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[Rien]

Do you have a favorite non fiction book you recommend to people?

Good question. I you have time and interest for it I would recommend The Gulag Archipelago. I am near the end of volume 2 now, it’s a rough read tho, can only read bits.
Also I would recommend The Immortality Key.

 

[FunkMiller]

I've just started the entire Horus Heresy cycle, having thoroughly enjoyed all the Eisenhorn/Ravenor books and Caphias Cain.

Will report back when I've finished the whole thing in about thirty years.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I've just started the entire Horus Heresy cycle, having thoroughly enjoyed all the Eisenhorn/Ravenor books and Caphias Cain.

Will report back when I've finished the whole thing in about thirty years.

I recently bought all 54 books on Kindle

I'm gonna be reading those after I finish The Wheel of Time

 

[Keinu]

Love reading and enjoy a lot of genres. During summer I prefer crime novels, sitting outside with a cold beer and reading. Not sure how well they are translated, but the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo is something I really recommend.

I know they made an american film of one of his books, The Snowman, and if you watched that might be turned off since it’s quite bad. It was an awfull adaptation though and the book is way better.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

I began reading this series in 2019 and I'm starting book 5 out of 10 today.

For anyone unfamiliar, this series has a notorious reading difficulty. Imagine the storytelling/worldbuilding style of Dune - then multiply that by several orders of magnitude. It is the most dense, complex, epic story I've ever even heard about. Each book could probably be a series in and of itself. I shit you not, according to Reddit then entire series has 453 different character points of view. Let that sink in.

I've taken my time not only because it's been struggle, but because I really needed to absorb wtf I've just read. It's the only series I've watched recaps on YouTube after finishing a book and used a dictionary to look up words as I'm reading. I really don't think I can recommend the series to anyone; I can just share my experience.

I will say this. After closing book 4........I know for a fact this is the greatest fantasy story I'll ever read. It deserves to stand right next to Tolkien in terms of impact on the genre, but it will never become popular. It may not end up being my personal favorite series, but I'll hold it in a separate place to everything else.

Malazan doesn't rely on established fantasy tropes to anchor your understanding of what's happening. When you start this series, there is no security blanket of familiarity with the genre that will help you. Furthermore, the story is simply told to you, not explained. You are truly discovering a world that is foreign. It has seriously taken me 4 books to feel confident in my overall understanding of what I'm being told.

If you do feel crazy enough to give this series a shot, take your time. If you hit a wall and set a book aside to take a break, I don't recommend restarting it either when you come back. Just pick up right where you left off, even if it's been a year or more - it will not make a difference.

TLDR: This series is impenetrable for the average reader. It's taken me 4 years to read 4 of the 10 books. It's probably the greatest fantasy epic ever told.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Got to Page 400 for The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2) by Robert Jordan

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I began reading this series in 2019 and I'm starting book 5 out of 10 today.

For anyone unfamiliar, this series has a notorious reading difficulty. Imagine the storytelling/worldbuilding style of Dune - then multiply that by several orders of magnitude. It is the most dense, complex, epic story I've ever even heard about. Each book could probably be a series in and of itself. I shit you not, according to Reddit then entire series has 453 different character points of view. Let that sink in.

I've taken my time not only because it's been struggle, but because I really needed to absorb wtf I've just read. It's the only series I've watched recaps on YouTube after finishing a book and used a dictionary to look up words as I'm reading. I really don't think I can recommend the series to anyone; I can just share my experience.

I will say this. After closing book 4........I know for a fact this is the greatest fantasy story I'll ever read. It deserves to stand right next to Tolkien in terms of impact on the genre, but it will never become popular. It may not end up being my personal favorite series, but I'll hold it in a separate place to everything else.

Malazan doesn't rely on established fantasy tropes to anchor your understanding of what's happening. When you start this series, there is no security blanket of familiarity with the genre that will help you. Furthermore, the story is simply told to you, not explained. You are truly discovering a world that is foreign. It has seriously taken me 4 books to feel confident in my overall understanding of what I'm being told.

If you do feel crazy enough to give this series a shot, take your time. If you hit a wall and set a book aside to take a break, I don't recommend restarting it either when you come back. Just pick up right where you left off, even if it's been a year or more - it will not make a difference.

