Fantasy Book Club discussion

Right so after recent discussions in the club, I am changing this from a year challenge to an ongoing challenge, meaning I'll be adding to it pretty much forever.

Currently Reading
Discworld - Terry Pratchett 9/51
Shadows of the Apt – Adrian Tchaikovsky 5/10

TBR

Dune Chronicles – Frank and Brian Herbert 1/8
Bobiverse - Dennnis Taylor 3/4
Red Rising Saga - Pierce Brown 4/5
Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky 1/2
Rincewind - Terry Pratchett 4/10 (DW 9/51)
City Watch - Terry Pratchett 1/12 (DW 9/51)
Death - Terry Pratchett 1/5 (DW 9/51)
Ancient Civilizations - Terry Pratchett 1/3 (DW 9/51)
Witches - Terry Pratchett 2/8 (DW 9/51)
Tiffany Aching - Terry Pratchett 0/6 (DW 9/51)
Industrial Revolution - Terry Pratchett 0/3 (DW 9/51)
Moist Von Lipwig - Terry Pratchett 0/4 (DW 9/51)
Dexter - Jeff Lindsay 4/8
Eagle - Simon Scarrow 2/17
Paper Girls - Brian K Vaughan 2/6
East of West – Jonathan Hickman 6/8
Undying Mercenaries – B.V. Larson 7/9
The Broken Empire - Mark Lawrence 1/3
The Dresden Files – Jim Butcher 1/17
White Sand – Brandon Sanderson 1/3
Deadly Class – Rick Remender 1/7
Commonwealth Saga - Peter Hamilton 1/2
The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb 1/3
The Liveship Traders Trilogy - Robin Hobb 0/3
The Tawny Man Trilogy - Robin Hobb 0/3
The Rain Wild Chronicles - Robin Hobb 0/4
The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy - Robin Hobb 0/3
Codex Alera – Jim Butcher 0/6
The Shoal Sequence – Gary Gibson 0/4
Raven’s Shadow – Anthony Ryan 0/3
Draconis Memoria – Anthony Ryan 0/3
Mystic – Jason Denzel 0/3
Inheritance – N.K. Jemisin 0/3
The Broken Earth – N.K. Jemisin 0/3
Malazan Book of the Fallen – Steven Erikson 0/10
Malazan Empire – Ian C Esslemont 0/6
The Kingkiller Chronicle – Patrick Rothfuss 0/3
Ember Quartet – Sabaa Tahir 0/4
Abhorsen – Garth Nix 0/5
The Empty Throne – Daniel Polansky 0/2
Terra Incognita – Kevin J Anderson 0/3
Tales of the Ketty Jay – Chris Wooding 0/4
Prelude to Dune – Brian Herbert 0/3
Legend of Dune – Brian Herbert 0/6
Heroes of Dune – Brian Herbert 0/2
Schools of Dune – Brian Herbert 0/3
Y: The Last Man - Brian K Vaughan 0/10
Runaways - Brian K Vaughan 0/7
Ex Machina - Brian K Vaughan 0/10
The Private Eye - Brian K Vaughan 0/10
Rat Queens – Kurtis J Wiebe 0/5
Monstress – Majorie M Liu 0/3
Ms Marvel – G Willow Wilson 0/9
Velvet – Ed Brubaker 0/3

Reread's
Saga of the Seven Suns - Kevin J Anderson 0/7
The Amtrak Wars - Patrick Tilley 0/6

Awaiting Publication

The Stormlight Archive – Brandon Sanderson 4/10
Planetfall - Emma Newman 4/4
Skyward - Brandon Sanderson 2/4
The Books of Babel - Josiah Bancroft 3/4
Peter Grant Series - Ben Aaronovitch 7/8
The Cinder Spires – Jim Butcher 1/2
A Song of Ice and Fire – George R.R. Martin 5/7
Mistborn – Brandon Sanderson 6/7
Reckoners - Brandon Sanderson 4/5
The Stormlight Archive – Brandon Sanderson 3/10
Warbreaker – Brandon Sanderson 1/2
Elantris – Brandon Sanderson 1/3
Saga – Brian K Vaughan 9/9
Gods of Blood and Powder - Brian McClellan 2/3
Jack West Jr Series - Matthew Reilly 5/7
The Expanse - James Corey 8/9
Threshold - Peter Clines 4/4

Completed

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne - Brian Staveley 4/4
Night Angel - Brent Weeks 3/3
Lightbringer - Brent Weeks 5/5
Mountain Man – Keith C. Blackmore 5/5
Shane Schofield - Matthew Reilly 4/4
Umbrella Academy - Gerard Way 3/3 (not continuing series)
Dark Lord of the Sith - Charles Soule 4/4
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 3/3
Silo - Hugh Howey 3/3

I am happy to take suggestions as this moves forward.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Wishing you all the luck! (Sorry couldn't resist). Oh, by the way, great list.

