What are we reading?

[vyshka]

I liked the Belgariad, but, it was way too Lord of the Rings for me.

A guilty pleasure from childhood.

That's when I read it, too.  I read fantasy almost exclusively as a youth.  I read Terry Brook's 'Sword of Shannara,' a VERY derivative series by Dennis L. McKiernan, that was commissioned to be as much like LotR as possible, 'Dragonlance,' by Weis & Hickman, Feist's 'Magician,' series.  A host of stuff.  Some good, some bad.

My fantasy reading has been very limited outside of Eddings and Jordan. I've mostly been a sci-fi reader. This year I've read the Riftwar Saga, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, The Dark Elf Trilogy, the 2nd book in Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series, and part of a serialized Warcraft book Dawn of the Aspects (which I will probably finish in the next couple of weeks).

[OJsDad]

Currently reading The Apocalypse Troll by David Weber.  About a third of the way through and a good read so far.  Not sure where it's going to end up though. 

[Staggerwing]

I read Apocalypse Troll many years ago and, iirc, enjoyed it.

[MetalDog]

I liked the Belgariad, but, it was way too Lord of the Rings for me.

A guilty pleasure from childhood.

That's when I read it, too.  I read fantasy almost exclusively as a youth.  I read Terry Brook's 'Sword of Shannara,' a VERY derivative series by Dennis L. McKiernan, that was commissioned to be as much like LotR as possible, 'Dragonlance,' by Weis & Hickman, Feist's 'Magician,' series.  A host of stuff.  Some good, some bad.

My fantasy reading has been very limited outside of Eddings and Jordan. I've mostly been a sci-fi reader. This year I've read the Riftwar Saga, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, The Dark Elf Trilogy, the 2nd book in Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series, and part of a serialized Warcraft book Dawn of the Aspects (which I will probably finish in the next couple of weeks).

If you've not read Tolkien, you really should.  It's the benchmark that everyone strives for. Over the years, many attempts have been made to remake LotR by various authors and with varying degrees of success.  Eddings is one.  Terry Brooks is another.  Dennis L. McKiernan (whos Wikipedia baldly states that he was commissioned to write LotR over again but change the names and the setting a bit.)

Having said all that, grand quests against the ultimate evil manned by Men, Dwarves and Elves, with a Wizard advisor in tow, are not the only type of fantasy.  I LOVE the first four Feist books as well as Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books.  The first Dragonlance Chronicles are excellent.  Roger Zelazny does two five book series about Corwin of Amber.  The first five are better than the second there.  Elric of Melnibone, Michael Moorcock's most famous iteration of the Eternal Champion, is dark and brooding.  There is SO much good stuff out there.  But definitely read Tolkien.  You can make up your own mind how good or bad you think it is, but, that way, you'll know what the rest are comparing themselves to.

[Gusington]

Currently reading Bactria: History of a Forgotten Empire by H.G. Rawlinson, originally published in 1912 (!)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Bactria

[vyshka]

2014 in review

Since Elite goes live on Tuesday the odds are I won't get much else read by the end of the year.

I did read a bit more this year than usual though:

Among the Thugs by Bill Buford
Going Interstellar
Hackers by Steven Levy
iWoz by Steve Wozniak
Just for Fun by Linus Torvalds
The Silicon Man by Charles Platt
Neuromancer, and Count Zero by William Gibson
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
On Basilisk Station, and The Honor of the Queen by David Weber
The Generals by Thomas Ricks
Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Viper Pilot by Dan Hampton
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
The Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournelle
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S.A. Corey
The Martian by Andy Weir
Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn by R.A. Salvatore
Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and Halfling's Gem by R.A. Salvatore
The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S. Raymond
Foundation,, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation by Asimov
Magician, Silverthorn, and Darkness at Sethanon by Feist
Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, and Enchanter's Endgame by Eddings
The Reliable Past, and Smart Chip from Saint Petersburg by Genna Sosonko
Chessbase Complete by Jon Edwards
Wyrm by Mark Fabi
Dawn of the Aspects by Richard Knaak

[Gusington]

Wow you read more than I do...madness! That is an impressive list.

[MetalDog]

Agreed on vyshka's list.  That's an impressive amount.  Some old favorites in there, too.

[Gusington]

Yeah re: the Foundation series. Need to look up The Cathedral and the Bazaar...

[vyshka]

Yeah re: the Foundation series. Need to look up The Cathedral and the Bazaar...

Probably not interesting unless you are interested in software development, open source in particular. :)

[Gusington]

Yeah i found that out through Amazon :) Good title though.

[mirth]

Magician, Silverthorn, and Darkness and Sethanon by Feist

Great series. One of my favorites.

[Martok]

Have finally started reading Cauldron of Ghosts, the most recent Honorverse novel.  I do so enjoy its utterly irreverent tone/humor.  :D 

[BanzaiCat]

I've been slowly reading Until The Final Hour by Traudl Junge, one of Hitler's secretaries. I believe they based the movie The Downfall on her memoirs. Been meaning to read it for a while.

[Gusington]

I've seen that secretary all over the History Channel...is she still alive?