TLDR: This series is impenetrable for the average reader. It's taken me 4 years to read 4 of the 10 books. It's probably the greatest fantasy epic ever told.

I have the complete series on my Kindle. It's on my too read list. Hope I don't get too confused reading it

 

[PaddyOCanager]

I have the complete series on my Kindle. It's on my too read list. Hope I don't get too confused reading it

There is little to no traditional exposition. There are 600+ named characters, hundreds of main characters, who drop in and out of the plot, sometimes for multiple books. Events chapter to chapter or even paragraph to paragraph can be happening simultaneously, in the past, in the future, in a different reality. POV of a certain event can even shift to a different character with no cues at all. The author's writing style is obtuse as fuck, and it took 2 books for me to finally grasp the style. The author also uses advanced vocabulary - I use the dictionary function on my Kindle dozens of times. It is not uncommon to re-read the same paragraph two or three times. Expect a ton of philosophical monologues and dialogues.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

There is little to no traditional exposition. There are 600+ named characters, hundreds of main characters, who drop in and out of the plot, sometimes for multiple books. Events chapter to chapter or even paragraph to paragraph can be happening simultaneously, in the past, in the future, in a different reality. POV of a certain event can even shift to a different character with no cues at all. The author's writing style is obtuse as fuck, and it took 2 books for me to finally grasp the style. The author also uses advanced vocabulary - I use the dictionary function on my Kindle dozens of times. It is not uncommon to re-read the same paragraph two or three times. Expect a ton of philosophical monologues and dialogues.

Thanks for the warning lol

 

[EviLore]

There is little to no traditional exposition. There are 600+ named characters, hundreds of main characters, who drop in and out of the plot, sometimes for multiple books. Events chapter to chapter or even paragraph to paragraph can be happening simultaneously, in the past, in the future, in a different reality. POV of a certain event can even shift to a different character with no cues at all. The author's writing style is obtuse as fuck, and it took 2 books for me to finally grasp the style. The author also uses advanced vocabulary - I use the dictionary function on my Kindle dozens of times. It is not uncommon to re-read the same paragraph two or three times. Expect a ton of philosophical monologues and dialogues.

And it's great.

 

[jufonuk]

I’m loving the first law trilogy.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

And it's great.

Absolutely.

When I closed book 4, I had to do a write up. When the threads of all these strands of storytelling finally tightened in my mind......I just knew. And to think I'm not even halfway is just mind-blowing, considering the journey I've been through so far. I've gotten used to the author's style and how information is presented; there's nothing else like it.

 

[EviLore]

Absolutely.

When I closed book 4, I had to do a write up. When the threads of all these strands of storytelling finally tightened in my mind......I just knew. And to think I'm not even halfway is just mind-blowing, considering the journey I've been through so far. I've gotten used to the author's style and how information is presented; there's nothing else like it.

Book 1 was tough to get through the first time. but eventually it all clicked, yeah, especially after 2 and 3. Love how dense the books are and how everything ties together. Thousands of years of worldbuilding.

 

[IDKFA]

Any Red Rising fans in the house?

This bad boy just got delivered today, but it's been so long since I read Dark Age that I'm going to run through the series again.

For those unfamiliar with the series, it's epic action sci-fi on a biblical scale. Imagine in the future humanity has inhabited almost every planet and moon in our star system, but they also have a hard on for Roman culture.

It's like Star Wars, mixed with Roman culture and a bit of 40K. It also has some of the most intense action scenes in any book series I've ever read.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Got to Page 504 (74%) in The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2) by Robert Jordan

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Got to Page 504 (74%) in The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2) by Robert Jordan

I was a fan of long books once. With my vision getting worse and my attention being ruined by modern media, I have a hard time reading such tomes now. Plus, there’s plenty of great shorter books that one can read in the same time. Kudos for wanting to tackle such a mammoth saga, but it’s not my cup of tea anymore (I’d rather re-read LOTR).

 

[VN1X]

I began reading this series in 2019 and I'm starting book 5 out of 10 today.

For anyone unfamiliar, this series has a notorious reading difficulty. Imagine the storytelling/worldbuilding style of Dune - then multiply that by several orders of magnitude. It is the most dense, complex, epic story I've ever even heard about. Each book could probably be a series in and of itself. I shit you not, according to Reddit then entire series has 453 different character points of view. Let that sink in.

