Books Read 2024

[El Guapo]

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (audio book)

This is the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, which came out a couple years ago and which I found out about recently. This follows the story of three people in and around the theocratic Republic of Gilead - Aunt Lydia (who had a minor role in The Handmaid's Tale) and two teenagers growing up in Gilead and Canada (who of course have backstories of note that are learned over the course of the book). Basically it's presented as journals and/or post-Gilead testimony for each. It's very, very good, and provides some additional closure and details out of the Handmaid's Tale - among other things, it provides backstory on how the United States fell and became Gilead.

Strongly recommend. I love alternate history and dystopias, so this was right in my wheelhouse.

[Jeff V]

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (audio book)

This is the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, which came out a couple years ago and which I found out about recently. This follows the story of three people in and around the theocratic Republic of Gilead - Aunt Lydia (who had a minor role in The Handmaid's Tale) and two teenagers growing up in Gilead and Canada (who of course have backstories of note that are learned over the course of the book). Basically it's presented as journals and/or post-Gilead testimony for each. It's very, very good, and provides some additional closure and details out of the Handmaid's Tale - among other things, it provides backstory on how the United States fell and became Gilead.

Strongly recommend. I love alternate history and dystopias, so this was right in my wheelhouse.

There's a stage play of Atwood's Odysseus book playing in town now that sounds interesting. I like her stuff and I'll seek out this one.

[ImLawBoy]

Finished Small Favor, which is book ten of the Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. The continuing adventures of Harry Dresden, Chicago-based PI and wizard for hire, finds Harry being forced to work for Mab, Queen of the Winter Fae. He is required to free mobster (and occult dabbler) Gentleman Johnny Marcone from the clutches of Nicodemus and the Denarians, which is not a punk band. All the usual characters are there and it's always fun to see how Harry gets himself out of one preposterous scrape or another.

[Jaymann]

Finished Small Favor, which is book ten of the Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. The continuing adventures of Harry Dresden, Chicago-based PI and wizard for hire, finds Harry being forced to work for Mab, Queen of the Winter Fae. He is required to free mobster (and occult dabbler) Gentleman Johnny Marcone from the clutches of Nicodemus and the Denarians, which is not a punk band.

It probably will be now.

[Hipolito]

I've been supplementing my playthrough of Mass Effect 3 with a few comics.



Mass Effect: Homeworlds: This is a collection of four brief comics that each provides some backstory for a character that might join your squad in Mass Effect 3. I liked issue 2, which serves as a cool prologue to one of the first missions in ME1. Issue 3 is decent, too. But I didn't find the other two issues relevant or interesting. 4 out of 8 omni-tools.

Mass Effect: He Who Laughs Best: It must have been a treat when this was handed out on Free Comic Book Day in 2013. It tells the surprising story of how Joker became the pilot of the Normandy before ME1. Like the character himself, it's short but memorable.

[Skinypupy]

"Dragons of Deceit: Dragonlance Destinies Volume 1" - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

This is the first volume in the new Dragonlance trilogy from Weis and Hickman. I was a little nervous about it, as I had no idea if they could capture any of the original magic. And in the first hundred or so pages, I feared my concerns were right. To put it nicely, the beginning of this book is...not great. The new characters are meh, the setup is meh, the story seems mostly driven by teen emo angst, and the writing is rather dull. It feels like it could be easily swapped with any number of YA fantasy books and no one would notice. It's disappointing and I honestly almost bailed on the book entirely.

To it's credit, the story starts to find it's footing after the boring intro. When Destina finally leaves on her quest, it ramps up into a really fantastic tale which ties nicely into the established Dragonlance characters and lore everyone knows and loves. Without giving any spoilers, I'll just say that by the time I got to the cliffhanger ending, I was completely hooked and immediately ordered the second volume.

My caveat on this book would be that it expects you to be very familiar with the events of the original Chronicles series. I know it all by heart at this point, so I loved reading about new perspectives on canon events or some of the crazy wrinkles that this book throws into the established timeline.

I honestly have no idea if this book would work at all if you didn't already have a very strong connection established to this world. If you do, I would give it a big thumbs up...just know that it's a very slow starter (putting it mildly).

