Book Series and Novles: Read lovers in CDG?

[metalmachine]

Since there is a thread for "Movies and Series", why not also make one in "off topic" for those of us who love to read? It's another of my great forms of entertainment besides movies, series, music, videogames (maybe I'll do an "off topic" thread one day about videogames too, because I have a lot)

I read little when I was child, the in the school and the first Harry Potter ones (it was fashionable and the movies didn't exist yet)
When adolescence arrived, my mind was focused on other things and I didn't read either, not even the required high school books. Ive cheated with the summaries that had to be delivered.

But when I reached my early twenties, I started doing it of my own free will and since then I can't stop. There are times when I read more or less, but it is not uncommon to see myself with a book in hand.

Almost everything I read is fiction. I started reading a lot of classical fantasy. then little by little I started reading historical and mythological novels and little by little I got into more genres like horror, science fiction, police, but not much. Almost always my readings tend to be about fantasy, mythology or fictional history.
I will publish here the books that I have read, the ones that I have pending and the ones that I would like to read in the future.

Also you can post here your favopurites too. Perhaps some of you can give me his opinions and encourage me to choose one or another reading. Or recommend some ones unknown to me



Lets go...

 

[metalmachine]

I'm going to start with the trilogy I'm reading right now:

Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson.

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Mistborn is a good gateway to read this author, also the first volume is almost self-conclusive, if you don't like it completely you are not obliged to continue with the other two since most of the plots are closed (there are always loose ends to continue)
It is defined as epic fantasy, but I would not consider it that way since it is very far from the classic Tolkien-style fantasy and has more modern influences. The use of magic can even be a bit reminiscent of superhero stories because of the kind of power the characters have. The good thing about this saga is that in addition to having its own world, magic also has its own rules and logic. It is an easy read, there arent too many characters and the plot flows very quickly since interesting things are always happening.

This series can be defined as adult youth fantasy, although it is not the most ambitious saga (I'll talk about that later), This is divided into 4 eras: a late medieval (this is the trilogy I'm reading), a tetralogy approximately in the industrial age, and plans to release another series in a contemporary era and a fourth series in a futuristic era. For the moment I will only read the first one and go to other things...

Right now I'm on the second book, more or less in the middle. I estimate that in a few weeks I will have the finished trilogy.

I'm liking the saga a lot, it's not my favorite, but it's in my main top. I will read more by this author in the future for sure.

 

[metalmachine]

The Kingkiller Chronicle, by Patrick Rothfuss

"My name is Kvothe. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.You may have heard of me.”



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This trilogy would be one of my favorites if it weren't for a reason: the third volume has not yet been published and it has been 12 years since the publication of the second book. And there is still no immediate publication date. (How many young cute fans will have died in 12 years without knowing the ending?)

The kingkiller have 2 volumes "The Name of the Wind" and "The Wise Man's Fear", and is one of the best-selling modern fantasy series

The story is good and the author makes reading very enjoyable. The chapters are very, very short, hence why I always says "one more"
This book tells the fictional biography of Kvothe "the kingkiller", in three days, one for each book with some interludes between past and present. In almost the entire book we only have Kvothe's point of view (except in the interludes, where the point of view varies).

This series is considered fantasy, but like the previous saga, it moves away from classic fantasy, but in a very, very different way. (Without the typical journey of carrying or looking for something, without light vs. darkness, without dragons, or elves, without dwarves or wizards with a beard and a staff) A more modern fantasy and its own world, which in fact, are the types of sagas that I am looking for lately

The magic of this world also has its own rules and logic and is not abused excessively.

The reading pace in both books is very very fast (except in "that" part, those of you who have read it will know what I'm talking about)
The three books are part of the same narrative, they are not self-contained.

The author is one of the most hated along with George RR Martin ("A song of Ice and Fire") due to the delay in finishing his sagas and the long waiting times ("Game of thrones" advanced the last novel of "A song of Ice and fire" 7 years ago, but I will talk about this literary series another day)

I would highly recommend them as they are very entertaining, but for now you have to know that there isnt an end for now.

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[Dupytrens]

That's easy:

The unbelievable war novels of the late WEB Griffin, who wrote an incredible 134 novels on various subjects. You won't put them down.

And lastly, the aviation novel:

"Fate is the Hunter", by the late Ernest Gann.

 

[metalmachine]

Thank you. I will keep it in mind for the future. I have never read anything about the military and war issues. It also comes to me to disconnect from so much fantasy between series

 

[Dupytrens]

You will enjoy them. Tom Clancy novels suck badly. Clancy was a used car salesman who was never in the military. His novels are technobabble.

