SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

Anything and everything fantasy.

Books read? Favourite books? Least favourite books? Authors?

Favourite character? Best villain?

Cliches that you can't stand?

Best cover art?

You name it.

Anyway, I just recently picked up Spirit Gate by Kate Elliot. I'm about 200 pages into it and I'm loving it. She's drawn up such a rich world and culture (holy shnikes there's actually an economy in this one!). Reading it you can't help but feel that you're actually immersed in it. The characters are intriguing and it seems to be a character driven plot so far and it seems to have enough "grit"/"grey" in it without being over the top as some series seem to be tending towards. It's also interesting in that religion/magic/supernaturalforces are set up in a way that you're not quite sure if it's real or just a belief system. I'm looking forward to finishing it and the following books in the series.

I have two. Oldies, and of course they straddle the line between Sci-fi and Fantasy.

1st- Tad Williams 4 book series called Otherland. It's about a "world" where one exists entirely online. Except a group of rich guys are plotting to take over this new "world" and stomping on the good guys. The characters are compelling and unique and it is hard to put the volumes down, even though each is easily 500+ pages.

Another series within a series that I adored was by Julian May. The first series of 4 books was called The Saga of Pliocene Exiles, or Saga of the Exiles in the UK. It continues with 7 more books in The Galactic Milieu Series

The way she melds the two series is nothing short of brilliant. Again, part fantasy, part sci-fi.

The two-book series of The Infinity Concerto and The Serpent Mage. They completely changed my world view!

Song, I read Darwin's Children by Greg Bear and enjoyed it. I'll give those a chance as well.

My contributions to the thread - The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. I absolutely loved them!

I got through the first three books of ASOIAF and did for the most part enjoy them. I have yet to read the fourth.

There were a lot of elements that I really liked, but at times it just seemed a bit too much.

I thought it was great in the first book how one of the *SPOILER* main POV characters that you grew attached to was killed off, but it seemed to open the flood gates to killing nearly every character off and I found myself detaching as a result.*END-SPOILER* That being said, he does have some of the best characters that I've read.

I had some issues with how he incorporated sex - a lot of it came across as outright perverted and I really was uncomfortable with the sexualisation of characters that were, essentially, children. Fortunately, that wasn't too large of a part. It seemed to be more for shock value than actually contributing to the plot.

I loved that he created such a rich world, so heavily embroiled in complicated political struggle and betrayal, but with doing it on such a grand scope, some of the geography and cultures did seem to lack some cohesiveness, or seemed like they were in there just to make sure everything was included. Still - it's very refreshing from getting away from the typical evil overlord, young boy, quest plotlines even if there wasn't a discernible direction for it.

So, I guess I'm saying that I thought it was okay, even in light of the things I didn't like about it.

[This message edited by SerJR at 6:06 PM, February 18th (Thursday)]

*SPOILER* Yes, I had trouble with the loss of many of the characters I grew attached to. I had to become attached to new ones, but was concerned about their fate as well, lol. Really, I was attached to the particular house as a whole, and that was a hard allegiance to give up after they were pretty much all dead.

Does Discworld count?

Does Discworld count?

LOVE Discworld

Song, I read Darwin's Children by Greg Bear and enjoyed it.

Okay, EC. Now I have to check out "Darwin's Children"!

Song, now I'm not sure if I read that or "Darwin's Radio", lol. I have to go check my bookshelf.

I haven't heard of a few of these. I have heard of Discworld, but don't know anything about it though. I'll have to check out some of the titles mentioned.

One thing I just realised about Spirit Gate... I think this is the first fantasy novel I've read where the characters don't exist on a diet of just meat, cheese, ale, and bread...

The setting has a very strong Oriental theme... maybe they were just years ahead with the whole avoiding scurvy thing

EC - "Darwin's Radio"... I did read that. It has a fantastic, amazing first half and the second half is a big disappointment! Especially the ending.

Discworld is classic.

I am a WoT fiend. Yes, true. (Wheel of Time) I fought through all of them.

Also particular about LE Modisett.

What I read and have read ...too big to get into. Too much.. George RR Martin, yes, Tad Williams, yes.

My current passion is Dr Who however.

My current passion is Dr Who however

Books, show or both? If it's show, I'll meet you in F&G in 5 minutes.

Books of shows/movies always disappoint me as much as movies based on books. The movie can't possibly flesh out the details of a book. Conversely, books destroy the simple genious of a great movie.

Star Wars, Movies Great, Books NOT.

Closest thing to fantasy books for me would be Conan the Barbarian. Pretty fair amount of scifi though.

I thought it was great in the first book how one of the *SPOILER* main POV characters that you grew attached to was killed off, but it seemed to open the flood gates to killing nearly every character off and I found myself detaching as a result.*END-SPOILER* That being said, he does have some of the best characters that I've read.

I had some issues with how he incorporated sex - a lot of it came across as outright perverted and I really was uncomfortable with the sexualisation of characters that were, essentially, children. Fortunately, that wasn't too large of a part. It seemed to be more for shock value than actually contributing to the plot.

I'm with SerJR on ASOIAF. Honestly, while I appreciate that he's got a whole cruel universe thing going on, it's just too much for me. I appreciate that he has the sections divided up by POV character because it means I can just read Jaime and Tyrion and that giantess that Jaime's traveling with and skip the rest. The sexualization of the children is just too, too much for me. Daenerys and Sansa were 13 and 11, respectively, when this shit started. I understand that old men will regard female children inappropriately and imagine that they're sexually aware of them, but the problem with Dany and Sansa for me was that GRRM, who is an old man, presumed to write these children with the kind of awareness of adult male sexuality that I would expect from a 45-yo divorcee. It wasn't quite as bad with Dany since I understand that Dany grew up in nightmare personality-disordered-brother land and was exposed to god knows what, but Sansa was sheltered, and her behavior with the Hound was just not realistic. Ugh.

So we seem to be discussing fantasy and scifi in this thread, yes?

Steven Brust's Taltos series and Khaavren series. Same world, different times. Fantasy.

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series. Scifi.

If anyone cares to take me up on this, I will offer you a motherfucking money back guarantee on those. Try it, and if you don't like it, I'll reimburse you for your purchases.

a motherfucking money back guarantee

You can't get that from Amazon.

If we're stretching the definition to include Dr. Who...

I will read anything by Neal Stephenson, including his grocery list, and invariably feel like it is the best thing ever put to paper in the history of human thought.

Probably best to start with something light like Snow Crash, but push on through to Cryptonomicon as soon as possible.

It makes me hot just thinking about it.

wincing, I'm a Stephenson fan as well.

BTW, at one point or other all of the Vorkosigan books have appeared on Baen Book's free internet library site, so for those of you with e-readers, digital copies are available legally and without purchase. Contact me or Google for details. =)

Re: Stephenson...since becoming the mother of a daughter, I'm partial to The Diamond Age.

[This message edited by ladyvorkosigan at 4:52 PM, February 18th (Thursday)]

LadyV - if I can find a free digital copy for my kindle, I'll give it a try. If you feel strongly enough to take your user name from the series, there must be something there!