What book are you reading? & Book Recommendations

I just finished two book series from Robin Hobb (fantasy based) - the "Fitz and the Fool" and the "Rain Wild Chronicles".

These are chunky books (well over 1,000 pages per series) but are all stories set in the same world, at around the same time and have some character overlap / plot device interactions that bring it together.

For me the writing style is quite engrossing so I can find myself reading away for hours at a time and not noticing the passing of time - it pulls you in and makes you feel something for the characters and the hardships they are enduring.

I'm now reading the Dragon Stone Trilogy (actually 6 books) by Kristian Alva which is high fantasy and is well written although I feel the writer fails to develop a lot of the plot mechanisms well enough. The battle scenes in particular feel hurredly written as though the author is not a fan of them and some important characters meet a very hurried death which is unusual.

Next up will be some vintage sci-fi - I have the Helliconia trilogy from Brian Aldiss and the Amtrak Wars hexalogy by Brian Tilley to work through.

i vaguely recall trying to read the first book in the original series but found it a bit slow, so gave up. Sounds like you would recommend it Iain? Does it get better or is is it quite a slowish pace? I’m a big fantasy fsn usually epic type stuff but also on the darker side of fantasy too. I read all the game of thrones stuff before it got popular 

White_Dragon said:

Sounds like you would recommend it Iain?

I would recommend it if you are patient as while the pacing is slow, it does build a deep and intruiging world with characters who are very flawed.

The lead characters tend to suffer a lot in the course of the story telling, not least Fitz the assassin who has 3 trilogies written about him.

The endings are not always happy but are the results of actions he took, decisions made and the society they exist within.

It may be the constant suffering that I can identify with along with his approach to overcome his inner demons plus the obstacles in his way.

It isn't traditional high fantasy and indeed magic is typically litte and infrequent so if this is a key thing for you then I would avoid the series. For a world with the off exotic creature, some ancient artifacts (magic or advanced science, who knows) and abilities that could be magic or just advanced mental abilities, then this is still very much a character driven author.

Settings are medieval, violence is commonplace, the worst in human nature is often on show and our personal failings are a common tripping point in stories, resulting in the outcomes being hard to predict.

I like the way she writes after reading 4 out of 5 of the book series she has written and have the latest on my to-read list.

Thanks Iain that’s a very useful overview. I do like character driven stories, maybe I will try again. I was quite a bit younger when I picked it up last time! Maybe I can cope with the pace better….

Thanks Iain that’s a very useful overview. I do like character driven stories, maybe I will try again. I was quite a bit younger when I picked it up last time! Maybe I can cope with the pace better….