Fantasy books, stories, ＆c

I suggest that you edit the post title to just be "what's everyone reading?"

Its like on TikTok when someone starts off with "I did not expect that to blow up"

Lately i had read "American Gods" by Gaiman, despite not really liking this author. Surprisingly it came off quite ok. First half of the book was tedious slog but when they stopped travelling around the american nowheres and meeting lumpenized mythological characters it started to be quite interesting. Though that book should be named "Unamerican Gods" for at least two reasons.

I just started the fifth Cosmere novel, Shadows of Self. Or, the second Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. I wasn't sure how much I'd like the second era, but I'm really enjoying it so far.

I've just finished my... 6th? read of the Stormlight Archive. They're my comfort books that I tend to grab when I've finished a book and don't yet know what to read next. I'm definitely open to some new suggestions, especially unknown books by indie authors that I otherwise wouldn't come across.

I'm close to finishing Assassin's Aporentice. Robin Hobb is great at writing characters and their interactions. It feels like Fitz has an organic community all around him.

I just finished Waybound by Will Wight and enjoyed the series finale! I've also been working my way through the Malazan book of the Fallen, I'm on book 4 House of Chains

I read wheel of time book 10 recently. I read the first 10 books or so when they originally came out, but kind of gave up on the series at that point. During Covid I decided to make my way through the series and actually read to the end this time.

So far its kind of both better and worse than I remembered. Some of those middle books were less dull than I remembered, but also in the intervening 20 years I have read a lot more, including a lot more fantasy, and Wheel of time comes off a bit pulpy now. I don't think if these books were to release today that they would get nearly the same attention they did in the 90s.

Currently reading The Journey to the West, by Wu Cheng'en and translated by Anthony C. Yu. I'm at very beginning and it's pretty challenging but that might be because English is not my native language. I'm liking it though.

I'm reading Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan, and I'm enjoying it a lot! I also enjoyed his other books, the Riyria Revelations!

Just started Wheel of Time 4. I just can't stop reading.

Currently reading A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie. Been a while since I read the other books in the same universe, but I guess my memory ain't that bad yet that I can't pick up the pieces. Enjoying this.

(Audiobooks) I've recently finished book 2 of the Mistborn series - The Well of Ascension. Otherwise i'm trying to get myself through book 2 of the Temeraire series - Throne of Jade. I'm torn, it may be that the narrator is killing it for me, or there's just not enough action for a dragon based story.

I'm a little embarrassed but I've been reading Ruination by Anthony Reynolds. Its a league of legends book and I have a love/hate relationship with league. I'm almost halfway through and I've been enjoying it so far.

Before that I had finished Book of the Night. I thought it was shmeh but it was good enough to finish!

@SturgiesYrFase
Always appreciate fans of #TheWheelOfTime. First time reading?

Currently reading Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, second book of the Locked Tomb. Love the vibe of these books.

I'm currently halfway through The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells by John Bierce, as well as procrastinating starting Waybound by Will Wight. Progression Fantasy is my thing right now.

I started reading The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu a while ago, but I find it hard to stay focused on it. The world building is pretty interesting, but the writing feels kind of clunky to me... And the plot doesn't get going fast enough to make up for it. I feel a bit sad, because I had very high hopes for this book.

Question - Did the TV series 'Wheel of Time' do the book(s) justice?

Soil! https://bookwyrm.social/book/1071274/s/soil

I'm currently reading The Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon.

On my Kindle, I just finished re-reading Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut for the first time in probably 15 years. Helluva book, and reading it as a teenager certainly changed the heading of my moral compass. Still deciding what to read next.

I've also been re-reading my paper copy of This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It warms my gay little heart.

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence, my first time trying his books after holding back for a long time, and so far so good. I'm doing it for the bingo challenge from that other place which has really motivated me to get through a lot of stuff I've been holding off on for years.

Currently working on my Cradle series reread for the final book's release. I'm uhh only on book 7 right now so I sorta missed my target date lol. I love how much the series grows from book to book, once book 5 hits hoo boy it's off to the races. Can't wait to finally get caught up to the new book but another part of me is dreading finishing the series and having no more Cradle to look forward to lol

I was on book 3 of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams. It was a re-read so not too consistent, just kind of existing with the characters, you know? But Life with a capital L showed up a few months ago so I've mainly been dabbling in fediverse social media when I have free time. Which is why I'm even on here!

I've just started The Obsidian Tower - it's a new series in an established world and I like Melissa Caruso's writing style. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50147675-the-obsidian-tower

If you're just jumping in, I'd start with the first trilogy for better context. The first book is The Tethered Mage: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34219880-the-tethered-mage

Tunnel rat on royal road. I like the premise and the interactions with ai and humanity.

I just finished Empire of the Vampire, which I enjoyed a lot.

Working through Olsen's Exploring LotR video/podcast series myself, it's kinda tangential to the topic but there's a lot of content there, and it's in the same world as reading the book itself.

Episode 235, only thirty weeks or so behind now...