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I’d agree with that. What impresses me most is that in those books, it’s not just say, Granny Weatherwax or Sam Vimes that get character development. All the Witches, all the Watch, and the world all gain greater definition and experience, which carries over to the next book, whether they’re in it or not.

As said earlier, it’s all the more impressive that you can still read the books in any order, and it all still feels fleshed out. So whilst I’m seeing the strong merit of an in-order read through? Anyone can pick up any book and not feel like there are unexplained gaps.

I still couldn’t say whether it’s Granny or Vimes that’s my favourite though.

His ability to not only develop his world, but also most of the individual characters that appear is impressive when you consider that not only does he have a huge roster, but you also don't get "lost".

I've read some stories where part way through you find yourself having to reach into an index at the back just to get a quick reminder who is who.

That’s true. Particularly in fantasy novels with fantasy names.

Not knocking any given writer, but down that road can easily lie confusion, usually in ambush.

As you may recall, I have been reading through a bunch of paperbacks I got for $1 at the thrift store. I read them, and then leave them around town for someone else to pick-up and read.

I just finished Memorial Day by Vince Flynn. It was the worst type of right wing, war-on-terror, tripe. The main character makes Jack Bauer from 24 look reasonable and not a male-fantasy trope at all. Instead of passing this pile-of-right-wing-BS on I threw it into my "to be burned" pile of scrap paper. I don't need anyone in my neck-of-the-woods reading more right-wing claptrap than they all ready do. Mr. Flynn has since died and I hope he rests in peace.

Next up, I have Peter Straub's The Throat. Last time I tried to read a Straub book, I don't think I ever finished. Let's see how I do with this one.

I've discovered you shouldn't pick authors based upon how the author looks, even if they are ridiculously, overly gorgeous.

Case in point: Veronica Roth.

I've read Chosen Ones, Carve the Mark and am finishing up Poster Girl.

Do you have PTSD? Do you want to?

Sheesh. Her books are good, but, wow, everyone is mentally fethed up in her books.

I mean you say don't do it but then you say you enjoyed her books so - it seems to be working for you!

 Overread wrote:
I mean you say don't do it but then you say you enjoyed her books so - it seems to be working for you!

I love her work, it's just that I feel really sad reading them.

Most of her characters really need a hug... and Zoloft and Prozac and Doxipine and...

I only made it through two Peter Straub books, and enough was enough. He’s the kind of writer who makes Stephen King ask, “Whoa buddy, where’s your editor?”

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I only made it through two Peter Straub books, and enough was enough. He’s the kind of writer who makes Stephen King ask, “Whoa buddy, where’s your editor?”

Then this book's for you!

I read that one and Black House, their other collaboration, and they’re both fine, mid-tier horror/fantasy books that could have shed 50 pages.

That is the one I think I never finished....

I'm working my way through the Complete Works of Dashiell Hammet. I just finished The Glass Key, and am partway through The Thin Man. The former was originally serialized, and in that form the chainsmoking of cigars was probably less jarring than it is in novel form.

I was doing some highbrow stuff (philosophy books to try and help me with the doldrums in work) but I've switched to Gaunt's Ghosts. I always run out of steam around book 8 or so (get sick of a particular character and likeable characters dying off) but I'm determined to make it through to what I've heard are some pretty good books later on. I've also heard the "ending" is shaky but I'm gonna power on through anyway.


I really love the first few books. I know a lot of people say it doesn't get going til Necropolis and it is a banger of a novel, but I really love First and Only too and the Inferno short stories collected in Ghostmaker are all great as well. I bought First and Only when it came out and thought it was about the best thing ever. Inspired me to start kitbashing some Tanith together for games.

 Easy E wrote:
That is the one I think I never finished....

Oh man, you should try Shadowlands.*

*Do not try Shadowlands.

I've been devouring through "the Canvas Falcons" by Stephen Longstreet.

It's certainly a well crafted book, but I think in some places it does show it's age, which is only natural since it was published somewhere in the 1970s (or at least my B&N printing of it has a copyright in the 70s)

The snapshot is this: it's a history book covering the planes and men who flew them during WW1. So, many pages devoted to Anthony Fokker, a short chapter on M. v. Richthofen, and most other participating nations' aces. I'm just now getting to a chapter on Eddie Rickenbacker, America's top ace for the war.

