BPsite Forums
March 29, 2024, 10:55:01 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: BPSITE FOREVER!
 
   Home   Help Search Members Login Register  
Pages: [1] 2
  Print  
Author Topic: What book should I read next?  (Read 20337 times)
SS
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 10392



View Profile WWW
« on: October 18, 2006, 12:11:16 AM »

(Ok, screw the poll I'll just do it as a standard post.)

I have a large variety of unread books, and I'm trying to decide what I should read next. Options are:

Terry Goodkind / Sword of Truth
 - Chainfire
 - Phantom.

Trudi Canavan / Age of the Five
 - Priestess of the White

Raymond E Feist / Riftwar
 - Daughter of the Empire
 - Servant of the Empire
 - Mistress of the Empire
 - Prince of the Blood
 - The Kings Bucanner
 - Jimmy the Hand

Dune
- Legends 3 / The Battle of Corrin
- The Road To Dune

James Barclay / Ascendants of Estorea
 - Cry of the Newborn

Anne McCaffrey / Pern
 - All the Weyrs of Pern
 - Dragonsdawn
 - Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
 - The Renegades of Pern

Philip Pullman
 - The Amber Spyglass
 - The Subtle Knife
 - Northern Lights


Hmm, I thought I had a couple of others but I can't see them around so I probably imagined it. :unsure:

Anyhow, that's the choices, you've got just under 24 hours to vote, before I decide to either listen to what people say or just ignore you all and make up my own mind anyway.
Logged

Peter 'SpectralShadows' Boughton,
Seeker of Perfection, BPsite Sitelord.

Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming
defiance with the last breath, to spit in the Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.
Louise
Sr. Member
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 256



View Profile WWW
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2006, 01:43:32 AM »

I didn't think much of The Amber Spyglass, but it comes recommended by a fair few people, and it's a while since I tried to read it, so I've been thinking of giving it another go.

Apart from that, I've not read any of the books on your list, so couldn't really give an informed opinion. I've read Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule, and liked it... I've also heard that the series deteriorates, though. So either way it's inconclusive.

And that probably didn't help at all, did it.  :paranoid:  
Logged

If my lack of signature worries you, please feel free to imagine it as saying some amusing, pleasantly witty and intelligent phrase.
Hornet
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 685



View Profile WWW
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2006, 01:49:44 AM »


Chainfire; could be interesting, it depends how into the series you are.  I suspect that he started writing the books to sell after a while, as the actual plot per book is often very thin on the ground, and highly padded.  I haven't read this one myself yet, though, nor phantom for that matter.

Daughter of the Empire; very, very good book, as are the other two in the set.  Very immersive, excellent world, and actually quite believable.  (The Magician trilogy became a bit too 'epic' towards the end, and my suspension of disbelief collapsed a few times.)  I'd suggest this one.

The Renegades of Pern; I know nowt about this one, but I misread it as 'The Renegades of Porn' to start with.  :blink:

Amber Spyglass; very good, although I read it many years ago.  Interesting take on God, though.  The end of the trilogy is rather odd, quite sad, and a bit ambiguous.  

The ones not mentioned I either haven't read, or are the second and third books in a trilogy.  I'm assuming that you'd want to start reading them at the first book, thus detailed thoughts on the others are a tad redundant. Smiley
« Last Edit: October 18, 2006, 05:42:00 PM by Hornet » Logged

In the fridge! By the cheese! Waggle waggle!

Money isn't the solution to life's problems, but it can usually buy it.
Rug
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 9126


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2006, 04:05:49 PM »

Trudi Canavan is my very favourite author, by a long, long way. I'd suggest you read the Black Magician trilogy first, if you haven't (mainly because Age of the Five isn't finished yet, and I assume you hate waiting for books as much as I do; Age of the Five has better characters, better story... better).

Phillip Pullman is very good, but, honestly, you should've read them a good 5+ years ago. Amber Spyglass is by far the worst of the trilogy - personally it gets worse as it goes. I'd suggest reading Northern Lights and leaving it there, unless you really honest-to-god must know how it ends.

Battle of Corrin sucked hard. Read it only for completeness.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2006, 04:06:21 PM by Rug » Logged
Louise
Sr. Member
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 256



View Profile WWW
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2006, 09:23:49 PM »

Quote
Phillip Pullman is very good, but, honestly, you should've read them a good 5+ years ago. Amber Spyglass is by far the worst of the trilogy - personally it gets worse as it goes. I'd suggest reading Northern Lights and leaving it there, unless you really honest-to-god must know how it ends.
Um ... The Amber Spyglass is the first in the series? So how can it be the worst, yet the series gets worse as it goes....?
Logged

If my lack of signature worries you, please feel free to imagine it as saying some amusing, pleasantly witty and intelligent phrase.
Hornet
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 685



View Profile WWW
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2006, 10:15:22 PM »


No, it's the last.  The first is The Northern Lights, the second The Subtle Knife, and the last The Amber Spyglass.
SS put them in the wrong order.  Tongue
Logged

In the fridge! By the cheese! Waggle waggle!

