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the book I've been reading most recently is "Castles of Steel"

WW1 history of the sea war in the North Sea between the UK and the Germans.

I'm not sure if Winston churchill kicked the author's cat, but so far, the guy really REALLY paints Churchill in poor light (I mean, there is some reason for it, but my point is, the author seems to be going out of his way to accentuate the badness).

Even with that said, it's been a good read so far.

I've been reading "The Hobbit" to my son as a bed time story for a while. For myself I've been listening to audio books of Saberhagen's "Berserker" series, I'm up to "Berserker Kill" right now.

Edit: didn't want to double-post. Finished berserker kill, now working through "berserker blue death"

Neuromancer. Awesome book so far, a real page-turner. Everything is described so viscerally, has so much style and Gibson‘s writing let’s you effortlessly create the scenes in your head. Doing the voices is fun too. I’d recommend it, crazy good for what it is. Can’t imagine what it must have been like reading this in ‚84 without the knowledge of cyberpunk and tech we have today.

 bullisariuscowl wrote:
Neuromancer. Awesome book so far, a real page-turner. Everything is described so viscerally, has so much style and Gibson‘s writing let’s you effortlessly create the scenes in your head. Doing the voices is fun too. I’d recommend it, crazy good for what it is. Can’t imagine what it must have been like reading this in ‚84 without the knowledge of cyberpunk and tech we have today.

Agreed. This book stands up to regular re-reads, even decades later.

 JoshInJapan wrote:

 bullisariuscowl wrote:
Neuromancer. Awesome book so far, a real page-turner. Everything is described so viscerally, has so much style and Gibson‘s writing let’s you effortlessly create the scenes in your head. Doing the voices is fun too. I’d recommend it, crazy good for what it is. Can’t imagine what it must have been like reading this in ‚84 without the knowledge of cyberpunk and tech we have today.

Agreed. This book stands up to regular re-reads, even decades later.

Yup. It was awesome in the 80s, and still holds up. It was fun watching cyberpunk unfold in realtime.

I’m in general a huge fan of Gibson, probably my favorite author. His last series is a little shy of his peak, but is only 2 books into his classic trilogy setup. Would recommend almost his entire catalog of work.

Reading the 6th Murderbot book now. So far it’s pretty good.

Finished There Is No Antimemetics Division a while ago. I highly recommend it.

I have been re-reading Raymond Chandler. His mysteries are pretty tight, but his prose is beautiful.

 bullisariuscowl wrote:
Neuromancer. Awesome book so far, a real page-turner. Everything is described so viscerally, has so much style and Gibson‘s writing let’s you effortlessly create the scenes in your head. Doing the voices is fun too. I’d recommend it, crazy good for what it is. Can’t imagine what it must have been like reading this in ‚84 without the knowledge of cyberpunk and tech we have today.

It is a great read, and fun to just be like "Oh, this is where every pop-culture cyberpunk work since got the name for X, or the genre staple of Y from."

Rogue Trooper - Friday vol 1

Part of the ongoing, but nearly finished, 2000ad Ultimate Collection.

Except, this isn’t Rogue as we know him. Instead, it’s the ill-advised reboot version, which stripped away too much. And goes to serve a strong central character is nothing if the writing and supporting cast are naff.

Gone are his Chip-mates, and with it the quest to have them re-gened and brought back to life. Gone is the background of the Nort/Souther war, and with it much of Rogue’s motivation to track down the traitor General.

And as a result? It’s a shadow of its glorious predecessor. Not unreadable or unenjoyable, but nowhere near as compelling or reflective.

Next up in the series is Feral and Foe, a comedy/satire Fantasy series from the mind of Dan Abnett.

I’ll be truthful, and I’m not looking forward to this one. I read some when it was serialised in the comic and it left me cold. But, that did involve picking up on a lot part way through, which is always a challenge to make work. I hope to be pleasantly surprised, but also braced for a “that’s plenty, on the book case you go” reaction. Which out of 192 volumes so far? Would make it the fourth such volume to suffer that ignoble company, alongside Tyranny Rex, and both volumes of Dan Dare.

"The Essential Epicurus," translated by Eugene O'Connor, distills the core teachings of the ancient philosopher Epicurus, who advocated for the pursuit of happiness through simple pleasures and the avoidance of pain. Central to his philosophy is the belief that true happiness comes from enjoying life's basic joys, such as friendship and tranquility, rather than seeking wealth or power.

O'Connor's accessible translation highlights the relevance of Epicurus's ideas in today's world, encouraging readers to reflect on their own lives and apply these principles for a more fulfilling existence. The book serves as a timeless reminder of the philosophical foundations of happiness and the art of living well.

Anyone who reads this text will understand my handle, especially if you read Fragment 86

The Deorhord, An Old English Bestiary

A non-scholarly historical book, by one Hana Videen. Whilst factual, this is for the mass market, rather aimed at academia.

