Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024
by bodantogat on Thursday December 07, 2023 @11:18AM
(#38558143)
I read Malazan for the first time this year after putting it off for decades. Loved it and will likely read it again
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024
by whoknew1122 on Thursday December 07, 2023 @07:24PM
(#38563804)
I reread it every 2 years or so. There's so much in there that you see new things every time.
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024
by vanilla_nut on Thursday December 07, 2023 @10:17AM
(#38557281)
A good reminder that I need to finish my Malazan readthrough! The universe is incredibly deep, the characters are incredibly rich, but I do wish Erikson would let us get a little bit comfier in the shoes of each character for longer stretches of time. I sailed through House of Chains so quickly because I didn't have perspective whiplash, but I find it difficult to keep all of the characters in my head during some sections -- battles in particular are a real challenge for me in the Malazan series.
Highly recommend the series, but a warning: if you find yourself bouncing off book one, don't bother with the rest of the series. I find that the later books are slightly better written and slightly better structured, but the core writing style issues are still there (notably, perspective whiplash and a magic system that is so complex that it sometimes feels like deux ex machina).
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024
by dallas on Thursday December 07, 2023 @05:01PM
(#38562430)
I've got the whole Malazan series sitting in a box ready to read... alas, I'm pretty bushed by the time I have a moment to read and I'm sharing those precious moments before sleep with D&D prep too. I think I'll be saving it for some future date.
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024
by Semaphor on Thursday December 07, 2023 @10:46PM
(#38565191)
Yeah, it’s certainly a time investment. Back when I originally read it, I was still in university, I remember lying in bed, reading, and my alarm went off telling me to get up …
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024
by dwaltrip on Friday December 08, 2023 @12:43AM
(#38565821)
+1 for the Teixcalaan series
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024
by disgruntledphd2 on Friday December 08, 2023 @04:57AM
(#38567188)
> Teixcalaan #1 & #2, "A Memory Called Empire" and "A Desolation Called Peace" by Arkady Martine for being very different feeling sci-fi books that are not your typical western-centric fare. Highlights are the language, and that the story feels both very small and contained, and also all-encompassing, at the same time.
These were marvellous, well worth reading for any fans of Malazan/other fantasy or sci-fi.
But one other mini-series stood out (potentially going to be a trilogy, but both #1 & #2 can stand alone).
Teixcalaan #1 & #2, "A Memory Called Empire" and "A Desolation Called Peace" by Arkady Martine for being very different feeling sci-fi books that are not your typical western-centric fare. Highlights are the language, and that the story feels both very small and contained, and also all-encompassing, at the same time.