I've taken my time not only because it's been struggle, but because I really needed to absorb wtf I've just read. It's the only series I've watched recaps on YouTube after finishing a book and used a dictionary to look up words as I'm reading. I really don't think I can recommend the series to anyone; I can just share my experience.

I will say this. After closing book 4........I know for a fact this is the greatest fantasy story I'll ever read. It deserves to stand right next to Tolkien in terms of impact on the genre, but it will never become popular. It may not end up being my personal favorite series, but I'll hold it in a separate place to everything else.

Malazan doesn't rely on established fantasy tropes to anchor your understanding of what's happening. When you start this series, there is no security blanket of familiarity with the genre that will help you. Furthermore, the story is simply told to you, not explained. You are truly discovering a world that is foreign. It has seriously taken me 4 books to feel confident in my overall understanding of what I'm being told.

If you do feel crazy enough to give this series a shot, take your time. If you hit a wall and set a book aside to take a break, I don't recommend restarting it either when you come back. Just pick up right where you left off, even if it's been a year or more - it will not make a difference.

TLDR: This series is impenetrable for the average reader. It's taken me 4 years to read 4 of the 10 books. It's probably the greatest fantasy epic ever told.

How does this compare to something like the Hyperion books by Dan Simmons? (which are among my favourite sci-fi/fantasy novels)


In other news even though I have yet to actually read Dune but I went ahead and ordered the other deluxe editions that recently came out at a far too high price. If anything they'll at least retain their value (or increase over time) and I'll be able to sell them if I really don't get on with the series hehe.

Also ordered my first 40K novel collection in the form of Eisenhorn's Omnibus by Dan Abnett which collects 4 novels and 4 short stories. Very much looking forward to getting stuck in with that!

Currently still making my way through The Dark Tower: Wizard & Glass and AVP: Ultimate Prey which isn't exactly great but serves as a stupid fun summer read in any case. On the flipside I finished C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity the other day and that turned out to be a transformative and thoroughly insightful read.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I was a fan of long books once. With my vision getting worse and my attention being ruined by modern media, I have a hard time reading such tomes now. Plus, there’s plenty of great shorter books that one can read in the same time. Kudos for wanting to tackle such a mammoth saga, but it’s not my cup of tea anymore (I’d rather re-read LOTR).

Understandable. I have to use my Tablet to read on Kindle which is nice but I prefer to read books in my hands instead. I don't have the space for physical books. I'm taking my time with The Wheel of Time. I expect to finish the series in 2 to 3 years

These are the books I'm gonna be reading


The Wheel of Time Series
Malazan Book of The Fallen Series
The Expanse Series
Bobby Dollar Trilogy (Tad Williams)
Of Mice And Men/East of Eden/The Grapes of Wrath
The Hot Zone (Nonfiction on Ebola Virus)
Killers of a Flower Moon
Dune Series
The Farseer Trilogy (Robin Hobb)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier And Clay
The Dresden Files
Horus Heresy Warhammer 40,000k Series
Special Topics In Calamity Physics
The Three-Body Trilogy
Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy
Devil In The White City
Gormanghast Trilogy
The King In Yellow
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Trilogy
Full Metal Panic! Series
Ringworld
Great North Road
Jerusalem (Alan Moore)
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
The Wind Through The Keyhole (Stephen King)
The Talisman/Black House (Stephen King)
The Kingkiller Chronicles
The Good Man Jesus And The Scoundrel Christ
Iron Council (China Mieville)
Fairy Tale (Stephen King)
The Outsider (Stephen King)
The Institute (Stephen King)
Christine (Stephen King)

I'm trying to read a variety of genres since I don't want to get burned out on the same genre. As for Book length, I'm gonna be reading a shorter book next that's not Fantasy on that list

As for that list I posted above me, I expect to finish that list in 5 to 15 years lol

I Used to be able read alot faster and finish lot more books each year. That was back in highschool and now I'm 39. Now I usually finish 5 to 25 books per year.

I love reading but my reading speed has massively decreased when it comes to finishing books.

What's been helping me is that I decided to read 1 to 15 pages every day of a book I'm reading. I tend to remember the plot from a book and once it starts to get good, I tend to start reading more than that amount. I Used to set my reading to 100 pages a day but nowadays I do it in smaller chunks. If I do read 100 or more pages a day than the book has finally grabbed me

 

[22:22:22]

I have a hard time reading.
My mind wonders. 2+hour dense podcast NP. Sitting down to read though.. =/

The only book I've read twice was this one. I was 17.

