[MSJ]

Finished The Hod King(2), by Josiah Boncraft and Cold Iron(3), by Miles Cameron.

Really enjoyed Hod King, though I feel the story didn't really advanced all that much. I was pleasantly surprised to find out this want the final installment. I'll post in the spoiler thread later.

Cold Iron, was a good book but not the same sort of story as Traitor Son Cycle, even though it s in the same world. Much tighter in scope and plot. Still enjoyable, and I really like Cameron's writing.

[Wilshire]

I'm glad Cameron's new book was good. His first series, Traitor Son, is on my list this year to finish, and I really enjoyed the first book.

[Wilshire]

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (6, 7)
Well of Ascension (book 2), and Hero of Ages (book 3)
Sanderson's simple prose made this series seem a bit YA, but it was ultimately a satisfying series. The magic system is fantastic, though it does feel like more time was spent on developing and implementing the magic than the rest of the book combined. Still a fun read though and it goes quick due to the way its written. Good pacing, plenty of mystery and I didn't guess the ending/twists along the way which I always appreciate. Towards the end it takes a bit of a left turn and delves into religion/faith/god in such a way that much of the second book now seems like an excuse to just do more cool magic stuff. Lots of action, this book won't satisfy an itch for something sophisticated, deep, and philosophical, but its worth reading if you're looking for something to entertain.

On to finishing Bancroft so I can catch up to you two.

[Wilshire]

I always seem to try and read at the start of the year and then fall off .

But... so far this calendar year I've read The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells, The Martian - Andy Weir, and will probably finish The Name of the Wind - Rothfuss today.

War of the Worlds is one I'd be interested in reading, but also the radio brodcast that caused such a disturbance. How was it?
Martian was a fun read but not a ton to discuss afterwards.

What did you think of Name of the Wind? Definitely curious how that series goes for you.

[Wilshire]

So I did Arm of the Sphinx ( 8 ), and felt it was good but not great. Definitely missing some of the magic that the first book had. It's still a great book, but focuses a bit too heavily on the scenary if the tower.

I'll read the next one later this year, but I feel I need a break, both from Bancroft and from fantasy.

Onto The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F Hamilton, where there's spaceships soitstotallynotmagic.

[MSJ]

Finished Dark Forge, by Cameron (4). Great book, and Cameron has never dissapointed me in any phase of his writing. Love the guy.

[Wilshire]

The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F Hamilton (9)

For as fantastic as The Reality Dysfunction was, I felt underwhelmed by its sequel. It was a lot more generic than book 1, and after reading it I realize it was more of a bridge between book 1 and 3 than it was something unique into itself. For a book so big, this is disappointing. That said, it was still a good read. I definitely want to read the final installment, The Naked God, as the last chapter of Neutronium Alchemist made the whole book worth reading and got me excited for the conclusion. For anyone looking for a big scifi book to dig into, the Night's Dawn series is a good pick.

[H]

I don't think I have a real "target" for the year, but I just finished Tiamat's Wrath and that makes 3 books read this year, which I think it only one short of what I read last year...

[Redeagl]

Finished Neuropath. Art. Definitely the best book I have read in the last year.

[Wilshire]

Finished Neuropath. Art. Definitely the best book I have read in the last year.

Ah, well done. Neuropath and Disciple of the Dog are very distinctly Bakker, and approach many of the same themes and concepts that TSA does. I think one can use those two as partial ciphers for TSA.

[BeardFisher-King]

Finished Neuropath. Art. Definitely the best book I have read in the last year.

Hmmmpf. I generally struggle for the right combination of adjectives to describe my revulsion for "Neuropath". I think that, for me, it's the most inhumane story I have ever read.

[Wilshire]

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (10)

Brilliant. Hobb is a truly incredible writer and deserves every ounce of the attention she gets. The Farseer Trilogy might not be the most action packed, swashbuckling fantasy there is, but the detail on characters really makes the books seem packed to bursting. For anyone looking for fantasy that's not so EPIC and a lot more personal, look no further. Its stuffed with emotional scenes, and while generally melancholy, the moments of joy are pure and fulfilling. And yet, there are also grander schemes at play, a great plot to uncover, and intrigue abound that leaves the reader thirsty for more.
Wolves have no Kings.

[Wilshire]

Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb (11)

Farseer Trilogy was a fantastic series, and this rounds it out very nicely. Hobb continues in book 3 what she was doing in the first two, and it ends very well. This is a real fantasy classic.

Given what I've read so far, I'd definitely say Hobb is one of the best writers in the genre.

[Wilshire]

The Naked God by Peter F Hamilton (12)

Well, it certainly took long enough to read - its a quite a big book. As seems to be the way of things, I don't think the final book in the series was as good as the first, but it was thankfully more on-point than Neutronium Alchemist. Its ultimately a great series that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a fun Space Opera, but it could have been better.

My primary criticism, insofar as I'm qualified to criticize at all, is that it seems like Hamilton couldn't decide what he wanted to write about. It felt as if there were two really interesting ideas he tried to turn into a series: A galaxy spanning space opera, and a soul search quest about the nature of souls and the afterlife. Its not that the two ideas are incompatible, but the execution wasn't 100%, which left me feeling like something was missing.

Hard to imagine anything is missing from a book that makes most of the Malazan novels look reasonably sized... But there seemed to be more story to tell, but it all came crashing to a close right at the end. The ending was not a blindside at least, with consistent story telling and foreshadowing making the end feel through-out rather than slapped together, but I was still left wanting.

Even still, its one of the best scifi I've read in a while, covering topics not typically brought up in the genre. Read it!

[Wilshire]

The Stone Sky (13) and The Obelisk Gate (14) by N K Jemisin

The first book was the best, then the last, then the middle. This is a common trend I'm seeing with trilogies, and something I've come to expect.

There's definitely great commentary on the nature of subjugation, racism, and institutionalized violence/hate. Commentary that was built into the world, and not highly visible from the start, making its way into later books once the ground was set. The first book had the most interesting exploration of magic, despite later books adding in new layers, and I found myself wishing for some more involved Magic Duels.

But magic wasn't what the book was about, and I think largely Jemisin accomplished what she set out to do. Its a quick read, compared to some of the other books I've been reading, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone on the fence. Its a great fantasy story.