[El Guapo]

People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn

This is essentially a series of essays on anti-semitism. The theme tying them together is that society / the world cares a lot about dead Jews but not about live ones. Like people will tell stories about Jewish heritage in their country and Jewish heritage sites, but not say much about why they're "heritage sites" and not "current Jewish communities". Or tell holocaust stories as moral lessons or to tell a story of non-Jewish saviors even though the saviors are so few as to be rounding errors. Anyway, very interesting (I did not know that it is a myth for example that Ellis Island would change immigrant names) and she's a very good writer, and I do appreciate her sense of sarcasm that comes through on these pages. Obviously a bit of a downer at times.

[Hipolito]

People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn

Sounds like a great book. I've added it to my reading list.




Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (ebook): This widely lauded novel is about a man who explores a house of enormous size, so large it has its own bizarre ecosystem. He happily explores it and documents his findings in his journal.

I felt the first third of the book was slow and repetitive, which made me wonder why people loved it. But things pick up in the middle and the last third is lovely and smashing. My heart lifted with each of the final 30 pages. It's a story about perspective, identity, belief, and other themes that can be extrapolated to the real world. I almost never re-read books, but I might re-read this one to catch things I missed. 6 out of 8 cornices.

[Jaymann]

Calculating God by Robert Sawyer



This is a first contact novel with two alien races. But it is mostly a setup for a debate on the scientific evidence for the existence of God the Creator, with the aliens taking the "pro" position. It does a good job of laying out the arguments for both sides of the issue. For some reason the author had the aliens disclose the discovery of a fifth force of nature (which was never sufficiently explained) that sealed the deal for them. I don't think Sam Harris would be convinced.

There was a tangential subplot about two fundamentalist rednecks who wanted to destroy fossils because they are the devil's work, which I felt was fairly pointless.

The ending takes an unexpected turn which was interesting if a little too convenient. 6/8 chromosomes.

[Brian]

I have a tendency to focus on one or two subjects/authors/genres and bounce between them for a while.

So far this years reading includes:

My Effin' Life - Geddy Lee
The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag - Robert Heinlein
Friday - Robert Heinlein
The Rolling Stones - Robert Heinlein
A Wing and a Prayer: The "Bloody 100th" Bomb Group of the US Eighth Air Force - Harry Crosby
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlein
Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II - Philip Albert
The Number Of The Beast - Robert Heinlein
Time Enough For Love - Robert Heinlein
Defeating the Panzer-Stuka Menace: British Spigot Weapons of the Second World War - David Lister
Logan's Run - William Nolan & George Johnson
Logan's World - William Nolan
Logan's Search - William Nolan

Currently reading:

Clean Sweep: VIII Fighter Command Against the Luftwaffe - Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Up next:

The Cat Who Walks Through Walls - Robert Heinlein

[Scuzz]

I read a lot of Heinlein back in the 80-90’s. But when I re-read much of it about 10 years ago I found that it had aged terribly, or I should say his ideas had. He wrote some interesting books with some interesting characters but the misogynistic views contained within those stories were just too much for me now.

I still have The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and another book in my library but I gave the others to the county libraries book store.

[Scuzz]

The Confusion by Neal Stephenson

This is book 2 of the Baroque Cycle trilogy, although early on Stephenson explains that the book is actually made up of two books which cover the continuing exploits of our protagonists Jack and Eliza. As we were introduced to the major characters in book 1 (Quicksilver) this book starts right off with the story. As a book 2 in a series I found this to be an excellent read with quite an expansive story, especially that of Jack Shaftoe.

The book roughly covers the period of 1689 to 1702. And in it we see a lot of the known world.

I am not sure where book 3 will take me but I look forward to reading it after a brief interlude with some other material.

[Isgrimnur]

The Colour of Magic

[ImLawBoy]

Two-fer! I finished Hand of Oberon by Roger Zelansky, which is book 4 in the Amber series. I have a weird relationship with these books. While they fill in a lot of the gaps as we go along, the author still expects us to just accept a lot of randomness (and not just the character named Random) as we go along. Still, the books are fast paced and relatively short, and I imagine if he included all of the world building necessary to fully explain a lot of the fantastical elements they would be a lot longer and more of a slog.

