Books Fantasy Reads

Can someone convince me to go back to reading the Final Empire.

Before Xmas I got about a 3rd into it and stopped as it wasn't gripping me. I tried again a couple of weeks ago, read a few more chapters, it was okay, but I still didn't feel I wanted to carry on with it. Can't put my finger on quite what it is that is making me find it so meh.

I've also heard the next two books aren't that great (I bought all three for £1 each when Amazon had them on sale).

Is it worth sticking with?
I think it's worth finishing, nothing groundbreaking, but it's a good book. Although after finishing it I didn't feel compelled to read the rest of the series, I'm still glad I read it. It does pick up as it goes along, it didn't grip me much at first either, but gets better. I got them all for £1 too.
 
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Past Tense - Lee Child

Latest in Jack Reacher novels and one of the worst to boot. Uninspiring and predictable plot, no surprises and inane writing to boot. Pave is dead slow, few action scenes...can't really think of anything positive about this book.

1/10
I never knew Jack Reacher had fantastical elements having never read one. I am surprised.
 
Just ordered The Seraphim Trilogy by Dalglish, Chronicles of the Raven by Braclay and the first three books from the Gentleman Bastard by Lynch.

Got most of them second hand in (supposedly) great condition. Will share my thoughts after i finish each series
 
Chronicles of the Raven by Braclay

Blast from the past. One of the earliest book, I've read in fantasy and though I don't remember the plot...have good memories about the series.

Iirc, it was a bit of raw work with plot not being too complex and made up for in non-stop sword and sorcery action sequences. Fast paced, though a bit unidimensional. Very entertaining though. Perhaps I'll give this a read again later.
 
Blast from the past. One of the earliest book, I've read in fantasy and though I don't remember the plot...have good memories about the series.

Iirc, it was a bit of raw work with plot not being too complex and made up for in non-stop sword and sorcery action sequences. Fast paced, though a bit unidimensional. Very entertaining though. Perhaps I'll give this a read again later.

Exactly what I was advised and what i need atm but the books will arrive in 2-3 weeks. I recently started the Liveship Traders by Hobb, so I`ll finish it first.
 
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Gil's All Fright Diner
- A Lee Martinez

Supposed to be like Hitchhiker Guide and Ghostbusters combined, but sadly disappointing.

A friendly duo of a vampire and werewolf decide to help a diner fight off zombies and ghouls and a dark God. Predictable story and not funny dialogue take away from what could have been an entertaining story. Was so bland that I had to skim read.

Don't bother.
 
Bloody hell that sounds awful from your brief description alone.

It turns out that Theft of Swords is two books that make up the first Riyria Revelations book, which I didn't know when I started it as I'd bought it ages ago. I kept thinking it felt like the end of a book when I was about midway through and then it turned out it was the end of the first story. I have to say it was pretty damn good, I enjoyed it a lot but found the few fights there were a bit hard to follow in my head they just sounded awkward. It reminded me a bit of David Gemmell and I think I'll finish the series if the quality keeps up. On to the second story in the first book now.
 
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Red Sister
- Mark Lawrence



Very good read. A story of a convent which trains "sisters" who are deadly in combat and versatile in magic and feared everywhere. A very refreshing read though book 1 is more on the 'training' part. The pace is a bit uneven and drops for a page and then sweeps through in the next, but that only a minor criticism in a otherwise a very good book. Could have been 25 pages shorter to make it ,more crisp but still makes me want to five into the next book immediately.

8/10

Jut finished the trilogy. Was rewarding he's a good writer I also enjoyed the Thorns series.
 
Can someone convince me to go back to reading the Final Empire.

Before Xmas I got about a 3rd into it and stopped as it wasn't gripping me. I tried again a couple of weeks ago, read a few more chapters, it was okay, but I still didn't feel I wanted to carry on with it. Can't put my finger on quite what it is that is making me find it so meh.

I've also heard the next two books aren't that great (I bought all three for £1 each when Amazon had them on sale).

