The Elenium Trilogy by David Eddings.

It's got great characters, magic, evil, high stakes, a complex villainous scheme. Everything you want in a fantasy, to be honest. Check it out if you like Fantasy.

This might be my favorite fantasy series ever. Its certainly the one I have reread the most. Its the first series to ever make me feel genuinely creeped out and to literally cry.

OH BOY LET'S TALK ABOUT BOOKS

I recently made my way through a pair of space opera-flavored trilogies, one was okay and the other was incredible.

First, The Bobiverse, which is:

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
For We Are Many
All These Worlds

All by Dennis E. Taylor.

The premise for The Bobiverse is great: A normal person, killed in a car accident in 2016, wakes up in the mid-distant future to discover his brain has been scanned into a computer, and that his new job is to be a self-replicating von Neumann probe, searching the galaxy for new life, new civiliations, and new challenges. The only problem is that he's also woken into a horrifyingly believable political nightmare, and humanity atom-bombs itself into certain doom by chapter 12. The series has several interesting conceits - copies of the titular Bob all develop their own personalities and individual quirks, which is generally reflected well in the prose (and marvelously performed by Ray Porter, the audiobook narrator). The Bobs are all basically stable and basically decent people, at least by their own metrics, and what conflict exists between them is generally handled well.

The story falls down in its failure to examine many of the subjects it brings in any particular detail (in particular, the idea of personal immortality) and a general lack of narrative focus. There is some fairly unpleasant handling of a romantic relationship between a Bob and a (at the time) flesh-and-blood human, and I cared neither for the arc of those characters or the ultimate resolution. The final book in the trilogy wanders far too much, and the series' principal and concrete antagonist is given much less time in the story than they deserve, which is something that makes their ultimate threat somewhat abstract.

Really, this is a story that wants to exist in a crossroads between The Martian and Old Man's War, and I would say it doesn't quite get there. There are Big Ideas, but they are left unexplored. There's a Big Bad, but the interactions with them are perfunctory, and the lasting impact poorly examined. There are moments of emotional resonance, but few landed where they were supposed to, and one in particular made me angry rather than satisfied. Still, for all that, the story does move quickly, the prose is conversational, often funny, and deeply accessible. If you like stories where the author "did the math," Taylor does manage that and occasionally in spectacular fashion. It wasn't bad, but it could have been so much better.

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Next, The Imperial Radch, which includes:

Ancillary Justice
Ancillary Sword
Ancillary Mercy

All by Ann Leckie.

The Imperial Radch series is one where all of the trappings of space opera are present, but are turned, gently, on their ear. There is a vast empire, and it's not very nice, but our protagonist used to be one of its soldiers. But they aren't leading a rebellion, or at least, they don't set out to. Breq, the last surviving fragment of an intelligence once inhabiting the warship Justice of Toren, begins her story with a singular and familiar purpose: vengeance. For herself, for everything she was, for everything she might have been, for everything she was forced to be.

There are secrets Breq knows that are only revealed to the reader slowly; her ambitions and machinations are opaque until exactly the moment that they aren't, and the world she inhabits is shockingly rich. There are no clean, clear answers in this story, no objective good defeating objective evil. You are sympathetic to Breq, of course, but she is messy, complicated, existing in a universe that feels tarnished and alive and real in a way that feels effortless and complete. Breq's evolution from where she begins the story is subtle and profound. The scope of the story steadily expands, a vast and intricate mechanism that once wound up, scythes through the setting in a way that at first seems surprising, and on reflection, is the only way the story could have gone.

I loved this series, virtually without qualification. It is rich and dense, but without a Stephenson-style self-aggrandizement that requires you to sit through info-dumps. The story is driving and complex with emotional resonance, self-reflection, and examination of some very Big Ideas. The world has the constant feeling that Leckie knows much more about it than she's putting down on the page, and those splashes of detail lend vitality and constant excitement to the setting, which exists as both part of and in service of the narrative.