Griffin is the real thing. His characters act in the way real heroic men act, and he makes fun of the military bureaucracy. They are page-turners!

 

[metalmachine]

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll see their synopsis and I'll sign one or two for the (long) list of future purchases

 

[Dupytrens]

If you are into serial killers "final truth" is the story of "Pee-Wee" Gaskins who allegedly killed over 100 female, men, and young male and female hitch-hikers. He enjoyed slitting the nutsacks of teenaged boys and eating the "mountain oysters. His specialty was suspending young females and males upside down legs spreae each ankle atrached to a game gambrel.

He would heat up molten lead and put a funnel into the cunts of the girls and the asses of the boys and pour in the red-hot molten metal.

He would savor their screams.

 

[metalmachine]

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (1964-2020)

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I found out about this series when all the Spanish media were talking about the death of its author, at only 55 years old in 2020. I had never heard of it, since it is far from the type of fantasy and historical novels that I usually read, but everyone was talking about how good his novels were. I read the first one and they were right, then I wanted to read the others.

It is a mix between mystery and intrigue mixed with romance, gothic, police and in some parts it borders on the supernatural.
The best thing about these novels, in addition to their history, is the way in which the plots and everything you read is fitting together and gradually making sense in a masterful way.

The novels, set in Barcelona between the 1920s and 1950s, are almost independent, although linked together. Each of them has as its protagonist one of the different characters.

The masterpiece is undoubtedly the first "The Shadow of the Wind". In addition to being his best novela, it sold more than 15 million copies. The full serie was translated into 36 languages. It is probably the best known Spanish novel series of the 21st century.

For my personal taste, the second one is also very good.
The third and fourth are very good, but I liked them less. The third is very short, although the story of the past is very entertaining, something is missing to be able to consider the independent novel. And the fourth, unlike the previous one, is veeery long and the first half was slow for me (I couldn't connect with the main character) although when things began to happen that had to do with the other three books my interest increased. .

I highly recommend this series, especially the first and second volumes.

 

[callmecaleb]

He would heat up molten lead and put a funnel into ..... the asses of the boys and pour in the red-hot molten metal.

He would savor their screams.

Damn, that's hot! In so many ways! I've always fantasized pouring molten liquid down a dude's throat and listening to the "scream". But since I get supreme pleasure out of buttholes, I know I'd love to slide a funnel in and fill it up. Hot! Hot! Hot!

Bye the way, many of you describe on CDG how you'd like to be killed. Does anyone fantasize themselves with a funnel up their ass? And me holding the bucket of molten lead?

 

[metalmachine]

A trilogy I started time ago: "Song of Albion" from Stephen R. Lawhead

(Author of series such as: Dragon King, Empyrion, Pendragon Cycle, Celtic Crusades, Raven, Bright Empires...)

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The Trilogy consisting of The Paradise War (1991), The Silver Hand (1992) and The Endless Knot (1993).

This story tells the tale of a pair of university students who stumble into an alternate world (Albion).
The style combines classical High Fantasy with Celtic mythology and Celtic history.

I liked that, even though the protagonists are young, they don't behave like the typical youngsters in youth stories, but rather mature quite quickly and behave like adults (there are no idiot teenagers saving the world).

There are Nobles, Wars, Magic and many references to Celtic culture


I read the first two books, but the end of the second book was almost so tightly closed that I thought I didn't need a third. So I left it there for a while.

Many people on the internet have the same opinion as me and said that the third book was not necessary, and that the quality was lower. And so it is, the third book does not begin to be interesting until it is halfway through and it does not reach the level of the other two, but reading the third it looksmake sense and logic, since read together it enriches much more the world in which the story takes place.

At lest for now, because I haven't finished it yet....

The mistake I made was to wait more than two years between books 2 and 3, and when I started book 3, there were a lot of things that I didn't quite remember and I was a bit lost until little by little I was remembering things as they went by appearing characters, places etc.

An entertaining read. Quick and easy to read. Without convoluted plots or dozens of characters.I recommend it to everyone who likes fantasy or Celtic mythology (although it is not historically based on it, it does have many references)

If you are looking for a serious and adult read, this is NOT your series.

 

[johnnyriot]

If you are into serial killers "final truth" is the story of "Pee-Wee" Gaskins who allegedly killed over 100 female, men, and young male and female hitch-hikers. He enjoyed slitting the nutsacks of teenaged boys and eating the "mountain oysters. His specialty was suspending young females and males upside down legs spreae each ankle atrached to a game gambrel.

