Yeah it’s weird, on Audible they are listed as book 1 and 2 of the SotL series, but it does also say “An Ana and Din Mystery” on the cover of the second. Overall I guess they just didn’t really fully work for me as fantasy or mystery novels. But I got into them enough to pick up the next one too, so it’s not like I think they’re bad.
If I remember right RJB said on Instagram that from the outset he had “several” books planned and SOTL was the series title, he put out the first one and was like “I wanna write like twelve of these they’re so fun to write,” and the book took off beyond just the epic/political fantasy circles, so for book two they highlighted the “Ana and Din Mystery” aspect of the branding as a marketing push - but I do think it’s still officially SOTL as the series, and I don’t think it was ever strictly a trilogy but now it’s definitely more “I love writing these let’s keep it going.” It’s always unfortunate when you bounce off something other people love (or just don’t get into it as much as them). I’ve definitely felt that with other things. (Though I thought these two were phenomenal.)
To be fair, I listened to them while falling asleep, and I’ve been tired lately l, so it was a lot of 15 minute increments and a lot of rewinding, so I might have not liked the mysteries because I missed stuff haha I do wish it had more about Leviathans in book 2 though, they are intriguing
I really want to track down hardcover versions of all the GoT books. My main local used place is now more expensive than buying new, so I’m boycotting them because if I’m paying that price the author is getting a cut
no, I picked up two Stephen King 1st's as I like to collect different editions of his stuff as my favorite author, and I don't have a ton of space for books at the moment. I'm gonna regret it aren't I
personally I would've picked that one up, but like I said, I have a big attachment to that cover. the book itself, not so much
I’m a super slow reader, but this is my ranking of what I read in 2025. Piranesi (maybe my new favorite book) Dungeon Crawler Carl 1-3 (maybe my new favorite series) The Unworthy (beautiful written prose and creative world) The Thief of Always (my first Clive Barker book, it won’t be my last) Nettle & Bone (kinda Cinderella meets Wizard of Oz if made by Guillermo del Toro) Wayward Pines trilogy (I haven’t seen the show, but this was a great sci-fi/horror mystery) Murderbot Diaries books 1-3 (I liked them, but didn’t care for what I read of book 4) The Long Walk (haven’t seen the movie yet, but I didn’t care for the ending) Carrie (alright, but not King’s best) The Colour of Magic (I still love Discworld and thought I’d start at the very beginning, but this is my least favorite of the series so far. Children of Blood and Bone trilogy (I think the tropes and writing style of YA just isn’t for me)
Does anyone find themselves often looking too far ahead and spending too much time figuring out what to read (or watch in other cases) next instead of actually reading or watching? ha. That's my problem right now. I'm in the middle of several things I love and I keep getting distracted going down a rabbit hole of 'if I like this, what's next?'. ADHD I guess.
I tried the first and struggled a little with it. I think (if I recall) the inconsistency between names and timelines was very confusing, and it felt like it wasn't for any good reason? I don't remember the details, but if you introduce someone as name A, why are we then calling them name B and making me question if A and B are the same person? (maybe that makes no sense and I was just being dense but I remember that being something that bothered me). I'd like to go back to it but I was frustrated with the small 1/3 I read of book 1 to be sure. If I do go back to it, I will want to read it in multiple book chunks and not try to drop 1 at a time in between other series.
I can relate to that with a lot of stuff but with books I usually buy what I wanna read and read it and then buy the next. Now for Christmas I got like 6 books and having them all right in front of me does give me a little analysis paralysis, but I deal.
Everyone has like 2-4 names, their name, their rank or species (sometimes 1 of each), and sometimes their nickname. Did you by chance use audiobook to read it? The reason I ask is because I did the same and had a hard time understanding but once I did an immersive read with audio and reading I kept up much better. A lot of it won't make sense the first time through but as you read it all comes together and the first book was actually written as a screenplay and not a book originally so the ones that follow are much more cohesive. Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice (2 and 3) are much more traditional and easier to understand. Erickson's prose and themes are absolutely top tier. In particular there's a storyline in book 2 that acts as a microcosm for the endgame of the series and I didn't come to this conclusion until my current reread of that book. Erickson is very deliberate and every single one of his characters is a philosopher at heart so it makes reading all their different perspectives so engaging. In short, expect to be confused but understand that the endgame and journey is beautiful and poignant, especially in the times we live in.
I always try to do both, audio and read, but it's on my list to straight up read more as it prevents me from other habits that aren't as good for me (video games, sitting around drinking lol). I didn't write this one off completely, and I made it through WOT and ROTE so I know I can commit and get through a long series. Just not sure when this one will slide in. The more positive things people say about it, the more i move it up (if ever so slightly).
Got a peloton and it has the kindle app but every time I use it I have to log in and I don’t have access to my eARCs. Big bummer as I was excited to have a good structured way to get some reading it. Just gonna keep audiobooking lmao