Money isn't the solution to life's problems, but it can usually buy it.
SS
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 10392



View Profile WWW
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2006, 11:23:47 PM »

Thanks everyone for the input. Smiley

I have decided to.... make you wait until the end of the post before saying what I've decided. Tongue



Quote
I've read Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule, and liked it... I've also heard that the series deteriorates, though. So either way it's inconclusive.
It does. I actually started reading it on the strength of the 6/7th book, and I liked the first handful of books, but...

Quote
Chainfire; could be interesting, it depends how into the series you are. I suspect that he started writing the books to sell after a while, as the actual plot per book is often very thin on the ground, and highly padded. I haven't read this one myself yet, though, nor phantom for that matter.
Yeah, the series starts all nice and fantasy and stuff, but the recent ones have been a lot more... I dunno what the right word is. It seems to me that he's writing to spread his particular [political] viewpoint, and I vaguely remember quotes by him that back that up. Which is part of why I haven't already started on these; I like to enjoy reading, not feel like some huge ego is lecturing me. :mellow:

Quote
The ones not mentioned I either haven't read, or are the second and third books in a trilogy. I'm assuming that you'd want to start reading them at the first book
Anything listed that's part way through a series I've read the start of the series for.
(The only series book I've got without having the start of it is something by Maggie Fury, which is the third in a trilogy so not going to read that without reading the first two)



Quote
Trudi Canavan is my very favourite author, by a long, long way. I'd suggest you read the Black Magician trilogy first, if you haven't (mainly because Age of the Five isn't finished yet, and I assume you hate waiting for books as much as I do; Age of the Five has better characters, better story... better).
Yup, read the Black Magician trilogy already, so if this is better than that's promising; I found the BM characters very.... um, distinct -- unlike in WoT/etc where I sometimes go, "uh, which one is this again?" -- each character was a character, which I like.
And yeah, I hate waiting, especially when its a matter of years.
Any idea if its another trilogy, or a five book series, or...?


Quote
The first is The Northern Lights, the second The Subtle Knife, and the last The Amber Spyglass.
SS put them in the wrong order.
Hey, I just listed them in the order my bookshelf held them! Don't blame me for my bookshelf being disordered! Tongue









Okay, I'm going to go for Daughter of the Empire first, and read that trilogy, and then after that I'll do the Northern Lights and see if I want to go to the end of that, and then I'll go back to the Sword of Truth series, and then after that I might finish off the Dune set, and by the end of that I wont have remembered what I might decide next anyway, so I wont decide until I get there (which'll probably take me the best part of a year). :alien:
Logged

Peter 'SpectralShadows' Boughton,
Seeker of Perfection, BPsite Sitelord.

Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming
defiance with the last breath, to spit in the Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.
Hornet
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 685



View Profile WWW
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2006, 11:30:33 PM »


Whoot!  A fine choice sir.  Cheesy

Actually, did you finish the Magician series?  It ties in with that somewhat, which is good as you see the war from both sides.  I don't think there are any major spoilers for the first trilogy, though.
Logged

In the fridge! By the cheese! Waggle waggle!

Money isn't the solution to life's problems, but it can usually buy it.
SS
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 10392



View Profile WWW
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2006, 11:36:44 PM »

Yep, finished that. And I wrote an agreement with your overly-epic remark, but it went missing.
Logged

Peter 'SpectralShadows' Boughton,
Seeker of Perfection, BPsite Sitelord.

Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming
defiance with the last breath, to spit in the Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.
Rug
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 9126


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2006, 01:43:46 AM »

Quote
Any idea if its another trilogy, or a five book series, or...?

Trilogy. The second is already out - 'Last of the Wilds' considering the speed of that, I wouldn't be surprised if the third was out in 2007, but you never know. I'll have it on pre-order from the first day Amazon list it - very, very eager to find out how that series is going to end.

And, yeah, I agree with the comments re: the Black Magician trilogy. When I read Knife of Dreams, I couldn't remember any of the even remotely minor characters. There was a similar gap between me reading The Novice and The High Lord, and yet I could remember everyone - possibly because there were far fewer characters? Still, I could probably name/describe most of the Black Magician characters, 2 years after reading it...
Logged
Galmort
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 2307


View Profile
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2006, 05:58:07 AM »

Logged
SS
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 10392



View Profile WWW
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2006, 10:18:25 PM »

Sorry Gal, I don't have that book. But if you're willing to stop cuddling it at night for a week or two, maybe you could post it to me and I'll let you know what I think.

Tongue
Logged

Peter 'SpectralShadows' Boughton,
Seeker of Perfection, BPsite Sitelord.

Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming
defiance with the last breath, to spit in the Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.
Galmort
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 2307


View Profile
« Reply #12 on: October 20, 2006, 09:05:17 AM »

ouch. :stake:


you're good <_<  
Logged
Saladin
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 2071



View Profile WWW
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2006, 04:48:00 AM »

World War Z
Logged

I have become Death; destroyer of worlds.
--J. Robert Oppenheimer upon witnessing the explosion of the first atomic bomb
[/font]
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
[/font]
SS
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 10392



View Profile WWW
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2006, 12:56:38 PM »

Eh?
Logged

Peter 'SpectralShadows' Boughton,
Seeker of Perfection, BPsite Sitelord.

Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming
defiance with the last breath, to spit in the Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.
Pages: [1] 2
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.16 | SMF © 2011, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!