Is it worth sticking with?
Writing is very juvenile, and some things don't make sense, but still loved the series. The first book is the best one in the saga.
 
Finished Senlin Ascends, it is more a book about someone not likely to be the hero of a fantasy and maybe more a kind of puzzle. It was ok, the end was a bit too frantic and too graphic. I am not sure if I want to read the rest or not.

Now I want to read something short or more light-hearted, so maybe a Frances Hardinge book (even if one of her books was the wiping of a village with colonization).
 
Can recommend Quill by AC Cobble (The Cartographer #1).

Unlike his previous YA series about Benjamin Ashwood(which was an easy and enjoyable series), this is more for adults with graphic descriptions about grown up stuff. Decent worldbuilding, drinking, humor and shiet.

8/10
 
Finished Theft of Swords Book 1 in Riyria Revelations

From avery mundane start, it picked up pace and built up the story nicely. Enough twists to keep the plot from being predictable and two protagonists that are exciting to follow.

Though nearing the end, I get a feeling that Royce and Hadarian are not really two casual thieves. Royce's elvish history and Hadarian's medallion are getting singled out which kinda makes me think they have some hidden past/heritage. Would be disappointed if one of them turned out to be the Heir of Novron. Fingers crossed.
 
Finished Theft of Swords Book 1 in Riyria Revelations

From avery mundane start, it picked up pace and built up the story nicely. Enough twists to keep the plot from being predictable and two protagonists that are exciting to follow.

Though nearing the end, I get a feeling that Royce and Hadarian are not really two casual thieves. Royce's elvish history and Hadarian's medallion are getting singled out which kinda makes me think they have some hidden past/heritage. Would be disappointed if one of them turned out to be the Heir of Novron. Fingers crossed.

Very good book. The last book has one of the best endings I have read.
 
So, who here is excited for Dark age by Pierce Brown? Less than 10 days!
 
Very good book. The last book has one of the best endings I have read.
I totally endorse this post. One of the best endings of a fantasy series, right there with Liveship Traders in that aspect.

Are you reading the First Empire saga from him (prequels set 3000 years before)? It connects many dots in a very good way, and shows that the history is full of shit.
 
Finished Theft of Swords Book 1 in Riyria Revelations

From avery mundane start, it picked up pace and built up the story nicely. Enough twists to keep the plot from being predictable and two protagonists that are exciting to follow.

Though nearing the end, I get a feeling that Royce and Hadarian are not really two casual thieves. Royce's elvish history and Hadarian's medallion are getting singled out which kinda makes me think they have some hidden past/heritage. Would be disappointed if one of them turned out to be the Heir of Novron. Fingers crossed.
Glad you liked it, I wasn't sure if it was genuinely that good or I was just thrilled by the pace after Lord of Chaos. I just started the second story.

I picked up on that too, at first I was worried that maybe they were a bit Mary Sue-ish with Hadrian shooting a rope with an arrow and being a ridiculously good swordsman and Royce having several instances of almost super powers in the first story, but by the end and when Esrahaddon showed up I started to suspect there was something else going on. Even more so when they hear Thrace's tale.
 
I totally endorse this post. One of the best endings of a fantasy series, right there with Liveship Traders in that aspect.

Are you reading the First Empire saga from him (prequels set 3000 years before)? It connects many dots in a very good way, and shows that the history is full of shit.
I am usually not a fan of prequels. But I will probably read it somewhere down the line.
About the history part,
I thought it was established that the church hated that they were ruled by the elves, that is why they destroyed the capital, right? Does the prequel go into detail about how this resentment started?
And the ending ,
Did you figure out before that the advisor was the old god who appeared every now and then to help the people, as his penance? I loved how the author connected the ending with a piece of information he wrote a few books before. Totally blew me away.
 
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Is the series any good?
The first book is a bit like Hunger Games, and the rest of the books morph into sci-fi/space opera. Very entertaining. Not a fan of the 4th book, but the ending promised big things for the 5th, so there is that.
 
