I don't know if there is already a thread like this (if there is, mods, please tell me where and shut this one down), but if not, there is now!
Basically, I'm curious as to what books all you DakkaDakka viewers are reading/have read recently. I'll start us off!
Most recently, I finished Halo: Hunters in the Dark by Peter David. Awesome read, like all the Halo books!
I have read several Star Trek books recently, most recently Star Trek Seekers #3: Long Shot by David Mack.
I am a huge fan of the Destroyermen series by Taylor Anderson, still eagerly awaiting the tenth one to come out in paperback.
As for what I'm currently reading, that would be the sixth book in the Star Carrier series by Ian Douglas: Deep Time.
I'm kind of a book whore, i'll start reading one, get more interested in another and so on and so on. Before to long I have 4-5 books going at the same time. So these are my recent ones.
Seeds of Terror: How drugs, thugs, and Crime are reshaping the Afghan War by Gretchen Peters
The Soviet Afghan War, How a superpower fought and lost by Russian General Staff
I wish I was reading as much as you guys. I used to read all the time, but somehow I haven't managed to finish a book in months.
Very frustrating.
Looking into a book my sister suggested to me, "The Thief" by Megan Whalen Turner. Never read anything my her, or heard of her, and I'm hoping that something new and unfamiliar will be enough to break me out of my rut.
Last read: "Ghost Fleet" by August Cole & PW Singer. Near future sci fi about a new World War between China/Russia and America. Pretty good, and a quick/easy read.
Next up: "Crowds & Power" by Elias Canetti. One of the most incredible books on crowd psychology ever written.
The Tao of Deception by Ralph Sawyer. It's about the history of Chinese Military Theory and the role of the unorthodox in Chinese politics and grand strategy.
I'm very very close to the end of Dance with Dragons, and then I'm finally moving on to a whole pile of stuff.
There's First Among Sequels by Jasper FForde (A true successor to the off the wall British comedy elements of Pratchett);
The Sunken by S. C. Green (a new steampunk epic that I've been looking forward to for a while);
rereading Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams (Fantastic twist ion epic fantasy, and its a compelte trilogy! The sequel trilogy is on its way soon);
The Stand by Stephen King (I've heard many good things but never actually read it before, so I'm keen to get into it!);
Flux by Ferrett Steinmetz (supposedly an interesting twist of modern day magic).
Ghazkuul wrote: Seeds of Terror: How drugs, thugs, and Crime are reshaping the Afghan War by Gretchen Peters
That's a good book, I enjoyed reading it. As for me, I've been casually rereading the Space Wolf Omnibus, because I first read it when I had pretty much 0 knowledge on 40k and I want to see if I can make more sense out of it, I guess.
I'm getting towards the ends of Daemon World by Ben Counter. I love the setting but the character development is almost non existent. The story is well told and the author is clearly very skilled at his trade but, I've found myself not caring about the plot or the characters... Which sucks because I want to love it. Not many, if any other books that I'm aware of that take place in a Slaanesh heavy environment.
I thought the Maze Runner series was pretty good, it had lots of unexpected things happening, and the movie was fairly close to representing it correctly.
I just finished Riotous Assembly by Tom Sharpe for the umpteenth time. Such a great book and still as hilarious every time I read it. If ever anyone wants to sit down and laugh hysterically at the South African police force during apartheid then look no further and make sure to also pick up Indecent Exposure.
Second book in a series. Sword and sorcery fantasy. I'm really enjoying the blend of asian and european fantasy tropes. I'm also really digging his portrayal of samurai. Instead of the silly, played out fantasy of them as noble, honorable poet-warriors, the samurai in his world are brutal, tyrannical bullies who hold a downtrodden populace in oppression through fear and violence. (You know, like the probable reality of most 'warrior nobles' the world over.)
Apocalypse Cow. Silly book, I know. I guess you can figure out the plot from the title.
The Gone series. Awesome books about everyone over the age of 14 disappearing at the same time as a indestructible dome is formed over a small town, and supernatural powers and stuff.
The One Plus One. I'm not really one for rom com books, but man, this one is hilarious.
Basically a collection of rough drafts and early stories that would eventually lead to the LotR world. Sort of a history of the history of Middle Earth. Interesting from a more academic sense.
Recently finished “Xenocide” by Orson Scot Card, need to grab the next book in the Ender’s Game series.
“Seveneves" by Neil Stephenson wasn’t bad. Better then some of his later stuff, but not up to his early works. Looks to be set up for sequels, I might end up picking them up if they release. But it went from a hard science disaster to a more stock political/sci-fi, and I’m not sure if it’s got enough going on to maintain interest.
War Kitten wrote: I've been reading the 2nd Space Wolf Omnibus, it's been very interesting so far
I didn't know this existed. Is it as good as the first omnibus was? I'm a little hesitatant to pick it up because by the looks of it King isn't the only author of it.
KingCracker wrote: 11/22/63 by Stephen King. It's a damn good read so far and is admittedly my first King book
King keeps doing that Michael Jordan retirement thing, but I think it was definitely worth it in this case. I'd go so far as to call 11/22/63 one of my favorite King novels, and DEFINITELY my favorite time travel story. (Of course, I normally hate time travel stories.)
KingCracker wrote: 11/22/63 by Stephen King. It's a damn good read so far and is admittedly my first King book
King keeps doing that Michael Jordan retirement thing, but I think it was definitely worth it in this case. I'd go so far as to call 11/22/63 one of my favorite King novels, and DEFINITELY my favorite time travel story. (Of course, I normally hate time travel stories.)
Yeah I think doing a good time travel story is tough to do, it's easy to turn it into a mess. I'm digging this a bunch so far, and I'm roughly half way through it. It's hard to read though because my job takes the majority of my day but I'm slowly getting it done
At the moment I'm mostly reading through a bunch of Osprey books on the Anglo-Zulu War. This is pretty much just reference material for the models I'm doing though.
As for more narrative works...
Zulu Rising, by Ian Knight Still a historical account of the war - but it goes into far more depth than the Osprey books.
I am one of those readers who starts a lot of books simultaneously, sometimes dropping some and adding others. ADD is a thing that what was I saying?
The last book I finished was Kitty Saves the World, the last of the Kitty Norville books, which was a satisfying ending to the series even if parts of it felt a bit rushed. Now I'm reading the Corum trilogy by Moorcock, which is really good in an old-timey serial fantasy way, like Vance or Howard. I am also reading the first Book of Swords by Saberhagen, which is kind of alright in an old-timey serial fantasy way, like Lieber or uh, some of those other writers who weren't good or bad enough to remember. I've started the Kris Longknife series, but so far it's not getting much traction with me. Every time I read the Robotech Tactics thread, I get through another chapter or two in the Robotech novelizations. I am also going through the BL End Times books, but stalled out when I heard they were releasing omnibuses later this year. And I keep reading RPG or gaming sourcebooks for a little bit of flavor now and then.
Nonfiction is mostly about history for me. For my fantasy army project, I've been reading Osprey books about Chinese and Mongolian warfare, as well as Adrian Krautsomethingorother's history of Chinese civilization. I have also been reading about Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations.
Currently reading the Von Beck trilogy from the Eternal Champion. I would have started with Elric, but I don't have the initial books, and I'd like to read them sequentially.
However, two books I keep coming back to deserve mentioning
KingCracker wrote: 11/22/63 by Stephen King. It's a damn good read so far and is admittedly my first King book
King keeps doing that Michael Jordan retirement thing, but I think it was definitely worth it in this case. I'd go so far as to call 11/22/63 one of my favorite King novels, and DEFINITELY my favorite time travel story. (Of course, I normally hate time travel stories.)
Yeah I think doing a good time travel story is tough to do, it's easy to turn it into a mess. I'm digging this a bunch so far, and I'm roughly half way through it. It's hard to read though because my job takes the majority of my day but I'm slowly getting it done
Oddly enough, I just finished 11/22/63. Took me a lot longer than normal, I kept putting it down during the summer. Not my favorite by King, but great nonetheless. I also just finished Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry. It was close enough to Monster Hunter International to grab my interest, yet different enough to be refreshing. I'm currently half way through the second book in the series, Dragon Factory.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: I am also reading the first Book of Swords by Saberhagen, which is kind of alright in an old-timey serial fantasy way, like Lieber or uh, some of those other writers who weren't good or bad enough to remember.
I've read the Books of Swords, they are awesome! You should also check out the Empire in the East series by Saberhagen; they are like prequels to the Books of Swords. Another good older series like those is the Horseclans stories (by Robert Adams? Not sure if that author name is right... ). I've read thirteen of those (out of at least 18 published), and am hoping eventually to find the others and read them too.
Just finishing off another re-read of Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy. Damn good dark gritty fantasy. Well worth at least one read if that sort of thing sounds appealing to you.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: I am also reading the first Book of Swords by Saberhagen, which is kind of alright in an old-timey serial fantasy way, like Lieber or uh, some of those other writers who weren't good or bad enough to remember.
I've read the Books of Swords, they are awesome! You should also check out the Empire in the East series by Saberhagen; they are like prequels to the Books of Swords. Another good older series like those is the Horseclans stories (by Robert Adams? Not sure if that author name is right... ). I've read thirteen of those (out of at least 18 published), and am hoping eventually to find the others and read them too.
I also have the Empire in the East books, so I might read them after the Books of Swords. I might have one of the Horse Clans kicking it somewhere, but isn't that series really old school and hard to find? For a while, the local Friends of the Library was selling a lot of classic fantasy, such as Moorcock and Lin Carter and Burroughs for a quarter each, but last year they decided to stop selling any books printed before 2000.
Started reading the Wheel of Time series again, this time beginning with the prequel novel and then diving into the series proper. I should be done in about five months.
I'm halfway through Metro 2033. He really is a good author, the world he jas created feels so real. I actually already read 2034, as there was a wait list on 2033.
I'm just re-reading the Ex-Heroes series by Peter Clines ahead of the new book coming out next year. Superheroes vs zombies ... I'm enjoying it just as much the second time around.
I am making my way through A Song of Ice and Fire (just started A Storm of Swords), but between school, miniatures, sports, the internet, video games, my job, friends and still having to get enough sleep I no longer read much nowadays. It took me over a year to get through Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings.
However, last year I also managed to read Radetzky March, of which I am quite proud. Great novel if you want to get a feel for the old pre-WW1 Europe.
Co'tor Shas wrote: I'm halfway through Metro 2033. He really is a good author, the world he jas created feels so real. I actually already read 2034, as there was a wait list on 2033.
I read both and enjoyed them, but all the side novels that are a part of the canon (Not by Glukhovsky) haven't been translated yet afaik
A bit of a mix at the moment. Michael Grant's 'Gone' series again, Pratchett's 'Thud' and assorted DC comics, most recently the first half of Hush, Dark Knight volume 1 and N52 Justice League volume 1.
I'm reading a non fiction account of the Monuments Men. But the way the author feels the need to occasionally wrote in prose and invent dialogue and the 'thoughts' of the men involved is quite annoying.
I hadn't read anything 40k related in a while so 2 months ago I read priests of mars, which lead to me reading lords of mars, and then I course I had to read gods of mars. The series is quite the treat for anyone who is a fan of the Mechanicum/Mars.
