Oh man ... I don't know what exactly you will think, given your more superhero and action focus, but I think you can really fall in love with A Song of Ice and Fire. The weird unexplained magic (at least from where I'm at in the books,) the insane lore (you can gain this subtly through the main series, or through other books Martin has published,) and, I don't know how much I can say this but this should work: He manages to put a big problem in your face, and then suddenly you realize that it actually *was* a big problem, and when you look back, you just become so disappointed in yourself of having thought it wasn't such a big deal. I love it so much.
I can’t wait to start it! A lot of people have told me I need to read it, and this comment got me even more hyped 🙌 It definitely seems like the series checks a lot of boxes for me.
ASOIAF is my favorite series and it's worth reading even knowing that it might never be finished! It has the best characters, excellent world building and an amazing story. I recommend that after the third book you read "A knight of the seven kingdoms" because then you'll notice more things in the fourth book. I look forward to the review! It's always refreshing to hear from people who are reading the books for the first time.
I have a feeling you'll fall in love with Game of Thrones right from the start. The prologue, in particular, is one of my all-time favorites. Keep in mind, though, that like the show, the magic begins subtly-yet with an undercurrent of danger. As the story unfolds, the fantastical elements grow richer and more captivating with each book. I can't wait to hear your thoughts, especially on A Storm of Swords, which I consider the greatest fantasy novel ever written. Oh, and may I offer some friendly advice? Read GoT before The Blade Itself. On many occasions, Joe Abercrombie has shared how A Song of Ice and Fire inspired The First Law, and it's something you can definitely pick up on while reading. To truly appreciate both series-the originality and monumental influence of ASOIAF, especially on the grimdark genre, as well as the raw, compelling grit of The First Law-I think it’s best to begin with Martin’s books. Doing so will allow you to fully savor the brilliance of both worlds.
Awesome. I can’t wait to read it! I also really like how Martin handles magic and how he leaves it mysterious and dangerous. Definitely looking forward to seeing the progression of it in the series! That’s actually a really good tip. I might’ve read First Law before ASOIAF if you hadn’t left this comment. Greatly appreciated! 🙏
I'm almost done with the last of book of the First Law trilogy and omg, I can't recommend it enough! So glad you have that in your "to read" list! Merry Christmas!
Half way through book 13 of Wheel of Time. If you want to enjoy a long series I’d avoid reading another series alongside it. Maybe throw in some stand alones here and there to cleanse to pallet. But reading WoT straight through has been such a rewarding experience and well worth it. People say it’s long. But it’s all about perspective. I think it’s a journey well worth going on if you like ambiguity. Depth. Natural character and story growth. A living and breathing world.
Awesome. I’ve gotten a lot of recommendations to check it out. It sounds great, but I’m still hesitant, especially reading it all the way through without stopping. I’m afraid I’ll get burnt out. I do think palette cleansers will help with that though. I will definitely give the first book a go and see how I like it!
Interesting selection. Googling Bakker brought me here. I have read all five and have to say you summarized them pretty well. I will add my humble opinion from each of them starting from my least favorite going to my favorites. 5) Wheel of Time has great premise. I wanted to love it. I like a lot old school, nostalgic epic fantasy but it is indeed the most slogging, tedious, over descriptive reading experience I can recall. Jordan never pauses. Not even when the sleep. And thats from page one of the first book. It was unbelievable. I also think characters and dialogues are a bit outdated and repetitive. I managed to reach book six when I was young but I got tired. When I tried again older I just stopped at book two. It was a chore In any case you should try it because underneath all that there is a great tale that might appeal to you. 4) There is a tie here with Abercrombie and Erikson. Abercrombie is a good writer, with a charming sarcastic prose long before that became a tiring trend for modern grimdark authors. I guess he started it. I liked it. He also has some memorable characters. What did not appeal to me a lot was the actual story. The setting. They felt a bit shallow. Erikson is kinda opposite. The premise and setting interested me. I just could not care for the hundreds of characters and story arcs. For every character I liked there were another 3-4 with hundreds of pages in between I found boring or uninteresting. The whole experience felt not consistent. In ever aspect. Characters, writing, world. There are great moments and there are times it feels just like some role playing session narration. I also did not like how overpowered and fantastical is the setting. Every character can be something special. Some deity, someone who cannot die etc etc. Same with items, places, you name it. Everything can happen so anything happening had no impact to me. It is like some