Rise of Empire (Riyria Revelations #2)

Will spoiler it since some are reading it now....

Good crisp action continues, but this probably a step down from Book 1 as it fails to advance the plot in any significant manner. The issue of Hadarian as the protector also seems to be insignificant in the plot till now, other than to get him on the journey. Certain events are very contrived and obvious to just move the plot forward.

Plot also seems all over the place jumping from Melengar to Ratoibor to Calais to Drumindor with multiple sub plots muddying the field..the books are a hodge podge of events.

The only plus point is development of Arista as a character which again gets diluted by the unnecessary romantic interludes with Emery/Hilfred. Hilfred as a character is completely wasted after getting page time in Book 1 and 2. I was expecting him have more weight.

The twist at the end is unexpected and refreshing and scrambles to save an otherwise mediocre book.
 
I am usually not a fan of prequels. But I will probably read it somewhere down the line.
About the history part,
I thought it was established that the church hated that they were ruled by the elves, that is why they destroyed the capital, right? Does the prequel go into detail about how this resentment started?

Yes, there is seeing that the history is bullshit, and then there is going to see who Nephron, his wife, the Patriarch really were. It is quite a bit different to what you would imagine at the end of the original series. You realize at the end of the series that Nephron was an elf, but in the other saga, you really get to see him. Quite a bit different from what you would imagine.

And the ending ,
Did you figure out before that the advisor was the old god who appeared every now and then to help the people, as his penance? I loved how the author connected the ending with a piece of information he wrote a few books before. Totally blew me away.

Yes, I realized quite a bit earlier that he is the main mentioned God. Thing is - something yet to be really discovered in the new saga - who is him, really? Like I said before, the prequels kind of turn the world outside down, and everything you think you know turns out to be different. The conflict between the Invinsible hand (the old god/servent) and the Ezra's teacher seem to have been going forever and pretty much everything that has happened is because of that. But still I have no idea what are there, Gods, or just extremely old mages predating the other civilizations.
 
Yes, there is seeing that the history is bullshit, and then there is going to see who Nephron, his wife, the Patriarch really were. It is quite a bit different to what you would imagine at the end of the original series. You realize at the end of the series that Nephron was an elf, but in the other saga, you really get to see him. Quite a bit different from what you would imagine.

Will check it out then.
 
Finished the series. Couple of things I didn't understand....

Arcadius willing to hand over Mercedes to the Church as successor. Why would he hand over the actual heir to an institution dedicated to killing the lineage? And in such a obvious way (refused to teach any other girls) thereby announcing something was special with this girl. Sounds very stupid for a master manipulator like him.

And Merrick trying to copy the medallion. Surely you just can't copy a powerful magical item? Presume only another magic user can create one.

@Revan @VJ1762
 
Finished the series. Couple of things I didn't understand....

Arcadius willing to hand over Mercedes to the Church as successor. Why would he hand over the actual heir to an institution dedicated to killing the lineage? And in such a obvious way (refused to teach any other girls) thereby announcing something was special with this girl. Sounds very stupid for a master manipulator like him.

And Merrick trying to copy the medallion. Surely you just can't copy a powerful magical item? Presume only another magic user can create one.

@Revan @VJ1762
Not sure I remember exactly but:

Pretty sure that Arcadius was manipulated all along from Yolric (there is the tiny possibility that Arcadius is Yolric and just faked his death at the hands of Guy), so the idea must have come from Yolric. Which kind of makes sense, cause it sets other events, like Royce going to take the throne, with the help of 'the invisible hand'. Yolric is fixated with the Gods, and all he does is setting the world into chaos, in order to observe 'the invisible hand' putting it back into 'peace'. He claims to be older than Gods, being the most powerful creature alive, he gave the magic to the Elfs, allowed the fall of the Empire among many other things, while still not managing to find Nimbus/Kile/Turin.