During gods of mars I started also reading a book called Magic Korean. It does a very good job of teaching basic Korean since you are forced to learn pronunciation through Hangul characters instead of romanized words. (learning Hangul is a breeze btw)
The Science of Discworld II: The Globe, which is a look into the formation of the human mind.
and
The People History of the United States, 1492 - Present, which is good and probably worth reading, even if the Marxist History trappings are blatantly obvious.
infinite_array wrote: The Science of Discworld II: The Globe, which is a look into the formation of the human mind.
and
The People History of the United States, 1492 - Present, which is good and probably worth reading, even if the Marxist History trappings are blatantly obvious.
I don't mind the Marxist view of history, because it provides a decent intellectual framework to construct a history of a particular era, but also, a decent line of attack if you're doing a critique of it.
I finished Proxima, and it was a pretty good read. The ending has me wanting to read the next one in the series, Ultima.
Since I don't have that book yet, I am now reading Sand and Fire, by Tom Young. It is the fifth book in a series of excellent military thrillers (the others being The Mullah's Storm, Silent Enemy, The Renegades, and The Warriors). The author seems to have a pretty good grasp of military terminology and methods, as well as good storytelling abilities. I highly recommend the series!
Flight of the Eisenstein and its blooming hard work. I'm only a couple chapters in but I want it to get on with the story! Also I want Loken and Tarik and Saul back
I finished Sand and Fire, and it was a pretty amazing book (like the others in the series), although the ending was somewhat anticlimactic. I am now reading Guerilla by Mel Odom. It is the second book in a series called "The Makaum War" about a Marine Sergeant stationed on a hostile world. The first one was great, and so far, the second one is too!
Reading The Sea of Trolls trilogy by Nancy Farmer. Never read anything by this author, and it's a nice semi-lighthearted but still complex and interesting take on life at the start of the Viking Age, but with fantasy elements mixed in.
I'd say stop at the end of the first one. I really enjoyed that book and thought the ending worked in sort of an open way, but the next books in the series get worse and a bit too rapey for my tastes.
Automatically Appended Next Post: A certain thread got me in the mood for some Star Trek, so I read Ex Machina, which is some great continuity porn, and have started Disavowed, which is satisfying my itch for the story to advance.
I have been reading a lot lately so here is a summary:
Surviving the Evacuation, books 0.5 to 9 by Frank Tayell. (Horror)
A British zombie apocalypse story that follows a number of survivors whose lives overlap and interlink during the saga. The action takes place over about a year from the start of the crisis to the point where some kind of hope genuinely emerges from the disaster.
It's not great literature but the story rattles along pretty well and there are some good characters.
Final Days and The Thousand Emperors by Gary Gibson. (SF)
These are stand-alone novels though the second one takes place 200 years after the events in the first one so it's worth reading them both in order.
In Final Days explorers of an alien wormhole network unwittingly bring disaster upon Earth. The key characters are caught up in trying to avert and survive the crisis. Lots of action and some interesting concepts on relativity.
In 1,000 Emperors, humanity is split into two factions, the Tian Di and the Coalition (ex-westerners) who rule the colony worlds linked by wormhole technology. A crisis approaches as the Coalition and Tian Di prepare to relink their wormhole networks that have been separated for 200 years.
The protagonist is a sort of intelligence agent for the Tian Di who gets caught up in the intrigues of the oligarchic rulers of his faction and tries to enable the Reunion to be brought about successfully.
Space Captain Smith: books 1 to 5 by Tom Frost. (SF)
Comedy SF action adventure featuring Isambard Smith, captain in the East Galaxy Company's space forces, who becomes an intelligence operative with a supporting cast of aliens, androids and assorted weirdoes, fighting a galactic war between the British Space Empire and the Ghast ant-men, Yull lemming-men and religious zealot human New Edenites.
Loads of jokes, puns and innuendo riffing off popular SF like Star Wars, Dune, Terminator, and other sources including childrens' TV shows and real history. Very much in the spirit of Hitchhikers Guide and Red Dwarf.
Reading a sci-fi novel recommended by my coworker, it's called Pennsylvania. By, Michael Bunker
Or, as I had to explain it to my wife...AMISH IN SPACE!
I just started it but the idea of what the Amish would have to deal with in order to settle on a new world entertains me. So I am interested in seeing where the author takes this.
ProtoClone wrote: Reading a sci-fi novel recommended by my coworker, it's called Pennsylvania. By, Michael Bunker
Or, as I had to explain it to my wife...AMISH IN SPACE!
I just started it but the idea of what the Amish would have to deal with in order to settle on a new world entertains me. So I am interested in seeing where the author takes this.
There'll be a thrilling final section complete with horse drawn carriage travel and a barn-raising
ProtoClone wrote: Reading a sci-fi novel recommended by my coworker, it's called Pennsylvania. By, Michael Bunker
Or, as I had to explain it to my wife...AMISH IN SPACE!
I just started it but the idea of what the Amish would have to deal with in order to settle on a new world entertains me. So I am interested in seeing where the author takes this.
There'll be a thrilling final section complete with horse drawn carriage travel and a barn-raising
ProtoClone wrote: Reading a sci-fi novel recommended by my coworker, it's called Pennsylvania. By, Michael Bunker
Or, as I had to explain it to my wife...AMISH IN SPACE!
I just started it but the idea of what the Amish would have to deal with in order to settle on a new world entertains me. So I am interested in seeing where the author takes this.
There'll be a thrilling final section complete with horse drawn carriage travel and a barn-raising
Finished The Wastelands but I'm having a hard time getting a physical copy of the Wizard and the Glass so I bought myself a copy of Dune to re read in the meantime
Finishing reading Road to Blitzkrieg - a history of German armored forces up until invasion of Poland.
Finished reading Iceni Queen: A Pirate Yarn (Romance of the Evernight Book 1). Pirates vs. corporations in space. Very rocketpunk. Also, the author was extensively used Atomic Rockets site for info about space combat and space travel.
Started reading Rolling Into Action - memoirs of a WWI tanker.
Tried reading Ghost in the Shell 2 - Man-Machine Interface. Turned out to be bizzarre soft porno manga with page after a page of panty shots, accentuated breats and suggestive poses.
Stopped reading at 1/4, feeling thoroughly violated D: .
I completely didn't expect it after GitS 1 and 1.5 D: .
I finished Guerilla, now I just have to wait for the next book in that series to come out in paperback. Now I'm reading Natural Selection, by Dave Freedman. It's about a group of scientists tracking a previously unknown species that suddenly seems to start adapting new abilities. And yes, the creatures are predatory (not a spoiler, read the cover of the book and you will know).
SBG wrote: Dune: Messiah. First time - so excited! Loved Dune ever since I was a kid, so...
The original series was a bit erratic IMHO. The first book was excellent, the second not bad, the middle two I didn’t care for, and then the last two got better, but not up to the quality of the original. Worth reading overall as a series IMHO, but was a little “meh” in places.
The extended stuff cranked out by his son was even more sporadic. Helpful for filling in bits of the history and tying up loose ends, but nothing groundbreaking. I stopped picking it up after a while (but did read eight or nine of them, I’d have to check the shelf.)
I'm rereading The Egyptian by Mika Waltari. It's one of the only books I reread, probably every third year or so. IMO, it's the best work of historical fiction ever written. Highly recommended to any fan of the genre.
Tried and failed to finish Elias Cannetti's "Crowds and Power" over the class break, but no dice.
Its one of the most fascinating, insightful, and downright scary books I've ever read. If you've ever tried to make sense of the insanity that comes with people in large crowds, it will blow your mind. Esp if you had ANYTHING to do with the Occupy idiocy a few years ago or have ever been in the middle of a riot. I'd put it on my "must read" list with The Prince and Ender's Game.
SBG wrote: Dune: Messiah. First time - so excited! Loved Dune ever since I was a kid, so...
The original series was a bit erratic IMHO. The first book was excellent, the second not bad, the middle two I didn’t care for, and then the last two got better, but not up to the quality of the original. Worth reading overall as a series IMHO, but was a little “meh” in places.
The extended stuff cranked out by his son was even more sporadic. Helpful for filling in bits of the history and tying up loose ends, but nothing groundbreaking. I stopped picking it up after a while (but did read eight or nine of them, I’d have to check the shelf.)
Thanks for the input, I was unsure about buying the whole lot right away. Will feel it out one at a time cheers.
I just finished Natural Selection, and it was a great read (but not as much as Michael Crichton's stories, in spite of what the reviewers said). I am now reading The Icarus Hunt, by Timothy Zahn. This is the first book by that author that I have read that isn't Star Wars related.
Currently reading Heart Shaped Box, by Joe Hill. Its a horror novel about an aging former rockstar that collects macabre items. His latest item came with something unknowingly connected to a tragic event in his past and its pissed.
Before this, I read The Terror, by Dan Simmons, a horror novel about a monster stalking the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror on their failed quest to sail through the Northwest passage.
Both would make great movies, although The Terror is a bit long for Hollywood to do all of it justice. Unless Peter Jackson makes a trilogy out of it!
SBG wrote: Dune: Messiah. First time - so excited! Loved Dune ever since I was a kid, so...
The original series was a bit erratic IMHO. The first book was excellent, the second not bad, the middle two I didn’t care for, and then the last two got better, but not up to the quality of the original. Worth reading overall as a series IMHO, but was a little “meh” in places.
The extended stuff cranked out by his son was even more sporadic. Helpful for filling in bits of the history and tying up loose ends, but nothing groundbreaking. I stopped picking it up after a while (but did read eight or nine of them, I’d have to check the shelf.)
Thanks for the input, I was unsure about buying the whole lot right away. Will feel it out one at a time cheers.
Personally, I love the whole Dune series (the 6 books, not the bobbins his son wrote). Whilst none of follow-ups are as good as Dune itself, they are still great, great sci-fi - epic scope, nearly epic execution, tons of great characters. Though I love the film and more recent mini-series too, and certainly not everyone shares those opinions
I'm currently re-reading The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham, though the last time I read it was probably 35 years ago. Brilliant so far, very reserved and understated even when dealing with concepts that must have been completely mind-boggling back back in the '50s.
The novelization of Voyager's episode: Equinox...and I'm really thinking about changing my avatar to a certain female...you've got one guess about her name.
Read the spoiler for a hint.
Spoiler:
"Engineering. What luck." Paris gestured back toward the main core deck. "You can tell us something about that refit on your core. That can wait a few minutes, I think, Tom," Chakotay told him. Paris looked surprised but got the message. Keeping his arm around the terrorized woman, he quietly asked, "How long have you been in the Delta Quadrant?" "F-five years, seven months ... two days." Chakotay smiled again. "You sound like a Vulcan. Should I check your ears?" His reward was a trembling grin. "I keep a diary." Her large eyes crimped sadly and a sob choked her back. "It's not... very nice reading." "I'd like to read it anyway," Chakotay offered. "Let's get you to our sickbay."
Lately I've been reading a few of Don Pendleton's Stony Man books. Although they are a bit formulaic (some might say once you've read one, you've read them all), and there really isn't a lot of depth to the stories, they are still fun reading. Who needs story depth when you've got high body count action and very detailed descriptions of what gunshot wounds do to the bad guys? Lol JK of course , but the books are still very fun!
Brandon Sanderson's The Alloy of Law since it's been a few years before I read the new one that came out. It's a follow-up trilogy to the Mistborn Trilogy.
