Where are you in Fantasyland: January 2012

Thought I'd kick off the new year and a new thread. I'm currently still wintering in Gormenghast, but have contemplated a change of scenery by visiting The Autumn Castle to read The Book of Dreams.

(Happy new calendar year, everyone! ^-^)

I've hitched a ride with Rincewind in a jump from Ankh-Morepork to the Agatean Empire in Interesting Times.

I'm all over the world in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, in and out portal doors from Brimstone's shop.

I'm joining Sir Sam Vimes and the rest of the Night Watch for another tour of Ankh-Morepork in Feet of Clay.

I am at sea on board the Ravenna in The ships of air. It's taken a while, but I'm starting to enjoy the voyage.

Because I don't want to start A Feast for Crows until A Dance With Dragons comes out in paperback, I've started another saga -- Joel Shepherd's Sasha. I love the heroine and am intrigued by the political and religious conflicts in the world she inhabits, but I've discovered something: I've had it up to here and back with misogyny-heavy plots, stories where the brave, courageous heroine has to fight an uphill battle against the SAME ENEMY again and again and again -- ignorant men who think she's good for nothing for absolutely no reason but her gender. It would be nice to see heroines of mythic/non-urban fantasy get to engage in other kinds of battles for a change. More on this later.

Am also reading Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful and E.E. Knight's Dragon Champion. Having fun with both of these.

I'm in some german speaking corner of Fantasyland, first preparing a campaign against the dwarves, elves and sorcerers of the south with the dark elves Sinthoras and Caphalor in Markus Heitz' Die Legenden der Albae ("Legends of the Albae"), then defending the southern lands against their armies with Heitz' Die Zwerge ("The Dwarves").

And I definetively have to start with the "A song of ice and fire" soon. I don't know how I could ignore them for so long.

I've finished up Gormenghast now, as well as One Solstice Night, Alchemical Texts and Mariken van Nieumeghen, a Middle Dutch miracle play.

Just started rereading an old childhood favorite, Five Children and It -- as enjoyable as ever. Like most of the best children's books, it doesn't talk down to the reader, and also (partly because of the first thing) is perfectly good reading for adults.

I had forgotten how weird-looking the Psammead is, but I remembered his personality quite accurately....

#9 - I loved that book, and the others in the series. Haven't read them for a long time, I should do a re-read sometime soon.

I'm currently following Paksenarrion from Tsaia to Lyonya in Oath of Gold. I'm rereading the series, and I'm enjoying them thoroughly.

I've been re-reading Discworld in pub. order, and I'm currently up to The Last Continent. Also about to read The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison and have The Rook by Daniel O'Malley and Wildwood by Colin Meloy lined up and ready to go!

> 9 I loved Five Children and It, Rick, and we just came across our copy when cleaning up a room. I read a lot of E. Nesbit when I was a kid.

11> I'll be interested to learn what you think of The Hollows Insider. I just bought it a couple weeks ago because it was at a large discount at my local B&N, though from just a quick skim I'm not sure how interesting it's really going to be.

But I've also got the series-prequel Blood Work: An Original Hollows Graphic Novel and I think I'm going to love this one because Ivy's the star!. (She's my xxxooo!)

ETA: OK, just finished Blood Work and rated and reviewed it. Gave it **** mainly because Ivy's the star, though I was a little dissatisfied with the graphics. Ivy in particular tended to change her appearance a bit much from one panel to another.

I was in Dorset, England in Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle. It was a pretty good ghost story and a nice little book if you're a fan of Beagle.

I have The Warded Man Peter Brett, Retribution Falls Chris Wooding, Urban Shaman C.E. Murphy, Graceling Kristin Cashore, The Way of the Shadows Brent Weeks, and Hammered Kevin Hearne; all lined up to read in the next month or so...

Left the Ravenna in The ships of air and am in Capidara in The gate of gods, the third book in the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy. This is turning out to be a fun world-hopping adventure with very human characters who argue and improvise in crises (as opposed to stereotypes who form a perfect team from the start).

I'm in Ashland - reading Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep

#13: I'm about half-way through The Hollows Insider now. It's fun so far. Anyone familiar with the series already knows most of what's being presented about the history of Harrison's world and the characteristics of all the various Inderland species and types of magic, etc. There is a sort of storyline being presented though, in which a human journalist is trying to investigate Rachel Morgan and her relationship with Ivy, Piscary, Saladin, Trent Kalamack, the were pack, etc. Basically, all the various plot points of the series, as seen in pieces from a true outsider's perspective. Kinda interesting, but I wouldn't call it essential reading for a fan, really.

Starting The Colour of Magic part of my StantaThing books from @st.chris

I'm off to London with Embers of Atlantis next.

Rereading The Dragon and the George by Gorden R. Dickson... I recently picked up the sequel and am rereading the original as a review...

>21 johnnyapollo: I LOVE that book! Read and reread it many years ago... never liked the sequels as much though.

#14 Oooh, I enjoyed Tamsin when I read it a while back! I'm glad to hear you did too. ^-^

#19 I hope you'll enjoy it! Is it your first encounter with any of Pratchett's books? (I'm guessing from your catalogue that it is, but I could be wrong. ^-^)

I've been avoiding The Autumn Castle and I've been having some bad luck with most of the books I've attempted since my last check-in. I've tried and abandoned Small Blue Thing by S.C. Ransom, The Gunslinger by Stephen King and Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake.

I have, however, managed to finished Chime today and quite enjoyed it. I hope it signals an upwards turn in my reading enjoyment!

23> I've read Wyrd Sisters and Good Omens, so I've had some happy exposure to Terry Pratchett. I finished off The Colour of Magic on the way home today. I enjoyed it, although not quite as much as Wyrd Sisters or Good Omens. I'll still likely pick up the next Discworld book and work my way through them.