Moon Over Soho was amazing. I love the characters and setting so much, as well as the British humor. Just hoping some of the sub characters get more time screen moving forward, specifically Molly, Nightingale, and Leslie.

I have heard Dresden gets better after the first one, however comparing the first book of these two series I think PC Grant wins. I do plan on reading all of Dresden at a later point so I'll be able to compare them properly later.

Good luck with it Aaron!
Personally, I think you should lose focus a little and skip the top list completely. Although there's good stuff in it, the bottom list looks much better.....

Good luck Aaron!
Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings are my favorites series. I read the first 3 trilogies three times... I almost envy you, you get to discover it for the first time.

Did you like the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne? This series is in my "Planned" category of the challenge.
(Yes, I have a category for planned series. It grows alarmingly fast.)

You have several series that are on my "planned" list also. I believe your going to enjoy this challenge.

Thanks all. Yeah I am really looking forward to the Realm of the Elderlings but I really shouldn't start it until I finish the others or I'll end up with an endless list of half finished series haha.

As for the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, It's really dark and the main characters can be frustrating but it makes sense for the story and actually adds to it. Great world building and a very interesting plot. Very much worth a read, so much so that the only book I'm missing is the new prequel that came out last year haha.

Whispers Underground While the characters introduced in this novel were not as interesting as the previous two, the extra content involving Leslie and Nightingale made up for it.

The worldbuilding is still top notch and ever expanding, and I am really looking forward to seeing where the series leads to.

Are the Peter Grant books like the Dresden Files? If so, I need to read them.

Tnkw01 wrote: "Are the Peter Grant books like the Dresden Files? If so, I need to read them."

Yeah, British Dresden is the most common comparison. I think of it as if Harry Potter became a London Police officer haha.

Aaron wrote: "Tnkw01 wrote: "Are the Peter Grant books like the Dresden Files? If so, I need to read them."

Yeah, British Dresden is the most common comparison. I think of it as if Harry Potter became a London ..."

Sounds Great! I'm putting it in my TBR list.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
These are really good books as well

Kevin wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
These are really good books as well"

It does sound interesting, I will add it to my TBR list.

Broken Homes - I enjoyed this a tiny bit more than the one before, and more importantly Ben Aaronovitch continues to not only keep a level of quality but actually improve it. I loved the extra time we got with Leslie and the river gods. And while the main twist was shocking (no spoilers) the big question left to me is What was Molly using the computer for!

Foxglove Summer - A bit slower to start with and it really only picked up at the end. The novel really felt like a cool down/side adventure after the big reveal in the last novel. Still, it was enjoyable and getting more Beverley Brook is always a good thing. However, the extreme lack of Nightingale and Molly was disappointing. Looking forward to getting some resolutions and revelations regarding Leslie in the next novel.

The Furthest Station - Short little Novella, very much in the style of the full novels but nothing much important happen to continue the main background story. I think the most important thing we learned is that Molly is a food blogger with Instagram and Twitter which finally answers the big question from Broken Homes haha.

The Hanging Tree - Another solid entry in a fantastic series. Bit more action in this one which was great as we got to see a glimpse more of the hidden power of Nightingale. I like the growth of the Folly as a unit as well as the additional characters both returning and new.

The plot was fun and engaging and keeps you wanting to read on. My only complaint is the lack of dialogue between Peter and Leslie when they 'met up'

Now the long wait until Lies Sleeping is released :(

A Rare Book of Cunning Device - Should little sample that really didn't do much except show/remind you how good the series is.

Aaron wrote: "The Hanging Tree - Another solid entry in a fantastic series. Bit more action in this one which was great as we got to see a glimpse more of the hidden power of Nightingale. I like ..."
Have you read the graphic novels yet? They may tide you over for a bit.

