@Xerobull and @Deckard I don't want to oversell the fantasy aspect of the Stiger Series, it very much reads as a sort of fantasy, roman military series with increasing fantasy aspects as the story develops. I've had A Throne of Bones on my list but will add Eagles at War. Not sure if it was recommend on here, but Carthage Must be Destroyed: Rise and Fall was an excellent historical book that went more into its institutions (economic and political) than military.
You said the magic word- military. I'm in, especially since it's a finished series. Throne of Bones is similar - it's pretty light on the fantasy aspects, more pure Roman military, although they do fight a goblin horde at one point.
On the third book of Stiger's Tigers. Very good, I love how it slowly develops. Book two had some redundant writing and needed a better editor but it wasn't anything that detracted from the story. I expect to finish the series in a week or so.
I’m on book 7. I started the series out of order and read the Tales of the Seventh 3 series first. Not a big deal since it goes into events before hand. I’m really enjoying it. By no means a masterpiece, but a good read.
On book 5. I absolutely love this author and series and plan to read his other works. I can't put the books down and read them any free time I have. These books are far superior to Throne of Bones (IMO), which focuses more on politics and Machiavellian schemes rather than military details and action. These books are so detailed I would almost call them Military History Fiction with Fantasy elements. 90% of the books are just the Roman Legion; how it functions, it's tactics, etc. Thanks again for the recommendation.
A few weeks ago I wrapped up book three of The Age of Madness series by Joe Abercrombie, The Wisdom of Crowds. Great book, nobody writes political maneuvering like Joe, which I mean to say, no one writes it so I don't fall asleep and am actually interested in what's going on. Great endcap to the series. Great writer. I started the Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia and have gotten through book one, Son of the Black Sword and started book two, House of Assassins. There are a few unusual things I like about these books. They are based on the Indian subcontinent culture. Water in the books is considered 'evil' because that's where demons live. Only the lowest of cultures lives by water and eats food from the ocean or rivers. Curse words and insults are all associated with water. The main character's weapon is also sentient and he can 'remember' every battle it's ever fought, making him almost unkillable. The series drags a little but it's good. Correia is sort of a guilty pleasure author for me because he's a far-right nutjob and his main books are the Monster Hunter International books which reflect his politics, but they're just fun to read.
I finished these up. Unfortunately it went downhill after the first book. The real kicker is that the series isn't done although it's billed as a trilogy. ****ers. I started reading this the other day. It's a nice change of pace.
Freakonomics now. Was reading the Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown which was solid. Still getting used to audio books. Freakonomics is my 2nd one but helps when I don't have a ton of time to read read.
Neil Stephenson’s just released Termination Shock, came out on the 16th First Chapter is titled “Texas” First word is “Houston” also finally reading Overstory by Richard Powers after finishing his latest Bewilderment Also Fermat’s Enigma (non-fiction about a math problem, lot of cool history)
I loved X's for Eyes as well as the Croning for all the reasons you mentioned. His short story collection Swift to Chase is amazing too. The Light in the Darkness was a helluva page-turner. His Isaiah Coleridge books were disappointing though. It's like watching someone who is a big fan of hardboiled mysteries trying to write his own take on it and failing miserably. The plot for each book so far has meandered, and Coleridge isn't compelling enough to be the main character. This last part largely because I can't quite separate the author from the character, and this is not the case with his other books. The series also can't decide if it wants to stay in the crime fiction territory or go headlong into cosmic horror weirdness.
I see your points on the Coleridge books. I still like them. You should check out the Avery Cates books by Jeff Somers. That’s some true hard boiled stuff right there.
+1 for the H-Town reference. Now, does he have everyone in the city wearing boots, riding longhorns and wearing six-shooters? I have a pet peeve about authors generalizing Texas into one big amorphous mass where in reality there are different cultures in different cities. I gave up on Stephenson when I was about halfway through Cryptonomicon. Just too much dry prose. I did love Diamond Age, though. Which does this new book skew towards?