Finally got my copy of SJW TUMBLR FEMINAZI MESSAGE FIC Ancillary Mercy. It's supposed to be as good as the first book, and the puppy tears are just going to make it that much better.
So far, not bad. It's really hit and miss with 40k novels. I like my books to have a plot and a story, it seems that the bolter porn style writing is taking over little by little. I.E. the latest Gray knights novel.
Recently I started reading Charles Sheffield's Summertide. Apparently it is the first in a series of (older) books. I've gotten a lot of good, older sci-fi at library book sales recently.
Lots of stuff recently, I would particularly mention the following as being worth a look:
D-Day Through German Eyes (edited by Holger Eckhertz, 2015)
This contains five interviews by an ex-German military journalist with German defenders of the D-Day beaches and Atlantic Wall fortifications. It has value in several ways; it is an authentic view of combat, it covers the spectrum from private soldier to officer and all five beaches, and it gives an insight into the motivations of the soldiers and their impressions of the Allied forces.
The original author was the grandfather of the editor. He collected the interviews in the mid-1950s but died before publishing.
There is a follow-up book which I haven't bought yet.
Wastelands (edited by John Joseph Adams, 2008) ISBN: 978 1 405 52883 2
A short story anthology of post-apocalyptic fiction from the past 40 years. 22 stories of which only one is an original for this collection, so you may have read a few of them before in other anthologies. Despite that it is a very good book for the quality and variety of the stories. The selected further reading is a useful pointer to novel length post-apocalypse fiction.
Rainbows End (Vernor Vinge, 2006) ISBN: 978 1 447 21747 3
A novel focussing on a victim of Alzheimer's Disease, a professor of modern poetry, who in the near future -- the year isn't stated but probably about 2030 -- is brought back from near death by advanced medical treatments. He must then integrate into a changed society with widespread virtual reality, computer networking and crowd-sourced research, going back to high school for the second-rate to learn all the new skills he will need.
At first glance this looked like it was going to be sentimental bollocks but in fact the book is about a massive bio-warfare conspiracy which creates a very exciting plot for the main character to move through.
If you have Kindle you can get the first chapter as a free sample. That was enough to convince me to buy the book.
Kilkrazy wrote: Lots of stuff recently, I would particularly mention the following as being worth a look:
D-Day Through German Eyes (edited by Holger Eckhertz, 2015)
This contains five interviews by an ex-German military journalist with German defenders of the D-Day beaches and Atlantic Wall fortifications. It has value in several ways; it is an authentic view of combat, it covers the spectrum from private soldier to officer and all five beaches, and it gives an insight into the motivations of the soldiers and their impressions of the Allied forces.
The original author was the grandfather of the editor. He collected the interviews in the mid-1950s but died before publishing.
I have to say, as much as I'm "tired" of reading or hearing about WW2, this sounds incredibly interesting.
I recently finished reading Roots. It was an amazing read. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the slave trade and slavery in general. It really keyed me into how horrific it all was for those imprisoned and enslaved.
I should probably get back to reading that series. I forget where I dropped off.
I like Weber as an author, but his books get very repetitive. Does that series need to be that long? The story/character development/etc could probably been wrapped up in a satisfactory manner books ago. But he continues to stretch it out and flog the series on. I’d like to get to the end of the story, but get tired of reading what feels like the same filler over and over again.
I have just finished the first three 'The Long Earth' novels by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter; The Long Earth, The Long War, The Long Mars. The final part, The Long Utopis, is out now but I am waiting for the Kindle price to go down a lot before I will buy it.
To summarise the basic idea, in about 2026 it is discovered that using a relatively cheap electronic gadget, you can 'step' sidewise into a parallel Earth. The series of these Earths, both 'east' and 'west', is apparently infinite and they are uninhabited. Immediately people start to abandon baseline Earth and emigrate to the 'stepwise' Earths.
The three books follow the changes in society that occur from this discovery over the next 20 years, through the viewpoint of some key characters whose individual stories are interwoven and advance various strands of the plot.
To be honesty, hile these were an entertaining read, I was not stunned by the quality and would rate them 3/5. The basic problem for me is the actual meat of the story is relatively limited compared to the amount of paper it is stread across.
I was left feeling that too much of the books, especially the second two, involves following these various people on long voyages in order to fill up space. Meanwhile, certain very interesting discoveries remain unexplored in any depth.
I should probably get back to reading that series. I forget where I dropped off.
I like Weber as an author, but his books get very repetitive. Does that series need to be that long? The story/character development/etc could probably been wrapped up in a satisfactory manner books ago. But he continues to stretch it out and flog the series on. I’d like to get to the end of the story, but get tired of reading what feels like the same filler over and over again.
My only issue with Weber would how much he is in love with technical details from time to time. Especially logistics or manufacturing details. That's the issue I've seen in the Harrington books and the Safehold Books. Which are his two long running series. That said I enjoy the characters and more importantly he seems excited by where the Safehold series is going so we get new books every year and I find I'm interested almost like it's alternate history even if that's not quite true. Overall it's an enjoyable read so far.
Though I'm getting a bit tired waiting for the new Harrington Universe novel whether it's Harrington, Henke (I think that's the name of the admiral in the Tablot Sector area), or the Co-Authored with Flint series....
Now that is a good read. I'm not sure but what every person should read that.
It was quick & easy. I never got a chance to read it in high school since I dropped out, but it was assigned reading in my Mass Communications class this quarter.
obsidianaura wrote: Just finished reading Red Seas Under Red Skies (book 2 of the gentleman bastard series) now waiting for the next book to arrive.
It was pretty good!
Still best book ever is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
Everyone should read it, you'll love it, unless you have no soul.
I have signed copies of both of these :-) A joint signing a couple of years ago by Rothfuss and Lynch. Still waiting for the next books from both of them.
obsidianaura wrote: Just finished reading Red Seas Under Red Skies (book 2 of the gentleman bastard series) now waiting for the next book to arrive.
It was pretty good!
Still best book ever is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
Everyone should read it, you'll love it, unless you have no soul.
The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies were fantastic. Awesome fantasy-heist novels.
And then Republic of Thieves came along and ruined the series for me. YMMV, of course.
And call me soulless, but I couldn't finish Name of the Wind, and ignored the rest of the series.
As for me, I'm reading The Military Experience in the Age of Reason and the first of the Drizzt 25th Anniversary collections. Man, what great trash. It's like fantasy junk food.
obsidianaura wrote: Just finished reading Red Seas Under Red Skies (book 2 of the gentleman bastard series) now waiting for the next book to arrive.
It was pretty good!
Still best book ever is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
Everyone should read it, you'll love it, unless you have no soul.
I have signed copies of both of these :-) A joint signing a couple of years ago by Rothfuss and Lynch. Still waiting for the next books from both of them.
Argh I'm so jealous! I must try and do that next time Rothfuss comes to the UK if he ever does. I've been waiting for Doors of Stone forever! I do feel sorry for him and the amount of hassle he gets from people telling him to get on with the book though.
I read the KKC books at least a couple of times a year now, I love those books, like seriously love them, it's even quoted in my sig. There's a film deal and TV deal in the works but I cant imagine how they'll do it.
obsidianaura wrote: Just finished reading Red Seas Under Red Skies (book 2 of the gentleman bastard series) now waiting for the next book to arrive.
It was pretty good!
Still best book ever is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
Everyone should read it, you'll love it, unless you have no soul.
The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies were fantastic. Awesome fantasy-heist novels.
And then Republic of Thieves came along and ruined the series for me. YMMV, of course.
And call me soulless, but I couldn't finish Name of the Wind, and ignored the rest of the series.
As for me, I'm reading The Military Experience in the Age of Reason and the first of the Drizzt 25th Anniversary collections. Man, what great trash. It's like fantasy junk food.
Soulless!
I saw a review saying something similar regarding G-bastards 3. I won't trust your judgment on it though based on your Rothfuss rejection .
Anyone looking forward to the next Reckoners book from Brandon Sanderson, and the next Stormlight Archive book?
I finally got the third Dread Empire's Fall book. Great series so far! It's one of the best-written space operas I've read in recent years, and has an almost retro feel due to the intermingling of all the alien species into one empire, which isn't something I've seen a lot lately.
The new Saxon Stories book, Warriors of the Storm, by Bernard Cornwell.
I've been reading it at work over my lunch breaks for the last 3 days - I'm already halfway through. I'm enjoying it, but its following the same formula as most of the previous books...
Danes come.
Danes feth gak up.
Danes are sneaky.
Uhtred figures it out.
Uhtred humiliates the Danes.
Uhtred offends a priest.
Uhtred threatens to kill a priest.
Uhtred buts heads with pious Christians.
Uhtred fights the Danes in a big climactic battle (?).
Uhtred still hasn't taken back Bebbanberg.
The average review is 3/5 stars but I think it is worth 4/5. The ending is a bit flat, but the rest of the novel is a great read of life in 1930s Oxford University. It helps that I know central Oxford city fairly well.
Just finished The Course of Empire by Eric Flint and K.D. Wentworth. Pretty solid, 'specially since I got the e-book for free off Amazon. Good sci-fi that does a solid job of making aliens seem alien. Reading the sequel now, it was seven bucks.
I was at the book fair at my oldest daughter's school earlier this week and they had a section for 'grown up' books and I saw it. It looked interesting so I bought and have thus far been pleased with it.
A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and I'm not really getting into it. Close to putting it aside and continuing the Black Company series.
I'm on page 40 something, does it get better if I mostly didn't like it that far?
Hanskrampf wrote: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and I'm not really getting into it. Close to putting it aside and continuing the Black Company series.
I'm on page 40 something, does it get better if I mostly didn't like it that far?
Hitchhikers is Marmite, you love it or hate it. So if you're not getting on with the zaniness and craziness and random tangents about the mole people of the Xeleron Quadrant and their interpretation of Beatles lyrics* then it only gets more of that as it goes on.
Hanskrampf wrote: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and I'm not really getting into it. Close to putting it aside and continuing the Black Company series.
I'm on page 40 something, does it get better if I mostly didn't like it that far?
No. You are probably too old or well-read to enjoy the book. This is a normal reaction if you are in your 20's.
Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka. An excellently written historical action novel set in the late 1800s about a Japanese Lord and an American gunfighter who goes to Japan seeking revenge against an enemy, and ends up getting embroiled in a civil war. Samurai, ninjas, tea parties and geishas -what more could you ask for?
Just finishing book 9 in the series 'Arisen' by Micheal Stephen Fuchs. Its the what if in a zombie apocalypse with a tier 1 special ops team.Yeah its a bit of good easy and enjoyable reading, plenty of blood, guts and guns.
Hanskrampf wrote: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and I'm not really getting into it. Close to putting it aside and continuing the Black Company series.
I'm on page 40 something, does it get better if I mostly didn't like it that far?
I love Hitchhiker's Guide, but I can understand that it's not for everyone. The late Douglas Adams had a very strange sense of humor that I find enjoyable, but YMMV.
Hitchhikers is Marmite, you love it or hate it. So if you're not getting on with the zaniness and craziness and random tangents about the mole people of the Xeleron Quadrant and their interpretation of Beatles lyrics* then it only gets more of that as it goes on.
I love Hitchhiker's Guide, but I can understand that it's not for everyone. The late Douglas Adams had a very strange sense of humor that I find enjoyable, but YMMV.