It’s only just arrived and I’m a few pages in, but I like the style of prose. Informative without being dry, explanatory without being overly detailed.

It’s going to be tonight’s entertainment, to be consumed alongside a Jambalaya I prepared the bits for earlier.

Still slowly reading my way through Jurrassic Park. Still enjoying it. Don't remember Robert Muldoon (who's apparently named after our old prime minister) gibbing a Velociraptor with a missile launcher, lol. That wasn't in the film, badass.

 Adrassil wrote:
Still slowly reading my way through Jurrassic Park. Still enjoying it. Don't remember Robert Muldoon (who's apparently named after our old prime minister) gibbing a Velociraptor with a missile launcher, lol. That wasn't in the film, badass.

Muldoon was a lot smarter in the book. Aside from Jaws, the books are typically better than the films.

Goth, A History

A book chronicling the origins of Goth, by Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of The Cure. So history told by someone who was there.

It explores things in chronological order, listing collective influences, and what they meant and how they shaped the author, The Cure, and what would become Goth music.

As someone who’s part of the Goth subculture, his memories don’t half resonate with me. But hopefully not in a pretentious way. Just that the things and feelings that lead him down this path are the same things that lead me to it, and why we seem to enjoy the same influences in the same way.

If you’ve an interest in the evolution of underground music from late 60’s to now, definitely worth a read. And if like me you’re into the genre? Have your Spotify open, as I’ve been listening to a lot of songs as a result.

I recently read The Three-Body Problem, and am currently reading its sequel. It's pretty good! I have not seen the Netflix show, nor do I particularly want to, but I can definitely recommend the book.

I read a novella by Walter Jon Williams set in his Praxis universe, Investments. It was quite entertaining, with his usual mix of action, humor, and fairly hard SF. It reminded me how much I enjoyed his first three books in the series, so now I’ve got the new trilogy he wrote on my wishlist.


I am currently reading Ancillary Justice. It’s similar to the Murderbot Diaries series in that it’s about an AI trapped in a human(oid) body trying to get by with some violence. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the humor or the heart of Murderbot so far, and the author’s tripling down on a stupid linguistics point moved from kinda interesting to hella annoying real fast. If the story doesn’t pick up soon, I’ll stop reading it.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:

 Adrassil wrote:
Still slowly reading my way through Jurrassic Park. Still enjoying it. Don't remember Robert Muldoon (who's apparently named after our old prime minister) gibbing a Velociraptor with a missile launcher, lol. That wasn't in the film, badass.

Muldoon was a lot smarter in the book. Aside from Jaws, the books are typically better than the films.

I like both a lot, personally. Muldoon is definitely smarter in the book, I heard that they were going to make him live in the movie, but the actor got diagnosed with Cancer so asked they kill him off, so it had to be re-written. Too bad they had to give him the Idiot Ball to accomplish it. I do like the line "clever girl", though, lol.

Finished Jurassic Park and now back on Lost World. Up to the part where Malcolm, Eddie Carr, and Thorne arrive on the island (and Arby and Kelly too) and I like Eddie as a character and not looking forward to him dying :(

Just finished DA Big Dakka by Mike Brooks - good fun ork focused book with an equally well done Drukari including a romance subplot....

Reading my first full length BattleTech novel: Far Countryby Peter L. Rice.


Never knew that there were aliens in BattleTech... it's pretty interesting so far... I'll fill you in when I finish it.

 Mr Morden wrote:
Just finished DA Big Dakka by Mike Brooks - good fun ork focused book with an equally well done Drukari including a romance subplot....

Am reading this one now and greatly enjoying it. Mike Brooks does an amazing job at representing the Orky viewpoint imo, and I highly recommend all his ork related books to any fans of the Green tide!

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Reading my first full length BattleTech novel: Far Countryby Peter L. Rice.


Never knew that there were aliens in BattleTech... it's pretty interesting so far... I'll fill you in when I finish it.

From Sarna.net:

Because of the sentient aliens featured in Far Country, the novel's canonicity is sometimes questioned. However, it does meet the current criteria for Canon and BattleTech Line Developer Herbert A. Beas has confirmed its canonicity, with the caveat that the authors and developers deliberately ignore the Tetatae and shall not revisit them. The impact on the BattleTech universe is minor, given that the Tetatae only (theoretically) exist in a place that has no connections to the known universe whatsoever.

That being said, that was probably one of the worst books as an introduction to BattleTech fiction (and just generally a bad book IMHO as I gave up on it halfway through). For an idea of what order to read BattleTech fiction in, the following video has some good suggestions:

 ikeulhu wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Just finished DA Big Dakka by Mike Brooks - good fun ork focused book with an equally well done Drukari including a romance subplot....

Am reading this one now and greatly enjoying it. Mike Brooks does an amazing job at representing the Orky viewpoint imo, and I highly recommend all his ork related books to any fans of the Green tide!

