What are you reading? (Literature)

[Jabberwok]

Has anyone here read Steven Erikoson Malazan Fallen series? Just finshed the 5th book what a amazing read it's been can't believe I only came across it last month.

I've read the first three, but the back-to-back brutal endings of the 2nd and 3rd books put me off them for a bit. They're dense enough that it's been tough to get into the fourth much.

[Lord of Chaos]

I've read the first three, but the back-to-back brutal endings of the 2nd and 3rd books put me off them for a bit. They're dense enough that it's been tough to get into the fourth much.

I'm still not over the ending of the 4th book that shit was upsetting. I love the density of the serie and it's vast array characters. Must admit took me awhile to get in the 5th one wasn't expecting that much of a different perspective.

[Panda Bear]

They're really solid books, although 'dense' is definitely the right word for them. I've never read another series that throws you right into the middle of things as much as that one does; the first book reads like you managed to somehow skip the actual first couple. Everything in it holds together incredibly well, though.

A couple fun facts (entirely non-spoiler):

1) The books are actually based on a D&D campaign he did with some friends.
2) Aside from being an author, he's an archaeologist and anthropologist, which shines through really clearly in how he does his world-building.

[Jabberwok]

The 4th one has a bad ending too? Jebus.

Do any of the Malazan books have a happier ending?

[Lord of Chaos]

The 4th one has a bad ending too? Jebus.

Do any of the Malazan books have a happier ending?

I should've been more specific when referring to the 4th book ending. I was talking about 2 certain characters otherwise I found it to be a satisfying ending. But the more I read about the 6th book I do get a bit more upset about it.

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

They're really solid books, although 'dense' is definitely the right word for them. I've never read another series that throws you right into the middle of things as much as that one does; the first book reads like you managed to somehow skip the actual first couple. Everything in it holds together incredibly well, though.

A couple fun facts (entirely non-spoiler):

1) The books are actually based on a D&D campaign he did with some friends.
2) Aside from being an author, he's an archaeologist and anthropologist, which shines through really clearly in how he does his world-building.

Have you just read the ten books in the main series?

[Satsuki]

I finally started reading The Left Hand of Darkness. I'd forgotten how dense Ursula K. LeGuin can be.

[Panda Bear]

Have you just read the ten books in the main series?

Yeah, I haven't read any of the companion series done by his friend.

[Lord of Chaos]

Yeah, I haven't read any of the companion series done by his friend.

Damn was hoping for your help placing them in the story.

[Shiebs]

I saw a trailer to that new movie doctor sleep, it's based off a steven king's novel, does anyone know what books of his you need to read to before hand to completely understand that movie/book? I know a lot of his stuff is connected, and it looks like at the very least you need to have read the shinning but I was wondering if there was anything else to read to get the big picture?

[Panda Bear]

Damn was hoping for your help placing them in the story.

If you're still interested, I just stumbled across this recommended reading order (though it's worth noting, the person posting this said they didn't think the books by the other author were as good):

Gardens of the Moon (Steven Erikson)
Deadhouse Gates (Steven Erikson)
Memories of Ice (Steven Erikson)
House of Chains (Steven Erikson)
Midnight Tides (Steven Erikson)
Night of Knives (Ian Cameron Esslemont)
The Bonehunters (Steven Erikson)
Reaper's Gale (Steven Erikson)
Return of the Crimson Guard (Ian Cameron Esslemont)
Toll the Hounds (Steven Erikson)
Dust of Dreams (Steven Erikson)
Stonewielder (Ian Cameron Esslemont)
The Crippled God (Steven Erikson)

[Satsuki]

Also started reading Jane Austen's Persuasion on my phone, because I'm a shitty girl nerd if I don't read more Austen.

The Left Hand of Darkness took a little getting into, but now it is fascinating.

[Lord of Chaos]

Also started reading Jane Austen's Persuasion on my phone, because I'm a shitty girl nerd if I don't read more Austen.

The Left Hand of Darkness took a little getting into, but now it is fascinating.

What's it about and how many books of it are out?