epic fantasy super heroes place or the novelization of a power gaming rpg. 2) Martin is a brilliant writer. He used to be for 20 years my favorite along with Tolkien. Since I first read the Game of Thrones in 96 I was shocked. Storm of Swords was for years my favorite book. Martin s a very intelligent and versatile author who wrote a sweeping drama with dozens of unforgettable characters and scenes. The world is so alive and the character work so distinct. Even if he never writes the sequels I will always be grateful to him for what he has written in that world! Some of the best tales I have read! 1) Bakker. Bakker is phenomenal for me. I tried him twice when I was young dnf him both times at book two. I admired the writing but I could not relate to the unusual style and cast. This was a bleak story of complex middle aged people. So different from what I was used up to then. The premise and world kept calling me and I tried once again at 2017. It was a revelation. After finishing the Prince of Nothing, Tolkien and Martin were dethroned. After finishing the sequel series, the Aspect Emperor I was shocked. It took me months and several dnfs to appreciate another author. I had to reread the whole series, 7 books, to balance things out. I then reread it a second time a couple of years ago. Every time an even more fulfilling reading experience. Bakker is such a nuanced writer. His prose is so powerful. He is the author who I think puts the more effort to choose the right words for every sentence. His writing oozes with intention, meanings and gravitas. As a friend said he is like the twisted brother of Tolkien and Herbert (Dune) writing some kind of bible. But these books are much more than that. There is philosophy, controversy, difficult and uncomfortable themes to explore. There is the horror and abyss of the human condition. There are great ideas. Brilliant metaphysical concepts. Theology. Semantics. Meta value. There is cosmic horror. There is McCarthian(Blood Meridian, The Road) bleakness and conviction. There is Homeric epicness. He is definitely not for everyone because he is the most uncompromising author I can think in the genre. He does not care to fulfill classic tropes and redemptive needs of the reader. He has a horrifying vision, worries and questions and, fortunately for me, wants to explore them through epic fantasy. The more you read of the series the more of all that will be revealed. The whole experience is an intentional, steady vertiginous descent to the Apocalypse. If you sync with him, these books will mark you, scar you and turn you to an apostle!
Wow, thanks for these awesome and detailed breakdowns. From everything you’ve said, The Second Apocalypse seems like the series that is going to resonate the most with me. I really, really hope I enjoy it. Your breakdown of it has me hyped to read it, and it seems like it hits all the right notes and is everything I’m looking for. Can’t wait to get into it! As for the others, the crazy high amount of POV’s in Malazan worries me, but the other things you mentioned, such as all the fantastical elements, overpowered characters, and gods, sound AWESOME. I love shit like that, and that honestly sounds a lot like my own series which is a super hero, sci-fi, fantasy epic, so it makes sense why I’m drawn to it. I really think Malazan could be hit or miss for me, but I guess we shall see! Many people in the comments have praised both The First Law and ASOIAF. I think based on what I’ve heard and what you said, I’ll be drawn more toward ASOIAF, based on the story and world/magic. First Law interests me, and I know Abercrombie is a great writer with fantastic character work, but I’m afraid the lack of a solid plot will hinder my reading experience. I know it gets better in the 2nd and 3rd books, but I really struggled with that in the 1st. That was 2 years ago, so perhaps I’ll feel differently about it now! And finally, for Wheel of Time, what you mentioned lines up with what I’ve heard from others. The over-blown description and slog will be tough, but I’m still going to give Eye of the World a shot. If it’s not for me, it’s not for me, but at least I can say I tried it! Thanks again for these great breakdowns, and if others come across your comment, I know it’ll help them too! Cheers!
Dude The Wheel of time series can be pretty long and detailed but it is still one of my top series if not my favorite series of all time. I wish I could read it again for the first once again. I hope you enjoy it.
I hope I enjoy it too! Even though it doesn’t seem like something I’d traditionally enjoy, I’m going to go into it with an open mind and give it a shot. Let’s hope it lands for me!
@@ericbowdenbooks Just read the prologue of Gardens of the Moon. It was exactly what I was looking for, so I bought Deadhouse Gates. I've heard Malazan is confusing, but I'm here for it, I honestly love everything about it. As for Tokyo Ghoul:re, it is a manga, so it's not prose fiction. Tokyo Ghoul:re is the sequel to Tokyo Ghoul, so you should obviously start with just Tokyo Ghoul if you're interested. It's great, dark, edgy classic manga. It has many flaws but the highs are amazing
I'm currently reading ASOIAF for the first time right now. I'm roughly a third of the way through A Clash of Kings and am loving it. I also have gone into it blind. Having never watched the HBO series, I'm really excited to experience it all for the first time!