Yeah he does it well and the Drukhari make a great foil and the interactions very good

 Ghaz wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Reading my first full length BattleTech novel: Far Countryby Peter L. Rice.


Never knew that there were aliens in BattleTech... it's pretty interesting so far... I'll fill you in when I finish it.

From Sarna.net:

Because of the sentient aliens featured in Far Country, the novel's canonicity is sometimes questioned. However, it does meet the current criteria for Canon and BattleTech Line Developer Herbert A. Beas has confirmed its canonicity, with the caveat that the authors and developers deliberately ignore the Tetatae and shall not revisit them. The impact on the BattleTech universe is minor, given that the Tetatae only (theoretically) exist in a place that has no connections to the known universe whatsoever.

That being said, that was probably one of the worst books as an introduction to BattleTech fiction (and just generally a bad book IMHO as I gave up on it halfway through). For an idea of what order to read BattleTech fiction in, the following video has some good suggestions:

Spoiler:

Don't worry, if it's as bad as you say it is, I will write a glowing review for it. The worse the product the better the review.

I’m enjoying re-reading Watership Down; great low fantasy epic.

Oh, and bunnies.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
I recently read The Three-Body Problem, and am currently reading its sequel. It's pretty good! I have not seen the Netflix show, nor do I particularly want to, but I can definitely recommend the book.

I heard there was some rough parts because of translation errors. I can't remember the specifics, but I could've swore that I heard on one of my favorite book review youtube channels (might've been "Quinn's Ideas") mention that it gets to be a tough read because of cultural references/norms that get lost in translation.

I always wanted to get into that trilogy, but I can only tolerate so much hard sci-fi. Needed to give my brain a rest after Blindsight and its companion Echopraxia.

 Jadenim wrote:
I’m enjoying re-reading Watership Down; great low fantasy epic.

Oh, and bunnies.

Yes. The book (and film) never to give to young children.

"Sorry Jimmy, but your Uncle is no longer allowed to give you books anymore."

 ZergSmasher wrote:
I recently read The Three-Body Problem, and am currently reading its sequel. It's pretty good! I have not seen the Netflix show, nor do I particularly want to, but I can definitely recommend the book.

I've listened to the whole trilogy. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts, I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say anything yet.

Edit: I finished that "Berserker Fury" book from Saberhagen's berserker series. Don't have an audo book to listen to right now, but for physical books I've been reading Land & Sea book 2 "riptides", and I'm also switching between that and the fellowship of the ring.

Finally have the time to dedicate myself to the entire thing, so I Picked up Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942, the first in Ian W. Toll's much hyped Pacific War Trilogy.

Been looking forward to it ever since Dan Carlin spoke very highly of it in his "Supernova in the East" WW2 Hardcore History series. Its going to be weird with all that I know now looking at the US as demoralized, outnumbered underdogs in this early era of the Pacific Theater when the Empire of Japan was arguably at its height.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:

 Jadenim wrote:
I’m enjoying re-reading Watership Down; great low fantasy epic.

Oh, and bunnies.

Yes. The book (and film) never to give to young children.

"Sorry Jimmy, but your Uncle is no longer allowed to give you books anymore."

Eh, the book is largely fine I think except for maybe the story of El-Ahrairah and the Black Rabbit that is told before Bigwig goes to Efrafa (also a segment I am always disappointed isn't in the film as it really speaks to the mindset that Bigwig is in going into the mission, that it may cost him everything, and there are also really neat comparisons between the wounds that El-ahrairah suffers to save his people and those suffered by Bigwig at the claws of Woundwort), which I remember being quite chilling when I first read it. Also, if the depiction of the destruction of the Sandleford warren is anything to go by, it would have been an incredible segment if it had made it into the movie.

The language of the book can be difficult for particularly young readers so those too young will mostly bounce off it from that angle, I think.

Problem is people see that it has bunnies and assume it is like Peter Rabbit etc. and just a fun adventure when the themes the book is examining are a lot more adult than in your stereotypical "bunny" story.

The film, however, yes. Though it is still one of my favourite animated movies of all time. The artwork for the English countryside in it is gorgeous, with watercolour-esque backgrounds and skies that suit the story so perfectly, something that the more recent CG miniseries absolutely lacked.

 nels1031 wrote:
Finally have the time to dedicate myself to the entire thing, so I Picked up Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942, the first in Ian W. Toll's much hyped Pacific War Trilogy.

Been looking forward to it ever since Dan Carlin spoke very highly of it in his "Supernova in the East" WW2 Hardcore History series. Its going to be weird with all that I know now looking at the US as demoralized, outnumbered underdogs in this early era of the Pacific Theater when the Empire of Japan was arguably at its height.

I just finished re-listening to that entire Dan Carlin series. He really does know how to make epic events sound epic.