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Scorntyrant
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:55 am
Posts: 1516
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:45 pm 
 

I'm struggling to see any connection between Borges and Lovecraft to be honest. Anyway, I'm still ploughing through the Borges fictions - up to "The Aleph" now. I'm going to have to look into the links between Borges and Kabalah as there seem to be many direct and indirect references.
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aurechti
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:45 pm
Posts: 10
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 8:10 pm 
 

Numerator_41 wrote:
I've started reading 2666 after putting it off for quite awhile (I'm pretty hesitant on novels once they exceed 500 pages or so). I'm only about 100 pages in but it's very interesting so far and I'm excited to read further tonight.


Bolano is one of my favorite authors. I've read most of his work that has been translated into English. Honestly, 2666 makes more sense if you've read some of his other novels, like By Night In Chile, The Savage Detectives (my favorite), Amulet, Distant Star, and Nazi Literature of the Americas. He has these bizarrely overlapping realities based on the diaspora of latin american artists and pseudo-revolutionaries in the 20th century. Reading about some of the characters and events that are referenced in 2666 adds a lot of depth to it. Regardless, 2666 is great, if roughly edited. Glad to hear somebody else out there is reading him.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
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Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 8:15 pm 
 

2666 is one of my favorite books. I've read it twice now and can get lost in it - it's just so strange with so many layers, but it's so goddamned powerful. The last part, about Archimboldi, is a show-stopping, stunning read especially.
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andersbang
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:28 am
Posts: 1069
PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 12:40 pm 
 

Yeah, 2666 is amazing. The Savage Detectives is pretty cool too, but nowhere near 2666 I think.

I'm almost almost almost done with The Illuminatus! Trilogy! Just reading the appendixes, though that's still around 60 pages to go. This book is fucking crazy, very funny sometimes, very confusing, and has been one of my slowest reads ever (though arguably I have had a lot of RL stuff happening too which has impaired my reading discipline), but also because it is so fractured. I like it a lot, but now I'm really looking forward to picking up some new stuff

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PhilosophicalFrog
The Hypercube

Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 7:08 pm
Posts: 7631
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 12:49 pm 
 

I think I like SD more than 2666....something about the way the dialogue is written. It's more masculine, pointed. I don't know. I read it at a far more intense emotional time than when I read 2666.

Currently making my way through contemporary Japanese literature - it's interesting how most books are almost identical in structure and content. Most of the books (The Dark Room, The Silent Cry) I've read thus far read. They are both grim looks at reality coupled with surprisingly effective allegories about war and disease, to rebellion and growing old (from SC's vivid portrayal of a family members suicide, to DR's openly hostile sexual encounters). The tone is almost entirely factual, with little room for expository work. It's like reading the opposite of American literature at the time (1949-1970), where the authors were playful with language, dealing with grim reality with an almost hallucinatory vigor. Either way, I'd recommend both books if you can find them.

Also stumbled into Ayn Rand's We the Living and I don't entirely hate it. Her prose seems to be much tighter in this work.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 2:03 pm 
 

The Savage Detectives was amazing too, had a lot of cool themes about writing and Mexican culture and how the two are intertwined. It did start to drag a little for me near the end but I was pretty swamped in work at the time and didn't have time to read as fast as I would've. I'll read it again sometime - I gotta pick up some of the other Bolano works though.
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Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:06 pm
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:37 am 
 

Rand's Anthem wasn't bad. Not great but not too shitty. I don't think I'll ever read any of her longer works though, big fat meh.
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theposega
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 1:16 am 
 

Finished Steven Erikson's Midnight Tides earlier today. What a book. The Tehol/Bugg scenes were so great and some of my favorite stuff so far in the series, up there with Kruppe.

Up next is probably Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep. Hope it doesn't suck.
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MacMoney
Man of the Cloth

Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2002 10:17 pm
Posts: 2331
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:49 am 
 

theposega wrote:
Finished Steven Erikson's Midnight Tides earlier today. What a book. The Tehol/Bugg scenes were so great and some of my favorite stuff so far in the series, up there with Kruppe.


I always found the overtly comedic sections with Tehol & Bugg as well as with Kruppe in too stark a contrast with the otherwise fairly grimdark atmosphere of the books. And well, the so overtly self-aware comedy style that Erikson uses is something I find more cringe-worthy rather than actually funny.

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waiguoren
Veteran

Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:23 am
Posts: 2741
Location: Umeå, Sweden
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:02 am 
 

MacMoney wrote:
theposega wrote:
Finished Steven Erikson's Midnight Tides earlier today. What a book. The Tehol/Bugg scenes were so great and some of my favorite stuff so far in the series, up there with Kruppe.


