What books are you reading?

[assault gundam]

Just finished: The Broken Skies - the second book (after "The Mirrored Heavens") in the Autumn Rain Trilogy. It was a good book but the book only got really good midway through, unlike the first one where it was non stop epicness. It is a cyberpunk book set in a semi-dystopian Future. The books are set in 2110 where The Eurasian coalition and the Americas are going one step closer to peace by building a joint space elevator but it is destroyed by an unknown terrorist force dubbed Rain. The rest is quite confusing to describe and only really makes sense if you read the books.

Currently Reading: Neuromancer - This is the book that started the Cyber Punk genre of Sci Fi, which is my favorite genre or literature, so I decided to get it. I have just started and I am only on like page 40 but so far I am quite content with it.

[Blue 55]

Currently reading Star Wars: Death Troopers, so far not bad. Also have the Mass Effect paper backs on stand by to read after I finish the first book.

[Vent Noir]

Gotten through Fire. Okay, but didn't grab me like Graceling did.

Next up: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the sequel to The Hunger Games. Hopefully, it will keep me as hooked as the first book did.

[Furious Rodimus]

Working on Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Really enjoying the read. Starts out all nice and such but get progressively creepier as I've read on.

[Red Comet90]

I just recently got the Halo Encyclopedia and I haven't read much so far, but its honestly a really cool book to just have to look at the concept art and all the info it has on the Halo Universe. After I look through it some more I'm going to start on Halo Evolutions.

[SkyRaider]

Currently reading Hell's Gate by David Weber. Interesting concept but its moving so slow to start. I'm about 250 pages in and not a whole lot has happened. I'm hoping it picks up soon. After this probably going to read one of the Warhammer 40k novels I have yet to get to.

[vindKtiv]

Working on a non-fiction book called Real Change by Newt Gingrich. Next up: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and that Stephen Colbert book.

[mcred23]

I just finished up an overdue re-reading of the Thrawn Trilogy, and before I go on to some other Star Wars books I haven't read in years, I'm finally reading The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan for the first time, which I got as a gift to myself for Christmas. Although, knowing me, after I finish it, I may end up re-reading A Bridge Too Far again before going back to that universe far far away.

[UC fan]

Ooh, the Thrawn Trilogy, I just loved the Last Command! I just got Republic Commando order 66, and recently finished Like Skywalker and the Shadow's of Mindor

[Vent Noir]

Finished Catching Fire - I'm amazed at how fast I've churned through the Hunger Games books, and I'm eagerly awaiting the third one.

Up next: Kris Longknife: Audacious, the sixth in the Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd. All the previous ones have been fun military SF with a likeable lead... I'm embarrassed to admit not having gotten around to reading the Honor Harrington series yet, but I've seen it compared to that a lot.

Mod Edit (Red): Fixed the italic tags for ya.

[Vent Noir]

Okay, through Kris Longknife: Audacious, now, and I enjoyed it as much as the rest of the franchise. It has an idea I might borrow and modify for my Gundam fanfic if it ever gets written.

Next up: The novels of Moribito: Guardian of the Sacred Spirit and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

[Antares]

I blasted through the "Judging Eye", which is the first book in the upcoming Aspect-Emperor -trilogy by R. Scott Bakker (his second trilogy). The first trilogy, known as The Prince of Nothing was solid fantasy, and this looks to be too. The world Bakker creates is pretty vibrant. Next fiction is going to be "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman, whereas non-fiction is currently set on a history of modern China (Encyclopedia Britannica book).

[Vent Noir]

Okay, gotten to the end of the first Moribito book, and need to get my hands on the second one. Now, on to Haruhi.

[SkyRaider]

I gave up on Hell's Gate. I HATE giving up on a book but 350 pages in almost nothing had happened. It is filled with a bunch of meaningless filler on how this person feels or what theyre thinking, and skipping ahead revealed the rest of the book is much the same. For a book billed as military scifi, it sure lacked anything akin to action.

I'm moving on to the Space Wolves Omnibus, a Warhammer 40K novel. Twenty pages its had about as much action as Hell's Gate

[DAG101]

Currently reading Throne of Jade, the second Temeraire book.

[Fignuts]

I usually read science fiction/ fantasy, but I've had the urge to read some classics, so I picked up Crime and Punishment, and Beowulf.

[Areku]

I gave up on Hell's Gate. I HATE giving up on a book but 350 pages in almost nothing had happened. It is filled with a bunch of meaningless filler on how this person feels or what theyre thinking, and skipping ahead revealed the rest of the book is much the same. For a book billed as military scifi, it sure lacked anything akin to action.

I'm moving on to the Space Wolves Omnibus, a Warhammer 40K novel. Twenty pages its had about as much action as Hell's Gate

It sounds like you went into Hell's Gate with false expectations. I haven't read that particular book, but I've read most of David Weber's other works, and I strongly suspect you would have gotten your money's worth in the last 150 pages or so. In fact, that's one of the most common ways military sci-fi novels flow: the first, oh, 40-80% of the book is focused on development, with relatively little action, gradually building towards a clearly defined conflict that materializes into action in the end of the book.

The sub-genres of space opera and military sci-fi aren't clearly defined and are sometimes used interchangeably, but from what you've described, you're more likely to find what you're looking for in works characterized as space opera (as long as you can verify that the space opera in question is centered around an action-oriented conflict in the first place). Compared to military sci-fi, the plots of space opera tend to have a more even distribution of action.

Hope that helps you in the future.

[SkyRaider]

I gave up on Hell's Gate. I HATE giving up on a book but 350 pages in almost nothing had happened. It is filled with a bunch of meaningless filler on how this person feels or what theyre thinking, and skipping ahead revealed the rest of the book is much the same. For a book billed as military scifi, it sure lacked anything akin to action.

I'm moving on to the Space Wolves Omnibus, a Warhammer 40K novel. Twenty pages its had about as much action as Hell's Gate

It sounds like you went into Hell's Gate with false expectations. I haven't read that particular book, but I've read most of David Weber's other works, and I strongly suspect you would have gotten your money's worth in the last 150 pages or so. In fact, that's one of the most common ways military sci-fi novels flow: the first, oh, 40-80% of the book is focused on development, with relatively little action, gradually building towards a clearly defined conflict that materializes into action in the end of the book.

The sub-genres of space opera and military sci-fi aren't clearly defined and are sometimes used interchangeably, but from what you've described, you're more likely to find what you're looking for in works characterized as space opera (as long as you can verify that the space opera in question is centered around an action-oriented conflict in the first place). Compared to military sci-fi, the plots of space opera tend to have a more even distribution of action.

Hope that helps you in the future.

I had read Weber's Starfire series a few years ago and out of the four books three I really enjoyed. All but the one I didnt were very heavy on action (annoying characters is the biggest reason why I didnt like the fourth book though). While I didnt expect 1200 pages of action, there was literally twenty pages out of 350. Of the remaining 330 pages half of that at least could have been cut with no detriment to the story. It was the definition of filler.

I went on Amazon for reviews and the common reaction was exactly what I had. Those who finished said the book had only about fifty pages of action total and the rest was boring filler.

I do appreciate your explanation, but it seems that this book in general is regarded as boring and not one of Weber's better novels.

[Vent Noir]

Okay, finished The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Enjoyed it a lot.

Up next: Red Phoenix, the second book in Kylie Chan's Dark Heavens series, a modern fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology.

[Hyakushiki]

Today, I started reading Yukikaze the combat scenes remind me a bit of Ace Combat and I like the byplay between Rei and Major Booker. The translation work is also well done a good read so far.