[Satsuki]

The Left Hand of Darkness is one book, although it's set in a sci-fi setting that LeGuin sets a lot of her books in. It's also considered her Grand Art.

Basically: Imagine a planet where it's Winter almost all year, and also where people have no set gender. They're ambisexual most of the time, then once a month they can choose whether to be male or female when procreating with each other. To them things like sexism means nothing. This and other things like a complicated social system are what a regular human man must deal with when he comes to the planet as an ambassador to try to get them to join the intergalactic community. He gets pulled into some political machinations, so he has to deal with that while trying to get through an immense cultural barrier.

[Lord of Chaos]

If you're still interested, I just stumbled across this recommended reading order (though it's worth noting, the person posting this said they didn't think the books by the other author were as good):

Gardens of the Moon (Steven Erikson)
Deadhouse Gates (Steven Erikson)
Memories of Ice (Steven Erikson)
House of Chains (Steven Erikson)
Midnight Tides (Steven Erikson)
Night of Knives (Ian Cameron Esslemont)
The Bonehunters (Steven Erikson)
Reaper's Gale (Steven Erikson)
Return of the Crimson Guard (Ian Cameron Esslemont)
Toll the Hounds (Steven Erikson)
Dust of Dreams (Steven Erikson)
Stonewielder (Ian Cameron Esslemont)
The Crippled God (Steven Erikson)

Just finished RotCG last night definitely 1 of my favorites. Since SW is a few weeks after I decided to read it together with DoD.

[Welcher]

I've been reading a lot of Brandon Sanderson's books lately. Currently on the second book of the Misborn series. Love it!

[Nobodyman]

I'm still reading my way through Arabian Nights. This is the most metal thing I've ever read:

Spoiler:

These verses filled the King with wonder and delight,and he said to the eunuch, “Go to thy mistress, the Ladyof Beauty, and bid her come and amuse herself with thesight of this wonderful ape.” So the eunuch went out andpresently returned with the lady, who, when she saw me,veiled her face, and said, “O my father, how comes it thatthou art pleased to send for me and show me to strangemen?” “O my daughter,” said he, “there is none here savethe little slave and the eunuch who reared thee and myself,thy father. From whom then dost thou veil thy face?” Quoth she, “This that thou deemest an ape is a wiseand learned man, the son of a king; the Afrit Jerjis ofthe lineage of Iblis enchanted him thus, after putting todeath his own wife, the daughter of King Efitamous, Lord of the Ebony Islands.” At this the King wondered and turning to me, said, “Is this true that she says of thee?”And I signed with my head, as who should say, “Yes;” and wept. Then said he to his daughter, “Whence knewest thou that he was enchanted?” “O my father,” answered she, “there was with me, in my childhood, an old woman who was skilled in magic and taught me its rules and practice; and I became skilled therein and committed to memory a hundred and seventy magical formulas, by the least of which I could transport the stones of thy city behind the mountain Caf and make its site an abyss of thesea and its people fishes swimming in its midst.” “O mydaughter,” said her father, “I conjure thee, by my life, to disenchant this young man, that I may make him my Vizier, for he is a right pleasant and ingenious youth. “With all my heart,” replied she, and taking a knife, onwhich were engraved Hebrew characters, drew there with a circle in the midst of the hall and wrote there in namesand talismans and muttered words and charms, some of which we understood and others not. Presently the worlddarkened upon us, and the Afrit presented himself beforeus in his own shape and aspect, with hands like pitchforks,legs like masts and eyes like flames of fire. We wereaffrighted at him, but the princess said to him, “An illwelcome to thee, O dog!” Whereupon he took the formof a lion and said to her, “O traitress, thou hast brokenthy compact with me! Did we not swear that neither ofus should molest the other?” “O accursed one,” answered she, “how could there be a compact between me and thelike of thee?” “Then,” said he, “take what thou hastbrought on thyself.” And opening his mouth, rushed uponher: but she made haste and plucked a hair from her headand waved it in the air, muttering the while; and it at oncebecame a sharp sword, with which she smote the lion andcut him in two. His head became a scorpion, whereuponthe princess transformed herself into a great serpentand fell upon the scorpion and there befell a sore battle between them. Presently the scorpion changed to an eagle, and the serpent at once became a griffin, whichpursued the eagle a long while, till the latter became ablack cat. Thereupon the griffin became a piebald wolfand they fought long and sore, till the cat finding itselfbeaten, changed into a worm and crept into a pomegranatewhich lay beside the fountain in the midst of the hall, whereupon the pomegranate swelled till it was as big as awater-melon. The wolf ran to seize it, but it rose into theair and falling on the pavement, broke in pieces, and allthe seeds fell out and rolled hither and thither, till the floorwas covered with them. Then the wolf shook itself andbecame a cock, which fell to picking up the seeds, tillthey were all gone, except one that, by the decree of Fate,had rolled to the side of the basin and lay hidden there.The cock began to crow and clap its wings and signed tous with his beak, as who should say, “Are there any grainsleft?” But we understood him not; and he gave such acry that we thought the palace would fall on us. Then he ran about all over the hall, till he saw the remaining pomegranate-seed, and rushed to pick it up, but it sprang into the midst of the water and became a fish, which sankto the bottom of the basin. Thereupon the cock becamebig fish and plunged in after the other; and we sawnothing of them for a time, but heard a loud crying andscreaming and trembled. Presently the Afrit rose out ofthe water, as he were one great flame, with fire andsmoke issuing from his mouth and eyes and nostrils.Immediately after, the princess rose also, like a great coalof fire, and they fought till they were wrapped in flamesand the hall was filled with smoke. As for us, we werewell-nigh suffocated and hid ourselves and would haveplunged into the water, fearing lest we be burnt up and destroyed: and the King said, “There is no power and no virtue but in God the Most High, the Supreme! We are God’s and to Him we return! Would God I had not urged my daughter to attempt the delivery of this ape, whereby I have imposed on her this fearful labour with yonder accursed Afrit, against whom all the other Afrits in theworld could not prevail! And would we had never seenthis ape, may God’s blessing not be on him nor on thehour of his coming! We thought to do him a kindness for the love of God, by freeing him from this enchantment,and lo, we have brought this terrible travail upon ourselves!” But my tongue was tied and I could not saya word to him. Suddenly, the Afrit roared out from underthe flames and coming up to us, as we stood on thedais, blew fire in our faces. The princess pursued himand blew flames at him, and the sparks from them both fell upon us; her sparks did us no hurt, but of his one lighted on my right eye and destroyed it; another fell onthe King’s face and scorched the lower part, burning awayhalf his beard and making his under teeth drop out, and a third lighted on the eunuch’s breast and set him on fire,so that he was consumed and died forthright. So wedespaired of life and looked for nothing but death; butpresently we heard a voice exclaiming, “God is mostgreat! He giveth aid and victory to the true believerand abandoneth him who denieth the religion of Mohammed,the Moon of the Faith!” And lo, the King’sdaughter had burnt up the Afrit and he was become aheap of ashes!

[winchgreen]

I'm currently reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.

[Lord of Chaos]

Finally finished Dust of Dreams and Stonewielder so gonna take a break for few days then read the prequels. Then I'll finish the remaining books left in the main series not gonna lie might shed a tear or 2 after it's over.

[Nolus]

So I decided to finally give Terry Pratchett a go, and I find myself pretty overwhelmed with the options (I'm mainly interested in the Discworld series). My question is, should I absolutely go by the publication order, or can I choose a series (I have my eye on the Death saga as well as the City Watch books) and read through that?

[Panda Bear]

So I decided to finally give Terry Pratchett a go, and I find myself pretty overwhelmed with the options (I'm mainly interested in the Discworld series). My question is, should I absolutely go by the publication order, or can I choose a series (I have my eye on the Death saga as well as the City Watch books) and read through that?

There's no real need to read in publication order, though it is generally good to read the stories of any given 'saga' in order. There's some helpful visualizations out there, like this one:

Spoiler: