New Books/ARCs, 3/21/14

And off we go into the weekend with another set of new books/ARCs what have come to the Scalzi Compound. Tell me what causes you to feel that certain need — I must know! I must! Share in the comment thread below, if you would.

63 Comments on “New Books/ARCs, 3/21/14”

  1. what’s your opinion on Jim Butcher? I started reading The Dresden Files #1 and got bored fairly fast. maybe i chose the wrong book?

  2. Whoa, Max Brooks doing a Harlem Hellfighters (an African-American WWII regiment, as I remember) book? I’m in.

  3. @alent1234 – Books 1-3 are a little slow, but once you make it through them you’ll be glad there are 13 books currently available with #14 out in May and a book full of shorts.

  4. The Pratchett, of course. Also “Queen of the Dark Things” is a compelling title, I’d definitely pull that one off the shelf at the bookstore for a closer look, maybe even a purchase.

  5. Wow, book 6 for the Dresden Files… A bit behind are we? ;)

    On my to get list from that pile? California Bones & Raising Steam.

  6. @ wiredwizard – It looks like a special release from Subterranean Press. I wonder if it’s signed, too…

  7. alent123: Not too surprised #1 didn’t grab you; Dresden fans often recommend newbies start on book 2 at least, maybe 3. It took the series a bit to get a head of steam.

  8. Dresden really hits its stride around book 5 or 6… but you need the backstory for the later books. “It’s all building up to something. Something that can only be redeemed with fire.” (Not a Dresden quote, it’s a Pete Townsend thing)

  9. Ooooooohhhh, a signed SubPress special edition of Blood Rites. Do want!!

    The Dresden Files comes into it’s own, for me, at book 4, Summer Knight. It’s helpful to have the backstory of at least Grave Peril (book 3), and possibly Fool Moon (book 2), but not at all necessary until probably Proven Guilty. The series has been pretty consistent since #4, with a high water mark for me in Dead Beat.

  10. Also, as I don’t own any deadtree edition OWM books, can I just say that I’m gonna be eyeing that box set as my contribution to the Athena College Fund.

  11. Pratchett and Butcher. I started reading The Dresden Files in the middle of the series, someone had returned the book, I picked it up, not realizing it was part of a series, then went back and started to read the whole series from the beginning. I also love Simon R Green, if you get any of his, John, just making a preemptive bid ;)

  12. As much as I love Harry Dresden, seeing Max Brooks’s name on a title that doesn’t include zombies is intriguing. Both at the same time, maybe?

  13. All the positive Dresden comments are bang on -> I think that he remains one of my favorite contemporary authors (don’t worry, John -> you are by far my favorite blog/author double threat.)

    Patty Briggs and Bujold make the latter section of the B shelves in the library shine for me. :)

  14. ‘Raising Steam’ was pretty good, and ‘Long Mars’ (Baxter and Pra.) is out 19JE14 (UK).
    The Rodkey three sound promising.
    ‘California Bones’ Eekhout I’ve been pleased with books that didn’t sound as promising as this one.
    ‘Queen of the Dark Things’ Cargill sequel to ‘Dreams and Shadows’ Sounds promising, but sadly my wish list needs a weight loss regimen.

  15. Dark Eden is fantastic. The UK version has been out for a while – can’t wait for the next one

  16. IMHO, Butcher needs to figure out a way to wrap up the Dresden series. He keeps trying to top himself with increasingly implausible supernatural enemies for Harry to deal with, and it’s starting to feel stale.

    Harlem Hellfighters and Raising Steam were the titles that jumped out at me. I’ll wait for the Butcher to show up at the library — it’ll be readable, but it doesn’t excite me.

  17. Pratchett!!! Of course, my collection is UK paperbacks, so this particular edition doesn’t excite me as much.

    After hearing Adam Christopher describe The Burning Dark on Sword and Laser, I have decided that I need to read that one, too.

  18. Every time I see one of these pics it reminds me of how many good books there are and how impossible it is to read them all. Of those I’m not familiar with, I think I’ll be trying Dark Eden.

    I bought Raising Steam as an e-book first thing Tuesday. It started a little slowly, but overall was a very enjoyable book. There was one little twist at the end that didn’t quite work for me, but the overall plot was entertaining and there were a satisfyingly large number of footnotes.

  19. Luckily nothing there that I need to have NOW NOW NOW. If I would have to try and put one other book on my to read shelf then I’m fairly sure some critical mass point would be reached that would have RA Lafferty chase Ayn Rand till she could not shrug him off no more, and their love children would make marhsmallows of all the known and unknown planets in the Miljy Way, while the Rock Bottom Remainders would play Rimmer’s song around the campfire till God would be sick of the damn noise that He pulled the plug on all of us…

  20. Giorgio: Raising Steam just came out this week in the US. (YAY!!!!) (Have Kindle version. Friend of a friend is giving me his ARC, so I don’t have to lust after the hardcover. Yes, the Pratchett books take up two full shelves of a bookcase, and are spilling over onto a third…)

  21. Giorgio, both are out now in the US (I can’t help for other countries). It appears that this new edition of Blood Rites is sold out, but you can pick it up in previous editions. Raising Steam came out in the UK months ago and just hit US stores on Tuesday.