Goddd I really hope you fall in love with the first law, first trilogy is great, but my lord the second trilogy is a masterpiece of the genre, the three stand alones are fantastic tho (best served cold is my personal fav of the three)
I do too! Like I said before, I think I’ll enjoy The Blade Itself much more this time around. Even if I don’t love it, I’ll still finish the first trilogy. I also already have The Heroes, so I guess that means I’m reading the second trilogy no matter what!
I’ve watched Game of Thrones and I would go to read it but I don’t like starting to read something that doesn’t have a definitive ending already or no known end coming.
Not knowing the ending doesn’t bother me that much with books. I just try and get as much as I can out of the books that are available, but I can definitely see how it could be a dealbreaker for others though.
I’m excited to hear your thoughts on first law, it’s my favorite fantasy trilogy. Would you receive more money if I read on kindle unlimited or bought a paperback? Also is there a way to get a signed copy?
I’m looking forward to starting it again! Wow, I really appreciate you asking that. I still receive money from Kindle Unlimited, but I won’t steer you in any direction. It’s just a matter of what version you’d like to read the story in. Anything you choose supports me and means a lot! Signed copies are a bit harder, but if you’d like one, I can definitely get you one. My Instagram is @ericbowdenbooks, and my email is ericbowdenbooks@gmail.com Either of those would be the best avenues to coordinate that if you want one!
Oh man ... I don't know what exactly you will think, given your more superhero and action focus, but I think you can really fall in love with A Song of Ice and Fire. The weird unexplained magic (at least from where I'm at in the books,) the insane lore (you can gain this subtly through the main series, or through other books Martin has published,) and, I don't know how much I can say this but this should work: He manages to put a big problem in your face, and then suddenly you realize that it actually *was* a big problem, and when you look back, you just become so disappointed in yourself of having thought it wasn't such a big deal. I love it so much.
I can’t wait to start it! A lot of people have told me I need to read it, and this comment got me even more hyped 🙌
It definitely seems like the series checks a lot of boxes for me.
ASOIAF is my favorite series and it's worth reading even knowing that it might never be finished! It has the best characters, excellent world building and an amazing story. I recommend that after the third book you read "A knight of the seven kingdoms" because then you'll notice more things in the fourth book. I look forward to the review! It's always refreshing to hear from people who are reading the books for the first time.
Thanks for the tip! That’s the first time that has been suggested, so I’ll definitely check it out!
Malazan is indeed top tier. Here's to hoping it will click for you.
🙏
im legit with you bro with the wheel of time . had the full box set for a quite a while now , finally jumping into it in the new year!
I hope you enjoy it!
I have a feeling you'll fall in love with Game of Thrones right from the start. The prologue, in particular, is one of my all-time favorites. Keep in mind, though, that like the show, the magic begins subtly-yet with an undercurrent of danger. As the story unfolds, the fantastical elements grow richer and more captivating with each book. I can't wait to hear your thoughts, especially on A Storm of Swords, which I consider the greatest fantasy novel ever written.
Oh, and may I offer some friendly advice? Read GoT before The Blade Itself. On many occasions, Joe Abercrombie has shared how A Song of Ice and Fire inspired The First Law, and it's something you can definitely pick up on while reading. To truly appreciate both series-the originality and monumental influence of ASOIAF, especially on the grimdark genre, as well as the raw, compelling grit of The First Law-I think it’s best to begin with Martin’s books. Doing so will allow you to fully savor the brilliance of both worlds.
Awesome. I can’t wait to read it! I also really like how Martin handles magic and how he leaves it mysterious and dangerous. Definitely looking forward to seeing the progression of it in the series!
That’s actually a really good tip. I might’ve read First Law before ASOIAF if you hadn’t left this comment. Greatly appreciated! 🙏
I see you only have greatness planned for the next year🔥
🙏
I'm almost done with the last of book of the First Law trilogy and omg, I can't recommend it enough! So glad you have that in your "to read" list! Merry Christmas!
I can’t wait to start it, and I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed it! I’ve only heard good things so far 🙌
Merry Christmas!