I also read 30 Days of Night - Vol. 1 by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith on Kindle. I picked up this comic for free some time ago but never got around to reading it. There's a movie by the same name, but my recollection is it diverges quite a bit from this story. In short, it's set in ultra-north Alaska where the sun is about to set for 30 days. Some vampires have discovered this and decided it would be a tremendously fun place to vacation and feed without having to worry about hiding from the sun during the day. It's a self-contained story, but there are hints at a wider universe. The story moves nicely and the artwork as as gory as you might expect from a vampire comic. Not sure if I'll seek out future volumes, but this was a good, quick read.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (ebook): This widely lauded novel is about a man who explores a house of enormous size, so large it has its own bizarre ecosystem. He happily explores it and documents his findings in his journal.

I felt the first third of the book was slow and repetitive, which made me wonder why people loved it. But things pick up in the middle and the last third is lovely and smashing. My heart lifted with each of the final 30 pages. It's a story about perspective, identity, belief, and other themes that can be extrapolated to the real world. I almost never re-read books, but I might re-read this one to catch things I missed. 6 out of 8 cornices.

I loved Piranesi and wrote about it a bit here. I particularly liked the way the world and the mystery around it unfolded.

[disarm]

In my efforts to read some foundational books in different genres, I finished Neuromancer by William Gibson yesterday...a 1984 novel that pretty much established the 'cyberpunk' genre at a time when most people barely knew anything about computers. I'm nearing the end of playing Cyberpunk 2077 and it's pretty neat to see where so many aspects of that world originated.

That said, has anyone else read the rest of Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy? I'm not sure that I enjoyed Neuromancer enough to put in the time for two more similar books, but if someone can convince me it's worth the time, I may give them a shot...

[Jaymann]

Yeah, I read all of them (Neuromancer (1984), Count Zero (1986), and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988)), but that was when they came out 30 years ago. At the time I couldn't get enough and would have given an emphatic thumbs up. Now I can't remember much so I am not so sure. I almost never reread anything so I am more interested in newer stuff.

[Hipolito]

I loved Piranesi and wrote about it a bit here. I particularly liked the way the world and the mystery around it unfolded.

I've been thinking of reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell, too. I'm a little intimidated by its size, but it seems that everyone who reads it loves it (as they do with Piranesi). I remember we even had a forum member named JonathanStrange.

[hitbyambulance]

That said, has anyone else read the rest of Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy? I'm not sure that I enjoyed Neuromancer enough to put in the time for two more similar books, but if someone can convince me it's worth the time, I may give them a shot...

i did, but it was also ... yeah three decades ago at this point and i remember pretty much nothing about them.

I've been thinking of reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell, too. I'm a little intimidated by its size, but it seems that everyone who reads it loves it (as they do with Piranesi). I remember we even had a forum member named JonathanStrange.

you can see my review in a past posting. it is pretty polarizing, as i have met people who have tried to read it, but couldn't get past the leisurely pace of establishing the era and scene (like my mom, who bailed around page 800, never to return). the real characters of this story are the setting and the writing, the latter i was particularly enamored with (a style tribute/parody of mid-19c British novels - it was done very well!) it took Ms. Clarke ten years to write this book and it shows.

[Scuzz]

I loved Piranesi and wrote about it a bit here. I particularly liked the way the world and the mystery around it unfolded.

I've been thinking of reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell, too. I'm a little intimidated by its size, but it seems that everyone who reads it loves it (as they do with Piranesi). I remember we even had a forum member named JonathanStrange.

I bought that book a week or two ago while visiting an out of town bookstore. Had never seen it here so I picked it up.

Your review made me think of most Neal Stephenson books I have read, but mainly the Barouqe Trilogy which I am currently reading.

[ImLawBoy]

I loved Piranesi and wrote about it a bit here. I particularly liked the way the world and the mystery around it unfolded.

I've been thinking of reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell, too. I'm a little intimidated by its size, but it seems that everyone who reads it loves it (as they do with Piranesi). I remember we even had a forum member named JonathanStrange.

As fate would have it, I wrote up a little something on that, too. It's also quite good, but much longer and slower paced.

