Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Discussion/Appreciation Anyone..??

[ToasterOnFire]

Do comic books count?

If they do, I should note I've been rereading the entire Elfquest saga. Old school yes (the first issue came out back in the 70s), but I'd say it's the most entertaining high fantasy comic I've ever read. I was so happy to learn that the authors are releasing the entire series online!

I agree for the most part on the two most recent books, "Crossroads of Twilight", and "Knife of Dreams." Based upon evidence/speculation/clues, most everything else will be playing an important role/will have played an important role, even the little things. You just need to keep an eye open, or you miss these things.

I'm glad you can see it - I couldn't even keep track of all the people and places after a while!

[MmmmMcKAy]

I'm reading Solaris. So far, it's quite good. It grabs your attention right away and has an intriguing concept.

[warmbeachbrat]

If they do, I should note I've been rereading the entire Elfquest saga. Old school yes (the first issue came out back in the 70s), but I'd say it's the most entertaining high fantasy comic I've ever read. I was so happy to learn that the authors are releasing the entire series online!

The only Elfquest books I read, were the Wave Dancer issues....

[gatehorse]

At first, I had agreed with this position, but I rethought things. WoT is quite a good series, and it is an amazingly deep and complex world. Parts of the series get tedious, but when it picks up, it does so with a massive bang. When the last book comes out in hardcover, I'll start rereading the others so that by the time it comes out in paperback, I might actually be able to remember what the heck's gone on. It's far too difficult, as I discovered with the last book, to pick it up off the shelf and give it a go.

I can only reread Harry Potter every now and then. The epilogue killed a fair bit of my enjoyment of the series, sad to say. I read LotR once a year, from The Hobbit through The Silmarillion, and I try to read ASoIaF once a year.

I'm probably in the minority, but everything in HP ended just the way I wanted it to. What can I say, I'm a romantic and I like happy endings.

Funny how when you're a kid you re-read the same books over and over and over.....I rarely re-read anything now unless it's an absolute favourite since I realized that there's just so much to read! I've probably got the titles of nearly two hundred books scattered around on post-its notes and other scraps of paper, that I want to read, but I'll probably never get to most of them.....

I used to reread a lot AND read new stuff when I was younger, and had the time! I've only read the Hobbit and the LOTR triology once (in seventh grade) and I would really like to get around to rereading them one day, but they weren't my favorites back then (I'm sure my views on them must have changed by now, but I don't know how, so it's not enough of an incentive to move them up in the reread line). I could still reread a lot of my old favorites, but like you, I only have limited time, and there's so much to read! I want to reread the Nightrunner series because the new book is coming out and I remember they were my very favorite books for a long time (until I forgot what happened because it had been so long ). I've started keeping my list of books to read in my Amazon wishlist, but I'll probably never get around to reading most of them, at least not while I'm still in school. Stupid textbooks...why can't organic chemistry be as interesting as a good fantasy?

[Mimzy]

I started reading Fall of a Kingdom by Hilari Bell--the 1st of the Farsala Trilogy. It's pretty good

[Pandora's_Box]

Has anybody read any novels by Julie Czernada? I'm asking because I really loved "A Thousand Words for Stranger" and it's two sequels and I find anything she writes ultimately interesting. A truly great female SF writer of modern times.

And on the fantasy side any body read Tanya Huff? I'm not talking about the Blood Ties novels. I'm not really a fan of those, but her series beginning with "Sing the Four Quarters" and the "Summon the Keeper" trilogy (which I found hilarious) are both very good. Along with the Novels of the Crystal duo and "Gate of Darkness", "Circle of Light".

Two really great Canadian authors IMO.

[ToasterOnFire]

I just finished Jack McDevitt's "Cauldron". While I've enjoyed pretty much every other SF/space exploration book he's written, I was pretty disappointed with this one. The plot was plodding and fractured and the ending far too abrupt.

[warmbeachbrat]

I'm probably in the minority, but everything in HP ended just the way I wanted it to. What can I say, I'm a romantic and I like happy endings.

Can I join your minority? I quite liked the epilogue as well and I can't figure out why other people don't....

[Trek_Girl42]

Can I join your minority? I quite liked the epilogue as well and I can't figure out why other people don't....

I liked it too! Seeing all the kids grown up. *sniff*

[ToasterOnFire]

I didn't really care for it because I thought it was too...fanficcy?

Spoiler:

Not only did the kids grow up happy and healthy BUT they stayed with and married their childhood true loves AND had children AND named said children after adults who had sacrificed themselves AND sent them off to Hogwarts. It was too saccharine and perfect after JKR took all that time to add complexities and the imperfections inherent in RL into the rest of her series.

But that's just me.

[Trek_Girl42]

I didn't really care for it because I thought it was too...fanficcy?

Spoiler:

Not only did the kids grow up happy and healthy BUT they stayed with and married their childhood true loves AND had children AND named said children after adults who had sacrificed themselves AND sent them off to Hogwarts. It was too saccharine and perfect after JKR took all that time to add complexities and the imperfections inherent in RL into the rest of her series.

But that's just me.

Awww come on, they totally earned their happy ending.

[ToasterOnFire]

Oh, I completely agree! I just thought it was too much of a happy ending, if that makes any sense.

[Kezia]

I didn't really care for it because I thought it was too...fanficcy?

Spoiler:

Not only did the kids grow up happy and healthy BUT they stayed with and married their childhood true loves AND had children AND named said children after adults who had sacrificed themselves AND sent them off to Hogwarts. It was too saccharine and perfect after JKR took all that time to add complexities and the imperfections inherent in RL into the rest of her series.

But that's just me.

Spoiler:

"Albus Severus Potter"

[Trek_Girl42]

Oh, I completely agree! I just thought it was too much of a happy ending, if that makes any sense.

No, I get what you mean.

I'm a sucker for unhappy/imperfect endings but I still liked it.

[warmbeachbrat]

Well, it is only nineteen years in the future. Still plenty of time in their lives for unhappy, angsty moments.... They would be...what--thirty-five or thirty-six? Mere babes!