Sunday Status Update: August 26, 2018

We’re reading a lot of fun books this week!

Bill: This week  Glen Cook’sreturn to the Black Company, Port of Shadows, was quite disappointing, though I highly recommend the series. Meanwhile, The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French, had an engaging storyline but was marred for me by problematic language/tone aimed at women.  Outside the genre, David Frye’s book Wallswas an interesting look at, well, walls. Specifically walls meant to keep bad folks out (think Great Wall).

Kat: Since you heard from me two weeks ago I’ve read (and will review soon if I haven’t already): Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow, Gravity Dreams by L.E. Modesitt Jr, The Snail on the Slope by the Strugatsky brothers, Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee, Mem by Bethany C. Morrow, Buying Time by Joe Haldeman, Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng, Starless by Jacqueline Carey, and The Hercules Text by Jack McDevitt. The Fall semester started this past week so my reading rate will now slow down somewhat.

Marion: While I was on my road trip to Seattle I read a short story collection by general fiction writer Vanessa Hua, Deceit and Other Possibilities. I love her characters, who are all slightly off-center. At Elliott Bay Books, I bought The Red Threads of Fortune, and The Descent of Monsters by JY Yang. I’d already read the first book in this series, and I settled in with The Red Threads of Fortune. Yang’s world-building is fascinating. I finished up Katherine Arden’s The Girl in the Tower and was very satisfied.

Nathan: I write from an airport with Jorge Luis Borges’ Labyrinths next to me; just a little light reading for the road. I have recently finished the second book in Dyrk Ashton‘s PATERNUS series, Paternus: Wrath of Gods, so you can expect my review of that soon! We will see if the airport furnishes any further material; you might not think them fertile grounds, but I first met The Magicians in an airport bookstore.

Sandy: Moi? After immersing myself in the early works of C. L. Moore for the last few weeks, I am now moving on to another author who was a frequent contributor to Weird Tales magazine. That author is Frank Belknap Long, a close friend of H.P. Lovecraft and an author whom I have never read before. The book that I have laid my hands on is his short-story collection The Hounds of Tindalos, which initially appeared in 1946 and released by Arkham House. I greatly look forward to getting into this one and reporting back to you soon…

Taya: I am reading Umbertouched, by Livia Blackburne. It feels pretty similar to the first book. We’ll see how it resolves.

Terry: I’ve just finished City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett — and immediately turned to the third in the DIVINE CITIES trilogy, City of Miracles. These are great! Can’t wait to launch into Foundryside, which is next on the hit parade. I’ve also started Christopher Barzak’s The Gone Away Place and Lisa Black’s Perish (a mystery for a change), and am still spending quality time with Melanie Rawn‘s The Ruins of Ambrai, the first in her EXILES trilogy, which to date still has only two books.

Tim: This week, I listened to the second novel in Nicholas Eames‘ THE BAND series, Bloody Rose. It’s been a fun read, and my review should be along in short order. In print, I’ve been reading (and enjoying) Shadows Linger, the second novel in Glen Cook‘s BLACK COMPANY series. Apparently it’s been a week for sequels.