What are we reading?

[Emeraldlis]

Now you have been extra-duly warned.  ;D From experience!

(Because TEotW's wordcount is pretty typical for the series.)

How are things going on the readthrough, btw? Speaking from hindsight, it's pretty amazing how many plotlines RJ sets up in Book 1 which will pay off later; sometimes much later; sometimes much, much later. (The next two books as well, although Book 3 does feature some preliminary plot resolutions.)

Well since you so very kindly asked ....I'll tell ya !!!

So far ,( and this is early on so it could very well change ) , the author has managed to bore me stupid with page after page of landscape description . Now I've nothing against an author setting the scene ....but I don't really need page after monotonous page about rocks and trees and such  :o

I don't feel like I'm rooting for any particular character . He's not managed to even make me care if any of these guys make it home !!!

And another thing , lol , that's really annoyed me , is how he's thrown random descriptions in to the story , that I think is meant to give the reader a sense of mysterious air and maybe foreboding doom . I'm talking about quotes like " and the sun will be dark and not give its light " ......on its own a fairly portentious sign ......but it's not explained why or how this is happening , what does it all mean Jordan !!!!  He's just not woven it in to the narrative , and quite frankly I'm losing intrest and patience rapidly 

But I shall persevere and make it to the end of this book if it's the last thing I do  :D  who knows by some miracle it may improve and manage to capture some tiny amount of my attention . One things for sure this guy is no Brandon Sanderson , and I don't think I've got it in me to wade through ten more  books of his "story" ....I use the term loosely ....just to get to the last three Sanderson books !! I may lose the will to live 

So yeah Jason it's going ok I suppose , thanks for asking  :)

[MetalDog]

Now you have been extra-duly warned.  ;D From experience!

So far ,( and this is early on so it could very well change ) , the author has managed to bore me stupid with page after page of landscape description . Now I've nothing against an author setting the scene ....but I don't really need page after monotonous page about rocks and trees and such  :o

Speaking of warnings, I believe I warned you about this.  And it never changes.  If he can use five words to describe something, he makes it last fourteen or fifteen chapters.  And his admirers (read: JasonPratt and Martok) will have you believe that, yes, there is some padding of the word count, but, it didn't happen until later in the series when it became popular and they wanted Jordan to spin things out so everyone could make more money.  To which I respond, bullsh*t.  It starts in the first book and only gets worse as it goes.  So, continue at your own risk.

Edited to install a  :D emoticon so everyone knew that I was serious, BUT, not being ugly about it.

[JasonPratt]

Actually his defenders (read: me and Martok) will say that the later books aren't padding the wordcount for financial purposes either, but for other reasons. Nor back then would he have been padding things out on a whim; publishers didn't have ebooks back then, and ink and paper cost a ton of money, nor was he at the time an established fantasy name so that readers needed to feel like they were getting a lot of RJ for their money. (Not that any readers probably ever felt that about one of his books. ;) His defenders can be pretty acerbic, too, you know...)

Tons of visual description are, however, fairly standard for the epic fantasy genre, following in Tolkien's footsteps -- and TEotW is nothing if not following pretty hard in Tolkien's footsteps!  I just skip by such things the first time I read them, though on (some) rereads I find I have more appreciation for them, at least the environmental descriptions. (I still skip over the endless talk about clothing, but I recognize that he's trying to build a Renaissance Era milieu and fancy clothing was a big part of that.)


The random mysterious foreboding doom descriptions are prophecy language, Emeraldis; you won't know how literally to take it until it happens. Which considering that a lot of it applies to the Last Battle, won't be until Book 14 (though some of it happens sooner). It isn't random, though some of it is stereotypical.


Anyway, I'm not sure I can say it's going to get better in any sense you care about (Mat's character gets a lot better but not until Book 3), before it gets a lot worse for a while in all the ways you already don't like.  >:D If you aren't on board yet with the epic epicality of it all (this opening novel features a lot of travel compared to many of the sequels) and/or with the characters, then I doubt you ever will be.

If you feel like you're missing out on the final three Sanderson books as a Sanderson fan, however, then may I suggest Leigh Butler's WoT reread at Tor.com? She summarizes each chapter pretty thoroughly, sometimes with key dialogue, though at about 10 percent length; and then comments on the chapters, often snarkily. You can read them for free at Tor, or (if you feel a need to not access Tor and/or the massive threads after each post) Tor published them in physical and ebook formats. That would blast you through the novels at 10x speed and get you to Sandersons finale trilogy.

