All about books!

Off-topic
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My overall impression was that it is the Lord of the Rings from the perspective of Sam. I’m not sure if it is intentional, or by accident, or just in my imagination, but there are some striking similarities. If the former, it’s a wonderful homage, otherwise I guess there are just so many themes and plots to pick from, so some repetition is probably inevitable.

Lucky you. The German edition doesn’t even have a release date yet. And since I started in German …

Don’t think I have. But looks like I have to :slight_smile:.

Addendum: So it seems a bit hard to come by, at least as a physical object. There is a standalone release in German with both hard- and softcover issues, both currently out of print. It’s around 18€ for the hardcover, used. Interestingly, my favorite bookstore lists it for pre-order at 14€, with an as-of-yet unknown release date, with no info whatsoever on the publisher’s website (just like with Into the Narrowdark). I guess I might just wait for now.

Finished, and all I can say is *wow*. I did not see that coming. The first volume already had some unexpected twists and turns, and this even more so. And while the first took a while to pick up speed at times, this one never really slowed down to begin with.

Now waiting for the next …

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Recently, I came across this list of Cozy and Feel-Good Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books on Goodreads, and as I enjoy those more than the bleak and gory kind I picked up and read a few I did not know yet:

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers was a rather mixed experience. I did not really get warm with the main character, who seemed to be doing good for themselves (the author failed to reveal sex or identity), yet never was truly satisfied with what they had. It’s something I cannot really relate to, so I found their attitude a bit off-putting. I still might follow up with the next volume, as it got somewhat better near the end, but I think it might appeal more to folks who are still looking for happiness in life. Though hard to judge if it will bring much comfort in that case.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen tricked me. I always thought romance novels were required to depict a shirtless guy and a swooning girl on the cover to warn people off, but apparently that’s not the case. They can advertise it as a fantasy western with a morbid theme all they want, first and foremost it’s romance. The overall premise, setting and story aren’t too bad, but the thing between the characters seems rather contrived and it makes up the majority of the book. Rather cliché-ridden, too.

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal is a sci-fy murder mystery and doubles as a Cocktail book, as each chapter is named after a drink and provides the recipe. There are plenty of chapters, and plenty drinks mixed and consumed throughout, as well. The story is also not quite what the blurb on the back makes it out to be. From that I had expected the main focus to be on the crime investigation and unmasking of the true culprit, but in retrospect, a technical adept heiress to a large industrial conglomerate isn’t really a super-sleuth, and the way things actually play out certainly make her more believable as a character. That one’s probably the best of the bunch, though it’s not outstanding and the only thing cozy and feel-good about it is probably Gimlet, the dog. (But there’s also Gimlet, the drink, of course!)

So while none of these come as a revelation, at least they were a welcome change from the usual fare, so I thought I’d share my thoughts. But to be honest, the only ones from the list for which I would vouch are The Princess Bride, The Goblin Emperor, and Piranesi. After these, if you’re still not feeling cozy enough, get something from Patrica McKillip (Cygnet, maybe, or Od Magic).

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Read Athos 2643 by Nils Westerboer. One of the very few books I’d give a 5 out of 5. (Though I’m easily impressionable, tomorrow I might already have reasons why it’s a mere 4.5).

At the beginning, it feels a lot like The Name of the Rose in space (and that alone would justify the grade): there’s Rüd, our protagonist, who’s off to a cloister on a remote asteroid, together with his pretty AI assistant, to investigate the death of a monk. The whole story is written from the perspective of the AI, and poses the kind of questions one might expect in that context: common good vs. individual good, free will vs. determinism and, of course, what it takes to be human.

The writing and world-building are excellent: not a lot of exposition, but background and character detail are woven masterfully into the narrative, as are the philosophical bits. Locations are described succinctly, but in vivid detail and evoke a distinctly oppressive and suspenseful feeling. I had the impression that every word carried weight and served a purpose, and the whole thing was just so incredibly well-rounded, and that’s probably what makes it so much better than the sum of its parts.

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Sounds amazing! Name of the Rose is one of my favorite books, but do you happen to know if there is an English translation?

Goodreads has 4 editions listed for Athos 2643, but they are all in German.

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Sadly, it’s only available in German. I did a quick search, and it seems at least the publication rights would be available, so I guess it’s not entirely ruled out that this might change in the future.

I debated with myself whether I should post it here at all, but given how good it is, I thought maybe it helps getting some attention in the wider world. And, of course, a couple people here speak German.

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Finally got my hands on a copy. I think reading it now (after Brothers of the Wind) made me appreciate it more. Though it’s pretty good regardless. I’m even tempted to re-read the original series, to see it in context of all the new material. And to shorten the wait for the German edition of Into the Narrowdark, due out in autumn … not sure if I can stomach the visit to giant-beetle-lair for a 3rd time, though :slight_smile:.

