There's one more of the lock in series. More of a long novella.

Watchers - Dean Koontz

Pretty good. My limited reading of Koontz has him using some of the same setups across books though.




I really wish we had a voting function on this site. I'm at a crossroads as to what I want to read next.

A mix of options:

- An Echo of Things to Come - book 2 in Licanius Trilogy (should I just finish this out; I read book 1 right before Watchers)
- Sun Eater #1
- The Devils - Joe Abercrombie
- The Lies of Locke Lamora
- Shogun
- The Flame Bearer - book 10 of Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles (I read book 9 probably 5 years ago so I would have to catch up through book 9 with some synopsis)

YouBet said:

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Watchers - Dean Koontz

Pretty good. My limited reading of Koontz has him using some of the same setups across books though.




I really wish we had a voting function on this site. I'm at a crossroads as to what I want to read next.

A mix of options:

- An Echo of Things to Come - book 2 in Licanius Trilogy (should I just finish this out; I read book 1 right before Watchers)
- Sun Eater #1
- The Devils - Joe Abercrombie
- The Lies of Locke Lamora
- Shogun
- The Flame Bearer - book 10 of Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles (I read book 9 probably 5 years ago so I would have to catch up through book 9 with some synopsis)

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This is a fun series but the author seems to be from the Martin/Rothfuss school of quitters.

YouBet said:

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Watchers - Dean Koontz

Pretty good. My limited reading of Koontz has him using some of the same setups across books though.




I really wish we had a voting function on this site. I'm at a crossroads as to what I want to read next.

A mix of options:

- An Echo of Things to Come - book 2 in Licanius Trilogy (should I just finish this out; I read book 1 right before Watchers)
- Sun Eater #1
- The Devils - Joe Abercrombie
- The Lies of Locke Lamora
- Shogun
- The Flame Bearer - book 10 of Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles (I read book 9 probably 5 years ago so I would have to catch up through book 9 with some synopsis)

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Funny I'm almost done with Watchers myself. I've read several of his, and he is definitely a "Stephen King Lite."

I found myself skimming over useless details while wondering why he skipped others. For example, exactly how did the lawyer in a dirty swimsuit talk a jeep full of teenagers into a ride, and one of them let him into their house to make a phone call. That would have been interesting to know!

I've come this far and I'll finish it, but I'd give it a C.

I mentioned it many pages ago but "the will
Of the many" by James islington is one of the best fantasy books I've read in a long time. I was hooked by the 3rd chapter .

Thanks!

Next up for me is either Fight Club or Red Dragon.

Started Fight Club last night

That's out then. Thanks.

I think I'm going to read Licanius 2 since that tome is bedside and staring at me.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Physical. Finished it last night (2 am lol).

I need a chemical shower after that.

My vote for Sun Eater.

Book 1 is mid but every book after elevates the story and I personally believe it's THE modern Sci Fi benchmark.

Demon in White (book 3) and Disquiet Gods (book 6) are amongst the best fiction books I've ever read. Period.


Licanius is also really good. Since you already read book 1, I get if you go that route. It's a completed trilogy that sticks the landing.

But I will continue to preach the Gospel of Sun Eater lol.

My summer reading:

1. Double Whammy by Carl Hiassen. A fast, fun, Florida read with wacky characters and a simple plot. It was written decades ago but never once do I miss hearing about things like computers, smartphones, tweets, blogs, or anything politically correct. I need to read more things like this.

2. The Stand by Stephen King. 1300 pages is flat out too long, even for one of the greatest writers of all time. I'm burned out on SK and won't read another one until Pet Cemetary sometime in 2026.

3. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. This felt like a simplified version of a Dresden Files book. Light, easy, fun, and full of ghosts, demons, shadows, and such. I liked it, and I'll read more Koontz.

4. Dungeon Crawler Carl #2: Carl's Doomsday Scenario. Sorry, but I'm done with Dungeon Crawler Carl. I tried twice and I just don't get it. It only made me want to read a real story instead of a narrated First Person Shooter video game feed in written form.

5. Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson. This is a nice, gritty, slice of life piece written by Thompson after spending a year with the Hell's Angels in 1965. It's basically a very long magazine article about the Angels, but it makes me want to quit my job, move to California, buy a Harley, smoke cigarettes, and drink beer.

6. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell. I should have skimmed through this book before starting. I was expecting Fantasy, but so far (45% through), there is no magic and there is only about 5 pages with dialogue. And there are A LOT of names like Gwnddflr and his son Gwnddrlrk and their enemy Gwnddflrx who all live in the land of Rnddflp. I'd like to buy a vowel, please. I'm enjoying the book, but I'm not going to be jumping into book 2 anytime soon.

M.C. Swag said:

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My vote for Sun Eater.

Book 1 is mid but every book after elevates the story and I personally believe it's THE modern Sci Fi benchmark.


But I will continue to preach the Gospel of Sun Eater lol.