I always found the overtly comedic sections with Tehol & Bugg as well as with Kruppe in too stark a contrast with the otherwise fairly grimdark atmosphere of the books. And well, the so overtly self-aware comedy style that Erikson uses is something I find more cringe-worthy rather than actually funny.


I thought he did that so we could differentiate between the (many many) characters a bit, seeing as how so many of his characters all seem to have the same personalities and manners of speech.
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Messiah_X
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:38 am
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 5:52 pm 
 

Erikson's comedy is a fantastic contrast to his dark and depressing parts. His comic relief characters still manage to have a great purpose in the story, no one is there just to be a running joke. That said, I think Tehol and Bugg are more entertaining than Kruppe, who I find can be annoying at times.

Speaking of Malazan, I just finished Assail, and with that the entire "modern" arc of the Malazan series as it stands now. I just started Forge of Darkness, and two chapters in I'm confused as hell as to what's going on. It seems like it retcons much of what we "thought" we knew about ancient history. That said, I trust Erikson to spin a good tale, so I'll keep going. Kind of wish he was going with the Toblakai trilogy first since I predict it will close up some of the big loose ends left at the end of Book of the Fallen. I'm also looking forward to Esslemont's early empire trilogy which is supposedly the next project in the works.

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failsafeman
Digital Dictator

Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 8:45 am
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Location: In the Arena
PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:11 am 
 

Finished Ursula K Le Guin's The Word for World Is Forest a few days back, definitely worthy of the various awards it won. Pretty straightforward story about an Earth colony established on a planet inhabited by quasi-humans, who are ruthlessly exploited until they eventually fight back - what makes it memorable is the richness of the depiction, and how strong the characters are. A problem I often have with (serious) sci-fi literature is that aliens are most often depicted as either analogs of an existing human culture, or wholly alien and incomprehensible; the reality of course would be somewhere in between. Le Guin in general is very good at creating truly foreign yet also relateable cultures, similar in some ways to our own but also built upon alien concepts and beliefs that create fascinating differences.

The more I read Le Guin, the higher she rises in my estimation. Why the hell is the Earthsea series her most famous work? It's far from bad, but man, the other stuff is so much better.
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darkeningday
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Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:20 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 3:42 am 
 

Have you read The Lathe of Heaven? Definitely my favorite Le Guin novel, and the 1980 movie with Bruce Davison rules too.
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Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:06 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 3:54 am 
 

I've only read Left Hand other than a few of the Earthsea books. Got a copy of The Dispossessed, need to read that eventually...she's definitely great. Left Hand blew my mind as a 16 or so year old, looking back I think it totally subverted some rigid gender stuff for me.
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andersbang
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:28 am
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:37 am 
 

Read my first Houellebecq the other day, Atomised, depressing/fun stuff, very easy read, I liked it. What should I read next from him?

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PhilosophicalFrog
The Hypercube

Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 7:08 pm
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 12:44 pm 
 

Platform is a bizarre sexy ride, even if it's openly Islamophobic - Atomised (or in my case The Elementary Particles) is a lot better as a book, but Platform is just so fucking bizarre that it's well worth the read...the ending is ridiculous and the pornographic elements are, for lack of a better word, classy. For a less nihilistic take, Hiroshima Mon Amour is a great French book about love and loss and war.
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Nahsil
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 3:43 pm 
 

I started reading Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland...

Never touched his stuff before. So far so good, getting some definite Kafka and Borges vibes.
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andersbang
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:28 am
Posts: 1069
PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 3:48 pm 
 

PhilosophicalFrog wrote:
Platform is a bizarre sexy ride, even if it's openly Islamophobic - Atomised (or in my case The Elementary Particles) is a lot better as a book, but Platform is just so fucking bizarre that it's well worth the read...the ending is ridiculous and the pornographic elements are, for lack of a better word, classy. For a less nihilistic take, Hiroshima Mon Amour is a great French book about love and loss and war.


Righto, Platform and The Possibility of an Island are up next then, I think!

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Scorntyrant
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:55 am
Posts: 1516
PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 7:41 pm 
 

andersbang wrote:
Read my first Houellebecq the other day, Atomised, depressing/fun stuff, very easy read, I liked it. What should I read next from him?


His Biography of H.P.Lovecraft, "Against the world, against life" is good.
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failsafeman
Digital Dictator

Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 8:45 am
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Location: In the Arena
PostPosted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:47 pm 
 

darkeningday wrote:
Have you read The Lathe of Heaven? Definitely my favorite Le Guin novel, and the 1980 movie with Bruce Davison rules too.