The series also has hive-mind sex, a schizophrenic Emperor whose mind is made of hundreds of clones of themselves, extensive asides about tea (and why it's important to have a good set of dishes), and a scene with Breq literally standing on the hull of her sentient starship while firing a handgun at warships coming to kill her, because she knows something they don't. It's a story that spans a few years and millenia, with ghost stories that involve entire starships, linguistics jokes, and a protagonist who will terrify you while you're rooting for her success. It feels fantastical and modern, prescient and contemporary. This is different from Bujold, and I would argue better (although I adore her writing), more ambitious than Scalzi, and more thoughtful than Heinlein or Niven or Pournelle ever could have been. I'll say it again: I loved this series.

I highly recommend ‘The Power’ by Naomi Alderman.

It is truly great feminist literature, in addition to being one of those books that sucks you in and you can’t put down until you’ve finished.

One day teenage girls of about 15 develop strange powers all over the world. They control lightning at their finger tips. The Power spoon spreads to all women, flipping the world upside down. Now women have the power to kill you with a touch. Society struggles to deal with this development. Boys are segregated from girls, and some even talk of bringing back witch burnings. This event is called ‘The Day of the Girls.’

The book is exciting, and has deep messages about gender and politics. The story doesn’t go where you think it will. The different points of view will challenge anyone’s mind, regardless of their political leanings. I think this book will stay with me for a long time.

So while I was at the lake, I took it upon myself to get some reading done and I picked up a book I've had for a year but hadn't bothered to read yet.

The Roman World (Nonfiction, Second Edition) by Colin Wells. I have to admit I was somewhat looking forward to coming back home so I could expand on how good of a book this is. It covers the Roman Period from the years 44 B.C. to 235 A.D. beginning with Octavian who would later be known as Augustus Caesar and his power plays, the first part of the book concluding with a vivid account of the war between him and Marcus Antony who married Cleopatra. The book has many, many sources to use for any aspiring historian, and you can also tell the author took his time in his investigations and research on answering the many queries of the time, exploring government, military, and civilian life. He has an intelligent and somewhat posh way of speaking (which is why the next part made me lol at 2 A.M.). Although I will tell you the part that made me fall in love with the book was when it actually bothered to quote a letter written by Antony to Octavian when the latter was spreading propaganda about his fornicating with a foreigner.

What's come over you? That I'm screwing the Queen? We're married. Is it anything new? It's been going on for 9 years. Is Livia Drusilla the only one you're screwing? Good luck to you if you haven't screwed Tertulla or Terentilla or Rufilla o Salvia Titisenia or all of them by the time you read this. Does it matter when you have it away, and who with?

(Seutonius, Augustus, 69)

@POOHEAD189 Ayyy, if you liked Worm enough to join an RP before reading it you'll like the actual story well enough. Fair warning, it's a long read but very worth it. There's a small synopsis and some trigger warnings at the home page there.

Worm: A Complete Web Serial

You know, I've been randomly pondering the relationships in Wheel of Time and sorta come to the conclusion that I might have been judging them a bit unfairly. I mean, it has been mentioned that characters end up together for no discernible reason but I'm not sure that's entirely true. The reality seems to be that the characters often end up together based on much more generic and boring criteria- things along the lines of "we met, we hung out a bunch, we find each other moderately attractive, so now we are together". There is often very little by way of pomp or lengthy convoluted romance plots, just people marrying those others they spend time around and decide they like. Frankly, to me that sounds a lot like what people do in real life. I would say a lot of the people I know who have had lasting relationships have no real dramatic romantic background behind having gotten together- it's always boring things like "we were in the same dorm in college and met at a social event" or "we were in a study group for X class and started going out eventually". So, ultimately I wouldn't call the relationships random or inexplicable, just very very veeeeery generic.