Half way through book 13 of Wheel of Time. If you want to enjoy a long series I’d avoid reading another series alongside it. Maybe throw in some stand alones here and there to cleanse to pallet. But reading WoT straight through has been such a rewarding experience and well worth it. People say it’s long. But it’s all about perspective. I think it’s a journey well worth going on if you like ambiguity. Depth. Natural character and story growth. A living and breathing world.
Awesome. I’ve gotten a lot of recommendations to check it out. It sounds great, but I’m still hesitant, especially reading it all the way through without stopping. I’m afraid I’ll get burnt out. I do think palette cleansers will help with that though. I will definitely give the first book a go and see how I like it!
Interesting selection. Googling Bakker brought me here. I have read all five and have to say you summarized them pretty well. I will add my humble opinion from each of them starting from my least favorite going to my favorites.
5) Wheel of Time has great premise. I wanted to love it. I like a lot old school, nostalgic epic fantasy but it is indeed the most slogging, tedious, over descriptive reading experience I can recall. Jordan never pauses. Not even when the sleep. And thats from page one of the first book. It was unbelievable. I also think characters and dialogues are a bit outdated and repetitive. I managed to reach book six when I was young but I got tired. When I tried again older I just stopped at book two. It was a chore In any case you should try it because underneath all that there is a great tale that might appeal to you.
4) There is a tie here with Abercrombie and Erikson. Abercrombie is a good writer, with a charming sarcastic prose long before that became a tiring trend for modern grimdark authors. I guess he started it. I liked it. He also has some memorable characters. What did not appeal to me a lot was the actual story. The setting. They felt a bit shallow.
Erikson is kinda opposite. The premise and setting interested me. I just could not care for the hundreds of characters and story arcs. For every character I liked there were another 3-4 with hundreds of pages in between I found boring or uninteresting. The whole experience felt not consistent. In ever aspect. Characters, writing, world. There are great moments and there are times it feels just like some role playing session narration. I also did not like how overpowered and fantastical is the setting. Every character can be something special. Some deity, someone who cannot die etc etc. Same with items, places, you name it. Everything can happen so anything happening had no impact to me. It is like some epic fantasy super heroes place or the novelization of a power gaming rpg.
2) Martin is a brilliant writer. He used to be for 20 years my favorite along with Tolkien. Since I first read the Game of Thrones in 96 I was shocked. Storm of Swords was for years my favorite book. Martin s a very intelligent and versatile author who wrote a sweeping drama with dozens of unforgettable characters and scenes. The world is so alive and the character work so distinct. Even if he never writes the sequels I will always be grateful to him for what he has written in that world! Some of the best tales I have read!
1) Bakker. Bakker is phenomenal for me. I tried him twice when I was young dnf him both times at book two. I admired the writing but I could not relate to the unusual style and cast. This was a bleak story of complex middle aged people. So different from what I was used up to then. The premise and world kept calling me and I tried once again at 2017. It was a revelation.
After finishing the Prince of Nothing, Tolkien and Martin were dethroned. After finishing the sequel series, the Aspect Emperor I was shocked. It took me months and several dnfs to appreciate another author. I had to reread the whole series, 7 books, to balance things out. I then reread it a second time a couple of years ago. Every time an even more fulfilling reading experience.
Bakker is such a nuanced writer. His prose is so powerful. He is the author who I think puts the more effort to choose the right words for every sentence. His writing oozes with intention, meanings and gravitas.
As a friend said he is like the twisted brother of Tolkien and Herbert (Dune) writing some kind of bible. But these books are much more than that. There is philosophy, controversy, difficult and uncomfortable themes to explore. There is the horror and abyss of the human condition. There are great ideas. Brilliant metaphysical concepts. Theology. Semantics. Meta value. There is cosmic horror. There is McCarthian(Blood Meridian, The Road) bleakness and conviction. There is Homeric epicness.
He is definitely not for everyone because he is the most uncompromising author I can think in the genre. He does not care to fulfill classic tropes and redemptive needs of the reader. He has a horrifying vision, worries and questions and, fortunately for me, wants to explore them through epic fantasy. The more you read of the series the more of all that will be revealed.
The whole experience is an intentional, steady vertiginous descent to the Apocalypse. If you sync with him, these books will mark you, scar you and turn you to an apostle!