  22. zoeweinstein “There’s a lot of concern that Terry Pratchett has lost his wit, but I really enjoyed Raising Steam.”
    RS is better than what’s his IMO worst, and worse than his IMO best. Yes, I understand that Sir () Pratchett has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Since you really enjoyed RS I’ll assume that you’ll agree that his wit is working well enough, albeit with a change in writing method-As I understand it he has been more telling novels to an assistant than typing them himself, not to say that such is unheard of. (Yes, dude’s been knighted)
    Giorgio In the UK RS has been out for a while, as for the STP edition of Bloodrites I suppose I could go to subterraneanpress.com/ and try to find out, but I’m all about a good story, not a collectible.

  23. Terry Pratchett. Nice.

    Others: not sure, but I sure hope they’re good.

  24. Shawn: Sir Terry (not Sir Pratchett, it’s a fine point) now dictates his books using various dictation programs. I believe that his assistant helps clean up the punctuation, but I could be wrong.

  25. I’m in agreement with Doc on the Butcher books. Start at #4, read 1-3 as necessary, and Dead Beat is probably my favorite. The new books have been relegated from day 1 buy to whenever the audiobook comes out. There was a scene a couple of books back that just lost me, but the books after that have been better, but still audio only (and James Marsters does a fine job reading so it’s all good on that front).

    The Max Brooks book looks interesting, but I’m not sure I’m in the market for a graphic novel.

  26. well despite of being a reader you are an artist as well because the way you took the picture clearly represents that there is a hidden artist in you :)

  27. @ wiredwizard – That’s a Subterranean press signed limited edition. Skin Game is the latest one in ARC format, I don’t think it’s out yet though.

    @Nan He has a plan for wrapping up the books already. It’s just a long plan.

  28. If “Blood Rites” had been illustrated by Mika Kuloda, I’d have had to take out a loan. As it is I *think* I can make my saving throw.

    “Skin Game” is out in May. *Whimper* I’ll try to survive on writing fanfic till then.

    Hearty second for James Marsters’ reading of the audiobooks (John Glover did a good job on Ghost Story, but I like Marsters better).

    My personal favorites are Dead Beat (for Best Improv Solution By Harry), Blood Rites (Best Opening, Best Reveal), White Night (Best Improv Solution By Someone Other Than Harry), Death Masks (best villain, best last-minute plot twist), and Cold Days (best reunion).

  29. Jim Butcher: his ‘Codex Alera’ series is also worth a look, and has the advantage of having been completed in five books. The first book ‘Furies of Calderon’ is pretty much as good as those that follow so start there.

  30. The Pratchett, and Harlem Hellraisers.

    I am one of the minority who preferred Harry Dresden in his detective days more than his “I’m a grumpy battle-wizard; get off my lawn!” days, so I prefer the first five or six to the endless later books with cold wars, hot wars, etc.

  31. I loved The Dresden Files from the first book and continue to love them. There are lots of interesting characters. Characters develop. Not always in the ways you expect them to. What’s not to like?

  32. About halfway through “Raising Steam” now, wondering when/if the inevitable crisis is coming soon or not. Of course, any book with Moist von Lipwig is worth reading no matter what happens, or doesn’t happen.

  33. Brooks and Pratchett are the two that catch my interest. I read about one fiction book for every three nonfiction books, Pratchett is always a great counterbalance to any serious reading I do. Brooks did such a great job on WWZ that I feel confident that his book will be a good read, the First World war is seriously underrepresented in the popular culture, and this regiment even more obscure. I look forward to reading it.

  34. his ‘Codex Alera’ series is also worth a look, and has the advantage of having been completed in five books.

    Six, IIRC. Also, the titles of the later books become spoilers once you figure out the pattern (nyy rkprcg gur svefg ner anzrq nsgre n cbfvgvba Gniv ubyqf va gung obbx, hfhnyyl bar ur npuvrirq ng be arne gur raq bs gur cerivbhf obbx).

    Personally, I was so excited to see an advance copy of a Jim Butcher book that I overlooked the minor fact that it had the title of one that already exists…

  35. =Tamar “Sir Terry (not Sir Pratchett, it’s a fine point) now dictates his books using various dictation programs. I believe that his assistant helps clean up the punctuation, ”
    Probably an Important fine point, noted, thank you. and: That /would/ make for less wear and tear on his assistant.

  36. BLOOD RITES. *pant, pant, pant*
    (and I’d have said the new Pratchett, except that I already have it, having ordered it waaaaay in advance of its pub date…)

  37. Pratchett and Butcher. Harry and I have a *lot* of catching up to do, judging by other people ‘s comments about Dresden Files. Hoping for the continuing health of Sir Terry and his wits.

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