Thanks for the answers, I think I'm just reading through it because there ARE pieces that I actually like. And I just realized that it's a very short book (I have a omnibus with all 5 (?) novels), so I'm already halfway through as of today. Maybe the second one is better?
I have just finished Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel.
It's an apocalypse novel involving a mutated flu that wipes out 99% of the population in a couple of weeks thus causing the collapse of modern civilisation. Rather than a linear narrative, it time-slices through events in the pre- and post-apocalyptic world, seen through the eyes of a number of people who know Arthur Leander, a 51-year-old Canadian film and stage actor. Another linking device is a comic book called Station Eleven, written by Leander's first wife, that passes through various people's hands and acts as a metaphor for the real calamities in people's lives.
While there are some fight scenes, it isn't primarily an action story. It's a novel about loss, regret, redemption and hope for the future. That makes it sound a bit 'girly' but the 'relationships' angle is very well done, it is really well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it without feeling any gender bias.
Thanks for the answers, I think I'm just reading through it because there ARE pieces that I actually like. And I just realized that it's a very short book (I have a omnibus with all 5 (?) novels), so I'm already halfway through as of today. Maybe the second one is better?
I found that I enjoyed H2G2 most in its original radio format.
ProtoClone wrote: Reading a sci-fi novel recommended by my coworker, it's called Pennsylvania. By, Michael Bunker
Or, as I had to explain it to my wife...AMISH IN SPACE!
I just started it but the idea of what the Amish would have to deal with in order to settle on a new world entertains me. So I am interested in seeing where the author takes this.
There'll be a thrilling final section complete with horse drawn carriage travel and a barn-raising
Don't know if you're trolling or spoiling.
OK, I gave up on AMISH IN SPAAAAACE or known as Pennsylvania. The writing was bad. At one point a rebel soldier told his fellow soldiers to "Get your booger hooks off the bang buttons".
There was also several hand waving that I thought was too much to overlook just so he could put the main character in the middle of a civil war.
Next thing I will read will be Star Trek Seekers #4. I loved the other Seekers novels, and the book series that they follow directly, Star Trek: Vanguard.
Almost finished reading Thinner by Stephen King. I gotta admit, for the one dollar I spent on this thing at a thrift store, it's quite a good story. Might tackle IT later, since I'm starting to get into Stephen King books.
SkavenLord wrote: Almost finished reading Thinner by Stephen King. I gotta admit, for the one dollar I spent on this thing at a thrift store, it's quite a good story. Might tackle IT later, since I'm starting to get into Stephen King books.
Just read his earlier stuff. After he sobered up, his writing went downhill. Still one of my favorite authors, though, and perhaps the best short story writer I've ever read.
Reading the Halo trilogy by Greg Bear.
Starting with Cryptum.
I don't play the computer games (I've played the first one, and it was ok, but nothing to write home about) but the setting is fine.
chromedog wrote: Reading the Halo trilogy by Greg Bear.
Starting with Cryptum.
I don't play the computer games (I've played the first one, and it was ok, but nothing to write home about) but the setting is fine.
Sounds like you've got the Forerunner Saga trilogy there. I've read the first one, and I have the others, waiting to be read soon.
Look Who's Back by Timus Vermes, translated from German by Jamie Bullock.
In this satirical novel, written from a first person perspective, Adolf Hitler wakes up in a park in Berlin in late April, 1945, with a headache and a uniform smelling of petrol, but there are no enemy bombers or tanks around, only some kids playing skateboard.
When Hitler ventures into this strange world, he finds a news kiosk whose owner kindly shelters hims while he gets over his shock at finding it is now 2011.
The news vendor takes him for a good Hitler impersonator, and gets him an interview with some customers who work at a TV station. At interview, Hitler's refusal to break out of character, together with the fact he is 'dead', convince them he is a great comic impersonator, and they give him a one-off slot on a fading comedy programme. Hitler grabs this as the first step in his propaganda campaign to return to power. His film goes viral on YouTube, amassing huge numbers, and the TV company eagerly signs him to a freelance contract.
As things go on, Hitler has many amusing encounters with modern technology and thinking, but his fanatical will to victory sustains him as he plans his come-back. Even though he only tells the truth about his ambitions and past actions, all his Nazi speechmaking is interpreted as edgy comedy, and he goes from strength to strength as a media star.
This novel is currently on Kindle and on the UK site has got a high rating though not surprisingly, there are also many negative comments.
In my view it is very well written and translated, and you can get a lot out of it without knowing specifics about modern German media personalities. Surprisingly, at times I found Hitler a sympathetic character, which I think comes from his personal honesty contrasting with the vapid superficiality of the modern media world.
I just read Impulse, by Dave Bara. Very good space story, and apparently the first in a new series of stories entitled "The Lightship Chronicles". I can hardly wait for more! I am now reading the third Halo: Forerunner Saga book, Silentium.
I'm not really a graphic novel type, but this is a powerful read. Some worthy humor throughout (the porta-potty scene had me dead) but it isn't a humor book. It tells the story of a Marine deploying to Iraq. Every vet here will identify with the story and will feel they 'knew' some of the characters. For families (and even friends) of vets it will give you a tiny little bit of a glimpse into what some vets deal with.
Finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss recently, good read, but nowhere near the praise it gets.
Started Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson, seems better than Gardens of the Moon so far.
ZergSmasher wrote: I've recently started reading Heretics of Dune. It's good so far, but none of the sequels that I have read were as good as the first one.
Having recently finished the whole series, I would agree that the quality declines towards the end.
Nothing really matches the first book, which has such an epic scope, but the next three are good, including God-Emperor, which I enjoyed more than I had expected.
The next two -- 5 and 6 -- start to suffer from dei ex machinae being frequently required to support the plot. I think they were written after Herbert's wife, who was an important partner in life and his work, had died, and this affected his writing.
The last two, written by Herbert's son and Kevin Anderson after Frank Herbert's death, are noticeably poorer in all respects, though at least they do bring the whole saga to a finish. I have not been minded to read the Dune prequels.
To get back to current reading, I have just finished The Rise of Endymion, by Dan Simmons, which is the fourth and last of the Hyperion-Endymion space opera. These are very definitely literary SF. They are more about the philosophy and poetry of life than the nitty-gritty of SF hardware. I found the resolution of the final book somewhat unsatisfying, as it was again rather a deus ex machina. They are definitely worth reading though, and I will go through them again at some time.
My latest project is War and Peace. I started to read it years ago, and like most people ran out of steam after the battle of Borodino. Inspired by the BBC series, I have started again. It is true what is said about the book; all human life is there.
chromedog wrote: Reading the Halo trilogy by Greg Bear.
Starting with Cryptum.
I don't play the computer games (I've played the first one, and it was ok, but nothing to write home about) but the setting is fine.
Sounds like you've got the Forerunner Saga trilogy there. I've read the first one, and I have the others, waiting to be read soon.
Yeah. Having not played the last few games, but vaguely being aware of the place of the forerunners, it puts the first game and some details into perspective.
Oh and guilty-spark 343 being a hobbit was amusing, too.
My copy is the translation by Louise and Aylmer Maude, which has the disadvantage of giving American spellings and westernised names to some of the characters. The Kindle version also seemingly has a number of errors in the text. That said, it was only 99p and you can't expect perfection for that kind of money. If you want a more up-to-date edition, several new versions have been released in the UK off the back of the BBC TV series. They are a lot more expensive, though.
Authenticity is a topic to cover, since I want to review the book in combination with the TV series and that has been criticised for deviating from the original text. Comnplete authenticity to the original text is probably impossible, because it is in Russian and Tolstoy made a number of revisions, and in some ways seems to have considered the book never truly finished. Then there is the length of it...
Of course it's inevitable that a six hour TV adaptation will have to take a certain amount of liberties with the book. For example, about 10% of the book -- that's like 100 pages -- is taken up with a fairly detailed exposition of the Austerlitz campaign of 1805, involving at least two major and three minor characters, plus various named extras and non-speaking parts. The TV had to reduce this to five minutes of campaign and battle scenes.
Tolstoy was a soldier and fought in the Crimean War, so I regard his military scenes are written from great knowledge not vastly removed from Napolenic times. His social scenes and the inner life of his characters also ring true according to my understanding of human nature, including my own feelings and failings. I can't speak for the court protocol of early 19th century Russia, but I'm prepared to believe that Tolstoy can.
In a similar way to condensing the war campaigns, the TV series also condenses a lot of the social scenes. However, the key point is that all the essential scenes are presented and nothing important is left out. Obviously the TV cannot present the inner thoughts of the characters, unless it uses voice over or narration -- generally regarded as a failure of technique -- but it does very well by the skill of the actors and director.
Looking again at the text, there are two main difficulties of reading the novel. One is the number of characters and their unfamiliar Russian names; Count Bezhukov, Prince Vasili, Natya Rostova and all the others. The other is the great length of the story and the number of scenes it contains.
What I have found is that watching the TV series has been a great help to reading the novel. The TV series has firstly given me mental pictures of all the important and the secondary characters, that I can associate with their names, and this has helped greatly with keeping track of all these people. The second benefit is that in presenting all the important scenes, the TV series has established a mental framework or skeleton of the whole multiple plot arc novel, which now I can fill in by reading the scenes in the full text.
At any rate I am enoying the book much better than when I attempted it years ago, and I find it quite gripping. There are two aspects to this, War, and Peace.
Being interested in wargames and military history, it is very interesting for me to read Tolstoy's pen sketches of the various incidents that happen in the campaigns. They ring very true, and I strongly believe if you wanted to get an idea of what Napoelonic campaigning was like, these passages would provide that.
The Peace part of course deals with human life, love, sadness, despair and death. Here too, Tolstoy's characters and prose beautifully describes the kind of emotions and social interactions that if I have not always experienced myself, I feel to be a true part of human experience. They are marvellously complex and real breathing characters, with the flaws and strengths you can observe in your friends and family.
War and Peace has been claimed as the best novel ever written. It certainly is a major classic of literature and probably ought to be read by everyone as part of one of those 100 books to read before you die lists.
Just finished book two of the Dresden Chronicles. Reading Volume 1 of the Dragonlance Chronicles, then going to pick up book 3 of the Dresden Chronicles and reread IT by Stephen King.
Reading "The Great Hunt" which is book 2 of the Wheel of Time series.
We were talking about the WoT a couple weeks ago at the shop I game at, and my buddy basically convinced me (without actually saying, "you should try reading them again") to give them another shot... I first read them in the 6th-8th grades, and as a younger adult, I've bought up to book 11, but never read beyond book 9 (and that was as a kid). I just never could get myself to drag my way through them again. But now, it's been so long that it's almost as if I'd never read them before and it's not so bad, especially compared to the more dry history text books I've had
Ensis Ferrae wrote: Reading "The Great Hunt" which is book 2 of the Wheel of Time series.
We were talking about the WoT a couple weeks ago at the shop I game at, and my buddy basically convinced me (without actually saying, "you should try reading them again") to give them another shot... I first read them in the 6th-8th grades, and as a younger adult, I've bought up to book 11, but never read beyond book 9 (and that was as a kid). I just never could get myself to drag my way through them again. But now, it's been so long that it's almost as if I'd never read them before and it's not so bad, especially compared to the more dry history text books I've had
WoT is one of the most well-rounded series I've ever read.
I "game of thrones" like Cable show would work really well imo.
WoT is one of the most well-rounded series I've ever read.
