from getting enough sleep at night.

Besides my reread of Assassin's Apprentice for S&L, I'm hoping to get back to Before They Are Hanged, Tales of the Dying Earth: The Dying Earth/The Eyes of the Overworld/Cugel's Saga/Rhialto the Marvellous, The Darkness That Comes Before, and whatever comes in next from the library (I suspect it will be The Pillars of Hercules).

Kim wrote: "Wow it's August already. Don't know about anyone else but this year is moving quick.

OK let's see what I've got planned for August.

For book clubs I'll be reading Assassin's Apprentice, The Mast..."

I believe you will truly enjoy The Rook. It's one of my favorite books I've read so far this year!

Terez wrote: "I believe you will truly enjoy The Rook. It's one of my favorite books I've read so far this year! "

I'm looking forward to it. It's one of this months picks in the Sci-fi and Fantasy Book Club.

Currently, I'm making a second attempt to read Seven Princes, then I plan to follow up with Year Zero, A Once Crowded Sky: A Novel.

I'm reading Red Seas, Under Red Skies (Gentlemen Bastards #2), Caliban's War(leviathan wakes #2), and whatever star wars I can cram in around the edges

Doing my best to finish The Rise of Endymion in the first week of August so that I can jump into Cloud Atlas with the renegade readers. I'm a little more than halfway through The Rise of Endymion.

I'm also now about a third of the way through The Stand in audiobook. The character story lines are starting to come together, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I will say, though, that some of the scenes have been too gross for me. And too violent. I love Grover Gardner's narration.

I'm still working on The Iliad from last month. I'm listening to I Am Legend on audio. I have a ton of books to read this month on my Kindle. I plan on starting with Rise of Empire tonight because I promised my boyfriend I'd finish the series. After I read the first one I recommended the trilogy to him and he read all three books in less than a week. He's been on me to finish ever since. It's a really fun series by Michael J. Sullivan, I highly recommend it.

Just finished Memory by K.J. Parker and am about to start The Hammer and the Blade by Paul S. Kemp.

Hammer & Blade is a fun adventure tale. Hope you enjoy it, Joseph.

I read After the Golden Age and Soon I Will Be Invincible today. Not sure if I'll continue with the superpowered theme or not.

Hope to finally get around to Cloud Atlas this month as well.

Im currently reading and listening to audio of . Reading some oldies but goodies while I wait on endless hold lists for my books to come into the library.

I'm currently reading Year Zero. Once I'm done that which should be this weekend. I'm jumping into Cloud Atlas and Caliban's War. That should take me into next month.

Finished Assassin's Apprentice.
My Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I'm enjoying Cloud Atlas so much I'm going to finish that before continuing on with next book in The Farseer Trilogy.

And for my lunch time reading I'll start Memoria. A dystopian thriller by Alex Bobl

It's not fiction, but right now I'm reading Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. The section on the sexing of baby chicks is fascinating.

(And before someone's eyes pop out of their head, 'sexing' refers to the ability to determine by observation the gender of said baby chicks.)

I'm listening to Assassin's Apprentice and The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. The latter is fairly short and it's absolutely amazing. It kind of reminds me of Flowers for Algernon and The Speed of Dark. I'm enjoying my first encounter with Robin Hobb too.

In text, I'm reading Broken Harbour. I love Tana French's work. I gave my husband Faithful Place and he really enjoyed it, so I invested in the hardback of her newest.

On my Nook, I'm reading Kitty Steals the Show.

Assassin's Apprentice went a lot quicker than I expected. Moved on to The Master and Margarita now.

Assassin's Apprentice, Caliban's War, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror and then we will see what still lies around and wants to be read :).

Sandi wrote: "In text, I'm reading Broken Harbour. I love Tana French's work. I gave my husband Faithful Place and he really enjoyed it, so I invested in the hardback of her newest...."

I've checked out the beginning of Broken Harbor too, since Karen liked it.

So far, Broken Harbour is almost as good as Faithful Place. I don't read a lot of mystery/thriller/police procedurals, but Tana French is an amazing writer. I'm always going to be on the lookout for her next book.

Ala wrote: "Hammer & Blade is a fun adventure tale. Hope you enjoy it, Joseph.

I read After the Golden Age and Soon I Will Be Invincible today. Not sure if I'll continue with the superpowered theme or not.

H..."

Ala, you'll have to let me know what you think of Cloud Atlas. It seems like everyone's reading it and I always like your recommendations.

Will do :)

Probably start it on Monday.

Ala wrote: "Hammer & Blade is a fun adventure tale. Hope you enjoy it, Joseph."

About four chapters in and enjoying it so far. Getting a definite Leiber/Moorcock/Gygax feel from it.

Sandi wrote: "So far, Broken Harbour is almost as good as Faithful Place. I don't read a lot of mystery/thriller/police procedurals, but Tana French is an amazing writer. I'm always going to be on the lookout ..."

Karen's review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Tana French giving a talk at a library: http://libwww.freelibrary.org/podcast...

Under Heaven, Caliban's War, and The King's Blood are all up for grabs.

"Blue Remembered Earth" and the podiobooks novel "Underwood and Flinch"

P.S. And every

I just finished first two short novels from Bauchelain and Korbal Broach: Three Short Novels of the Malazan Empire, Volume One, leaving the third one for later and also starting with Memories of Ice.

Steve wrote: ""Blue Remembered Earth" and the podiobooks novel "Underwood and Flinch"

P.S. And every"


Blue Remembered Earth is great. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. Sometimes, a narrator can really make an audiobook rise above the text. I can't remember his name, but he's only done one other audiobook in this country. From what I can find of him online, he's a pretty active actor and narrator in the UK.

need to start reading assassins apprentice (my first s&l club book!) currently reading "the heroes" by Joe abercrombie. good so far. i'm hoping it will be better than "best served cold" which i liked but it suffered by being compared to the first law trilogy.

Lemmed Memoria. A dystopian thriller.
I'm going to have a go at The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft for my lunch time reading.

Well for starters I am going to be reading Assassin's Apprentice in hard copy. My audio book plan is to finish Hyperion. I am really enjoying Hyperion and think I will be reading The Fall of Hyperion some time soon as well.

I do not think I will have much time beyond reading those as I am enjoying watching the Olympic games here in the UK

Phew. I feel slightly crushed by my TBR for the first time in years. I am currently reading Stormdancer for review and it's quite nice.
Then I started the third in the Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, The Kingdom of Gods because I simply loved the second volume. Not sure about this one yet.

Aaaand I've started Cloud Atlas which has been sitting on my shelf for years but now wanted to be read (it's a little bit the movie trailer's fault).

Of course, I'm still in the middle of the Dark Tower series (currently in book 5, Wolves of the Calla).
And let's not even mention the almost finished Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein, the still very long Last King of Scotland which I really don't feel like anymore and Die Stadt der träumenen Bücher (The City of Dreaming Books (Dreaming Books, #1)). So yeah, no pressure for August...

I am really enjoying Hyperion and think I will be reading The Fall of Hyperion some time soon as well.

Hyperion is an excellent novel, but then I've been a Dan Simmons fan for ages. Reminded me of an sf version of The Canterbury Tales.

Dean Koontz 'City of Night' (2005) book #2 from the Frankenstein Series.