The Iarga and their Green Planet

Iargan – image 1 A Dutch engineer called Coen van der Meeren has written two books in 2021 in which he describes 100 UFO-sightings (1,2, 12). I was looking for some information on certain spe…

galacticanthropology.org

This book changed my world view massively.

For better for worse.

 

[FunkMiller]

As for that list I posted above me, I expect to finish that list in 5 to 15 years lol

There are 63 books in the Horus Heresy, and they keep adding more. I'd say twenty years, minimum

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

There are 63 books in the Horus Heresy, and they keep adding more. I'd say twenty years, minimum

I thought the main series was finished? What other ones are you talking about? I got all 54 books lol

But I'll be reading a lot of other books Inbetween same with what I'm doing with The Wheel of Time

 

[FunkMiller]

I thought the main series was finished? What other ones are you talking about? I got all 54 books lol

But I'll be reading a lot of other books Inbetween same with what I'm doing with The Wheel of Time

63 now… including final Abnett book cut into three parts.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The... published in,first released in February 2023

And some of them are right big bastards

Have you done all the Eisenhorn books? They’re the best of the lot in 40k.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

63 now… including final Abnett book cut into three parts.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Horus_Heresy#:~:text=The books are published in,first released in February 2023

And some of them are right big bastards

Have you done all the Eisenhorn books? They’re the best of the lot in 40k.

Never read any Warhammer books

First time getting into that universe

I'll add those Eisenhorn books to my kindle to read list

Also I know there are alot

Not gonna be just reading Warhammer books when I finally start on them

Going be reading a wide variety of genres inbetween each book like I'm doing for The Wheel of Time

 

[Humdinger]

Nice thread, I'm happy to find it. I've been trying to get into classics lately. I considered Count of Monte Cristo, but its size put me off. I've read some long books in my life -- Lonesome Dove and Pillars of the Earth come to mind, both of which I loved -- but I don't want to commit that much time to a single novel right now. I'd rather sample the shorter forms.

I just started Lolita, by Nabokov. It is ... weird. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but is the protagonist enamored with 12 year old girls? I didn't expect that. It's funny at times. "I gave her to hold in her awkward fist the scepter of my passion." That made me laugh.

I read Stoner, by John Williams a month ago. I was really surprised at how I got drawn into the novel, which doesn't have a whole lot going on. I just found the character of Stoner fascinating. Williams does such a great job of climbing inside his head. Stoner is a dirt-poor farm boy who becomes a frustrated English professor, marries an obsessive-compulsive bitch, and falls victim to office politics. As a reader, you shake your head at his ineptitude sometimes, but he somehow emerges as a heroic figure.

I picked up Call of the Wild, Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, the Death of Ivan Ilych, Robinson Crusoe, and True Grit as well. All of them are fairly short. Some of them (e.g., Call of the Wild and Ivan Ilych) I've read once already but wanted to read again).

I finished Notes from the Underground, by Dostoevsky, too. It's short. Initially, I was getting impatient with it, because it's a lot of philosophizing and no action for the first half. Then it picks up and becomes quite a story. And I thought I could be socially inept. Wow, lol. It's a pretty interesting character portrait. The man is very disturbed. I think Dostoevsky was talking about a particular alienation that set in among intellectuals of the period (around when Darwin was publishing Origin of the Species).

I've also tried to read some science fiction, because I used to enjoy that as a kid. However, most of the time, I just don't connect. I did enjoy Clifford Simak's Way Station, and I picked up his most acclaimed novel, City, to read later. It's older SF, but that's what I relate to.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2): A

I'm going to read Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse Book 1) starting tomorrow

 

[SpiceRacz]

Picked this up the other day. Gonna start it tonight.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Was reading summaries about this book and at least one of the short stories really interests me.

Plus, I have a renewed interest in Alien thanks to all the great video games release lately and the table top role playing game.

 

[Humdinger]

I put down Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, after 50 pages. I thought it was about a female seductress. I didn't realize that it was about a man's obsession with a 13 year old girl. It's well-written and funny at times, but I'm just not interested in reading about that character. I'm not morally offended. I just can't relate to him.