I haven't, just read the Earthsea Trilogy, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Word for World Is Forest. I have The Dispossessed and another novella, but I haven't read them yet. I definitely will get to The Lathe of Heaven though, I'm quite enamored of her after the last two books (Left Hand and Word).

About halfway through A Canticle for Leibowitz right now - I seem to remember a lot of people in here have read it. I'm liking it so far, definitely a different take on the whole post-apocalyptic thing. A return to medievalism isn't that different, but it focuses on life in a monastery rather than raiders in the wasteland and manly heroes and such.
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Nahsil
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 07, 2014 3:00 pm 
 

Canticle is awesome! One of my favorite books.
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Metal81
Metal newbie

Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:33 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:15 pm 
 

I'm looking for some new completed fantasy series to check out. I've read quite a few over the years and the ones that I've enjoyed most have been:

LOTR - Tolkien
The Mistborn Trilogy - Sanderson
The Prince of Nothing - Bakker
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Williams
Tawny Man - Hobb
Riftwar Saga - Feist

Any recommendations as to other series or authors to check out?

Cheers!

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Morrigan
Crone of War

Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2002 7:27 am
Posts: 10528
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 6:08 pm 
 

Metal81 wrote:
I'm looking for some new completed fantasy series to check out. I've read quite a few over the years and the ones that I've enjoyed most have been:

LOTR - Tolkien
The Mistborn Trilogy - Sanderson
The Prince of Nothing - Bakker
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Williams
Tawny Man - Hobb
Riftwar Saga - Feist

Any recommendations as to other series or authors to check out?

Cheers!

A Song of... oh, completed. :( Okay, then definitely go with First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Way better than anything in your list except maybe Hobb's books (I'm assuming you also read her Farseer and Liveship Traders books?). Abercrombie also has a few standalones set in the same universe as the First Law which are all very good. So in order, I'd recommend:

1) The Blade Itself
2) Before They Are Hanged
3) Last Argument of Kings
then
4) Best Served Cold
5) The Heroes
6) Red Country
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Metal81
Metal newbie

Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:33 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:42 pm 
 

Thanks Morrigan! Yeah, ASOIAF and The Wheel of Time got me started on this no incomplete series kick, it is hard to wait so long for anther installment when I'm reading a series.

I have read the other Hobb books and loved them all, just thought Tawny Man was the best example of what I like. I have also read Abercrombie's First Law trilogy but will circle back to him for those next three because they were quite enjoyable. Did you ever check out Brent Week's Night Angel trilogy? I liked that one quite a bit as well and it reminded my of Abercrombie's dark, anti-hero driven style.

Still, Mistborn has been my favorite read of the last 15 or so years. I was enthralled by the world and the magic system, and the conclusion was quite simply the best climax I've ever read. Did you read it?

Anyways, thanks again for the input, I'll be sure to check out more of Abercrombie's work.

Cheers

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Morrigan
Crone of War

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PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 3:10 am 
 

Nope haven't read those. So much I haven't read and I'm so lazy with all these video games... :oh shit:

Speaking of ASoIaF....

Image

Twelve days after this was posted, it will be December 21st, the first day of winter.

The next book is called The Winds of Winter.

BELIEVE

Edit: dreams crushed :(
Image
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theposega
Mezla

Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:42 pm
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Location: Neo-Allegheny City
PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:16 am 
 

@Metal81:

Read the Malazan Book of the Fallen. It's complete and so goddamn epic. I'm about 3/4 through the sixth book, so it's possible that it goes to shit (though all I've heard is that the ending is insanely good and yada yada yada) but definitely check them out. Really, really cool magic system and easily the best action I've read in fantasy.

And you may want to bend your "no incomplete series" rule and read Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive. I haven't read Mistborn so I can't compare the two, but man if he keeps it up with the remaining books, this will be one of the best series of all time.
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failsafeman
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:48 am 
 

Morrigan wrote:
Twelve days after this was posted, it will be December 21st, the first day of winter.

The next book is called The Winds of Winter.

BELIEVE

Edit: dreams crushed :(

You know he's going to die before writing the last book, but he'll be sure to leave a detailed plot summary so that Robert Jordan can finish it.
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darkeningday
xXdArKenIngDayXx

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:23 pm 
 

Odd, I'd heard it was Graham Joyce who'd be picking up the torch.
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Messiah_X
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:38 am
Posts: 402
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 4:28 pm 
 

Metal81 wrote:
I'm looking for some new completed fantasy series to check out. I've read quite a few over the years and the ones that I've enjoyed most have been:

LOTR - Tolkien
The Mistborn Trilogy - Sanderson
The Prince of Nothing - Bakker
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn - Williams
Tawny Man - Hobb
Riftwar Saga - Feist

Any recommendations as to other series or authors to check out?