Wow, thanks for these awesome and detailed breakdowns. From everything you’ve said, The Second Apocalypse seems like the series that is going to resonate the most with me. I really, really hope I enjoy it. Your breakdown of it has me hyped to read it, and it seems like it hits all the right notes and is everything I’m looking for. Can’t wait to get into it!
As for the others, the crazy high amount of POV’s in Malazan worries me, but the other things you mentioned, such as all the fantastical elements, overpowered characters, and gods, sound AWESOME. I love shit like that, and that honestly sounds a lot like my own series which is a super hero, sci-fi, fantasy epic, so it makes sense why I’m drawn to it. I really think Malazan could be hit or miss for me, but I guess we shall see!
Many people in the comments have praised both The First Law and ASOIAF. I think based on what I’ve heard and what you said, I’ll be drawn more toward ASOIAF, based on the story and world/magic. First Law interests me, and I know Abercrombie is a great writer with fantastic character work, but I’m afraid the lack of a solid plot will hinder my reading experience. I know it gets better in the 2nd and 3rd books, but I really struggled with that in the 1st. That was 2 years ago, so perhaps I’ll feel differently about it now!
And finally, for Wheel of Time, what you mentioned lines up with what I’ve heard from others. The over-blown description and slog will be tough, but I’m still going to give Eye of the World a shot. If it’s not for me, it’s not for me, but at least I can say I tried it!
Thanks again for these great breakdowns, and if others come across your comment, I know it’ll help them too!
Cheers!
@ericbowdenbooks enjoy them all 😁
Dude The Wheel of time series can be pretty long and detailed but it is still one of my top series if not my favorite series of all time. I wish I could read it again for the first once again. I hope you enjoy it.
I hope I enjoy it too! Even though it doesn’t seem like something I’d traditionally enjoy, I’m going to go into it with an open mind and give it a shot. Let’s hope it lands for me!
I just bought Gardens of the moon today. I'm currently reading Tokyo Ghoul:re
Oh nice! I need to check that series out. Would you recommend it?
I hope you enjoy GOTM when you end up reading it!
@@ericbowdenbooks Just read the prologue of Gardens of the Moon. It was exactly what I was looking for, so I bought Deadhouse Gates. I've heard Malazan is confusing, but I'm here for it, I honestly love everything about it. As for Tokyo Ghoul:re, it is a manga, so it's not prose fiction. Tokyo Ghoul:re is the sequel to Tokyo Ghoul, so you should obviously start with just Tokyo Ghoul if you're interested. It's great, dark, edgy classic manga. It has many flaws but the highs are amazing
I'm currently reading ASOIAF for the first time right now. I'm roughly a third of the way through A Clash of Kings and am loving it. I also have gone into it blind. Having never watched the HBO series, I'm really excited to experience it all for the first time!
Glad to hear you’re enjoying it! Can’t wait to get to it myself 🙌
Goddd I really hope you fall in love with the first law, first trilogy is great, but my lord the second trilogy is a masterpiece of the genre, the three stand alones are fantastic tho (best served cold is my personal fav of the three)
I do too! Like I said before, I think I’ll enjoy The Blade Itself much more this time around. Even if I don’t love it, I’ll still finish the first trilogy. I also already have The Heroes, so I guess that means I’m reading the second trilogy no matter what!
I’ve watched Game of Thrones and I would go to read it but I don’t like starting to read something that doesn’t have a definitive ending already or no known end coming.
Not knowing the ending doesn’t bother me that much with books. I just try and get as much as I can out of the books that are available, but I can definitely see how it could be a dealbreaker for others though.
I’m excited to hear your thoughts on first law, it’s my favorite fantasy trilogy.
Would you receive more money if I read on kindle unlimited or bought a paperback? Also is there a way to get a signed copy?
I’m looking forward to starting it again!
Wow, I really appreciate you asking that. I still receive money from Kindle Unlimited, but I won’t steer you in any direction. It’s just a matter of what version you’d like to read the story in. Anything you choose supports me and means a lot!
Signed copies are a bit harder, but if you’d like one, I can definitely get you one. My Instagram is @ericbowdenbooks, and my email is ericbowdenbooks@gmail.com Either of those would be the best avenues to coordinate that if you want one!
i see you have the berserk edtions in the back , how far are you into the story?
Just finished “The Lost Children” arc. Loving it so far!
Out of pocket question here, so here it is, what is all the equipment that you use?
For my camera, I use a Sony ZV-E10, and for my microphone, I use a Deity VO-7U.