It does put that old Police song, "Don't Stand So Close to Me," in a different light.

Just like the
Old man in
That book by Nabokov

I didn't realize that the old man was obsessed with a 13 year old.

 

[VN1X]

Was reading summaries about this book and at least one of the short stories really interests me.

Plus, I have a renewed interest in Alien thanks to all the great video games release lately and the table top role playing game.

Currently going through Ultimate Prey and it's getting progressively worse lol but I'll stick with it as it's not that long anyway. Have yet to read Bug Hunt though so eager to hear your thoughts if it's any good.


Also, they hath arriveth!

And then, because I don't already have enough unread books, I went ahead and ordered all of the Stormlight Archive works by Brandon Sanderson (that are currently out). Supposedly he's doing 10 in total in this series and it'll be a daunting task but I really want to get my feet wet into some of these bigger fantasy epics.

Got these all in hardcover and should arrive tomorrow!

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I've been reading Book 1 of Full Metal Panic! It's only 220 pages and I'm 70 pages in. The book is very humorous and having a good time with it. The anime follows the book closely so far

 

[VN1X]

Finished Dark Tower IV and loved it.

Still going at it with AVP: Ultimate Prey and it is truly becoming a parody of itself. Like, glorified fan-fiction at best, rainbow activism at worst.
I mean I shit you not at one point one of the characters goes "do you think he knows?"
"That we're having an affair?"
"-No, that I'm trans"

There was even a short story about the Dahomey tribe and its author (through one of the characters) worshiping the 'strong black female warriors'. Literally going so far as to be in amazement of their skin colour (going in great length to describe it in the moonlight) and the character dropping to their knees in awe. I actually laughed out loud numerous times already at how preposterous some of this shit is. Easily one of the worst Aliens or Predator books I've read so far and I still have over halfway to go. The only good thing being that they're short stories at least, over before they can get too outrageous in their virtue signalling activism.

 

[VN1X]

Well I finally finished AVP: Ultimate Prey and it was awful. Gave it a single star on Goodreads. Avoid that fucker.

Review:

Spoiler

You know the saying it's just stupid fun? Well, the Aliens vs. Pedators franchise, a spin-off of their original IPs, certainly lends itself well for that sort of thing and would be the perfect vehicle to explore all kinds of silly but engaging ideas.

Unfortunately though AvP: Ultimate Prey decidedly leans into the plain stupid side of things, rather than anything else. An anthology that's glorified fan-fiction at best and pandering nonsense at worst (lazily executed to boot). Regarding that last point: I don't even want to go into the outrageous settings that some of the authors have dreamt up but to say that it doesn't feel genuine at all would be an understatement.

When it's not being completely ridiculous you're left with a collection of short stories that seemingly plays it safe and constantly regurgitates the same plot over and over again. And with fifteen of these, that gets old fast.

When all is said and done there's maybe one or two stories in here which are worth your time. So unless you've read everything and are somehow <i>still</i> craving more Aliens vs Predators content I don't see why you would want to bother with this. It really does feel like that other saying of something with mud, a wall, and seeing what sticks...

On the other hand I'm enjoying the Eisenhorn books so much I went ahead and ordered the Night Lords trilogy and Ciaphas Cain Hero Of The Imperium (which collects the first three books and a few short stories). If they're as good as these Dan Abnett works then I'm in for a treat!

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Finished reading Full Metal Panic! Vol 1. Fun and fast read.

Next up been reading Killers of a Flower Moon. It's been a long time since I read Nonfiction but so far this is an interesting read. I'm around 25 pages into the book

As for the rest of the books I'm gonna be reading for the rest of the year

The Devil In The White City

The King In Yellow

The Hot Zone (Nonfiction on Ebola Virus)

Special Topics In Calamity Physics

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier And Clay

The Good Man Jesus And The Scoundrel Christ

The Wind Through The Keyhole (Stephen King)

Gnosis (Alchemy, Grail, Ark And The Demiurge)

 

[VN1X]

I read 4 books in 4 days! Rookie numbers, I know but that's a first for me.

The Great Divorce 4/5

Spoiler

Did ye never know a lover of books that with all his first editions and signed copies had lost the power to read them? Or an organiser of charities that had lost all the love for the poor? It is the subtlest of all the snares.

Perhaps a bit too overt for some I still found The Great Divorce to be a stimulating read. Probably one of C.S. Lewis' most accessible (theological) novels.

Manuscript Found in Accra 5/5

Spoiler

When they are lying in their tents, unable to sleep and overwhelmed

by sadness and regret, they say to themselves: “Tomorrow, and only
tomorrow, will I take another step. Besides, I can always turn back
because I know the road. But one more step won’t make much
difference.

A short novel with an abundance of contemplations that bear repeating, regardless of who or where you are in life.

Consolation of Philosophy 3/5

Spoiler

Meanderings and musings on the profound and the profane.

And that's about all of the philosophy I can muster!

As such I feel that The Consolation of Philosophy is better left to academics or those already well versed in the field. I prefer the elegance (and simplicity) of more modern writers; fully realizing that this is a fault of my own rather than the dialectic from Boethius.

Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1) 3/5

Spoiler

I enjoyed some parts while others I thought were too nebulous and abstract. VanderMeer is undoubtedly a master of mesmerizing prose but that comes at the cost of substance.

In this case the film is better than the book!

 

[Cyberpunkd]

I began reading this series in 2019 and I'm starting book 5 out of 10 today.

For anyone unfamiliar, this series has a notorious reading difficulty. Imagine the storytelling/worldbuilding style of Dune - then multiply that by several orders of magnitude. It is the most dense, complex, epic story I've ever even heard about. Each book could probably be a series in and of itself. I shit you not, according to Reddit then entire series has 453 different character points of view. Let that sink in.

I've taken my time not only because it's been struggle, but because I really needed to absorb wtf I've just read. It's the only series I've watched recaps on YouTube after finishing a book and used a dictionary to look up words as I'm reading. I really don't think I can recommend the series to anyone; I can just share my experience.

I will say this. After closing book 4........I know for a fact this is the greatest fantasy story I'll ever read. It deserves to stand right next to Tolkien in terms of impact on the genre, but it will never become popular. It may not end up being my personal favorite series, but I'll hold it in a separate place to everything else.

Malazan doesn't rely on established fantasy tropes to anchor your understanding of what's happening. When you start this series, there is no security blanket of familiarity with the genre that will help you. Furthermore, the story is simply told to you, not explained. You are truly discovering a world that is foreign. It has seriously taken me 4 books to feel confident in my overall understanding of what I'm being told.

If you do feel crazy enough to give this series a shot, take your time. If you hit a wall and set a book aside to take a break, I don't recommend restarting it either when you come back. Just pick up right where you left off, even if it's been a year or more - it will not make a difference.

TLDR: This series is impenetrable for the average reader. It's taken me 4 years to read 4 of the 10 books. It's probably the greatest fantasy epic ever told.

Downloaded the first one to my Kindle.

Finished Outbound Flight, jumped to the first Thrawn trilogy.

 

[Queso de Grande]

I began reading this series in 2019 and I'm starting book 5 out of 10 today.

For anyone unfamiliar, this series has a notorious reading difficulty. Imagine the storytelling/worldbuilding style of Dune - then multiply that by several orders of magnitude. It is the most dense, complex, epic story I've ever even heard about. Each book could probably be a series in and of itself. I shit you not, according to Reddit then entire series has 453 different character points of view. Let that sink in.

I've taken my time not only because it's been struggle, but because I really needed to absorb wtf I've just read. It's the only series I've watched recaps on YouTube after finishing a book and used a dictionary to look up words as I'm reading. I really don't think I can recommend the series to anyone; I can just share my experience.

I will say this. After closing book 4........I know for a fact this is the greatest fantasy story I'll ever read. It deserves to stand right next to Tolkien in terms of impact on the genre, but it will never become popular. It may not end up being my personal favorite series, but I'll hold it in a separate place to everything else.

Malazan doesn't rely on established fantasy tropes to anchor your understanding of what's happening. When you start this series, there is no security blanket of familiarity with the genre that will help you. Furthermore, the story is simply told to you, not explained. You are truly discovering a world that is foreign. It has seriously taken me 4 books to feel confident in my overall understanding of what I'm being told.

If you do feel crazy enough to give this series a shot, take your time. If you hit a wall and set a book aside to take a break, I don't recommend restarting it either when you come back. Just pick up right where you left off, even if it's been a year or more - it will not make a difference.