I "game of thrones" like Cable show would work really well imo.
Part of what put me off for so long, was the Tom Clancy level of description for every. little. thing. that ever happens in the books. I was also hesitant to keep it up, being that the last few books were written by that other guy, based on Robert Jordan's notes; but my friend who convinced me was saying that those books are actually the best of the whole series because they read so much better. Apparently the new guy took the approach that by book 12, you certainly know what the feth is going on, and he doesn't need to waste 100 pages of 700 redescribing Rand and Perrin and the 33 other main characters in book 1 levels of detail. This allowed for him to write a better, more rounded story... So, I guess I'll be finding out in the coming months.
Might as well read Sanderson's original stuff, then. Mistborn is great, and the writing is much more economical than you'll find in most modern high fantasy series.
Alpharius wrote: Currently reading "The Red Knight" by Miles Cameron - and I'm loving it!
I recently finished the second book in the series, The Fell Sword. It's good, but not as good as the first and is clearly a set up for the next book in the series.
Reading the Kyle Swanson sniper series, sadly not in order as not all are available. Fantastic read full of twists and turns. Plus revenge which is always good.
WoT is one of the most well-rounded series I've ever read.
I "game of thrones" like Cable show would work really well imo.
Part of what put me off for so long, was the Tom Clancy level of description for every. little. thing. that ever happens in the books. I was also hesitant to keep it up, being that the last few books were written by that other guy, based on Robert Jordan's notes; but my friend who convinced me was saying that those books are actually the best of the whole series because they read so much better. Apparently the new guy took the approach that by book 12, you certainly know what the feth is going on, and he doesn't need to waste 100 pages of 700 redescribing Rand and Perrin and the 33 other main characters in book 1 levels of detail. This allowed for him to write a better, more rounded story... So, I guess I'll be finding out in the coming months.
Brandon Sanderson is probably the best thing to happen to fantasy literature in the last three or four decades. He writes giant fantasy epics and yet is able to keep things moving the whole time. Compare with GRRM and Robert Jordan who keep spinning off new POV characters and then feeling the need to keep showing events from the viewpoint of each and every one of those characters, forever. Sanderson generally chooses a couple and that is it for the book, with a few interludes from different characters who don't keep coming back every sixth chapter to show the same events from a slightly different perspective.
Brandon Sanderson is probably the best thing to happen to fantasy literature in the last three or four decades. He writes giant fantasy epics and yet is able to keep things moving the whole time. Compare with GRRM and Robert Jordan who keep spinning off new POV characters and then feeling the need to keep showing events from the viewpoint of each and every one of those characters, forever. Sanderson generally chooses a couple and that is it for the book, with a few interludes from different characters who don't keep coming back every sixth chapter to show the same events from a slightly different perspective.
I have also massively enjoyed Mark Lawrence's "Broken Empire" trilogy for much the same reasons... the books themselves are written in the style of a journal/autobiography type deal... You're given fairly sparse information, but what you do get allows you to paint a really damn good picture of how things look/work. And then, occasionally, that get's flipped around (such as the main castle in the series). But, each book is fairly short as fantasy books go, around 300 some odd pages, but they are well written with good action, good plot and some interesting takes on various fantasy elements.
I've just finished a bit of a binge on Iain M Banks' Culture novels. Except Matter and Consider Phlebas; I just wasn't in the mood for those ones.
Of the ones I read, it confirmed by position that Use of Weapons and Look To Windward are my favourites. Zakalwe in UoW is a horrendous human being, but is so broken I can't help feeling sorry for him anyway. It's the doomed quests for redemption that he and Major Quilan from LtW follow that make the books for me.
I still think that Against a Dark Background is my favourite Iain (M) Banks novel, though.
Yes, read 'em all. The Algebraist and the novels that came after it, Matter, Surface Detail and The Hydrogen Sonata are all rather anticlimactic. I can only assume it's a deliberate choice, to make us focus on the journey and not the destination. I'm not entirely sure I like that approach, though.
And then there's Feersum Endjinn, the one with the infamous "phonetic" sections. Not nearly as bad as it's made out to be once you figure it out. Mind you, I read that after I'd read Trainspotting, so perhaps I'd had good practice.
Going back to the late 80's early 90's and reading the Iain M. Banks "Culture" novels. Right now the "Use of Weapons." Since I'm deep into playing "Beyond the Gates of Antares" it's a good match. Well, not exactly a match of course but still similar enough for me.
In the last 4 chapters of WoT's Shadow Rising. Which apparently, not counting the prequel New Spring, is only book 4 of 13. I might take a break to catch up on some other book series that have come out since I started reading it and then come back.
jreilly89 wrote: Has anyone read the Disc World series and care to weigh in? It looks pretty good and seems like its up my alley.
Marvelous books. Some better than others but all good.
What he said.
Here's a chart to follow if you're looking to focus on the different arcs in the series:
I've read all of the Watch and Death novels, as well as the Industrial Revolution books (apart from Raising Steam, which follows after Making Money). I'm working my way through the Rincewind and Witches books.
Each series kind of has its own theme going. The Watch novels are mystery/political books, Death novels deal with personified concepts (holidays, rock 'n' roll, time). The Industrial Revolution looks at technological advancements in a fantasy world. And the Rincewind/Witches novels are all about turning fantasy tropes on their heads (which the whole of the series do as well, really).
jreilly89 wrote: Has anyone read the Disc World series and care to weigh in? It looks pretty good and seems like its up my alley.
I read the first one many years ago when it came out. Even though I thought it was good, somehow I never got into the series and now it kind of looks too big to start. Perhaps if they come out on Kindle pretty cheap...
jreilly89 wrote: Has anyone read the Disc World series and care to weigh in? It looks pretty good and seems like its up my alley.
The first disc world book I ever read was Reaper Man back in 97, purely because of the cover art of death in a straw hat. Worked out that it was one of the funniest books I've ever read and pulled me in to the disc world universe.
xKillGorex wrote: It's the wealth of characters that I love the most. The one that gets me is a certain vampire with a passion for flash photography...
Good character, though not quite up to the heights of the various Dibblers, in my opinion
Would someone who disliked THHGTTG like the humor in Discworld? Honestly, it sounds pretty similar in 'hilarity' to THHGTTG from the way people talk about it, but I'd be willing to give it a chance if it people who rolled their eyes at Adams still found Pratchet enjoyable.
On a similar note, I'm a couple chapters into Stross's Accelerando and it is insufferable. I've liked his short stories and Laundry novels for the most part, but eugh, this is one is painful.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Would someone who disliked THHGTTG like the humor in Discworld? Honestly, it sounds pretty similar in 'hilarity' to THHGTTG from the way people talk about it, but I'd be willing to give it a chance if it people who rolled their eyes at Adams still found Pratchet enjoyable.
On a similar note, I'm a couple chapters into Stross's Accelerando and it is insufferable. I've liked his short stories and Laundry novels for the most part, but eugh, this is one is painful.
The humour in Discworld is different to Hitchhikers, working more with Pratchett's satire and parody than Adams' mad slapstick. There is a much more coherent plot in Discworld books as opposed to the Hitchhikers books.
I too found Accelerando unendurable and had to shelve it after a couple of chapters, but somehow I came back to it a few months later, and the second time I was able to keep going and I actually enjoyed it in the end.
It was a very bad introduction to Stross, as I've enjoyed all his other books very much. (I haven't read any of his Fantasy stuff.)
xKillGorex wrote: It's the wealth of characters that I love the most. The one that gets me is a certain vampire with a passion for flash photography...
Good character, though not quite up to the heights of the various Dibblers, in my opinion
Ha true enough, all great characters. Even greater coming from one mind just a shame there will be no more.
Hulksmash wrote: In the last 4 chapters of WoT's Shadow Rising. Which apparently, not counting the prequel New Spring, is only book 4 of 13. I might take a break to catch up on some other book series that have come out since I started reading it and then come back.
There's 14 books, unless you count the prequel (then it's 15)
I'm about 1/3 of the way through book 2 of WoT, but I am probably just going to "slog" through the entire series, buying books 12-14 once I get there (I currently own books 1-11). Should still take a while because I'm reading it as my "I got done reading school stuff and now I need to wind down for the night" book.
Hulksmash wrote: In the last 4 chapters of WoT's Shadow Rising. Which apparently, not counting the prequel New Spring, is only book 4 of 13. I might take a break to catch up on some other book series that have come out since I started reading it and then come back.
There's 14 books, unless you count the prequel (then it's 15)
I'm about 1/3 of the way through book 2 of WoT, but I am probably just going to "slog" through the entire series, buying books 12-14 once I get there (I currently own books 1-11). Should still take a while because I'm reading it as my "I got done reading school stuff and now I need to wind down for the night" book.
Yeah, my personal reading time has been a bit reduced so it's taking me far, far longer to read the books than I like. Meaning I might need a different book as a break in between. Normally 11k pages would be less than a month but it's been 2 now and I'm only at around 3200....
Subtitled “A Graphic Journey Through Film”, Filmish examines key aspects of cinema in seven chapters; The Eye, The Body, Sets & Architecture, Time, Voice & Language, Power & Ideology, and Technology & Technophobia.
The art style is plain black and white without even ziptones. The character faces are cartoony, recogniseable as their originals, easy to view, attractive and expressive.
Taking visual examples from a wide variety of films, and weaving in commentary from academics and critics, Ross looks at the history of film, its power to entertain, to inform but also to deceive and mislead audiences.
I am afraid that white patriarchical authoritarians are liable to find a number of things to annoy them in this theme. The argument presented is that the dominance of white men behind the camera for most of film’s history, has helped construct a language of cinema that determines the principal way we perceive and understand film.
This “male gaze” unconsciously or deliberately can project subtle messages about gender, minority and race roles. In the case of propaganda, these techniques become more obvious, and in the case of things like the Hays Code, the system of social control is overt. Censorship is also considered as an aspect of this control of the medium by a particular power group “for the good” of the lower orders.
But this is not a shrieky social diatribe, it is an interesting critical look at these aspects of cinema. The book also points out ways that directors, actors and audiences have found to subvert or avoid these dominance structures.
Read it and judge for yourself if there is any truth in these ideas.
The final chapter considers how film is essentially a technical medium that is constantly changing. For a century cinema was the monopoly tool of big power groups like the major studios and governments, The author finds great hope for renewal in modern digital technology that has made film making accessible to nearly everyone, and empowered industries like “Nollywood” -- the Nigerian micro-film making business.
As well as the seven graphic chapters there are extensive footnotes for the quotations, a filmography, and a bibliography of the books used as reference material.
Looking outside its comic book presentation, this is actually a significant piece of critical work that introduces a lot of very interesting ideas about film in relation to society. The cartoon format makes what could have been a dry introductory textbook on film studies into an accessible, enlightening and enjoyable read.
Ensis Ferrae wrote: I have also massively enjoyed Mark Lawrence's "Broken Empire" trilogy for much the same reasons... the books themselves are written in the style of a journal/autobiography type deal... You're given fairly sparse information, but what you do get allows you to paint a really damn good picture of how things look/work. And then, occasionally, that get's flipped around (such as the main castle in the series). But, each book is fairly short as fantasy books go, around 300 some odd pages, but they are well written with good action, good plot and some interesting takes on various fantasy elements.
