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Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

It's 5 seasons, but after season 2 the series gets annoyingly repetitive and follows the same pattern regardless of anything that happens;

Uthred is the only badass who can fight the Danes (except when he isn't) that the good Christians tolerate because he is necessary and maybe an honorable man (except when they decide he isn't) who will in order; confront a Viking Warlord he will heroically help defeat in favor of the English (for personal reasons) halfway through the season, be labeled suspect/a traitor for some inane misunderstanding regardless of his contributions/actions, and will gladly walk back into the fold for the sake of England because 'destiny is all' and everyone else realizes he really is a great guy. Until next season.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/04/27 21:23:46


   
Made in eu
Frenzied Berserker Terminator




Southampton, UK

 creeping-deth87 wrote:
Crispy78 wrote:
Just embarked on a Joe Abercrombie re-read


An author I'm planning on going back to. I read the First Law Trilogy ages ago and loved it, I'm sure he's got a lot more material out now.


Oh yeah, lots.

Not sure how far you got, but after the original First Law trilogy there's 3 stand-alone books, a collection of short stories, then a second trilogy set about 30-40 years later.

He's also written an entirely separate trilogy of books (Shattered Sea) which are still pretty dark but are more a young-adult level. There's another new series incoming, but still a way off release.
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

 LordofHats wrote:
It's 5 seasons, but after season 2 the series gets annoyingly repetitive and follows the same pattern regardless of anything that happens;

Uthred is the only badass who can fight the Danes (except when he isn't) that the good Christians tolerate because he is necessary and maybe an honorable man (except when they decide he isn't) who will in order; confront a Viking Warlord he will heroically help defeat in favor of the English (for personal reasons) halfway through the season, be labeled suspect/a traitor for some inane misunderstanding regardless of his contributions/actions, and will gladly walk back into the fold for the sake of England because 'destiny is all' and everyone else realizes he really is a great guy. Until next season.


Thanks. That saved me a lot of time Hats. I had seen the first season and was kind of on the fence with continuing it.

More time for reading! I started a book on Alexander the Great by a guy named Freeman. There are so many of them out there, I chose this one because.... it was what the library had.

Rant ahead!
The local library has so few ancient History books I think I might donate some, but I don't want them sold at the $1 book sale. If I am giving them a book on Ancient History that is hard cover, I expect it to be in circulation! They do have a lot of "donated material" on the shelf, so there must be a path to do this properly.

The only book they had on Romans was Gibbon, and the most recent work on the Life of the Ancient Greeks was from 1959! There was no Herodotus, no Thucydides, no Xenophon, no Arrian, no Diodorus, no Plutarch, BUT they did have Josephus. The did not even have a copy of the Anabasis! The Persians had better representation on the shelf with a good book from 2022. That seems unusual to me.

Since I have a decent collection, and am getting older and want to reduce some clutter; this might be a good way to down size and keep access to the materials.
End Rant

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/04/28 14:42:51


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Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

Bought the Fabius Bile Omnibus by Josh Reynolds, because I wanted something different and I’d heard good things about the series.

Its great and fun.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/05/16 18:19:43


"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in gb
Mad Gyrocopter Pilot





Northumberland

Just finished reading The Lion book by Mike Brooks. Really enjoyed it, great author and definitely a better BL writer.

One and a half feet in the hobby


My Painting Log of various minis:
# Olthannon's Oscillating Orchard of Opportunity #

 
   
Made in gb
Fresh-Faced New User




Crispy78 wrote:
Just embarked on a Joe Abercrombie re-read


As have I, thoroughly recommend all of his books, he has a way of making you root for thoroughly unpleasant characters, somehow - at least I do anyway!
   
Made in us
Nasty Nob




Crescent City Fl..

Just finished Life after God today. I regret not having read it all the way through before now. I imagine a rereading all these years later may have been very inciteful as this book seems very introspective to me. I tryly wish this could have been a graphic novel with art done by Sam Kieth. I'm very tempted to fool around with an AI art generator to create a few pictures but I don't think I would be able to pull it off.
I'm still working on The Ninja Mind and have dug out The cosmic Doctrine by Dion Fortune.
Another book I picked up and started but have not finished. It's not an easy book.

And on the side I am planning to reread two manuscripts my brother has written, Winter on the Iron Bay and The Old stone, in preparation for the third which is is editing right now. (He's not told me the tittle of book three.) I am working on illustrations for his books and need at least 24 per book and some possible book covers. These are fantasy novels in his not D&D world with a splash of "Napoleonic's " thrown in. I've enjoyed them immensely for a few reasons including that my D$D character seems to have been included, in some form, as a villain of some kind. He's like the shark circling the boat in these books and it's amazing to me.
His second book is an improvement on the first as it seems like he set up scenes that will easily translate to illustrations. (I'm very happy about that because it saves me a lot of time and energy.

My Dad would read 4 or 5 books at the same time as well, I never really understood that growing up, I wasn't into reading at all until a year or two ago.


Sigh, Yet another doomed attempt by man to bridge the gap between the material and spiritual worlds 
   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

My son has really been into comic books the last couple months, so I’ve started reading some of them as well. It’s nice to have some interests in common we can talk about.

House of X/Powers of X. This is a really ambitious idea, and mostly well-realized. Some of it feels rushed, and it would benefit a lot from some side stories to flesh out some of the timelines and time periods, to make them more distinct. I was surprised it also doesn’t have an ending; it’s a set up to a new era/run of the comics.

Kang: Only Myself To Conquer. A nice, concise look at Kang’s life. Works well as a standalone. If you’re at all familiar with time travel stories, the narrative will be familiar, but without any twists you couldn’t see coming.

X-Men: X-Cutioner’s Song. I forgot how 90’s this was. The comic was a few years into its precipitous decline, with this being the last crossover (besides maybe Age of Apocalypse) that X-fans actually care about. The writing is uneven. The art is ….fine. Some real nice soap opera continuity, with revelations and the appearance of change. But really, read it for that thick 90’s-ness.

Essential X-Men 8. My son is working through the Claremont era in seemingly random order. This collection starts with the boring Outback saga, but by the end has the infamous Rogue on Genosha arc and (part of) the Inferno story line. Mostly good stuff if you like the classic Claremont style.

Rise of Apocalypse. This is a compilation of Apocalyose’s pre-modern exploits, apparently put out as a companion to the Age of Apocalypse trades. It’s…it’s schlock-coated schlock. Feels very 90’s with the excess, but I’m not sure when it was actually written.

   
Made in us
Perfect Shot Black Templar Predator Pilot





The Dark Imperium

Current reading The 12th Planet (Book I of the Earth Chronicles)

   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





One of the books I recently picked up and have been enjoying thus far is "Children of Time" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It is quite different from a lot of the "usual" sci fi, his writing style is easy and enjoyable.

I do have a stack of other books going of course, but that's one I figured would go over well on this forum.
   
Made in gb
Frenzied Berserker Terminator




Southampton, UK

Yeah, Children Of Time is excellent. Sequel is very good too but I found it a slightly harder read. Looking forward to the third in the series.

He's written for GW too, if you weren't aware. Very good genestealer cult novel.
   
Made in gb
Calculating Commissar




Frostgrave

I figure it's been long enough now so I'm starting to work my way through the Discworld series again having bought a bundle.

I just need to decide on the reading order - currently leaning towards chronological since I've got the first few and missing some later ones.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

Finished the Fabius Bile omnibus.

Might be my favorite 40k book trilogy behind the Night Lords trilogy by ADB. Black Library really shouldn't have let Josh Reynolds walk.

Gotta dip into some AoS next, perhaps the new Gotrek book.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/05/24 21:13:51


"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in us
Hangin' with Gork & Mork






I don't have it in front of me so I don't recall the exact title but it is a history book on Roman soldiers' day to day life and structure. Been a long time since I read anything on them and thought it would be a nice refresher.

Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka




NE Ohio, USA

Nothing especially deep atm
I'm about 1/3 through "Bad Loon Rising" - an AoS novel.
   
Made in gb
Calculating Commissar




Frostgrave

 nels1031 wrote:

Gotta dip into some AoS next, perhaps the new Gotrek book.


How did Gotrek get from the old world? I assume that series was done but I'll need to go looking for them again.
   
Made in us
Snivelling Workbot






I just finished up reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It’s really quite the adventure, with plenty of twists and turns along the ride. One thing I didn’t enjoy was the ending, because it just felt rather sudden to me.

“When you tire of living, change itself seems evil, does it not? For then any change at all disturbs the deathlike peace of the life-weary.”
― Walter M. Miller Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

Herzlos wrote:
 nels1031 wrote:

Gotta dip into some AoS next, perhaps the new Gotrek book.


How did Gotrek get from the old world? I assume that series was done but I'll need to go looking for them again.


Per the last Gotrek & Felix novel set in the World That Was, he entered a portal to the Realm of Chaos so didn't die with the rest of the world.

The AoS Gotrek series overall has been decent, but has imo felt a bit disjointed due to 3 authors* (Darius Hinks, David Guymer, Richard Strachan) writing the series.

Gotrek's culture shock at seeing how things have changed is good for readers of Old World stuff to get an intro into AoS.

*I just noticed Richard Strachan has written the most recent one(Blightslayer) so I'm looking forward to it. He's has some solid hits with his AoS books.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/05/25 15:43:21


"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in ca
Rampaging Carnifex





Toronto, Ontario

Recently started reading The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang and I'm hooked. If you're up for some East Asian inspired fantasy that isn't thick enough to be a door stopper I would highly recommend.
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

Finished up Alexander the Great by Freeman. Nothing special, but it does lay out a nice narrative. I actually enjoyed the parts about Phillip more than the parts about Alexander!

I have moved onto The Might That Was Assyria by H.W.F. Saggs from my local library. This is a very interesting book that reminds me a lot of The Persians except it was written in 1985(!) a full 3 and a half decades earlier.

It starts with a nice breakdown of the chronology of the Assyrians. Notably, this includes the early and middle periods. Most books focus on the Neo-Assyrians with little to say about those earlier periods. However, this book does not spend an outsized amount of time there, despite having better sources for it. In addition, the book takes pains to try to focus on Assyrian sources and points out if the sources are Babylonian or from other points of view. Many books just let Babylonian and Assyrian sources overlap.

The second half of the book is all about cultural and "Day in the life" aspects of Assyria. This was fascinating as it went into some detail about basic things like furniture, clothing, and a lot about farming/animal husbandry too. It painted a very vivid picture based on the cuneiform texts and art examples we have. Again, trying not to muddy the waters between Assyria and other Near-Eastern cultures.

I am not 100% done with the book, but am enjoying it a lot. I have a feeling Assyriology has come a a bit further in the last 40 years. Most books on this topic focus on Neo-Assyria, and more importantly their war-fighting, torture, and forced migrations. This was a much fuller picture of Assyria than I have every run across before. I hope I can find a similar, more modern book on the topic. However, I have a feeling the "fad" of Assyriology has passed.

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Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

Please let me know if you find a modern equivalent. The Might That Was Assyria is going on my list, but it looks like it hasn’t been in print for a while.


I’m still reading comics suggested by my son, but I also want to recommend Why The Allies Won by Over. I’ve read some WW2 history books before (mostly Beevor), but this one really added a whole new understanding of the war, and how and why it progressed as it did.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/06/01 20:53:51


   
Made in us
Using Inks and Washes





San Francisco, CA

I've been reading The Murderbot Diaries, a science fiction series (novellas, really) by Martha Wells. It's about a slightly introverted, slightly neurotic security robot that has hacked himself, and no longer has to abide by the robot code... (you know, the whole don't kill humans unless a human tells you to thing) But in general he's OK with humans, so long as he doesn't have to deal with them often. It's great, and I highly recommend it.

I also recently read Inherit the Stars, the old James Hogan book from the 1970s. It was OK, but it really doesn't feel like it's aged well, and despite a very cool premise (it's the near future, and we find a 50,000 year old spaceman on the moon), it is pretty slow and boring. Great swaths of it are dedicated to how the scientists use science to figure out... that the diary the spaceman had was a diary. page after page of meticulously describing science-ing. Yawn (and I'm a scientist)

I play...

Sigh.

Who am I kidding? I only paint these days... 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut



London

Got virtually all the Battletech legends book in a humble bundle deal. Been reading through. You know they are far far better than Black Library. Why can't these authors do some GW stuff!
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

Bob, you maybe interested that Osprey is coming out with a new hardcover book about the Neo-Assyrian empire in a month or so. Being Osprey, I expect it will focus on the military side of the empire.

Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
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Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

 Easy E wrote:
Bob, you maybe interested that Osprey is coming out with a new hardcover book about the Neo-Assyrian empire in a month or so. Being Osprey, I expect it will focus on the military side of the empire.


I am interested. Verrrrrry interested.

I do hope they’ll have at least a little bit of info on the LBA Assyrian military machine as well, though.

   
 
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