He would heat up molten lead and put a funnel into the cunts of the girls and the asses of the boys and pour in the red-hot molten metal.

He would savor their screams.

Finished this book immediately after I found out of its existence on this site, thank you for the recommendation, he was really interesting, and he could be smart at times too, loved the ultra-violence the most

 

[metalmachine]

ELANTRIS
by Brandon Sanderson




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It took me a while to start reading this book, I had it on my shelf for a long time, since at the beginning of last year, I read Mistborn (It's in post #2 of this thread) and I really liked the author so I wanted another book from him .
This book is perhaps a little simpler, is not a saga(for now) and is the author's first publication and there wasnt much experience in writing at that time. Even so, for me it is a high notable, since at no time could I stop reading (it took me only 5 days to read its 750 pages)


In the novel, the formerly powerful inhabitants of Elantris, granted near-divine status by a mysterious transformation, have been trapped in a decaying city, deprived of their powers, like undead. When Prince Raoden of Arelon becomes one of them, he attempts to rescue the others from their unending torment while his betrothed, Princess Sarene of Teod, fights to keep Arelon from being overthrown by a rival high priest.

It has the same peculiarity as the previous trilogy, and that is that there is no typical journey of Tolkenian fantasy or the typical races, elves, dragons... in addition the magic system is totally new and with its own rules.



What I didn't know when I read this books was where I was about to get... into the Cosmere.

Now I ask this question:



Are there any Cosmere fans in CDG?




(Currently this images is outdated since there are more worlds)




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And what is the Cosmere?...

The cosmere is a fictional shared universe where many of Brandon Sanderson's books take place. As a result, books set in the cosmere share a single cosmology and underlying rules of magic, and some characters from one world will make appearances on other worlds.

Is somenthing like the Marvel world (for example) and the Avengers, but in a Fantasy Books style.

And of course I will continue reading more of the Cosmere, although interspersing other types of books between them. I have already read several short stories, from a compliation book, that expand this world (You have to know when and between which books to read them) and I have already purchased the next novel to start soon. Although now in between I will pause to read something different.

I think that this author will be part of the future of literary fantasy and is here to stay definitively. and I think he will be talked about in the coming years and people outside the reading world will know him, like Rowling, Martin, Tolkien or Lovecraft

Future film and streaming adaptations are also expected.


I'm sorry but I could talk about this for hours hahaha

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[Pandora's Box]

If you're interested at all in a story about homosexual romance and murder, I would suggest You've Lost a Lot of Blood.
It wasn't my favorite read, but I found some of the content to be compelling.

 

[callmecaleb]

The title sure makes my mouth water, and my dick hard.

 

[metalmachine]

Thank you. Looks interesting. The bad think for me is that book don't exist in my language for now....

 

[johnnyriot]

Thank you. Looks interesting. The bad think for me is that book don't exist in my language for now....

I have the PDF, I can translate it for you if you want

 

[Meatpie]

Ahhh, so sweet, so kind....

 

[metalmachine]

I have the PDF, I can translate it for you if you want

Thank you, but it is not necessary since I could also do it, patiently, without problems. I also have the habit of always reading on paper, and having the book on my shelf. Maybe one day ill try an ebook....

 

[metalmachine]

To take a short break in the Cosmere, I started reading a novel that had nothing to do with the fantasy genre.

In this case it has been "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (Män som hatar kvinnor) , by Stieg Larsson (1954-2004)

The first volume of the Millennium series

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Is a Crime, mystery, thriller novel.

It was published posthumously in 2005, translated into English and Spanish in 2008, and became an international bestseller.
There are two film adaptations of the trilogy, one Swedish and the other American.


Although the story is very good, I had a hard time getting into it. The first chapters were tedious for me. For my taste, it has very dense parts in which it was difficult for me to stay attentive, especially in the first third.

But since the book was a gift from my sister, I made an effort and continued.

From halfway through, it became more and more interesting to me and I couldn't stop. See how they were solving the case, and the plot twist, totally unexpected.
Furthermore, I think the Character of Lisbeth is the best part of the book, and the best parts are with her.
It took me a long time to read it, but it was worth it.

But for now I'm not going to read part 2 and part 3. I don't rule it out in the future, although according to critics, "the good one" is the first one.

For now I will continue with the Cosmere, I already have another book finished and I am reading a historical novel in between, but I always forget to publish here, and I do it very late...