As I said though, I'm rather enjoying it, even if I recognize where it has aged rather poorly. For instance, in the section I read through last night, Longstreet was discussing the Americans entrance and industrial entrance into the war. He has a brief mention of one of the air squadrons had "an American Negro sergeant training men to fly". But then he hand waves away further research with a "to date, I have not been able to find this pilot's name". Now, I don't know if it's 40-50 intervening years, or what sources the author really had available, but I happen to know that that man's name was Eugene Bullard, and in various history circles I frequent, he's kind of a big deal. Big enough of a deal that I'd think that his name could've been found.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 Easy E wrote:
That is the one I think I never finished....

Oh man, you should try Shadowlands.

OK. If you think it's good I'll give it a go.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
I've been devouring through "the Canvas Falcons" by Stephen Longstreet.

It's certainly a well crafted book, but I think in some places it does show it's age, which is only natural since it was published somewhere in the 1970s (or at least my B&N printing of it has a copyright in the 70s)

The snapshot is this: it's a history book covering the planes and men who flew them during WW1. So, many pages devoted to Anthony Fokker, a short chapter on M. v. Richthofen, and most other participating nations' aces. I'm just now getting to a chapter on Eddie Rickenbacker, America's top ace for the war.

As I said though, I'm rather enjoying it, even if I recognize where it has aged rather poorly. For instance, in the section I read through last night, Longstreet was discussing the Americans entrance and industrial entrance into the war. He has a brief mention of one of the air squadrons had "an American Negro sergeant training men to fly". But then he hand waves away further research with a "to date, I have not been able to find this pilot's name". Now, I don't know if it's 40-50 intervening years, or what sources the author really had available, but I happen to know that that man's name was Eugene Bullard, and in various history circles I frequent, he's kind of a big deal. Big enough of a deal that I'd think that his name could've been found.

I consider books like that need to be remembered, to remind us how far we’ve come as a society, and where we came from.

It’s like 70’s, 80’s and 90’s cop shows and that, which had so much underlying, largely casual, racism, sexism and homophobia. Even nominally “right on” shows reflected it.

And it might be a cop out, I try not to judge the authors or crew too harshly. They’re products of their environment after all.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

And it might be a cop out, I try not to judge the authors or crew too harshly. They’re products of their environment after all.

Yeah. . . after finishing it last night, I went and looked up the author, and basically what Wikipedia shows and credits as his books, he was NOT a historian. He wrote fiction and nonfiction books (including 2 cookbooks, and one that he heavily plagiarized another novel). And based on reviews of the book I was reading, his "research" basically amounted to 1960s "wikipedia", the person writing the critique basically calls out that his "sources" are common and readily available pieces, nothing actually very deep at all.

Men At Arms

The next Discworld book. Where, just as Lord and Ladies really codified the Lancre Witches, Sir Samuel Vimes & Co really take on a life of their own.

Diversity in the Watch! The Watch beginning to be taken seriously, not least by the Night Watch themselves!

Finished and was blown away by William Gibson's Neuromancer a couple weeks ago, excellent writing, dialogue, concepts, decent pacing, and I like how Will definitely be reading Burning Chrome when I get the chance.

Death World by Steve Lyons is genuinely great! Does it do anything interesting philosophically or ask any interesting questions about the wider 40k setting? Hell no! But it's a great action story, with well-paced moments in-between. I also appreciate how Lyons' is not afraid to his established characters. The story is a little pulpy, but Lyons leans into it, however not to the point of being too silly. Actually presents the Jungles Catachan's face down daily as a convincing threat, rather than just shooting lasguns at trees or some gak. I'll admit it does go by a little fast near the ending and the main character Lorenzo's inner conflict isn't very original, but it makes sense that Catachans would want to prove themselves, and Lyons makes sure to. Overall, I won't spoil it for you, but it's a great 40k book. Respects the reader's intelligence enough to not just be mindless bolter porn or characters yapping to each other for 300 pages. I would recommend it! It's seminal-Catachan fiction and feels a lot more 'boots-on-the ground' compared to other Guard novels that feature Psykers and Tech-Priests and stuff. Good, messy fun.

Gotten back to reading Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky (now serving 5 more years in Federal prison for mildly criticising the russian armed forces, yay!) and it's pretty good so far. The intro is quite slow and can drag a bit if you played the game first, I still think the story is a lot better here than the game, it just has to explain small things in detail and then get back to the main plot. That happens a lot. The worldbuilding is interesting though, so what do I have to complain about?

edit: Apparently Glukhovsky does not live in russia, thankfully. Lets hope for the best.

And that’s Men At Arms done and dusted.