[hitbyambulance]

i've also purchased JS&MN _three times_ as gifts for others. i also highly, highly doubt any of the people for whom i have purchased it have actually read it, despite the Neil Gaiman "one of the best fantasy novels of this century" blurb on the front cover - they were all intimidated by the size (even though i said 'just think of it as three or four regular novels in a row')

[Pyperkub]

In my efforts to read some foundational books in different genres, I finished Neuromancer by William Gibson yesterday...a 1984 novel that pretty much established the 'cyberpunk' genre at a time when most people barely knew anything about computers. I'm nearing the end of playing Cyberpunk 2077 and it's pretty neat to see where so many aspects of that world originated.

That said, has anyone else read the rest of Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy? I'm not sure that I enjoyed Neuromancer enough to put in the time for two more similar books, but if someone can convince me it's worth the time, I may give them a shot...

Count Zero was fascinatingly interesting like Neuromancer, but Mona Lisa Overdrive was when his writing dramatically improved.

[Crazy Lady]

Currently reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by R Heinlein and listening to The stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

So far this year I have finished:
1)Stillwater Girls, Minka Kent
2)In An Instant, Suzanne Redfeard
3)When We Were Enemies, Emily Bleeker
4)The Echo of Old Books,Barbara Davis
5)Where The Forest Meets the Stars, Glendy Vanderah
6)Phantoms, Dean Koontz
7)The Eyes Of The Dragon, Stephen King
8)Dragonfly in Amber, Diana Gabaldon
9)If She Knew, Blake Pierce
10)A Rose for Her Grave, Ann Rule
11)Almost Gone, Blake Pierce
12)Girl, Alone, Blake Pierce
13)The Girl Beneath the Sea, Andrew Mayne
14)The Rolling Stones, Robert Heinlein
15)The Witcher, The Last Wish, Andrzej, Sapkowski

[Rumpy]

The Confusion by Neal Stephenson

This is book 2 of the Baroque Cycle trilogy, although early on Stephenson explains that the book is actually made up of two books which cover the continuing exploits of our protagonists Jack and Eliza. As we were introduced to the major characters in book 1 (Quicksilver) this book starts right off with the story. As a book 2 in a series I found this to be an excellent read with quite an expansive story, especially that of Jack Shaftoe.

The book roughly covers the period of 1689 to 1702. And in it we see a lot of the known world.

I am not sure where book 3 will take me but I look forward to reading it after a brief interlude with some other material.

The entire trilogy was a great read, and it's pretty fun as a prequel to Cryptonomicon.

[Scuzz]

The Confusion by Neal Stephenson

This is book 2 of the Baroque Cycle trilogy, although early on Stephenson explains that the book is actually made up of two books which cover the continuing exploits of our protagonists Jack and Eliza. As we were introduced to the major characters in book 1 (Quicksilver) this book starts right off with the story. As a book 2 in a series I found this to be an excellent read with quite an expansive story, especially that of Jack Shaftoe.

The book roughly covers the period of 1689 to 1702. And in it we see a lot of the known world.

I am not sure where book 3 will take me but I look forward to reading it after a brief interlude with some other material.

The entire trilogy was a great read, and it's pretty fun as a prequel to Cryptonomicon.

Cryptonomicon was my first Stephenson book. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I started with something else. I did enjoy it by the end but Stephenson is kind of an acquired taste and he jumped around a lot in that book.

[Hipolito]

The Green Bone Saga, Book 1: Jade City by Fonda Lee (audiobook): This is an Asian-inspired modern fantasy and crime thriller. In the nation of Kekon, some people have an affinity for jade. After years of intense training, they can wear jade gemstones to gain superhuman abilities. Most of these "Green Bones" join one of the clans (organized crime families). The tech level of this setting is equivalent to post-WWII, so they have cars and machine guns, too.

For the first 30 chapters (about the first half), I thought this book was just OK. Each chapter is digestible and interesting enough, but nothing wowed me. The fuck scenes are decent, but the combat was unexciting and the magic system added little. The dialogue felt too formal; maybe it was inspired by medieval Asian fantasy literature.