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I'm glad you said this about book 1. I'm about 35% finished with it, and not greatly impressed so far. I will complete it and see how much I want to try book 2.

Book 1 is a slow drag to build a foundation. Book 2 onward is an absolutely wild ride. you wont be disappointed.

Finished Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Really enjoyed the book (obviously seen the movie multiple times). The writing style was interesting, but well done. I'm thinking I would have had a hard time keeping things straight had I not had the movie as a reference point. Also I felt like the big reveal that the narrator and Tyler were the same person was a little anti-climactic compared to the movie. Maybe bc I already knew it was coming. I will say that knowing the twist going in made it fun to catch the foreshadowing throughout the book that I might not have picked up on otherwise.

Overall great, easy read.

Books read in 2025:

January
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (re-read)
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier
Pines - Blake Crouch
Wayward - Blake Crouch

February
The Last Town - Blake Crouch

March
Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

April
Red Rising - Pierce Brown
Golden Son - Pierce Brown

May
Morning Star - Pierce Brown
Echos of Reckoning - Ron Shaw

June
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
Still Alice - Lisa Genova
Dark Matter - Blake Crouch
Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton

July
The Lost World - Michael Crichton
Sphere - Michael Crichton
The Andromeda Strain - Michael Crichton
Pet Sematary - Stephen King
The Martian - Andy Wier

August
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk

I finished Jaws and it might be the only time I thought the movie was better than the book. It might just be a victim of it's time but it was a little tough to get through at times. The romance/affair between Ellen and Hooper was so poorly written.


On to Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green.

This is maybe the nicest thing I've heard anyone say about the book Jaws.

If you enjoyed Fight Club, try Invisible Monsters next, it is excellent.

Luther and the Reformation by RC Sproul. Read it in one sitting.

Mere Christianity by CS Lewis - read this back in June and forgot to update this thread

Sproul and Lewis. Two of my very favorites. I read or listen to something from one or both most days.

RED AG 98 said:

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Sproul and Lewis. Two of my very favorites. I read or listen to something from one or both most days.

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I started reading Screwtape Letters and decided I'd rather listen to it, so it's been tabled for a future listening.

BenFiasco14 said:

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RED AG 98 said:

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Sproul and Lewis. Two of my very favorites. I read or listen to something from one or both most days.

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I started reading Screwtape Letters and decided I'd rather listen to it, so it's been tabled for a future listening.

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One of the most biting and convicting things I have ever read. I listen to it very frequently. There are many massive compilations of his works on audible that are only 1 credit.

Hell ya. It's all gas no breaks after this!

RED AG 98 said:

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BenFiasco14 said:

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RED AG 98 said:

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Sproul and Lewis. Two of my very favorites. I read or listen to something from one or both most days.

---

I started reading Screwtape Letters and decided I'd rather listen to it, so it's been tabled for a future listening.

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One of the most biting and convicting things I have ever read. I listen to it very frequently. There are many massive compilations of his works on audible that are only 1 credit.

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The final essay in SL should be required reading in academia. Incredible book.

I wasn't smart enough to process Mere Christianity. The sheer amount of allegory in that book was overwhelming.

Just finished Red Dragon. Two thumbs up.

Listened to most of suneater 1 on the way to take daughter back to school yesterday. Had started it before and bailed. Tried again based on the recs here. I can see the foundation part. I'll keep going.

Same way as the previous poster on the licanus series. Read book 1. Kinda meh. Really liked will of the many though. Have thought about finishing the series.

Finished

The Perfect Storm (I really enjoyed it, loved the background about the pararescue jumpers and their training, the life of a the fisherman, the science behind the storm system).

Jurassic Park (excellent writing, the pacing was perfect, didn't realize how much it differs from the movie).

Started Morning Star (Red Rising series) and so far it's been great!

The latest books finished are The Trail to Retribution, book 9 of the B. N. Rundell Plainsman series, and
The Shadow of the Vulture by Robert E. Howard.

As mentioned, I have started book 1 of the Sun Eater series. At the half-way point it's picked up and is getting more interesting.

I also picked up a free copy of Frankenstein from Kindle on Prime. It's been over 50 years since I read it and it's something I want to reread.

Just finished Storm Light Archive and thought it was good but not great. Not sure if I'm huge fan of Sanderson's writing because it's like he word vomits and tries to be more clever than he actually is.

A friend recommend Red Rising next. Any other good recommendations?

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a very fun and entertaining series. I also enjoyed the Witcher series. I'm on book 3 of the Red Rising series, so far it's been pretty good, book 3 has been great. I'm also a fan of the Dresden series.

Completed:
Memory's Legion by James S A Corey
The Mercy of Gods (Book 1 of The Captive's War) by James S A Corey
A Woman Underground by Andrew Klavan
Dune
Dune: Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune
Livesuit (Novella from The Captive's War) by James S A Corey
The Martian by Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Great Good Thing by Andrew Klavan

Currently Reading:
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman