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What books are you reading at the moment? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by FantasticFox@lemmy.world to c/sciencefiction@lemmy.world
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I'm currently reading the Wool omnibus by Hugh Howey. It's pretty decent I've been making very rapid progress as it's been too hot to sleep here recently now the summer has arrived.

I haven't seen the Apple show, but maybe I'll watch it in the future when I've finished all the books (I had Shift and Dust as well).

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[-] allalae@orcas.enjoying.yachts 4 points 1 year ago

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.

I really loved the first book in the series, A Memory Called Empire, but I find the second one harder to get through. The writing really gets into the protagonist's head, and with all the stress she's in, it gets... claustrophobic, I guess, for me. I wish there was a bit more focus on the plot about the cool mysterious aliens.

[-] MagpieRhymes@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I’m working my way through both the Murderbot Diaries (just started Network Effect) and the Rivers of London series (just finished Broken Homes, though this series is more urban fantasy). Both and very enjoyable!

[-] ScrivenerX@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

My wife and I just ran through the whole murderbot series. They are such a fun read. I'm convinced that the author plays/has played a ton of Shadowrun.

[-] OldFartPhil@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

The murderbot stories get so much praise but I was never able to get into them. I binge read (well, actually binge listened) to the Rivers of London books a few months ago and thought they were first-rate.

I just finished the new Ann Leckie book, Translation State, which I liked very much. If you couldn't get enough of the the Imperial Radch universe it's a must read.

[-] FatLegTed@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Was a recommendation on the R site.

Complex, eon spanning, hard sci-fi. I'm loving it!

[-] TooL@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

If you could, what other sci-fi works would you compare it to? I am wrapping up the Children of Time series and could use something else.

[-] AWizard_ATrueStar@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I sold Seveneves to a friend by saying it is like Neal Stephenson wrote The Martian. Well, at least the first 2/3 of it. It talks a lot about the science how how an event like the one described in the book might happen but with the kind if granularity and verbosity you would expect from NS.

[-] ReallyKinda@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Working my way through some Hugo winners past— reading A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M Miller.

[-] CylonBunny@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I really liked Canticle, but I really felt like it suffered from being a fix-up novel. It’s three acts are not equal and don’t totally fit together in my opinion. It really starts off strong though! Hope you like it!

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Just started reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons.

[-] warriorpriest@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. Book 3 in the Words of Radiance series.

[-] FantasticFox@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

I've read the first and second one. I need to go back to them but they are so big..

[-] Silvus@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Has anyone told about our lord and savior, the audiobook? listening while driving, doing housework, ect can free up crazy time. And if you dont want your first read to be audio, use it for rereads!

[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I read faster than I listen/talk so have trouble with spoken books. The eyes are faster than the ears. Hate video explanations of things for the same reason, usually end up reading transcripts.

Spoken conversations with real people move at the right pace for me, entertainment TV shows too, and some radio theatre stuff is good but books, have not been able to enjoy them like that, it feels plodding. To be fair I have no driving commute though. One of my coworkers listens to audiobooks only while driving and says that's the way to do it.

[-] Collard@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Just started "The City We Became" by N.K. Jemisen. It took a minute for me to get my bearings, but I'm really digging the concept

[-] OldFartPhil@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

N.K. Jemisen is one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy writers. If you like her style and world building I'd highly recommend the Broken Earth trilogy.

[-] EtnaAtsume@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It took me quite some time to get past the rocky (hah) start, the absolute lack of all but the barest exposition, but once I did...wow.

And I recognize the talent and skill it takes to make that work. Very risky to do, but it damn sure paid off.

[-] EtnaAtsume@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Seems to be the general flow of her writing style. Broken Earth certainly doesn't hold your hand, either, but if you stick it out through the directionless lost feeling at the start, suddenly you're hooked.

[-] Zana@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

House of Leaves. Although I'm struggling because I haven't read a physical book in years and I can't bring it everywhere like I can my Leaf 2.

[-] ScrivenerX@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

I love that book.

The reading of the book becomes part of the experience of the book in a way that feels unique and engaging. If you like the format being part of the story I have to recommend S by Doug Dorst and JJ Abrams and to a lesser extent the Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd.

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[-] clucking_sliver@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Reading Noor right now. Very enjoyable and it will be quick read.

[-] w3dd1e@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Wool was great. And the show was good too. You can basically watch the first season after finishing Wool, if you’d like.

I’m reading He Who Fights With Monsters but I’m going to dig through this thread and find a good scifi novel to read next!

[-] DarthVi@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

I'm currently reading Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, which is the first book of the Expanse series. I haven't watched the TV series, since I wanted to dive into the books without previous knowledge.

[-] ANuStart@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I'm on Tiamats Wake in the Expanse series, love it

[-] rephlekt2718@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Not science fiction, but I’m loving Carl Sagans “The Demon-Haunted World”. He really was a brilliant dude.

[-] lemmy@lemmy.quad442.com 1 points 1 year ago

I'm Listening currently because it's convenient at work but, Finishing the Bobiverse for my 3rd go around

[-] TheBiscuitLout@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I’m reading The Best Of World SF Vol 2 compilation, edited by Lavie Tidhar. There are some phenomenal short stories in this and the first one, and I really enjoy hearing voices from outside the English-speaking bubble that I usually read

[-] paper_clip@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I've been working through The Expanse books, and have just started Leviathan Falls.