Next on the list is The Well of Ascension.

Just got off the plane to the Northwoods with Keelie Heartwood in The Quicksilver Faire.

Investigation paranormal crime in Servant of the Underworld ... not bad so far, even with all the Mexica names ...

About to take a dive into the opera Discworld style in Maskerade.

I've left the land of Ile-Rien for the last time :-( The trilogy started really slowly for me, but the second two books made it all worth while, with a great payoff. I'm sorry to leave these characters behind.

Now I'm venturing into space for some SF adventures with Pyanfar Chanur and her crew.

Trying again to follow the plot of Gardens of the Moon, and having considerably more success than the last time. It's gone from 'utterly frustrating' to 'entirely absorbing', thanks to taking it slow.

#24 I think most people I've talked to aren't as enamoured by his earlier Discworld books, so I'm not surprised to hear you enjoyed it less than the others you've read. ^-^

I've burrowed my nose in a collection of Tales before Tolkien and then dove straight into reading Cage the Darlings by Elora Bishop. Very sweet romance story, that. ^-^ Not sure where I'll go next, really...

Hovering between The crystal cave and Havemercy for my next read :)

#31 I love The Crystal Cave and its sequels. Mary Stewart is one of my very favourite authors.

Just left a loop in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and am continuing the time traveling theme by joining Stephen King on a trip back to 11/22/63 to stop JFK's assassination.

Just left Estorea and about to enter the Shady Vale on a quest for a sword?

I'm heading to the Malazan empire next with Gardens of the Moon.

As well as being in outer space with the Chanur, I'm also visiting Las Vegas NM with a Child of a rainless year. This was an LT recommendation and so far it is a good one.

I'm in new Orleans - reading Easy Pickings

I just finished reading a non-fantasy book (VERY good by the way) and am ready to return to Fantasyland with Tiger Burning Bright. :)

I have been looking for 'new' fantasy authors, but honestly, I have been disappointed with what I came across. I feel like I am reading the same stuff over and over again - it's either vampire/werewolf love, schools of wizards or a Middle Earth knockoff with no true depth.
Sorry, I am feeling a bit b****y. *sighs* I keep going back to the old-school fantasy folk...

I just finished a tub-boat ride with Lanesha and TaShon through the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. This one may not qualify as "fantasy" but I want to mention it because Lanesha does have an ability to see ghosts and the book is just so absolutely superb. (It was shortlisted for last year's Coretta Scott King award.)

#30> @Shanra That was pretty much my guess, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of the Discworld as I go book shopping.

Finished off Well of Ascension and have started Hero of the Ages after a quick trip to read Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales.

Just stepped out of Fillory in The Magicians, which I picked up at a bookstore after reading one paragraph and knowing it would be an enjoyable read. It was, but there were a few issues that made me roll my eyes. For one, if you're trying to write a critique on the magic school genre by trying to make it more realistic, why is every female stacked and gorgeous? Still, I'll definitely dive into The Magician King.

Also recently finished Grave Peril. For some reason I just can't get into those books.

I've just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora. What a wild ride!

I am in process for reading Gordath Wood by Patrice Sarath. It's my carrying about in my bag book, so it's taking a while to read. It's an interesting first novel and a nice variation to the old 'crossing into a parallel world' plot. It will also appeal to horselovers - but so far no cats, those seem to be the preserve of the cosy murder.

#40 My favourites are the City Watch/Vimes subseries, though you get most out of them read in order. Perfectly possible not to (I did), but they've got an overarching plot line that's a lot of fun to see develop over the course of the books.

I've been taking a sojourn from Red Seas under Red Skies to poke at The Thorn and the Blossom, but should return to the former now. ^-^

I've just finished rereading the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Now I've got a list of science fiction books to read. :)

Just started An Unexpected Apprentice by Jody Lynn Nye...

Finished off Hero of Ages, I enjoyed it although the ending was a bit of a twist. All the talk of Terry Pratchett has me re-reading Good Omens again. There aren't many better Dramatis Personae entries than "Crowley - An Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards"

I'm in 6th world's Seattle getting involved in a dragon's business even though Robert N. Charette warned me: Never deal with a dragon!

Loved Warded Man and Desert Spear by Brett. Weeks shadows series is also very good, and a fast read past the first 20 pages or so, trilogy itself is very solid. Prism by Weeks is great as well.

Since finishing the books mentioned in #44 I've read The Girl who Ruled Fairyland and moved onto Pyramids which'll (probably) be the last of my finished January reads. ^-^

I've also started Gloriana by Michael Moorcock, but I need a break from the prose style, so I don't know when I'll get back to it.

I'm still chasing the Chanur from one space station to the next and having a great time along the way. But I've taken a brief detour to see the Winter Rose in Patricia McKillip's gorgeous Tam Lin retelling. I haven't read this for a few years, and it is just as beautiful and mysterious as I remembered.

@sparrowbunny: Ooo, I loved Pyramids. I'll never think of camels without thinking of that book. ^_^

Patricia McKillip is great, she doesn't over-explain, just lets you ride on the cloud.

I have a love-hate relationship with Winter Rose. It is beautifully written, ever so lyrical, and when it comes to heroines, Rois brings the Awesome. But it also infuriated me; I wanted to smack the hero in the back of the head, hard enough to get some sense into his brain. For the life of me I could never manage to see what is so lovable about pallid, passive Laurel that two good and ostensibly intelligent men would fight over her.

Again, a beautiful book, but I wanted something more for the heroine. My frustration actually speaks in the book's favor, that McKillip could create a character I would care so much about.