Contrasting this to previous comments, we see that the relationships that are seen more favorably involve things like Aviendha's snow/body warmth scene or even LanfearxRand- one of which is basically the frosty peak of trope mountain and the other is a straight up toxic and abusive relationship. Yet I will openly admit that both of those make for better storytelling and more drama, so I can understand the appeal.

Ultimately, it seems the biggest persistent criticisms aimed at the book other than the usual 'I'm kinda tired of X trope' that crops up for every book are these three: the persistent imposter syndrome present in the main three male characters, the constant bickering and animosity between characters for no discernible reason beyond 'I just don't get along with them' and the lack of romance plot arcs alongside relationships forming without any deeper connection beyond 'They were there, we get along and I am so very thirsty". Frankly, it seems the main problem with Robert Jordan could be argued that he has a tendency to write people rather than storybook characters, and as such they are full of a lot of those traits usually present in real life but which make for less compelling storytelling.

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Figure I also should bring up a book series as well. I think I've mentioned it in passing, but now I figure I'll go over it in greater detail.

Mistborn Trilogy- Brandon Sanderson
So, Brandon Sanderson tends to be one of those authors who I feel is better loved by nerds who are a fan of rules and systems, since it seems a common thing in his books is creating entire new and neat systems of magic. The magic system in this world revolves around three main metallic disciplines: Allomancy, Feruchemy and Hemalurgy. Allomancy is probably the most common and most thoroughly portrayed in this series and is basically using different kinds of metals to do an assortment of wild magical effects, from leaping walls to launching projectiles to improving reflexes and heightening senses- all based on which metal you utilize. Beyond that, I dunno that I'd wanna go into Feruchemy and Hemalurgy too deeply, since I seem to recall details their existence being more important to the actual plot than Allomancy, though Allomancy is the most commonly seen power throughout the books.

The basic plot takes place in a shitsack world in a kingdom known as the "Final Empire". It is ruled by a being known as the Lord Ruler, who is supposedly an immortal, invulnerable savior of everything forever- who defeated some big bad entity in ye olde days and reshaped the world to his liking. Present day, he is a tyrannical dictator who holds strict control over his empire through use of the Steel Ministry- the religion that is built around him. There are two primary classes of citizens: nobility and Skaa (basically just slaves). The main story starts focused on a group of Skaa who are working to basically carry out a sort of combination heist/rebellion against the Lord Ruler. What is significant about this group is that multiple of them are Mistborn- that is, someone who can control all allomantic powers. Unusual in that normally only nobles are allomancrs, much less Mistborn and the Steel Ministry hunts down Skaa who have any allomantic powers at all. Beyond the first book, things do escalate beyond the scale of a small criminal gang doing shenanigans to more world-shifting events, culminating in a full cloud-cuckoo land climactic ending. I honestly think the first book might be my favorite in the series for keeping things a bit more low-key and gritty, though I do still love the series as a whole.

Boy does it make me glad that people are talking and discussing Wheel of time here, especially since that series got me back into reading and into "epic fantasies" so it holds a special place in my heart. My judgement about that series may be biased but then again these are recommendations based on opinions.

While yes the Wheel of time has the standard tropes, "great looming evil", "destined savior" etc, it also has heart. I mean if you pick this series and go with it till the end, it is not just a read it is a journey, an experience. You see the magnificent world, the cultures, the endless abundance of characters and especially the progression. How these three boys, whisked away from a small village, grow to be the 'Ta'veren' that they are and how they shape the world around them. Another something that I really liked was the each book was known for a special event that would change everything, a single event that is extremely important and would have consequences reflected in the next book. Throughout the book Robert Jordan shows us that fate has a grand plot, "the wheel weaves what the wheel weaves" and if you read carefully you can actually see how it is all woven. Each event propelling you forward towards the inevitable goal.