I just came here to post about this same series, which I just finished. I found it excellent. I'd raise it above GRR Martin and Robin Hobb, but behind Steven Erikson's Malazan series, and put it level with Patrick Rothfuss and his "The Name of the Wind" which I also rate very highly.
I believe I shall try some Brandon Sanderson next.
Kilkrazy wrote: I too found Accelerando unendurable and had to shelve it after a couple of chapters, but somehow I came back to it a few months later, and the second time I was able to keep going and I actually enjoyed it in the end.
It was a very bad introduction to Stross, as I've enjoyed all his other books very much. (I haven't read any of his Fantasy stuff.)
All I've read by him are the A Colder War and Missile Gap shorts, and plenty of his blog posts. I'm intrigued by the Laundry series; I might give that a bash soon.
jreilly89 wrote: Has anyone read the Disc World series and care to weigh in? It looks pretty good and seems like its up my alley.
Another definite recommendation here. The sheer volume can be daunting, but there's really no need to read them all. A few I'd recommend:
Mort: A good starting place, the first one that's actually a novel with a plot rather than a series of loosely connected fantasy. Does a lot with Death, who is one of the best and most common characters in the rest of them.
Going Postal, Making Money, Raising Steam: One of the more satirical parts of the series, this trilogy sends up the post service, banking industry and railways and has one of the funniest lead characters in Moist Von Lipwig. There was a decent TV film of the first one, which I think is on Youtube in parted-out form.
Wyrd Sisters: Pratchett does Macbeth. Expect double-dealing, treachery, politics and some rather unconventional witches...
The Watch and Vimes books: Basically a cop drama, but with more trolls... and dwarves...
To be honest, I started with the first one, and simply carried on from there. Mixing them up might work from a simple plot point of view, but thematically it gets odd. Plus, some of the in-jokes and running gags only work if you've read them in order (eldritch being taken to mean "oblong" and "do deformed rabbit; it's my favourite" only make sense if you've read The Light Fantastic and Moving Pictures respectively). Plus, from about Men At Arms onward, the onward march of society and technology in the background is fairly obvious and important.
Halfway through "Staked", Book 8 of the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne. Don't be put off by the number of books, though. They are fast, light reads. Very funny, and it has a TALKING DOG! Only one book left after this. Enjoying it very much.
Hounded (May 2011) Hexed (June 2011) Hammered (July 2011) Tricked (April 2012) Trapped (November 2012) Hunted (June 2013) Shattered (June 2014) Staked (January 26 2016) Scourged (TBA - Final novel in the Iron Druid series)
Kilkrazy wrote: I too found Accelerando unendurable and had to shelve it after a couple of chapters, but somehow I came back to it a few months later, and the second time I was able to keep going and I actually enjoyed it in the end.
It was a very bad introduction to Stross, as I've enjoyed all his other books very much. (I haven't read any of his Fantasy stuff.)
All I've read by him are the A Colder War and Missile Gap shorts, and plenty of his blog posts. I'm intrigued by the Laundry series; I might give that a bash soon.
The Laundry are good fun IMO. I have read the first four. There are two more out now and another one coming this summer.
Kilkrazy wrote: I too found Accelerando unendurable and had to shelve it after a couple of chapters, but somehow I came back to it a few months later, and the second time I was able to keep going and I actually enjoyed it in the end.
It was a very bad introduction to Stross, as I've enjoyed all his other books very much. (I haven't read any of his Fantasy stuff.)
All I've read by him are the A Colder War and Missile Gap shorts, and plenty of his blog posts. I'm intrigued by the Laundry series; I might give that a bash soon.
The Laundry are good fun IMO. I have read the first four. There are two more out now and another one coming this summer.
The laundry files are great as are some of the stand alones, particularly Glasshouse. I couldn't get through Accelerando either, and there's so many books out there that I'm not going to waste my time on something I'm not enjoying.
I'm currently swapping between the Malazan books by Ian Esslemont (Malazan Book of the Fallen is one of my favourite series, and these are just as good) and rereading the Dresden files.
I just finished Heretics of Dune. It was quite good, now I really want to read Chapterhouse: Dune. I'll probably pick up a copy soon. Meanwhile, I am now reading the first of the Humanity's Fire series by Michael Cobley, Seeds of Earth.
Uchi no otera wa shingonshu and 2nd volume of Sword art online are what's on my read list ATM. I'm swamped on reading! 14 more volumes of SAO to read and I have 14 more books related to Shikoku pilgrimage coming up along with 2 other I have also on to read list. Read read read!
I took a break in the middle of War And Peace (it's very good, but it is also very long) to reread The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle.
The White Company was published in 1896. It tells the story of Alleyne Edricson, a young man brought up in a monastery, who at the age of 20 in 1360 is sent out to try living in the mundane world for a year, before he must decide whether to return to being a monk or live a secular life.
What follows is a romping adventure through a Merrie Englande, France and Spain filled with the kind of mediaeval characters, historical details and mock ancient language (Prithee, Sir Knight, plight my troth for the honour of your ladie, etc.) combining action, morals and history, that only the Victorians could take seriously. Yet somehow it all works marvellously well. (My paperback edition has a glowing introduction by Anthony Burgess, who of course was no slacker when it comes to literature.)
Needless to say, by the end of the book Alleyne has won through all perils to become a knight, wins the love of his ladie faire, and looks set to live happily ever after.
Available like all Conan Doyle's work free on Kindle and other e-readers, being out of copyright.
If you read and enjoy The White Company, look out for Sir Nigel, a prequel published in 1906 about Sir Nigel Loring, who is a major support character in the book.
Kilkrazy wrote: Hokkaido Highway Blues has a nice section where he is hitchking round Shikoku following the pilgrimage path.
Ugh ;D I told ya I'm swamped! Now even more swamped Grumble grumble. I can't possible read all the books :( There's like n+1 diaries alone nevermind history etc.
Ah well. Try to fit that into the schedule...Somehow!
Currently reading Gardens of the Moon, it's a bit of a slog though. Almost feels like homework. I put it away last week and decided to give it another shot. Little more than halfway done now. After this is Lies of Locke Lamora and then Name of the Wind.
creeping-deth87 wrote: Currently reading Gardens of the Moon, it's a bit of a slog though. Almost feels like homework. I put it away last week and decided to give it another shot. Little more than halfway done now. After this is Lies of Locke Lamora and then Name of the Wind.
Yeah, Gardens of the Moon is kinda boring, as the characters are in a stasis except for the last (hundred) pages. I'm currently reading Deadhouse Gates and it's a lot better.
Name of the Wind is not worth reading imo, it's always saying how different it is from "normal" stories, but it's really not. It's a generic fantasy story with a teenage protagonist that is good at everything. And for all the praise it did get for the writing, I can't agree with that sentiment.
Its a book that deals with the entirety of British and Irish history while remembering that there is a great deal more to these islands than England, or what would become England. While is is around 1000 pages by necessity it doesn't go into too much detail and there are some errors (the English had 50,000 men at Bannockburn...?) however it does a good job of giving a reasonably comprehensive understanding of the subject matter while discrediting many of the historical myths that have developed over the years.
If nothing else it certainly illuminates just how tenuous national identities are, a single historically trivial event could have prevented the formation of modern nations or even languages.
That's a great book. That kind of high level history can give you a great overview of a period.
Warrior Race does a similar job for the fighting history of the British Isles.
Anyone got any opinions on Connie Willis? I downloaded the Kindle sample of Blackout, and I didn't think it was very good. Except for her having a good ear for English despite being an American, I thought the writing was rather remiscent of teenage crossover fiction. Is this because I ought to start with an earlier book? The author has multiple nominations for awards so surely she must have some merit.
I always thought Connie Willis fit in better with the 70s writers, like Ellison. I haven't found any of her stories to strike a chord, and I suspect that's because the genre and literary expectations have continued to advance and diversify in the decades since her debut. She's great on the convention circuit, though.
I'm probably being a bit unfair, but I tend not to give authors much of a chance if I can't get into their books quickly.
The Wax and Wayne books are great fun. Rather different to the original Mistborn trilogy but no less well-done for it, and probably a bit trickier to put together, too.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: I always thought Connie Willis fit in better with the 70s writers, like Ellison. I haven't found any of her stories to strike a chord, and I suspect that's because the genre and literary expectations have continued to advance and diversify in the decades since her debut. She's great on the convention circuit, though.
I'm probably being a bit unfair, but I tend not to give authors much of a chance if I can't get into their books quickly.
She actually is more of a 90s writer, from what I can see. It's very sad to start thinking of the 1990s as being a long time ago.
I might get her Doomsday Book and see how I get on with that, before I plunge into the bigger and more expensive series.
Avatar 720 wrote: The Wax and Wayne books are great fun. Rather different to the original Mistborn trilogy but no less well-done for it, and probably a bit trickier to put together, too.
It's been very enjoyable reading. The logic and consistency behind the universe is one of a kind.
The Wax and Wayne books are great fun. Rather different to the original Mistborn trilogy but no less well-done for it, and probably a bit trickier to put together, too.
Plus, the more of his books you read, the cooler they get, as you start to figure out just how interconnected they all are.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: I always thought Connie Willis fit in better with the 70s writers, like Ellison. I haven't found any of her stories to strike a chord, and I suspect that's because the genre and literary expectations have continued to advance and diversify in the decades since her debut. She's great on the convention circuit, though.
I'm probably being a bit unfair, but I tend not to give authors much of a chance if I can't get into their books quickly.
She actually is more of a 90s writer, from what I can see. It's very sad to start thinking of the 1990s as being a long time ago.
I might get her Doomsday Book and see how I get on with that, before I plunge into the bigger and more expensive series.
Huh. I must have bought a really beat up used book. My apologies.
Also, she's hella old. I remember her verbally sparring with Ellison at a convention in what felt like the 90's, and she seemed to fit in with the old guard.
The Wax and Wayne books are great fun. Rather different to the original Mistborn trilogy but no less well-done for it, and probably a bit trickier to put together, too.
Plus, the more of his books you read, the cooler they get, as you start to figure out just how interconnected they all are.
The Cosmere is such a well thought-through universe from how it currently appears. No masses of obvious signs and foreshadowing, and everything seems rather independent save small instances of joined threads. I'm excited to see where it all leads.
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I started The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet this evening, and already I'm in two minds. On the one, the premise is interesting and unique, and many of the characters are quirky and feel like they have some depth to them. On the other, the protagonist is 2-D 'gotta escape a from past that wasn't their fault and is only vaguely hinted at', plot seems to take a backseat to obvious, shallow social commentary, and I'm only 43 pages and there's already been a continuity error made solely for the purpose of said commentary.
I'm not even that bothered about the commentary itself; It's eye-rollingly obvious and has so far seemed bolted on, but every story preaches morals and messages. This one is just objectively poor writing and editing.
Has anyone else read this and if so, does it get any better at handling the social commentary, and does the protagonist ever become even remotely interesting?
Well, I shelved Accelerando and, feeling the Bern, picked up Turtledove's Joe Steele. It's vintage Turtledove, better than his Colonization series or later Jake Featherston books, but not quite up there with the World War tetralogy. It has a tighter focus, with only two POV characters, little extraneous characterization and none of the gratuitous sex that padded his earlier novels. The result is a quicker read, but has a bit of that Simpsons "All the recent events of your life have revolved around him in some way" feeling. All in all, if you prefer fun alternate history instead of plausible alternate history, this is the book for you.
I'm now reading Arthur C. Clarke's 1953 novel, Childhood's End. Supposedly, parts of this book were the inspiration for the TV series V. It's pretty good so far!
I recently finished The Turing Test, a short story collection by Chris Beckett.
This book of 14 short SF stories won the Edge Hill prize in 2009. While this is not a major literature prize, it is still notable for a genre book to win something outside the awards that exist in the genre (i.e. Hugo and Nebula.)
From this you might guess that these stories are literary SF, rather than hard SF, and you would be right.
Chris Beckett is actually an academic social scientist by training and practice. While he doesn’t have a background in physics or computing, the science in this book is pretty ‘realistic’ if I can use that word about SF. What I mean is that it’s low-key and mostly extrapolated from modern day technology.
Two stories for instance are set in a future London that is the physical host for a Matrix style consensual cyberspace developed to reduce the environmental impact of 21st century urban life. Obviously this combination of technology does not yet exist, but it’s easy to see the beginnings of it in current VR, and medical life support systems. You can imagine this developing in 50 years much more easily than you can imagine FTL travel, which we believe with our current state of knowledge is scientifically impossible. In fact there is an FTL story, but the point of it is to put some characters into a position of total isolation from the rest of the human race. Some of the stories involve more extreme ideas like a drug that lets you slide between parallel worlds, or a time machine to take holidays in the past.
The key point is that the SF elements are there to support the story, not to be the story itself. What Beckett is really writing about is the human condition, psychology, and inner space. He handles this very well, I definitely recognise and empathise with the emotions of his characters. To be honest I found the book rather sad, because his characters all have something to make them sad, and none of them get out of their sadness within the confines of the short story format. I don’t think that is a flaw -- everything cannot be triumphant -- but it does mean you won’t finish this book in an upbeat frame of mind.
All that being said I quickly went and bought The Holy Machine and Marcher, two Beckett novels that follow up some of the ideas introduced in The Turing Test. Next up will be a review of The Holy Machine.
Reading this for class, not by choice, but I am loathing it so much that I figured I should share it here:
"Sarah Osborne's World" by Catherine Brekus... It's basically a book about the rise of Evangelicalism in the US. It's fething pathetic. This book is doing little more for me than firmly reinforcing the reasons that I have for NOT being a Christian.
Seriously, unless you are firmly entrenched in Christianity, or you're a religious studies person (either in school for it, or holding a degree), this book is probably one of the most masochistic reads you may come across... I want to jump in a TARDIS and slap the gak out of this woman.
Finished Joe Steel, started Chris Bunch's Scoundrel Worlds. I'm not too far into it, but so far it seems someone has hired the A-Team in space as security for a union of Dreadball referees.
Ensis Ferrae wrote: Reading this for class, not by choice, but I am loathing it so much that I figured I should share it here:
"Sarah Osborne's World" by Catherine Brekus... It's basically a book about the rise of Evangelicalism in the US. It's fething pathetic. This book is doing little more for me than firmly reinforcing the reasons that I have for NOT being a Christian.
Seriously, unless you are firmly entrenched in Christianity, or you're a religious studies person (either in school for it, or holding a degree), this book is probably one of the most masochistic reads you may come across... I want to jump in a TARDIS and slap the gak out of this woman.
Care to give a bit of a summary? Having never hear of it before, I'm curious what you find particularly slap-worthy about the book.
Care to give a bit of a summary? Having never hear of it before, I'm curious what you find particularly slap-worthy about the book.
So she's a Puritan in/around Massachusetts.... As a teenager she was "overcome by a spirit of disobedience" (she had a teenage fight with her parents) and took the family canoe out on the water.... The current overtakes her ability to control it, so she panics, stops paddling all together, convinced god was punishing her... until she felt that his punishment was out of love, and that she would survive the ordeal. She later runs off and marries a bloke her parents didn't approve of (including going so far as to steal from her parents' shop a "bridal gift" that would have otherwise been customary). First husband dies at sea (he was a sailor), she instantly blames herself, claiming it was god punishing her for her sinfulness.
She did have a child by the first husband, and later remarries... well, this child (and there's a real Norma/Norman Bates vibe going on from the bits of her diary in this book) ends up dying at the age of 12.... At first she feels that god has blessed HER by taking her son away (as in, the mercy of god was that he comforted her by taking away the sons pain). This feeling of blessing is later replaced by self-blame. She goes on to say that god again, punished her sinfulness by taking away her son. In this case, the sin was that she loved her son more than god... Basically she states that god has taken away the people who she thought most important in her life (hubby and son) in order that she might have no one closer to her than god.
Ostensibly, this book is supposed to be about the rise of evangelicalism in the US, which would be an interesting book. However, so much of the book is swirling around this one lady, even though the author notes that Osborne's life/actions/thoughts aren't exactly typical of other evangelicals of the day, including the Puritan variety.
Haven't started reading it yet, but last night I picked up The Whispering Swarm, by Michael Moorcock. Was surprised to see something actually new from him on the bookstore shelf, rather than just another reprint.
Three at the moment:
1. Zaloga's comparison of Soviet infantry formations vs. German formations with a focus on TO&E discussions. I've gotten hooked on Zaloga's comparison books.
Recently finished The Holy Machine, by Chris Beckett.
The Holy Machine expands some of the themes found in The Turing Test short story collection.
This novel is set in the late 21st century, by which time the world has experienced a huge religious backlash against science and most countries have devolved to at best a late-20th century level of technology and slowly sinking further. The exception is Illyria, a city state on the borders of what used to be Greece and the Balkans.
Here the world’s surviving scientists have set up a republic of secular reason, and made new inventions like Artificial Intelligence, SenSpace virtual reality and Discontinuous Motion. By trading pieces of high tech with the rest of the world, Illyria imports raw materials, foodstuffs, and also guest workers to do all the low level drudgery like cleaning lavatories.
Unfortunately there is a worm in Illyria’s technological Edenic apple. Continuing disruptions with the guest workers demanding freedom of religion and citizenship, have led Eden’s authorities to develop sophisticated androids to replace them. This includes the creation of robot prostitutes, or Autonomic Sensual Pleasure Units (ASPUs) as they are termed. Gradually the government represses religion more and more, until pretty much all imaginative thought is under threat by a series of laws intended to put everything on a sound basis of empirical evidence. A tyranny of scientific atheism.
The book follows the story of three main characters who live in Illyria; the protagonist, George, his mother, and a robot called Lucy, as they go on voyages of self-discovery and development of their personalities into full maturity.
George, a young translator, has difficulty relating to the women around him. In frustration he visits an ASPU bordello, where he falls in love with Lucy, one of the androids. Lucy, whose design includes the capability to evolve her own programming through experience, gradually becomes self aware. This kind of problem is creating difficulties in many of Illyria’s advanced robots, causing the government to decree they should all be memory wiped every six months, to remove the cumulative evolving programming.
Trying to impress a woman he fancies, George joins the Army of the Human Spirit (AHS) a terrorist organisation that opposes the increasingly repressive government. When George realises that Lucy will be wiped and lose all memory of him, he steals Lucy and escapes from Illyria to the religious city states of Greece and the Balkans. He therefore is on the run from the Illyrian government, the AHS organisation, and from the ordinary religionists who live in all the Balkan states, as Lucy is to them an abomination.
Things go horribly wrong, of course. George loses Lucy to a religious mob, and goes on a punishing journey of self-discovery in the midst of a ghastly religious war. Eventually he encounters The Holy Machine, a new robotic prophet who has arisen in the course of the wars. Learning new wisdom from The Holy Machine, George makes some kind of sense of his experiences, and returns to Illyria, whose government has by now been replaced by a less reactionary regime, where he manages to start a proper mature life.
In parallel with this story, George’s mother goes on her own journey of self-discovery, by a very different path that comes to a different kind of end. Lucy too, has a journey to make.
While this book has many depressing scenes, essentially its message is positive, because by the end of it, all the main characters have grown and found some mental peace and maturity in the ways they make sense of and deal with the world.
Started reading Les Miserables. I honestly thought I wasn't going to like this due to the rather large amount of detail I heard is in the story. So far it's pretty good though. I remember I liked the musical because I saw a few themes in it that I enjoyed. If those themes carry on into the book, I'm really going to enjoy this read.
I read The Dwarves by (Markus Heitz), having found it in a half-priced book store and enjoyed it very much. So I picked up the sequel The War of the Dwarves, and found it to be dreadful. I put it in the "Take to half-priced books to sell" pile after I was only halfway done. Oh, well. There were 4 books in that series and I was hopeful.
kronk wrote: I read The Dwarves by (Markus Heitz), having found it in a half-priced book store and enjoyed it very much. So I picked up the sequel The War of the Dwarves, and found it to be dreadful. I put it in the "Take to half-priced books to sell" pile after I was only halfway done. Oh, well. There were 4 books in that series and I was hopeful.
Yeah, first one was great. Second one was horrible but I happened to read it when I had a fair bit of spare time so finished it and tried the third. 10 pages in I was sad I'd wasted money
creeping-deth87 wrote: Currently reading Gardens of the Moon, it's a bit of a slog though. Almost feels like homework. I put it away last week and decided to give it another shot. Little more than halfway done now. After this is Lies of Locke Lamora and then Name of the Wind.
Yeah, Gardens of the Moon is kinda boring, as the characters are in a stasis except for the last (hundred) pages. I'm currently reading Deadhouse Gates and it's a lot better.
Name of the Wind is not worth reading imo, it's always saying how different it is from "normal" stories, but it's really not. It's a generic fantasy story with a teenage protagonist that is good at everything. And for all the praise it did get for the writing, I can't agree with that sentiment.
You were spot on for the synopsis for Gardens of the Moon, that's exactly what it felt like! I still kind of enjoyed it, it wasn't bad but it wasn't particularly great either. I will probably pick up the next book in the series, as I've read online that Gardens is pretty much like a prologue to the rest of the series. I just finished reading Lies of Locke Lamora and holy gak that was a good read. Really, really dug it. Can't wait to pick up the next one. I'm a chapter into Name of the Wind so far, I'll let you know if I share your opinion when I'm done with it.
Currently rereading the R. Scott Bakker Second Apocalypse books. Some of my favorite fantasy novels. Saw this
which I thought was cool.
Leavening this with The Tome of Bill, a series about Bill the Vampire. Got the first one on kindle unlimited and it was surprisingly good. Currently on book 7; they are fast, funny reads. Also for when I can't bring my kindle I am slowly working my way through the Dark Conspiracy trilogy by Michael Stackpole.
Does anyone have any recommendations for magical realism? I think that's the term I want. Specifically, I would want something with the same 'feel' as Pan's Labrynth, with otherworldly grandeur tinged with darkness. Some weird Guillermo Del Toro or Wayne Barlowe-esque twisted fairy tales would work, too.
(I tried reading Barlowe's God's Demon but couldn't get past all the "then he sat in a chair made of suffering human souls and spit into the spittoon of suffering unbaptized infants" kind of stuff. I'll probably try again later because I'm pretty sure the point of the book is to redeem some part of that hell.)
kronk wrote: I read The Dwarves by (Markus Heitz), having found it in a half-priced book store and enjoyed it very much. So I picked up the sequel The War of the Dwarves, and found it to be dreadful. I put it in the "Take to half-priced books to sell" pile after I was only halfway done. Oh, well. There were 4 books in that series and I was hopeful.
Yeah, first one was great. Second one was horrible but I happened to read it when I had a fair bit of spare time so finished it and tried the third. 10 pages in I was sad I'd wasted money
That was almost exactly my experience. I'm not sure how much to blame on the translator and how much on the original author, but that series was an awkward read even when it was good.
On top of required reading for classes, I am about half way through "Fires of Heaven," which is book 5 of the Wheel of Time series.
Additionally, slowly reading through Blickle's "The Revolution of 1525: The German Peasants' War from a New Perspective." It's very slow going for me, as I have to work more time for it, but it is extremely well written, and remains very "modern" for a book first published in the 1890s (to be fair, this translated version was released in either 1975, or 81, I'm not sure which version I have). Also in my stack are Engel's work "The German Revolutions," Scribner and Benecke's "The German Peasant war of 1525, New Viewpoints," and Bax's "The Peasants' War" (a book that I know this copy was printed/released in 1899, so I'm excited, reverent, and a bit scared of damaging the book)
The oldest book I own was published in 1863, The Rise of the Dutch Republic by Motley. I'm never going to read it, it's hardly worth selling, being worth very little, and I don't want to give it or throw it away. It's a bit sad, just taking up space in my book shelves.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Does anyone have any recommendations for magical realism? I think that's the term I want. Specifically, I would want something with the same 'feel' as Pan's Labrynth, with otherworldly grandeur tinged with darkness. Some weird Guillermo Del Toro or Wayne Barlowe-esque twisted fairy tales would work, too.
Not familiar with that specific example, but it sounds like the fantastic Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell would be right up your alley. The writing style is very Dickensian, depspite it being a rather recent book, and it's over 1000 pages (though that is 3 separate 'books', just all printed together), but it's utterly brilliant. The story of two magicians in 19th century England, in an age where magic is believed to have died out; most 'magicians' simply study magic as history, performing it is unheard of... The reclusive Norrell is the last Practical Magician, Strange is given a book of magic and seeks out Norrell for tutelage and guidance. They become firm friends, master and apprentice, but with a little meddling from a Fairy (not the nice kind, the damn spooky kind), things go south rather rapidly...
The story of their friendship and rivalry is epic and at times utterly tragic, the treatment of magic itself definitely harkens back to a more traditional approach, with something of a scientific approach thrown in, the writing is excellent and the story and setting exceptionally well fleshed out through extensive footnotes and the text itself. Truly a modern classic. There was also a superb BBC dramatisation of the book last year, that's highly recommended too (I'd actually recommend watching the show first, it'll give you a frame of reference for the more complicated parts of the novel).
An interesting book translated from German from a battalion commander of the Falshirmjagers present at the battle. I haven't gotten into the German perspective part, still in the extremely detailed history leading up to the battle including step by step events leading to the Italian surrender and their outright betrayal of their former allies to get some extra cookies from the Allies(which they didn't get), details of the battles of southern Italy and how it almost didn't happen and all of the crazy mismanaged stuff that went on behind the scenes due to misguided priorities between the allied command and even interbranch rivalries.
As an avid reader of Roman historical ficiton from "I Claudius" to "I Claudia" its very interesting - in style as well as content. He has an interesting voice on the many and vared events of the reigns of Tiberius, Claudius and Nero - sadly much of his wirtting has not surived.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Does anyone have any recommendations for magical realism? I think that's the term I want. Specifically, I would want something with the same 'feel' as Pan's Labrynth, with otherworldly grandeur tinged with darkness. Some weird Guillermo Del Toro or Wayne Barlowe-esque twisted fairy tales would work, too.
Not familiar with that specific example, but it sounds like the fantastic Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell would be right up your alley. The writing style is very Dickensian, depspite it being a rather recent book, and it's over 1000 pages (though that is 3 separate 'books', just all printed together), but it's utterly brilliant. The story of two magicians in 19th century England, in an age where magic is believed to have died out; most 'magicians' simply study magic as history, performing it is unheard of... The reclusive Norrell is the last Practical Magician, Strange is given a book of magic and seeks out Norrell for tutelage and guidance. They become firm friends, master and apprentice, but with a little meddling from a Fairy (not the nice kind, the damn spooky kind), things go south rather rapidly...
The story of their friendship and rivalry is epic and at times utterly tragic, the treatment of magic itself definitely harkens back to a more traditional approach, with something of a scientific approach thrown in, the writing is excellent and the story and setting exceptionally well fleshed out through extensive footnotes and the text itself. Truly a modern classic. There was also a superb BBC dramatisation of the book last year, that's highly recommended too (I'd actually recommend watching the show first, it'll give you a frame of reference for the more complicated parts of the novel).
When you say Dickensian, do you mean that the writer wrote as if paid by the word? The story sounds like a good one, so I'm putting it on my list. Would you say it's more like S. L. MacGreggor Mathers vs Aleister Crowley (occultists who may be frauds) or more like Peter Straub's Shadowland (stage magicians who may be occultists)? I've heard a lot of great things about the book, but I want to be in the right head space to enjoy it.
PS: If you have to chose one Peter Straub story to read, read Ghost Story. If you have to chose two, read Ghost Story and the book he wrote with Stephen King. If you have a table with one short leg, that's where Shadowland comes into its own. Ghost Story was great.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Does anyone have any recommendations for magical realism? I think that's the term I want. Specifically, I would want something with the same 'feel' as Pan's Labrynth, with otherworldly grandeur tinged with darkness. Some weird Guillermo Del Toro or Wayne Barlowe-esque twisted fairy tales would work, too.
Not familiar with that specific example, but it sounds like the fantastic Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell would be right up your alley. The writing style is very Dickensian, depspite it being a rather recent book, and it's over 1000 pages (though that is 3 separate 'books', just all printed together), but it's utterly brilliant. The story of two magicians in 19th century England, in an age where magic is believed to have died out; most 'magicians' simply study magic as history, performing it is unheard of... The reclusive Norrell is the last Practical Magician, Strange is given a book of magic and seeks out Norrell for tutelage and guidance. They become firm friends, master and apprentice, but with a little meddling from a Fairy (not the nice kind, the damn spooky kind), things go south rather rapidly...
The story of their friendship and rivalry is epic and at times utterly tragic, the treatment of magic itself definitely harkens back to a more traditional approach, with something of a scientific approach thrown in, the writing is excellent and the story and setting exceptionally well fleshed out through extensive footnotes and the text itself. Truly a modern classic. There was also a superb BBC dramatisation of the book last year, that's highly recommended too (I'd actually recommend watching the show first, it'll give you a frame of reference for the more complicated parts of the novel).
When you say Dickensian, do you mean that the writer wrote as if paid by the word? The story sounds like a good one, so I'm putting it on my list. Would you say it's more like S. L. MacGreggor Mathers vs Aleister Crowley (occultists who may be frauds) or more like Peter Straub's Shadowland (stage magicians who may be occultists)? I've heard a lot of great things about the book, but I want to be in the right head space to enjoy it.
It is very wordy, yeah, but very well written. Definitely something that proves anyone who says fantasy fiction can't be literature is talking gak.
I'm not sure if fits either archetype, really; Strange and Norrell at least are out and out magicians/sorcerers/wizards (whichever term you choose. Magicians is the one used mostly in the book itself). There are several other characters that are perhaps frauds or perhaps genuinely magic (can't say any more without spoiling some major plot points), but magic is definitely a proven and recognised reality, even if there are only a handful of people capable of harnessing it.
This trailer for the TV series probably does a better job of getting the style/feel across:
Reading through a book called The Lucifer Effect. It's basically about one of the most ethically-grey psychological experiments to date. Very fascinating read so far.
SkavenLord wrote: Reading through a book called The Lucifer Effect. It's basically about one of the most ethically-grey psychological experiments to date. Very fascinating read so far.
Ethically grey experiment??? Im no shrink but you got me intrigued.
SkavenLord wrote: Reading through a book called The Lucifer Effect. It's basically about one of the most ethically-grey psychological experiments to date. Very fascinating read so far.
Ethically grey experiment??? Im no shrink but you got me intrigued.
The Stanford Prison experiment. Students were put in a prison environment, either as guards or as prisoners. Those who were guards often became cruel and abusive to those students who were prisoners. Was massively criticised due to the lack of oversight of the students behaviour and systemic flaws in the sample selection which raised doubts about the conclusions drawn. Basically he argued that putting someone in a position of power over someone else will inevitably lead to corruption of the person in power. However flaws in the selection of those used in the experiment made the conclusion suspect as those who volunteered to be guards were likely to enjoy and crave power, otherwise they wouldn't volunteer.
The professor who was in charge of it was later called as an expert witness for the defence of soldiers who were involved in the abuses at Abu Grahib prison.
SkavenLord wrote: Reading through a book called The Lucifer Effect. It's basically about one of the most ethically-grey psychological experiments to date. Very fascinating read so far.
Ethically grey experiment??? Im no shrink but you got me intrigued.
The Stanford Prison experiment. Students were put in a prison environment, either as guards or as prisoners. Those who were guards often became cruel and abusive to those students who were prisoners. Was massively criticised due to the lack of oversight of the students behaviour and systemic flaws in the sample selection which raised doubts about the conclusions drawn. Basically he argued that putting someone in a position of power over someone else will inevitably lead to corruption of the person in power. However flaws in the selection of those used in the experiment made the conclusion suspect as those who volunteered to be guards were likely to enjoy and crave power, otherwise they wouldn't volunteer.
The professor who was in charge of it was later called as an expert witness for the defence of soldiers who were involved in the abuses at Abu Grahib prison.
Ahh.,.. Yeah, I've read a bit about the Stanford Prison experiment... I was thinking either that, or perhaps the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, although admittedly, the Tuskegee experiment in my mind, is far more dark than Stanford.
This is the Author's Preferred Text, available for £2.99 on Kindle.
The novel develops two themes from the short story collection The Turing Test; the idea of social division, and a drug or device that allows people to shift into parallel worlds.
It's set in Bristol (west England) in the near future. The protagonist is an over-worked Immigration Officer, whose remit is to deal with "shifters". These are immigrants entering the UK from parallel worlds. This is done using a device or drug-like substance called a seed, which looks like a small glowing ball. You swallow it, and within a few hours, you are translated to a parallel timeline.
Shifters entering the UK this way tend to end up in so-called Social Inclusion Zones, which are in fact sink estates where the government confines the urban underclass in a semi-prison. Such places are easy to hide in if you don't have proper ID.
Not to reveal too much of the plot, a group of shifters plans to perform some crime and escape using seeds. Meanwhile, the rather bumbling forces of official bureaucracy are dealing with various kinds of social problems.
Simply being near a shifter, especially when they shift, causes a person to experience aftereffects such as weird dreams and out of body experiences. Gradually the protagonist becomes more affected by this, and is tempted to take a seed himself. Towards the end the book starts to branch off into multiple versions of the same scene with different outcomes, giving a feeling of dislocation and parallel worlds.
Like all other Chris Beckett stories I have read, it is very well written, with a highly effective, rather spare prose style, and ultimately rather sad. Don't read it looking for a triumphal finish.
In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
There's a ton of homage to the 70's & 80's.
Also, Steven Speilberg is slated to direct this in a movie to be released in 2017.
). I've read thirteen of those (out of at least 18 published), and am hoping eventually to find the others and read them too.