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Read Larry Niven’s Ringworld (better late than never, I guess). While I can’t fully recommend the edition I picked, a (presumably) new German translation from Mantikore, I really liked the book as such. I imagine the Sci-Fi bits might have been even more awe-inspiring 50 years ago, but then there’s the journey and adventure part, and the more philosophical aspects, too. Though the biggest question I have right now is whether the Kilrathi are inspired by the Kzinti (how could they not be!?). And I really should re-read Terry Pratchett’s Strata, too. I’d never given much thought to when that was released in relation to the Discworld novels, and never thought it would parody any specific work of literature.

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To @Sushi and whomever else it may concern: Humble Store has a Tad Williams book bundle featuring 21 ebooks for less than the price of a single paper book.

I’ll be skipping the offer, as I’d rather invest in more shelf space than into an ebook reader, but maybe it’s useful to have as a backup for the physical books or to complete your collection (in case it needs completing).

I really loved the Shadowmarch series, and the Osten Aard stuff isn’t too shabby either, especially the standalone novels, so it feels like this is an excellent deal. There must be a hook somewhere …

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I have all of them in print version (and a couple on eReader too), but I was tempted.
The hook is you’ll be hooked for quite some time to finish them all. (And the last part The Navigator’s Children is not included)

Current status: a bit more than halfway through Into the Narrowdark

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Started reading that today, a bit earlier than anticipated. Not sure what’s going on, but not only did the German translation release ahead of schedule, but both parts (of course they did not want or manage to fit 1000 pages into a single volume) came out at the same time.

Update 2023-09-28: a bit more than halfway through as well. One impression I cannot shake off is that this book is written to be adapted for TV. Plenty of action and over the top cinematic scenes. Maybe it’s unintentional, and just a result of Williams’ effort to squeeze this trilogy into no more than 4 books. But while I think the first volume could have shed a 100 to 200 pages without losing much of value, this one seems to have hardly a single word to spare. Which I prefer, TBH, but it does feel a bit inconsistent with what came before. The second volume fell somewhat in between the two extremes, and I hope the grand finale will as well.

Update 2023-10-06: finished. The second half slowed down a bit with the action, and had one or two (somewhat) unexpected twists. It also had one of those stereotypical villains that would rather talk the hero to death, a scene so hilarious it wasn’t funny any more and then more superhero-level action. Now I’m eagerly awaiting the, hopefully, epic conclusion.

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Read Shades of Grey and Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde. The first one is quite old, but seems they were released in German just now. Curiously, the translation was done by different people, and Shades of Grey turned out way better from a language point of view.

In addition to the inferior style (hopefully only present in the translation), Red Side Story starts by rehashing a lot of what transpired before, which might make sense given it came out 16 years after the first book, but feels a bit jarring when reading them back to back. But it did get quite exciting after the initial chapters and that made up for the change in tone and blatant exposition. Now I hope the next one (because of course it is a trilogy) does not take another 16 years to write.

Like seemingly all of Fforde’s works (which I don’t know, only judging by the Wikipedia page), it’s about a future, dystopian society, and while it starts out mostly harmless and a bit silly, it doesn’t take long before the stakes are raised. Probably the most notable books I’ve picked up over the past 6 months.

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Quiet here, so I’ll give a bit of an update on the noteworthy stuff I read. I’ll try to keep it short.

Volume 3 of Ada Palmer’s Terra Ignota series. This one was like 90% dialogue and 10% action, yet it was more gripping than most books with the opposite ratio. Now awaiting the conclusion.

The remaining volumes of Max Gladstone’s Craft Sequence. Four Roads Cross was at least as good as Two Serpents Rise, and returned to the characters and location of Three Parts Dead. Ruin of Angels was better, though suffered a bit from a slow start. Has returning characters from Full Fathom Five, but is set in a new location (a bit harder to place in terms of real-world equivalent, but if I had to guess I’d say North Africa). It’s a wild mix of investment banking and magic, part heist, part prison break. And more. Quite the spectacle!

The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss. If the conclusion to his Kingkiller Chronicle is only half as good, it will still have been worth the wait!

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. I normally don’t like Sanderson’s style (too technical, taking the magic out of the magic), but here he does an homage to The Princess Bride, and with great success, methinks. The twist was a bit foreseeable. Then again, it was also masterfully hinted at much, much earlier, which I completely failed to realize. Well played!

The first 2 1/2 volumes of The Bird That Drinks Tears by Lee Yeong-Do. That series was published in Korea 20 years ago and is only now getting a German translation, with the 4th and final book due out in December. It’s … different. A bit of a mix between adventurous journey and political intrigue, with a generous dose of, what I would call, typical Korean humor: more slapstick and situational comedy than characters cracking jokes. Quality of the writing is a bit all over the place, but at it’s best it’s brilliant and hilarious.

And finally, for something completely different: What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama. Interconnected stories of different people that have their lives upended, and by some good fortune, and perhaps a bit of their own initiative, come to grips with the new situation. Uplifting and inspiring.

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Read Worst. Person. Ever. by Douglas Coupland. Funniest! Book! Inalongtime!

I guess previously I’d have recommended Microserfs from his Oeuvre (though no idea how that is holding up after 30 years), but not any more. Worst. Person. Ever. is a brutally honest look at humanity, peeling away the thin veneer of culture and civilization, as the titular protagonist gets thrown into progressively more bizarre situations. It should have been depressing, but the sheer absurdity and audacity made me laugh out loud instead. Whether you find it refreshing or offensive, I fear there’s some truth hidden between its pages.