Now aside from the wonderful Wheel of time series and it's bad ass titular character 'The Dragon Reborn - Rand al Thor - I also really enjoyed 'The Prince of Thorns'. Mark Lawrence knows how to create a gritty world and he really gets the reader into the mind of Jorg. I would not suggest this book to those that don't like gory and or dark and morbid themes. It is a story of vengeance and of a 'prince' who will go to any lengths to achieve that vengeance, he will quite literally watch the world burn and stomp right over to grasp at his ambitions. This is not a story of a hero but of a villain and his rise to power.

EDIT: Oh and here are some of the book series that I have on my 'to read list', listed in priority.

The Book of the Ancestor - Mark Lawrence

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Tad Williams

The KingKiller Chronicle - Patrick Rothfuss

Stormlight archive - Brandon Sanderson

I think at present my current reading list is:

The Wise Man's Fear (Patrick Rothfuss)
Shadows of Self (Brandon Sanderson)

I figure I can give a potentially updated opinion after actually reading that second Patrick Rothfuss book and see whether or not my view has shifted any. The second book seems to just be another part of the Mistborn series, so I have rather high hopes for that.

Speaking of the truely epic fantasy.

Magician by Raymond E Fiest.

Probably the first book that really sold me on fantasy as a Genre. It follows the lives of Pug and Thomas, two boys from a frontier town who get caught up in an invasion from another world. What I really love about it is the slice of life scenes that intersperse the action, it really grounds the world in a way few fantasy worlds ever manage.

@0 Azzy 0 HEY, LISTEN!

Shadows of Self is the second novel of Mistborn Era 2, which takes the events of Hero of Ages and hits fast-forward until the world becomes an Old West / Steampunk kind of place. I enjoy Mistborn, but I love Era 2.

Right now, Mistborn Era 2 is:

1.) The Alloy of Law
2.) Shadows of Self
3.) The Bands of Mourning
4.) The Lost Metal (announced but not yet released)

If you haven't read Alloy of Law, you will very probably be pretty confused about what's going on in Shadows of Self. :3

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I just finished reading Artemis, the new novel by Andy Weir (Author of The Martian). It's about a heist on the Moon.

I came into this book expecting Ocean's Eleven In Space, and I got something rather different. The story moves quickly - sometimes almost too quickly - driven by our protagonist, Jasmine (or Jazz) Bashara. Jazz scrapes out a borderline existence as a freight porter and sometimes-smuggler in relative poverty in Artemis, the only city on the Moon, where the gravity is low and the prices are high. Her life is made more complicated by an oversize bag of personal problems, a penchant for liquor, and clients in high places. When someone offers her the kind of job that petty criminals only dream of, we get a long, stark look a Jazz's ambition, capability, and stunning brilliance. Like most brilliant people, she also has a tremendous capability to fuck up, and fuck up she does, mightily. Like The Martian, this novel is largely assembled from the idea of "Our Character Is Very Smart, And Lots Of Bad Things Happen To Them," but in this case, almost everything that happens to Jazz is, one way or another, her own damn fault. Jazz's awareness of this fact is one of the most fun things about the story.

In several ways, Artemis does come across like Weir is trying to very directly address some of the commentary from his first novel. Our protagonist, for example, is a smart-mouthed Arabic woman with an abrasive attitude, and the cast is not otherwise filled with Default Characters In Science Fiction. There are discussions of Islam, and how you would face toward Mecca from the Moon (if you were inclined to). Major parts of the worldbuilding center around the idea of Kenya being the site of the mega-industry required to build a city on the Moon.

And, of course, there's lots of stuff Andy Weir made a name for himself with his previous novel. There's a lot of hard science, chemistry, and a surprising amount of welding. There's plenty of sarcasm, lots of quips, and characters whose refusal to panic make them almost superhuman. There's also an extended discussion about a reusable condom and a brief aside regarding guest etiquette when visiting a Ukrainian. And, I have to admit, I have almost never identified with a character so hard as I do with Jasmine Bashara.

