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Mini, spoiler free review of Shorefall, by Robert Jackson Bennett [fantasy] (lemmy.ca)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/books@lemmy.world
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/72211462

Sequel to Foundryside, set in the same city in which inanimate objects can be "scrived” to somewhat change their structure or state (make a wooden door behave more like stone, or a sword behave like it's moving much faster than it is). In the prior book we learned that this ability was learned from recovered fragments from a long gone civilization of "hierophants” who were masters of it. Here, Sancha and most of the main characters from the prior book have settled into a new life, but learn that someone is attempting to resurrect the original and greatest hierophant, who is likely to destroy their world. As with the first, I enjoyed this book. The world is interesting, the characters relatable, and the action kept the pages turning.

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[–] [S] 2 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I'm maybe the opposite, but it depends on the awards. I read a lot of SF/F, and the core of my reading list is made from the nominees and winners of the Nebula, Hugo, Locus, and Arthur C Clarke awards. I do scan the plot descriptions first because there are a number of subgenres that I don't care for (zombie, military SF, alternate histories, to name the main ones).

I post my mini reviews here (and used to post my annual lists on Reddit back in the day), and sometimes the discussions will get me adding a book to my list. And if I really like a book I'll usually read the sequel, even if it's not as well reviewed.

There are a few other sources I take from, but those are the main ones. I've been pretty happy with it; I rarely read anything that turns out to be terrible, though sometimes I don't care for highly acclaimed books (e.g., Three Body Problem left me cold, but most people seemed to love it).

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    Haha I think we are the opposite kinds of people then.

    For a start I have never heard of any of those awards before and I have never once read a review for a book before. The only reason I jumped into this post is because I know the books so wanted to say "hey they are decent"

    I will listen to recommendations from people replying to me on the "what are you reading" posts here and will also check out any other things that sound interesting from said threads but other than that I very rarely seek out or put much weight behind other peoples opinions. I will usually just search for books that are within genres I like or for authors that are similar to ones I know I already like.

    If I am really struggling to find anything to read then I will usually just scroll through what is available for free leech on MaM and pick something that sounds interesting to me.

    I like getting into massive sprawling, long winded series so will often give things more of a shake than maybe they deserve if I'm not initially enjoying them but for the most part I have dropped very few books.

    At the end of the days though as long as we are all enjoying what we are reading then who cares :D

    Have a great day :)

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    In my 20s, I had gone a long time without reading much, but then decided to start reading more. I tried going to the book store and just picking books that looked interesting, but some of them ended up being just terrible. I had a friend at work who who had a part time job as a reviewer for Locus Magazine, which was and is one of the more respected magazines for science fiction. I had him go with me and help me pick books, and oh my god was it a giant change. Suddenly I was reading things that were just amazing. When he'd make a recommendation, he would often mention that the book had won one award or another, or sometimes multiple, and it made me realize that certain awards really do call out very good books.

    Now, so many years later, I don't always think that they get the right winner, but the set of nominees are usually worth reading.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    I guess we are at different points in our reading journey. I literally didnt read any books until I was in my 30s so at this point I only really have around 10 years worth of reading experience behind me.

    So I am still in the stage of this looks interesting, I'll read that xD Although maybe I'm lucky or maybe I just have shit taste but I find that I don't find a lot of things I pick up that terrible.

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