Books of the Month
Fantasy
The Way of Kings is the start of a very epic fantasy world consisting of very creative world building, complex characters, and a battle for survival. I love Brandon Sanderson’s unique creations in this one, like grass that retracts into the soil when disturbed, or leaves on trees that retract into tubes – all results of the very harsh storms that rage on the planet.
This is probably the best known epic fantasy series. I used to joke to my friends that if a TV series was made, they could build everything based on the details Jordan wrote about buildings, clothing, and crests. Yep, he really loved details!
The characters are complex and don’t always do the right thing, or what you’d want them to do, but in the end they are all struggling to break the wheel of time.
Paperbacks:
I started reading Game of Thrones before the TV series came out. It’s interesting to see where the show follows along and then deviates. Movies and shows always do things differently, partly because some things don’t work well on screen. I’m okay with that. However, I think we all want to know how this one will end in the books!
I loved the first Dune movie. When I went to see it for the first time, the theater was handing out terminology sheets. Being a true geek, I got a kick out of that. I’m sure others were groaning but as I read the list I got excited and also confused because I was familiar with some of the terms. Then it hit me – one of my favorite heavy metal bands, Iron Maiden, wrote a song about Dune. I loved the movie and grabbed the books after. I didn’t even know there were books until then!
Back to Kindle versions:
I read this as part of the Hugo nomination package. Basically, the entire galaxy is necromancers of different factions vying against one another. There is a deadly contest to become immortal and our underdog protagonist gets unwillingly dragged into it. It took me a while to get into the story, but once I did it went fast. I really loved how it ended. Not so sure I like the next book in the series though. I got distracted and haven’t tried to push through it, so we’ll see. But the first book is a definite win for crypt and necro lovers.
I haven’t read this one yet, but as always Brandon Sanderson has come up with a very creative magic that I haven’t seen before. One world of endless night and one of endless bright. And never the two shall meet… until now when two souls connect and form a bridge that requires them to right the wrongs in both their worlds. Definitely sounds interesting!
If you’ve read the Kingkiller Chronicle, then you know who Bast is. Or at least you think you know who he is. But what does he do outside the inn in his spare time?
In this story we follow Bast for a day as he crafts some really intricate bargains between children at the Lightning Tree. As a fae, he has rules about bargains, but unlike most fae stories, Bast has a soft side. This was a delightful read.
Science Fiction
The Foundation Trilogy on the left, first book in the actual seven book series on the right.
This was the first time I encountered an author writing so many different books in the same universe spanning millions of years. I even created a timeline for all Asimov’s books in the order they appeared in the universe vs publication date. Now we have the internet which gives you that ordering in an instant! Which is nice because Asimov was super prolific! I definitely recommend this series if you love science fiction. And if you have Apple TV, you can watch the TV series.
Philip K. Dick wrote a lot of science fiction that went on to become movies. “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” was the first one I learned about after watching and enjoying Blade Runner. It’s amazing how different the tone is between this story and the movie. The story is definitely more dystopian (dark). Just read the sample to see what I mean. You may or may not like the story, but I find it interesting (creepy) to see some of the creative future tech.
This is more science speculation than science fiction. When I was in high school, they passed out summer reading lists and this was one of the books I read that summer. I’ve never experienced such crushing heartbreak as I did at the end of this book. It starts off bad – a mentally challenged guy goes about his work day being made fun of but not understanding that. Then he gets into a program to boost his intelligence at frightful speed. It hurts when he realizes how he’s being treated. But it hurts worse when he finds out what will eventually happen. Unlike some books, I can see why this one is on reading lists. It definitely makes you think about things.
This is book 4 in the Expanse series, which is odd for it to be discounted and not the others. So if for some reason you are ready to buy book 4, get it now!
I love The Expanse TV series, but watching just one episode is about as impossible as eating one Lay’s potato chip. Each episode wraps up the previous mystery and injects an OMG!! little mini-cliffhanger right at the end. Devious!
I kid you not, I binged an entire season in one sitting. More than once! I haven’t read the books yet to see how they compare but at least with the longer time it takes to read everything the body will force you to get up and eventually sleep. LOL!