Also, interestingly, I’d have placed the release date around 2021 or '22, but it’s from 2013. Feels almost prophetic in some ways.

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I can second this recommendation. I have only read the first volume, yet. I was very intrigued to read the other three as well. It’s a fantasy novel unlike the typical LotR stuff, some very brutal and disgusting scenes in it. But the details of this world fascinated me. Looking forward to the second book. :slight_smile:

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Some more reading, lately. The Tomb of Dragons, 3rd entry of Katherine Addison’s fantasy/crime/steampunk novel series about the exploits of Thara Celehar, a Witness for the Dead, as he goes about fulfilling minor and major petitions from kin of the recently deceased. What I like about the books is how down to earth the setting is, despite all the fantastic elements. Thara’s routine is full of mundane things, contrasting nicely with the more drastic and dramatic elements and giving off a cozy vibe altogether.

Lyneham, the new Nils Westerboer. A very atmospheric SciFi novel told (mostly) from the perspective of a 12 year old colonist. He arrives on a new planet, together with his father, two siblings and other fugitives, 12000 years after Earth became uninhabitable. The book is wonderfully written and gripping from first page to last, with the oppressive and hostile environment evoking just the right amount of dread, all the while family mysteries and the nefarious plans of the powers that be are being slowly revealed.

Empress of Forever, by Max Gladstone. I think that had so much potential, and it was off to a good start, too, but did not follow through with its USP: Vivian Liao, entrepreneur extraordinaire, is whisked away into a Galaxy-spanning space adventure, where she approaches situations as if she still sat in a board meeting, vocabulary and all. That’s quite hilarious and kinda does for SciFi what the Craft Sequence with its investment bankers does for Fantasy, but the story lacks a bit of originality, the rag-tag crew of companions all remain a bid bland and in Vivian’s shadow, and so the overall result is okay, but not brilliant, unfortunately. YMMV.

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The 2026 what are we playing thread
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And receiving a sequel.

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Just finished reading, and have to say it is quite excellent. The first two books followed the plot of the game, and while they fleshed out the background of characters, and filled in some details players may have missed, their appeal to me lay mostly in their familiarity, in the reliving of fond memories. (Except, it seems, I took the non-canon ending … though did I!?).

The Flood (and the upcoming fourth volume) break free from the constraints of the game, and go even deeper into the history and inner workings of the Nebula. And it’s quite surprising. Especially since there are two intertwined story lines where surely the outcome of the one must lead to the beginning of the other, but how this will come to pass is yet a mystery.

Well worth reading, but either play Heaven’s Vault beforehand, or never ever. And I don’t recommend latter.

 
And while I’m at it, this one’s been too good not to mention, but sadly it’s available in German only: Omni by Andreas Brandhorst. It’s a space opera paying homage to Star Wars and Ursula K. Le Guin, and while I cannot comment on Le Guin, it captures the spirit of the original trilogy quite nicely. What makes it stand out, however, is the plot. In a boring book, the protagonist marches from victory to victory and makes it seem effortless. In a gripping one, they overcome challenges by the skin of their teeth. In Omni, they suffer setback after setback, each worse than the previous and yet, somehow, they still make it through alive and triumphant.

And lastly, as honorable mention, Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson, a murder mystery on a colony ship en route to a distant planet. This one is more hard Sci-Fi, and perhaps not so much unlike Between Horizons in principle, but with its own unique take on the setting.

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If you like this and you are/speak German, I can recommend “Alles außer irdisch” written by Horst Evers. (Sadly, it’s not available in English.)

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Sounds like something I should enjoy :slightly_smiling_face:. Noted for when I’m through my current backlog, which is surprisingly large, given my peculiar taste and what is on offer these days.

Speaking of which, just read The Light of all that Falls by James Islington, the final book in its series, after a long pause. It’s still not available in German, so I gave in and read the original. But after such a long wait, my emotional investment in the characters was close to zero, and I followed the proceedings rather indifferently from a distance.

On the bright side, Islington captures the essence of what I liked about The Wheel of Time like no one else I read so far, but more condensed and with less pulling of braids.

He fails to replicate the subtlety of Robert Jordan’s writing, though, and that is perhaps my biggest complaint: too many things can be guessed before the reveal, and at times I wonder why they had to be revealed explicitly at all, with all the available clues.

Otherwise, the world-building is good, the characters likeable and there’s more action than political maneuvering. Chapters are written from different points of view, but it never feels like things get interrupted at the worst possible moment, and all the different sub-plots progress at a steady pace before finally converging into the grand finale.

Recommended, but likely more impactful when reading all three books back to back.

Next in line: Perhaps the Stars.

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I don’t think I can contribute much to this thread, but I read a lot of science fiction books, and I track them on The Storygraph. If you’re curious about the titles, here they are:

Sometimes I chat about them with the people on the Discord server associated to the YouTube channel “Words in Time”:

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