Kevin wrote: "Aaron wrote: "The Hanging Tree - Another solid entry in a fantastic series. Bit more action in this one which was great as we got to see a glimpse more of the hidden power of Nighti..."

Not yet, only found out about them recetly, but I will certainlly be getting them once I can afford them. haha

Skullsworn - Yeah nowhere near as good as the trilogy it came from. I think my biggest issue was how much I enjoyed Pyrre as a side character but not so much as a main. Though it was good to see where she got most of her personality from. Decent read but I would really only recommend to mega fans of the main series.

The Way of Shadows - 3.5 - Little bit rough around the edges but that only leaves room for improvement. The overall plot and world building were good enough to keep me moving through the book, and the ending enough to want to complete the series. Decent for a debut and having read one of his latest novels (The Black Prism) I know it can only go up from here.

Shadow's Edge - Hmm yeah, once again it isn't bad, just not the best. It suffers heavily from including a lot of made-up names for not only places but creatures, with no explanation as to what they are. Can make it hard to follow. The first half was a bit of a drag but the second half picked up and the ending was intriguing enough to move on and finish the series. Really is night and day between this and his next series.

Added a bunch more, including a lot of graphic novels I would like to get through. SO MANY BOOKS TO READ

The problem is good books are coming out all the time, before you can finish what you have intended to read. I feel your pain.

What a great list! I had a 'planned' section in my series challenge I had to delete 'cause it had more than 40 series...

Saga, Vol. 8 - Once again, Saga continues to be the best graphic novel series I've read. This one was slightly less depressing despite the first half, and a happy ending was nice for once. I will say that they were a bit blatant this time in regards to the social and political issues they wanted to tackle, usually, they are a bit more subtle. Still very much looking forward to the next issue.

Virginie - thanks! yeah TBH this probably isn't even half of what I want to read, but I'll get to the rest eventually haha.

Tnkw01 - Yeppppp another reason why I'll probably never get to read everything I want to. Still better to have too many choices than not enough haha.

Beyond the Shadows - Massive improvement in terms of writing quality over the last two, however, it wasn’t enough to deal with all the issues left over from the first two novels. Overall it just feels like a rather unplanned novel/series with things like culture, characters and settings being thrown in when needed with no further thought to it. A few things didn’t get answered in the end and the ending itself was a bit Deus ex machina. The characters are pretty one dimensional and the handling of the female characters was less than great. The entire Dorian arc just felt weird as did the “dragon prophecy” at the end.

Overall it is basically one of those fantasy series that is enjoyable if you don’t stop to think about it too much. Just roll with the action and ignore the plot holes, inconsistencies and questionable sections of writing. However, that being said there are plenty of other great series out there which I would recommend before taking on this one, including Brent Weeks next series.

The Night Angel was Brent Weeks' first Trilogy. It was obvious from reading books from his second series he had improved his style. However, I thought The Way of Shadows was very enjoyable. At some point I have to finish the trilogy.

Tnkw01 wrote: "The Night Angel was Brent Weeks' first Trilogy. It was obvious from reading books from his second series he had improved his style. However, I thought The Way of Shadows was very enj..."

Yeah I am one of the people that only knew about Brent Weeks from his latest series, granted I have only read the first of the Lightbringer series but geez, its like he did nothing but take writing classes between the series, the quality of writing is so much better in Lightbringer, and people have been saying it only gets better from the first book. Looking forward to finishing that soon.

I need to finish both series.

Mountain Man: Prequel - Nice little story giving us a glimpse at the initial outbreak and how Gus became the ‘Mountain Man’. It was just as great as the rest of the series but its hurt by the short length of the novel. If anything it just left me wanting more in the same world, maybe a side story with one of the new characters. Gus was still as ‘everyman’ as he was and his reactions and handling of the situation stay true to his character from the later books.

To those who like a bit of horror fantasy, if you haven't read this series, you should. It remains one of my top zombie fictions and does some things that really separate it from the norm.

Wrath of Empire - I won't say much as it's the middle of an ongoing series but once again it was fantastic from start to finish. I found it interesting that to start with I was more interested in the Vlora story but in the end, it was the Michel Bravis story that was the most compelling. Bring on the final book.

Senlin Ascends - Vivid characters, wonderful and mystical world building and a thrilling story. Leaves you wanting more. Will give a more in-depth review once I have completed the series.