I liked Artemis a lot. There's a certain amount of "new author figuring out their longer-term voice" going on in this book, and I would say it's probably not quite as good as The Martian. But the scope is larger, the ambition greater, and it shows that Weir is willing to stretch himself in some interesting ways. I would absolutely love to see more adventures in Artemis, but I'll look forward to Weir's next novel regardless.

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Edit: Since we're doing this, I guess, here's my to-read pile:

1.) All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault, James Alan Gardner
2.) Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer
3.) Provenance, by Ann Leckie
4.) Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman
5.) Dead Wake, by Erik Larson

Ha ha ha, glad I'm here then. All I saw on the cover was that it said something like "A Mistborn Novel" while at the library and nothing else near it by Brandon Sanderson, so I went ahead and grabbed it. XD

I feel like I always just miss Brandon Sanderson stuff. Like back in 2012 I was recommended the first Mistborn Book and I think I have it somewhere still (maybe), but I didn't even get 100 pages into it before the R.A. Salvatore book Charon's Chlaw was released that I'd been waiting for so I dropped it. Then I attempted to finish the Wheel of Time series which I love, but life got in the way and I never did make it to the last book that Brandon Sanderson wrote. And then every time I go out to get a book, I see Brandon Sanderson novels but I either don't have the time/money/desire to read something at that moment so I don't grab it. Though many roleplayers enjoy his stuff, it seems.

@Naril Artemis seems like something I might pick up, and Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman I've been eyeing. Though I highly recommend The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley Holland. It's a very fun read and provides a great intro, notes, and a glossary of Norse history and mythological backgrounds.

@0 Azzy 0@Penny I also keep seeing The Name of the Wind in most bookstores I visit now, without really looking for it. So I might pick that up sooner rather than later and give my 2 cents on it.

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Currently I'm delving into Beowulf translation by Seamus Heaney, (Bilingual Edition). It's something I've been meaning to get back into since Highschool, and back then I really didn't appreciate the Old English text on the left side of the page. I should learn German at some point in order to understand it.

The Kingkiller Chronicle books are some of my yearly re-reads, sort of a narrative comfort food in the Fall.

The big thing to remember about them, to me, is that Kvothe is very probably lying to you. Not all the time; just when it's important. If you take the story at face value, it's just pretty good heroic fantasy. If you assume the narrator isn't entirely reliable, well...

@Naril I assumed he was an unreliable narrator. He clues you in when he gets irritated that Chronicler and Bast dont call him on stuff he says. He also goes out of his way to point out that he engages in conscious myth making, he clearly plays for the audience.

Also Bast is overtly trying to shape the narrative and its uncertain how much Chronicler is going along with it.

I absolutely agree, for those reasons and a few more. The admission to conscious myth-making is by far the biggest indicator, and is the huge flashing light that makes me go Hey, this guy's not telling the truth.

I just run into an absolutely stunning number of people who read the books only at face value, and spend our first date telling me how Rothfuss is a bad writer because Kvothe is a poorly-written Mary Sue. The stories have some problems and Rothfuss isn't a perfect author (who is?) but the flaws in the story aren't "your failure to read between the lines." Grump grump.

I'm probably going to be finished with All Those Explosions... by the weekend. Next review coming soon~

Anyone read the "Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne"? It's some really nice work by Brian Stavely. The first two books were among the finest books I have read in regards to modern epic fantasies. The third book however was somewhat lack luster.

I've seen the trilogy around and want to pick it up sometime. But no I've not read those books, yet.

Does anyone have any good nonfiction suggestions for the Peloponnesian Wars? Other than the accounts of Thucydides.

Donald Kagan's The Peloponnesian War is a good place to start. If you are able to get a hold of it I cant recommend Kenneth Harl's Teaching Company course on the Pelopennesian War highly enough. Particularly for background and his analysis of the work of Kagan and Geoffrey de Ste. Croix who are two of the leading scholars of the field

Finally always remember that friends don't let friends read Victor Davis Hansen.

@POOHEAD189