Tuesday, November 15, 2011

1: A Game of Thrones (George Martin)
Annoying cliffhangers. Unfinished. Can he finish it well? I really doubt it. With that said, still good stuff.

2: The Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson)
Only read first 200 pages. Have resisted because of military feel. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

3: The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss)
Book two was extremely good. Book one was nothing special. And that's all we've got so far....

4: Lord of the Rings (J.R.R Tolkien)
Most realistic fantasy world ever.

5: The Black Company (Glen Cook)
Never heard of it before. Need to check it out.

6: Gormenghast (Mervyn Peake)
A pretty neat little thing. Bit of a trial to read at times but leaves beautiful lasting images. I did not read the third book. In part because I know he died before finishing the series and that depressed me. I should go back and give it a go.

7: The Blade Itself (Joe Abercrombie)
Will have to check it out. Think I read the sample already though....?

8: The Way of Kings (Brandon Sanderson)
Sanderson's previous series was just OK. I suppose pretty good at times but didn't leave me ultimately with much lasting impression. This is just book one of a supposedly ten part series. So no hurry on it.

9: The Farseer (Robin Hobb)
The best.

10: Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott Lynch)
I wasn't blown away by the sample. Will go back to it though.

11: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Started out great then turned into a never-ending soap opera. I quit ten or so books in.

12: Cold Fire Trilogy (C.S. Friedman)
I already reviewed it and I don't really remember it. Must have really sucked. I guess I need to make my reviews more detailed so I don't completely forget.

13: The Long Price Quartet (Daniel Abraham)
Haven't read it. Supposedly highly detailed setting. That's what I really want so must check it out.

14: The Etched City (K.J. Bishop)
Haven't read.

15: A Sword of Shadows (J.V. Jones)
Beginning was too sadistic but finally I really got into it. Really looking forward to next book.

#16: Acacia (David Anthony Durham)
Haven't read.

#17: Elric of Melinbone (Michael Moorcock)
Character seemed 2D. Seemed like a lot of telling instead of showing. Didn't get past beginning.

18: The Darkness That Comes Before (R. Scott Bakker)
Pretty good stuff but this guy's blog I think just really turned me off. Could never quite bring myself to buy book 4. Which I think isn't remotely fair of me. Something going on there in my nonconscious that I ought to figure out.

19: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
Loved the footnotes. Made the world so rich.

20: Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (Stephen R. Donaldson)
The "hero" was such a whiny bastard that I didn't read far.

21: American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
Read other Gaiman. OK. Overrated. Hated his blog.

22: Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix)
Haven't read.

23: Memory, Sorrow, Thorn (Tad Williams)
Characters seemed very 2D. Didn't get far.

24: Magician: Apprentice and Magician (Raymond E. Feist)
Heard such bad things about Feist but should try it.

25: Dresden Files (Jim Butcher)
Such a stereotypical detective story. Haven't gotten far into it.

So I guess I could still read Erikson's Malazan. Book 3 of Gormenghast. Glen Cook's The Black Company. Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself. Scott Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora I guess... The Etched City (K.J. Bishop), Acacia (David Anthony Durham), Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix), Magician: Apprentice and Magician (Raymond E. Feist) and I could give Elric of Melinbone (Michael Moorcock) another try.

First will look at The Long Price Quartet (Daniel Abraham).