TLDR: This series is impenetrable for the average reader. It's taken me 4 years to read 4 of the 10 books. It's probably the greatest fantasy epic ever told.

I guess I am going to have to check this out. There is a Humble Bundle for this series right now.

 

[Rest]

Pierre -or- The Ambiguities

Not an easy read, but the writing is so beautiful. Herman Melville was a master, it's a shame that Moby Dick was misunderstood and ruined his career. His words are amazing.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

I guess I am going to have to check this out. There is a Humble Bundle for this series right now.

Thanks for the heads up, now I have two weeks to decide if I should get it.

 

[Ansered]

Spare: Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex
maybe someone read it? I heard a lot of great reviews

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Got to 56 pages into Killers of A Flower Moon and I'm really enjoying it

It's been awhile since I read something Nonfiction. Really like reading about the history of the Osage Tribe. Overall the book has been keeping my interest so far.

 

[Cfh123]

For book recommendations, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is fantastic. Not what I was expecting - I thought it would be campy. It is quite profound. Not a happy book.

For the OP, Dumas’ Three Musketeers is excellent. Tonally very different than the Count of Monte Cristo. Milady is one of the best villains in fiction. And by the end of the novel your expectations are subverted as to who are the heroes and who are the villains.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Anyone got some good audible recommendations? I did the got books, the storm light series, first 5 Horus heresy books, crysalids, the name of the wind books, the stand, and dune.

I have 2 credits I’m sitting on and want to spend them.

I have a few other books still as well.

I definitely prefer the long books better.

My perferred genre is sci-fi and fantasy

 

[EviLore]

Anyone got some good audible recommendations? I did the got books, the storm light series, first 5 Horus heresy books, crysalids, the name of the wind books, the stand, and dune.

I have 2 credits I’m sitting on and want to spend them.

I have a few other books still as well.

I definitely prefer the long books better.

My perferred genre is sci-fi and fantasy

Try the Malazan series.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Try the Malazan series.

I actually got that on audible a couple weeks back. They had a buy one get one credit deal. Bought book 1 and Jurassic Park.

Nice to see the first was recommended though. I bought it blind.

 

[L*][*N*K]

I am a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson, I have read his books multiple times, his Cosmere is really peak fiction.

 

[IDKFA]

I'm just about to start this time (pushing 1000 pages). I'm new to 40K fiction and I've always looked down on it as cheap fan fiction to sell plastic, however the reviews of this book are very positive and 40K fans rave about, so I'm expecting good things.

 

[Drake]

Just finished Neuromancer and man, what a struggle. Not an easy book to get through at all. Gibson's prose is like nothing I have ever read and it really took a lot of getting used to. There were times I finished chapters where I thought I knew what was going on, but I had to read chapter summaries, just to verify. I guess it was good to know that after reading those summaries I had a grasp on what was happening, but the book is not easy.

This is one of those books that you really have to have 100% focus when you read it, or you will be completely lost. I caught myself a few times not fully paying attention and I had to go back and re-read a few pages, because I had no clue what was going on.

If you like Cyberpunk and really want to challenge yourself give it a try. I think I'm gonna read the rest of the Sprawl Trilogy just to see where he takes things and I really enjoy the world.

 

[AlteredForms]

Growing up we all should have read more books and I’m pretty sure many here would agree with me on that. Fortunately though it’s never too late to expand one’s horizons….

 

[Cyberpunkd]

I'm just about to start this time (pushing 1000 pages). I'm new to 40K fiction and I've always looked down on it as cheap fan fiction to sell plastic, however the reviews of this book are very positive and 40K fans rave about, so I'm expecting good things.

Might check it out, or at least an extract on Kindle.

 

[VN1X]

I'm just about to start this time (pushing 1000 pages). I'm new to 40K fiction and I've always looked down on it as cheap fan fiction to sell plastic, however the reviews of this book are very positive and 40K fans rave about, so I'm expecting good things.

Just got that in the mail yesterday!

(I like this cover better tbh)

I am also new to the world of 40K in written form but I've found the Eisenhorn series the perfect jump off point to get my feet wet and enjoy a gripping sci-fi detective thriller in its own right. Curious how The Night Lords hold up against it.

I am a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson, I have read his books multiple times, his Cosmere is really peak fiction.

I assume it's OK to start with the books I posted above as far as Cosmere goes?