[vyshka]

I've seemed to really slow down in my reading this 1st half of the year. I'm still at some point in Foundation and Earth, and will eventually get back to it. I've read The Inner Game of Tennis, and re-read Red Storm Rising and The Silicon Man. The rest of my reading has been Honor Harrington books, The Short Victorious War, Field of Dishonor, Flag in Exile, and Honor Among Enemies .

[vyshka]

Today I veered off in a different direction and read an author I probably haven't read since I was a teenager. In junior high and high school I devoured Mack Bolan, Phoenix Force, and Able Team books. Don Pendelton's Executioner series is available in ebook form now and I picked up the first book in that series, The Executioner - War Against the Mafia, finishing it in one night.

[Martok]

I finished Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan early this morning.  A good solid historical-fantasy read; I'll definitely be checking out more of Kay's works in the future.  Thanks for the recommendation Toonces!  O0 


Next up:  A month or two back, I picked up a nice hardcover edition of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo for a (figurative) song.  Read it a couple years ago, and have been itching to reread it. 

[vyshka]

I managed to work through the rest of Foundation and Earth the last couple of nights, and I also read The Executioner - Death Squad the other night as well. Next up is to finish the HH book In Enemy Hands, and then I think next will be Caliban's War.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

In preparation for the release of the Empire of the Sun 2nd ed boardgame from GMT, I'm listening to an audiobook recording of Nemesis by Max Hastings.  I'm also reading some Osprey books on Halifaxes, Mosquitos, and Lancasters.

[Gusington]

About to start Disenchanted by Robert Kroese...think a newer version of The Princess Bride.

[BanzaiCat]

Started re-reading Red Storm Rising during the cruise last week. Didn't get a chance to read anything else and only got about 2/3 of the way through it.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

The Thin Black Line

[OJsDad]

Finished the five book Invasion USA series by Vaughn Heppner.  Give it a 2 out of 5.

There was so much potential there but if fell completely short.  All of the dialog between the characters were almost strictly one liners.  You could tell that either he didn't read it over very well and or no one else read it over.  I felt too often that I was reading something written by a sixth grader.

From military point of view, he didn't seem to have any knowledge of tactics or strategic warfare.  It seemed like everything was solved with millions of soldiers on each side, wave attacks, and high body counts.  The American's develop a space based kinetic weapon, and uses it on merchant ships sending troops and supplies from China to Mexico.  Why not go after the Chinese land anti-satellite bases so you can get spy sats back into orbit.  Or hit their power grid and docks.  Allow the subs to go after the mechies. 

The US has an energy crisis at the beginning of the series, but never seems to be an issue after the first book, especially after losing control of the Alaskan oil fields.

In the first two books, the USAF is getting it's arse kicked up one side and down the other.  By the third book, they're holding their own and giving better than they take, but there is no new system that accounts for this.  There is no explanation for it at all. 

I could go on with all of the issues but not much point. 

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

The Thin Black Line

""Am I... am I disfigured?" Mike whispered. "Take it easy, Mike. Considering that your face stopped a bullet, you look pretty good."

Great line. Great book so far( chapter 10).

[Airborne Rifles]

Finished the five book Invasion USA series by Vaughn Heppner.  Give it a 2 out of 5.

There was so much potential there but if fell completely short.  All of the dialog between the characters were almost strictly one liners.  You could tell that either he didn't read it over very well and or no one else read it over.  I felt too often that I was reading something written by a sixth grader.

From military point of view, he didn't seem to have any knowledge of tactics or strategic warfare.  It seemed like everything was solved with millions of soldiers on each side, wave attacks, and high body counts.  The American's develop a space based kinetic weapon, and uses it on merchant ships sending troops and supplies from China to Mexico.  Why not go after the Chinese land anti-satellite bases so you can get spy sats back into orbit.  Or hit their power grid and docks.  Allow the subs to go after the mechies. 

The US has an energy crisis at the beginning of the series, but never seems to be an issue after the first book, especially after losing control of the Alaskan oil fields.

In the first two books, the USAF is getting it's arse kicked up one side and down the other.  By the third book, they're holding their own and giving better than they take, but there is no new system that accounts for this.  There is no explanation for it at all. 

I could go on with all of the issues but not much point.

I Read (or listened to) the series as well, and I agree with all the issues. I did manage to enjoy it though. Despite the problems, the story-telling was pretty good and it didn't unfold predictably. Once I just let go of any hope for realism it became much more enjoyable.

[Pinetree]

Just started The Black Company series, loving it so far