Well, since my last post on this topic, I’ve breezed through a handful of interesting books. I’ll start with the longest tome of them all.
Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire this is not. I’m a huge fan of his GOT books, and I enjoy the hell out of TV show, although seriously the books are soooooo much better. This faux history book though… I don’t know what to say. It’s interesting. As a fan of Westeros, I enjoy learning more about the Targaryen dynasty, but I became seriously bored reading this book. It’s long and dry, and, no matter how colorful the events, it’s still a history book. I understand there is a second one coming out. I’ll probably read it, but I’ll wishing the entire time I am reading Winds of Winter. I can’t recommend this book to anyone except for the super fan.
Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey
The Expanse is a great sci-fi series. I love the crew of the Rocinante. If anything, I enjoy the TV series more than the books at this point. The problem with the books for me is that the story expands far beyond the core cast, which I believe is the crew of the Rocinante. I don’t care enough about a number of the other characters to spend so many chapters in their narrative voices. Anyway, Persepolis Rising spends a good amount of its pages following the core cast, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. Anyone looking for an excellent space opera should look into this series.
The 100 by Kass Morgan
Okay, yet another book that I also watch the associated TV show. Right now, I’m watching the 5th season on Netflix, and I’m enjoying it far more than I ever imagined. Great season. The best yet, in my opinion. As for the book, I listened to it on Libby (the app that lets you check out electronic books and audiobooks from your library). While I can’t claim the novel is my cup of tea, it’s well-written. I’m glad I read it since I’m starting to write YA sci-fi.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
I highly recommend this craft book. As I wrote in a previous post, the chapter on editing for sophistication on its own makes this book worth reading.
Until next time...