Thursday, March 1, 2012

What to read next?


Alright, it's not often that I have to ask the question since I usually have at least one novel that I really want to read more than the others from my "way too big" to-read pile.  However, this time, after I finish Mazarkis Williams' The Emperor's Knife, I'm not sure what to pick up.  The "On the horizon" image on the blog showed David Tallerman's Giant Thief but after reading a couple of reviews (update: not that they are negative, quite the contrary), I think it will slip farther down the list  (to pick something different from a good old Fantasy debut...). In audiobook, my next pick should be Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed.  Here's the books I am considering:

R. Scott Bakker - The White Luck Warrior
Ian C. Esslemont - Orb, Sceptre, Throne
Col Buchanan - Stands a Shadow
Micheal J. Sullivan - Theft of Swords
Blake Charlton - Spellbound
Sam Sykes - Tome of the Undergates
Adrian Tchaikovsky - Empire in Black and Gold

Is there a novel in this list that you would want me to review more than the others?
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16 comments:

  1. Bryce L.March 2, 2012 at 12:14 AM

    I wondering what you'll think of Theft of Swords. I really enjoyed it.

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  2. Cursed ArmadaMarch 2, 2012 at 3:53 AM

    THE WHITE LUCK WARRIOR!!! PLEASE!!! That book was SOOO good!!!

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  3. Tom LloydMarch 2, 2012 at 5:12 AM

    I'd say, the one you know least about as the author's more likely to need the exposure!

    Of course, as a (fairly) obscure author I would say that... ;0)

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  4. Sascha WalterMarch 2, 2012 at 5:39 AM

    Hmm, difficult to say, since I haven't read any of the books. But I would interested in your opinion of The White Luck Warrior, since I really enjoyed the Prince of Nothing trilogy.

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  5. HdawgMarch 2, 2012 at 5:53 AM

    EMPIRE IN BLACK AND GOLD PLEASE!!

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  6. DomMarch 2, 2012 at 9:29 AM

    I found The White Luck Warrior to be a hard but very engrossing read.

    I'd recommand that one.

    Tom has a point though, you might want to review the least known author.

    Oh and write faster Tom, I await your books.

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  7. Myra CMarch 2, 2012 at 11:31 AM

    Tome of the Undergates or
    Spellbound

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  8. AnonymousMarch 2, 2012 at 12:15 PM

    Would enjoy your thoughts on Theft of Swords. Just finished reading series and found it to be very engaging.

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  9. David TallermanMarch 2, 2012 at 12:50 PM

    I'm intrigued ... which were the reviews that put you off reading Giant Thief? Anyway, I'll be interested to hear your thoughts if and when you get to it - and in the meantime, can I throw my vote behind Empire in Black and Gold? It's fantastic, and the first sequel is if anything even better.

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  10. PhilMarch 2, 2012 at 4:57 PM

    David : I might have to rectify my comment if it was understood that I put it off because of negative reviews since that's not the case. I will read it eventually but from what I read on Far Beyond reality for example : " No dark edges, no genre-bending, just a plain old, fun fantasy story" (it's simply an extract I know but I'll stick to that to make my point) and after reading Seven Princes and The Emperor's Knife, I thought that I would go with something different from a good old fantasy book from a debut author...

    Although judging by that, Sullivan's series might fit into this category too...

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  11. PhilMarch 2, 2012 at 5:06 PM

    David: to be fair, I added a precision to my post

    Tom: As Dom mentioned, you have a good point. So far, from the comments I think I will go with The White Luck Warrior but I'll probably return to debut authors afterwards. With Ahmed, Fultz and Williams as the book I'm reading or listening to now, I think I'm actually doing it as much as possible.

    Also, don't listen to Dom, he's not even up to date on your series!!! :) I still haven't lent him The Ragged Man! :P

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  12. David TallermanMarch 3, 2012 at 11:56 AM

    Thanks, Phil ... I was more curious than anything. Empire in Black and Gold has plenty of both dark edges and genre bending, though, and you'd never guess it was a debut novel, so my vote remains the same!

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  13. Tom LloydMarch 4, 2012 at 6:49 AM

    Dom & Phil: ;0) I'm trying to write faster, honest! Dusk Watchman's done and pending varification of editor's dead/undead status, will be out before not too long.

    Then there'll be a Twilight Reign short story collection to follow it, and I'm over halfway through the new book, Moon's Artifice - I'm loving the idea of shorter books. Dusk Watchman is currently 239k (but will be trimmed in the edit I hope) while Moon's only likely to be 140k! Have finally worked out I get paid the same, no matter how long it is...

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  14. Cursed ArmadaMarch 4, 2012 at 9:35 AM

    So is it safe to say that WLW won the vote??? I might recommend a quick scroll through The Judging Eye before you dig in. The appendix in The Thousand Fold Thought might help too. Above all else though remember, "No weeping on the slog"

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  15. PhilMarch 4, 2012 at 1:40 PM

    Cursed: Indeed, I will have to refresh my memory, and I won't weep! :)

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  16. phin scardawMarch 5, 2012 at 2:03 AM

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    "The Sylvan Song" is a fantasy novel inspired by the writing and style of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books.

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    ReplyDelete