Aaron wrote: "Senlin Ascends - Vivid characters, wonderful and mystical world building and a thrilling story. Leaves you wanting more. Will give a more in-depth review once I have completed the s..."

I kind of thought the story was just ok. I can't decide if I want to continue or not. Well, to be honest, I probably would but I have so many other series' I need to finish.

Tnkw01 wrote: "Aaron wrote: "Senlin Ascends - Vivid characters, wonderful and mystical world building and a thrilling story. Leaves you wanting more. Will give a more in-depth review once I have c..."

This is why I love books haha. We both obviously love fantasy yet can have different opionions on story. For me I do love the whimiscal mystery behind the main plot and was constantly hungering for the next revelation.

Once he got to the tower and revealed that no one knew the truth of the tower, it made everything that was presented seem false. No one was trust worthy and nothing was as it seemed. And though it is more world building than plot I love the idea of each floor being unique and was/am waiting for the reveal of each level of the tower.

Having just finished the second book, I would say it was better overall and had a more focused story progression. So if you enjoyed everything else in the first book, you might find the second more to your liking :)

Arm of the Sphinx - Ok well you have to love when the second book is not only as good as the first but actually improves and is better. The Arm of the Sphinx picks up right where Senlin Ascends left off but this time it has a more focused story progression.

The additional POV characters give you a better insight into the motivations and truth behind the main crew, which is a good thing when nearly everything else in the novel is a mystery waiting to be discovered. Speaking of, the revelations in this novel were the perfect amount. We now know a lot more of the tower and its supposed purpose and history, as well as some of the characters, but there is still enough unrevealed and new mysteries introduced that I cannot wait for the third book.

I loved the new levels of the tower we got to explore, especially the endless library (Got an almost Doctor Who feel from that). The twists at the end were well done. Very happy overall. Bring on book 3…. And hopefully, 4 isn’t far after that.

Aaron wrote: "Tnkw01 wrote: "Aaron wrote: "Senlin Ascends - Vivid characters, wonderful and mystical world building and a thrilling story. Leaves you wanting more. Will give a more in-depth revie..."

Thanks for the encouragement. I might have to read it after all.

Assassin's Apprentice - The time it took me to finish this first book really is not an indicator of my enjoyment of it. I found it to be a really solid introduction to (I assume) a few of the main characters to come in the next 15+ books. The world building was vivid and descriptive both in setting and history and the growth of Fitz was interesting and had me hooked for the whole book. Will give a more solid review at the end of each set of books.

Also, I am sorry I have been away for so long. Real life is taking a lot of my time away at the moment. Hope to get back into the swing of things late September.

Thanks all

Aaron wrote: "Also, I am sorry I have been away for so long. Real life is taking a lot of my time away at the moment. Hope to get back into the swing of things late September.

Thanks all"

I believe real life happens to us all the time so as long as everyone comes back, that makes me happy.

Seven Ancient Wonders - Doing a reread through the Jack West Jr series in preparation of the new book coming out soon. I mean this is more action than fantasy but it really does have some Scifi/Fantasy elements. This is actually my 4th time reading it and it is still just as thrilling as always and is the action movie in book form that Reilly is famous for.

Reminds me once again why Reilly is one of my favorite authors, more impressive when you consider Fantasy/Scifi is pretty much all I read. (If you have not read any of his books... read them all. Start with Ice Station.)

Also on a personal note, should be able to swing back into action after a few stagnant months. Whoop.

Great job!

The Six Sacred Stones - Won't say much as its the middle book of the first trilogy but, Still love it. Finishes with such a good cliffhanger, I remember when It first came out I was depressed knowing how long It would be before the next book.

Yea, I know what you mean. I wouldn't have put The Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks on my series challenge if I'd had known it wasn't finished. I'm trying to make an effort to stay away from unfinished series'. But that's impossible to do. With the best books being in series one has to read them.

For real it can be annoying. I hear nothing but good things regarding Patrick Rothus, but I am not starting something with no end date in sight. George R R Martin ruined that for me haha

Yep, The first two books in the Kingkiller series are really, really good. I'm not an author but it must be terribly hard to keep the same quality through a whole series.

The 5 Greatest Warriors - Great ending to the first trilogy of the series as it were. The action was as fantastic as usual. The history and locations are a step up from the previous entry due to the famous past warriors. Also has a lot of emotion in this book. Just fantastic.

Great job Aaron. This series look really interesting.