I realise that Discworld is a special blend. If it was food, it’s like a really good Steak in a decent, but never too fancy, restaurant, cooked to your preference and with all the trimmings. Yet, at the same time? It’s your favourite comfort food. Perhaps Broth, that only your Granny could make right. And every book you walk away with a metaphorical full belly. It’s at once sophisticated and homely.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
And that’s Men At Arms done and dusted.

I realise that Discworld is a special blend. If it was food, it’s like a really good Steak in a decent, but never too fancy, restaurant, cooked to your preference and with all the trimmings. Yet, at the same time? It’s your favourite comfort food. Perhaps Broth, that only your Granny could make right. And every book you walk away with a metaphorical full belly. It’s at once sophisticated and homely.

Best description I've seen so far, so accurate! The Colour of Magic will always be my favourite, so much magic and memories reading that. Actually describes how I feel towards that book. You've clearly read a lot more of them, which one is your favourite so far?

That’s the trouble. We’re completely spoiled for choice. With the odd exception, it tends to be Whichever One I’m Reading, as they’re that engrossing.

His lack of chapters and the overall pacing also makes them very easy to be "just one more page" books.

On Kindles that also transforms into immediate "just one more book purchase in the series" cycles too

I think my favourite sequence would have to be Ankh Morpork. We see it go from Basic Fantasy City In Roughly Medieval Time, right up to Industrial Revolution. Which is a lot of change over not a lot of in-universe time, but still feels organic, and still powered by Fantasy Tropes.

 bullisariuscowl wrote:
Finished and was blown away by William Gibson's Neuromancer a couple weeks ago, excellent writing, dialogue, concepts, decent pacing, and I like how

Spoiler:

the ending was bittersweet, with Case seeing his Matrix-self more happy than he was. I liked how he threw that gifted shuriken at the screen WMute appeared on. really conveyed his utter exhaustion and rage at being controlled over and over again by forces he couldn't possibly understand, and I like how he doesn't have some grandiose character improvement. It's a lot more grounded for that

Will definitely be reading Burning Chrome when I get the chance.

Gibson generally works in trilogies. Burning Chrome is a selection of short stories (also very much peak cyberpunk and worth reading). But to follow after Neuromancer should be Count Zero Interrupt and then Mona Lisa Overdrive to round out the triptych.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I think my favourite sequence would have to be Ankh Morpork. We see it go from Basic Fantasy City In Roughly Medieval Time, right up to Industrial Revolution. Which is a lot of change over not a lot of in-universe time, but still feels organic, and still powered by Fantasy Tropes.

It's not just Morpoke either - we see these changes rolling out over the whole world. In a lot of fantasy settings the setting remains fairly static and what changes is the ruling powers; or you follow one major upheaval of change. Discworld goes through a LOT and that honestly makes it feel very real because the real world goes through a lot of changes too. In different places different things change and they have knock on effects.

It's one of the reasons I like to suggest people read it in publication sequence first because you get to spot these little changes in one book that you then see happening in another region of the world in another book around other characters. And yet every so often you'll get moments that remind you that those changes are not like in a video game where they change and are set in stone; you get hints of the past rearing its head all the time here and there. Wizards that need reminding about the importance of the Cheese Trolley least they fall back into their power-hungry internal battling ways

 Nevelon wrote:

 bullisariuscowl wrote:
Finished and was blown away by William Gibson's Neuromancer a couple weeks ago, excellent writing, dialogue, concepts, decent pacing, and I like how

Spoiler:

the ending was bittersweet, with Case seeing his Matrix-self more happy than he was. I liked how he threw that gifted shuriken at the screen WMute appeared on. really conveyed his utter exhaustion and rage at being controlled over and over again by forces he couldn't possibly understand, and I like how he doesn't have some grandiose character improvement. It's a lot more grounded for that

Will definitely be reading Burning Chrome when I get the chance.

Gibson generally works in trilogies. Burning Chrome is a selection of short stories (also very much peak cyberpunk and worth reading). But to follow after Neuromancer should be Count Zero Interrupt and then Mona Lisa Overdrive to round out the triptych.

Yes, you're right there, but I don't think I have the capacity to read a book that large, especially after Metro 2033, a massive novel. Some short stories would be a good way to get back into the Gibson mood, then go on to Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive

I have not read a single Horus Heresy novel, but was given Master of Mankind when I started to buy Custodes.

Do I need any primer to understand what's going on, or is it pretty self explanatory?

 Quixote wrote:
I have not read a single Horus Heresy novel, but was given Master of Mankind when I started to buy Custodes.

Do I need any primer to understand what's going on, or is it pretty self explanatory?

You'll be fine with that one. It's a fairly stand alone book.