But it turns out the book was just warming up. Chapter 31 and onward are a rollicking good time, with fearsome rivals, unpredictable violence, and cool political considerations. I like all the main characters, but especially find Lan and Shae relatable. Lan, the head of the No Peak clan, is a smart and capable peacetime leader. But can he make himself ruthless for war? Shae, his sister, has chosen freedom and independence from the trappings of her culture and family. But now she feels lost and lonely.

The ending is sad, startling, and honest. It holds a mirror to everything that led up to it and casts it in a deservedly ugly light. 6 out of 8 crispy squid balls.

[Rumpy]

The Confusion by Neal Stephenson

This is book 2 of the Baroque Cycle trilogy, although early on Stephenson explains that the book is actually made up of two books which cover the continuing exploits of our protagonists Jack and Eliza. As we were introduced to the major characters in book 1 (Quicksilver) this book starts right off with the story. As a book 2 in a series I found this to be an excellent read with quite an expansive story, especially that of Jack Shaftoe.

The book roughly covers the period of 1689 to 1702. And in it we see a lot of the known world.

I am not sure where book 3 will take me but I look forward to reading it after a brief interlude with some other material.

The entire trilogy was a great read, and it's pretty fun as a prequel to Cryptonomicon.

Cryptonomicon was my first Stephenson book. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I started with something else. I did enjoy it by the end but Stephenson is kind of an acquired taste and he jumped around a lot in that book.

Yeah, he is quite an acquired taste, for sure. And he doesn't write great endings. I think there was only one of his that I've felt had a great ending, but I don't remember what it was. I think my favourite though was Anathem, based on the pure concept alone. That one was more of a novel of ideas than any of this others, and very philosophical in nature.

[Isgrimnur]

If the Allies Had Fallen: Sixty Alternate Scenarios of World War II

[Scuzz]

The Confusion by Neal Stephenson

This is book 2 of the Baroque Cycle trilogy, although early on Stephenson explains that the book is actually made up of two books which cover the continuing exploits of our protagonists Jack and Eliza. As we were introduced to the major characters in book 1 (Quicksilver) this book starts right off with the story. As a book 2 in a series I found this to be an excellent read with quite an expansive story, especially that of Jack Shaftoe.

The book roughly covers the period of 1689 to 1702. And in it we see a lot of the known world.

I am not sure where book 3 will take me but I look forward to reading it after a brief interlude with some other material.

The entire trilogy was a great read, and it's pretty fun as a prequel to Cryptonomicon.

Cryptonomicon was my first Stephenson book. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I started with something else. I did enjoy it by the end but Stephenson is kind of an acquired taste and he jumped around a lot in that book.

Yeah, he is quite an acquired taste, for sure. And he doesn't write great endings. I think there was only one of his that I've felt had a great ending, but I don't remember what it was. I think my favourite though was Anathem, based on the pure concept alone. That one was more of a novel of ideas than any of this others, and very philosophical in nature.

Anathem was my second Stephenson book and convinced me to continue reading his books.

[hitbyambulance]

Yeah, he is quite an acquired taste, for sure. And he doesn't write great endings. I think there was only one of his that I've felt had a great ending, but I don't remember what it was. I think my favourite though was Anathem, based on the pure concept alone. That one was more of a novel of ideas than any of this others, and very philosophical in nature.

Anathema was my second Stephenson book and convinced me to continue reading his books.

i've said this a few times before on this here board, but the first *third* of _Anathem_ is for sure the best thing Stephenson's ever written, imo (and i wished the rest of that novel continued in that same vein)

(and this sub-thread reminds me i need to finish _Termination Shock_)

[Rumpy]

Ironically, It was my last I've read of his. I kind of lost interest in anything that followed that book. But FWIW, I feel that Anathem is probably the best he wrote. It has much more focus than some of his earlier work, and if anything of his were to be adapted into a TV series, it should be this. The ideas feel refreshingly original.

[Scuzz]

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark

This is my first reading of a Clark book, and it will lead me to look for others. I would think my local used book store should have 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I am not sure why I haven't read anything by him before, maybe the 2001 movie was just a little too out there for me, but after reading this book I think Clarke writes well enough to convey his ideas without going too far into the metaphysical.