[-] CuriousLibrarian@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I listened to the 2nd and 3rd books of the Murderbot series on a car ride recently. I had read them before, but it was the first time that he did. I really enjoyed laughing with him.

[-] fl3tching101@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Currently reading Foundation and Earth by Asimov, I absolutely loved the original trilogy so I’ve been reading through the sequels and plan on going back to the prequels after. In my opinion the sequels have a big shift in pacing and sort of the way that the plot develops… not sure how I feel about that. On one hand it is easier to keep up with with less characters, but on the other it feels like the scale of things is much smaller. Trying to not spoil anything. The series is a fantastic read nevertheless!

[-] FantasticFox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I've only read the original Foundation trilogy, would you recommend the others?

[-] laurelinae@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Difficult to say. If you keep in mind, that he wrote the sequels 30 years or so later and acknowledge that one's views change over such a period, then go ahead. If you, however, expect the same flavor as the trilogy, then I wouldn't recommend reading foundation's edge and foundation and earth. And although these are meant as an introduction to the men behind time, that one makes no reference to the foundation trilogy. So it's fine to just read the end of eternity on its own.

[-] jetsetdorito@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I'm really trying to read Three Body Problem, but I'm having a hard time following

[-] k0nserv@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Stick with it. I loved the series, but the first book is unfortunately the most confusing and, in my opinion, the worst of the three.

[-] house_of_questions@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I am rereading Malazan Book of the Fallen. Just started the fourth book, House of Chains.

The start of this book is the hardest for me to get through. The first couple of chapters are really boring to me and it's only after

spoilerKarsa is captured and Torvald Nom is introduced
that I start getting into the story. The rest of the book is phenomenal, of course.

Edit: damn, is there no other spoiler option that just greys out the words? Edit2: Geez, I only just now realize this is not c/books but c/sciencefiction. Sorry if this post doesn't belong here then, haha.

[-] yoursingingtelegram@lemmy.one 0 points 1 year ago

I'm curious what you think about the series so far. I love fantasy, and after everyone told me Malazan was the PhD test for fantasy readers I read the whole thing and was... Underwhelmed. I can't find anyone else who just wasn't impressed with it, people either hate it and never finished or treat it like it's the greatest work of fiction a fantasy author has ever produced. I have so many thoughts on it, but always get yelled down by either camp.

[-] asimpledungeonmaster@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

You are not alone. I've had the same experience and I'm wondering what the big deal is. The books are really good, obviously, and a master class in world-building, but I find a lot of the deus ex plot elements disappointing.

I'm only on Memories of Ice, though, so what do I know?

[-] house_of_questions@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Which deus ex plot elements are you talking about, specifically? I know some of the events in the books can be confusing, but most of it falls into place eventually.

[-] asimpledungeonmaster@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Spoilers ahead.

First one off the top of my head that stands out is the

spoilerHouse of Azath taking out the Jaghut tyrant in Gardens of the Moon. All this buildup to the tyrant's awakening, he rampages through the countryside on his way to Darujhistan, mixes it up with Tool and Rake, but ultimately it's a magic tree house that got no real build-up or proper lore treatment in advance that takes him out.

Fits beautifully with all his lore, but the timing and use of it in this particular book felt like a deus ex machina to me.

[-] yoursingingtelegram@lemmy.one 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I totally understand what you mean. Everything, and I mean everything, ties back to earlier books. I don't even feel like there were plot threads that got left behind or forgotten, there were just so many moments that were built up across multiple books that were ended in a fashion that left me thinking "That's it? I read about this person/thing for hundreds of pages and this is the conclusion?"

It was impressive how Erikson created such a big world with so much history, but then it feels like he didn't do anything with it. I get the impression that he was so fixated on "not doing the normal fantasy stuff" that he forgot to make the books exciting. They were without a doubt impressive, but just not... Very interesting to read outside of an intellectual challenge.

Again, I finished the whole thing and just thought "that was pretty good I guess", which is not at all what I've heard from anyone else. Very ambitious and well done but I'm not sure I would ever recommend it to anyone.

[-] moosh@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Working on The Name of the Wind and then next up is Death’s End.

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[-] LamerTex@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm rereading Asimov's complete saga in "internal story chronological order":

  1. I, Robot / The Complete Robot (except 'Mirror Image'!) [ROBOTS]

  2. The Caves of Steel [ROBOTS]

  3. The Naked Sun [ROBOTS]

  4. Mirror Image (short story) [ROBOTS]

  5. The Robots of Dawn [ROBOTS]

  6. Robots and Empire [ROBOTS]

  7. The Stars, Like Dust-- [EMPIRE]

  8. The Currents of Space [EMPIRE]

  9. Pebble in the Sky [EMPIRE]

  10. Prelude to Foundation [FOUNDATION]

  11. Forward the Foundation [FOUNDATION]

  12. Foundation [FOUNDATION]

  13. Foundation and Empire [FOUNDATION]

  14. Second Foundation [FOUNDATION]

  15. Foundation's Edge [FOUNDATION]

  16. Foundation and Earth [FOUNDATION]

I'm currently on "Forward the foundation"

[-] Narauko@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

The Foundation series is absolutely amazing, and I am jealous of you if this is your first reading. One of my formative series growing up. You're inspiring me to do the whole Asimov read through like your doing, because I don't believe I ever read the Empire books and never read Robot beyond I, Robot.

[-] FantasticFox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I'm surprised The Caves of Steel is so early as it seemed really futuristic compared to most of The Complete Robot, but I read it a long time ago so maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

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this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2023
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