Not sure about the second point, I guess that Merrick just had an inflated opinion about himself.

While Yolric and Turin are peripherical characters, almost everything is set as a game between them. It is right there with Sanderson's Battle of Gods which happens at the periphery of each book. Quite complex and deep.
 
I finished Theft of Swords, I haven't finished the whole series yet because I'm not a cyborg. I very much liked what I read though and will happily read the rest of the series. One thing I noticed is that I saw a lot of the plot elements and twists coming a mile away. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. If it's because it's all a bit simplistic and easy to predict or if it's just very good foreshadowing. I'm not complaining, I'm just still trying to make up my mind on which it is.

I'm going to read the third Gentleman Bastards book before carrying on with the series anyway as I have that on my Kindle and I've had a nice break since finishing the second.
 
Not sure I remember exactly but:

Pretty sure that Arcadius was manipulated all along from Yolric (there is the tiny possibility that Arcadius is Yolric and just faked his death at the hands of Guy), so the idea must have come from Yolric. Which kind of makes sense, cause it sets other events, like Royce going to take the throne, with the help of 'the invisible hand'. Yolric is fixated with the Gods, and all he does is setting the world into chaos, in order to observe 'the invisible hand' putting it back into 'peace'. He claims to be older than Gods, being the most powerful creature alive, he gave the magic to the Elfs, allowed the fall of the Empire among many other things, while still not managing to find Nimbus/Kile/Turin.

Not sure about the second point, I guess that Merrick just had an inflated opinion about himself.

While Yolric and Turin are peripherical characters, almost everything is set as a game between them. It is right there with Sanderson's Battle of Gods which happens at the periphery of each book. Quite complex and deep.

Did it ever get explained on who Yolric was?

I'm just starting to read Age of Myth and get a feeling that the Trilos character is same as Yolric.
 
I finished Theft of Swords, I haven't finished the whole series yet because I'm not a cyborg. I very much liked what I read though and will happily read the rest of the series. One thing I noticed is that I saw a lot of the plot elements and twists coming a mile away. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. If it's because it's all a bit simplistic and easy to predict or if it's just very good foreshadowing. I'm not complaining, I'm just still trying to make up my mind on which it is.

I'm going to read the third Gentleman Bastards book before carrying on with the series anyway as I have that on my Kindle and I've had a nice break since finishing the second.

I just had a quick Google as I do every month for news of Book 4 or the next Rothfuss one.

Not a suggestion of any new info anywhere I can find.
 
Did it ever get explained on who Yolric was?

I'm just starting to read Age of Myth and get a feeling that the Trilos character is same as Yolric.
Yeah, Yolric and Trilos have to be the same one. Trilos might or might not be 'The Ancient One', but considering that he game the magic to Elfs out of spite of dwarfs, I think he is the same.

Not sure what is his end goal, bar finding the Gods. But then, he claims to be older than Gods.
[\spoiler]
 
Man, just finished 'Dark Age' , book 5 of the Red Rising series...and it is probably the darkest novel I have read for sometime. When you are reading a fantasy novel, you want to have parts of the book where the people you are rooting for win, and barring 20% of the book in the beginning, the rest is the author systematically tearing down everything he built over the course of the previous 4 books. In the end, the situation becomes even more hopeless than in the beginning of the 1st book, and I guess I should have known this would happen from the title of the book. The author's writing has improved by leaps since the first novel, so that is a positive I suppose.

Can Mustang and Darrow please have a happy ending? They have suffered enough already. And I hope Lysander dies in the next book. Fecking self-righteous prick. I still can't believe a brilliant strategist like Darrow was outsmarted by him.

On the whole, a solid 3.5 out of 5.

Time to fire up Friends and watch an episode or two.
 
Being a big fan of The Witcher games I finally got around to starting the books. I finished Blood of Elves the other day. It's kind of shitty. Very little happens and Geralt is barely in it. Don't think I'll continue with the series.