I really liked how Clarke approached this idea of first contact, more of a scientific approach and less of a dramatic approach. I even thought the ending was a good way finish without having to result to something too large or dramatic. Clarke's writing seems more about the ideas than the characters, which is perhaps my only objection to the book. There is very little character development and while Clarke tells of something of the modern world we don't get more than the minimum, at least in my opinion.

A good read, and I would easily recommend this to others.

[Brian]

6)Phantoms, Dean Koontz

Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo!

[Jaymann]

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark

This is my first reading of a Clark book, and it will lead me to look for others. I would think my local used book store should have 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I am not sure why I haven't read anything by him before, maybe the 2001 movie was just a little too out there for me, but after reading this book I think Clarke writes well enough to convey his ideas without going too far into the metaphysical.

I really liked how Clarke approached this idea of first contact, more of a scientific approach and less of a dramatic approach. I even thought the ending was a good way finish without having to result to something too large or dramatic. Clarke's writing seems more about the ideas than the characters, which is perhaps my only objection to the book. There is very little character development and while Clarke tells of something of the modern world we don't get more than the minimum, at least in my opinion.

A good read, and I would easily recommend this to others.

I really enjoyed that one - a real sense of mystery. He co-authored a sequel which I have not read which got poor reviews.

[Scuzz]

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark

This is my first reading of a Clark book, and it will lead me to look for others. I would think my local used book store should have 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I am not sure why I haven't read anything by him before, maybe the 2001 movie was just a little too out there for me, but after reading this book I think Clarke writes well enough to convey his ideas without going too far into the metaphysical.

I really liked how Clarke approached this idea of first contact, more of a scientific approach and less of a dramatic approach. I even thought the ending was a good way finish without having to result to something too large or dramatic. Clarke's writing seems more about the ideas than the characters, which is perhaps my only objection to the book. There is very little character development and while Clarke tells of something of the modern world we don't get more than the minimum, at least in my opinion.

A good read, and I would easily recommend this to others.

I really enjoyed that one - a real sense of mystery. He co-authored a sequel which I have not read which got poor reviews.

I noticed that the final sentence in the book leaves open the idea of a sequel, so I googled if there was one. It turns out that there are several but that Clarke didn’t write them and they were not critically acclaimed.

[TheMix]

6)Phantoms, Dean Koontz

Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo!

Always gets a laugh. Always.

[Jaymann]

Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie



I generally don't care much for short stories, but this is Abercrombie, and he delivers. Set in the First Law world, it follows the exploits of some of the minor characters of his novels, and the Bloody-Nine even makes a cameo. Because several of the stories are linked, it almost reads like a novel with different POVs. Here is a quote which makes a point I have often thought on:

And Bethod felt again, as he did ten times a day, how weak a thing was power. How flimsy an illusion. A lie that everyone, for some unknown reason, agreed to treat as truth.

7/8 hidden knives (you can never have too many)

[Scuzz]

Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie



I generally don't care much for short stories, but this is Abercrombie, and he delivers. Set in the First Law world, it follows the exploits of some of the minor characters of his novels, and the Bloody-Nine even makes a cameo. Because several of the stories are linked, it almost reads like a novel with different POVs. Here is a quote which makes a point I have often thought on:

And Bethod felt again, as he did ten times a day, how weak a thing was power. How flimsy an illusion. A lie that everyone, for some unknown reason, agreed to treat as truth.

7/8 hidden knives (you can never have too many)

I have several times had that book in my hand and then put it back. Based on your post next time it will leave the store with me.

[Scuzz]

Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie



I generally don't care much for short stories, but this is Abercrombie, and he delivers. Set in the First Law world, it follows the exploits of some of the minor characters of his novels, and the Bloody-Nine even makes a cameo. Because several of the stories are linked, it almost reads like a novel with different POVs. Here is a quote which makes a point I have often thought on:

And Bethod felt again, as he did ten times a day, how weak a thing was power. How flimsy an illusion. A lie that everyone, for some unknown reason, agreed to treat as truth.

7/8 hidden knives (you can never have too many)

I have several times had that book in my hand and then put it back. Based on your post next time it will leave the store with me.

[Jaymann]

I believe you.
I believe you.