Cheers!


I'm going to second Abercrombie (First Law and standalones) and Erikson/Esslemont (The Malazan Series). Both are great in different ways. Abercrombie's is a master of deconstruction. All his books have a bit of an exploitation film vibe (think Tarantino for lack of a better known example) while at the same time cleverly smashing genre tropes. All the archetypes are here: the barbarian, the wise old wizard, the noble knight, etc. and all of them get turned upside down. The characters are some of the best and most entertaining characters ever written. Glokta will always be one of my top 10 characters. It is "complete" for now, but he is going to be coming back to the First Law world with a new trilogy in a few years. I will say on his behalf that he is a very fast writer compared to certain contemporaries who still haven't released The Winds of Winter.

The Malazan books are extremely complex, but have hands down the best world-building of any series out there. If you enjoy Bakker's philosophical musing, you'll probably get into this series. It's very long (16 books) and requires a significant investment of time, and the writers are still going to be churning out new books in the world (Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen is complete and Esslemont's Novels of the Malazan Empire is complete), but it's totally worth it if you want to experience one of the most intense series out there. Keep in mind though that this is a series that demands your full attention. It will never hold your hand or wrap things up in a nice tidy package, so it can be confusing. There are times when you'll want to throw your book against the wall because things didn't play out the way you want them to. Also keep in mind that both authors' books are necessary to get the "full" story. Certain things will feel like major plotholes without reading Esslemont's books.

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Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 4:37 pm 
 

I feel like "enjoy" is the wrong word for Bakker's philosophical position, but it's definitely interesting.
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Messiah_X
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:49 pm 
 

Fair enough, I find both Bakker and Erikson to be a bit dreary and cynical myself, even if I do often agree with their positions (sometimes I don't want to agree but things just ring true). I guess what I really meant was if you enjoy the philosophical musing in general as part of the writing and story structure rather than the philosophy itself. Some people may be turned off by heavy-handed introspection and simply prefer pure escapism. Bakker and Erikson make you think, whereas a writer like Abercrombie gives you more of an action-packed fantasy romp. Both are pretty cynical, but in different ways.

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Morrigan
Crone of War

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:57 pm 
 

Bakker can fuck off. :nono: Never understood why people actually thought his philosophical horseshit was anything else but pretentious, self-indulgent tripe.
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I work with plenty of Oriental and Indian persons and we get along pretty good, and some females as well.

Markeri, in 2013 wrote:
a fairly agreed upon date [of the beginning of metal] is 1969. Metal is almost 25 years old

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Messiah_X
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:27 pm 
 

I like Erikson more than Bakker by far, both as a writer and for his philosophical views. I'm just making a comparison between the two because they have a similar approach in their structure. Erikson is much better at world building, character development, complexity, and doesn't have creepy rape fantasies.

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caspian
Old Man Yells at Car Park

Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:29 pm
Posts: 6414
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 8:55 pm 
 

Slowly working my way through Tolstoy's short stories. Man I love my new e-reader- most/all of Leo's stuff is free on the Gutenberg project so it's happy days there. Highlights so far, well probably the usual shit: Master and Man, How Much Land Does a Man Need?, some of his more adventure-y stuff about the cossacks. Sure beats the shit out of War and Peace anyway.
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Kahalachan
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 24, 2014 1:23 pm 
 

Been reading more and playing games less. Forgot to post in this topic but here's the past couple of books I've read with reviews copied and pasted from my Facebook. Spoiler tags are for cover images and are not actual book spoilers.



Book Review:

Horns


Spoiler: show
Image



The easiest way to know if this book is for you is if you like the movie The Crow. If you like a supernatural crime thriller story then yeah this is good.

One interesting thing to note is the author, Joe Hill, is the son of Stephen King. The nice thing is you can see some of King's influence but this is definitely not a carbon copy of something Stephen King might write. Their styles are very different.

This book is definitely a page turner. The best books involving supernatural powers have you guess "What happens if they use it like this or in this instance?" or "What else can this person do?" and that's definitely what Horns does to always keep you guessing and in suspense.

Aside from suspense, this book has a very touching love story without overflowing you with silly idealistic or mushy romance. When love is portrayed as a bond between two unique individuals rather than a bunch of cliches, that's when love is the most enjoyable to digest in fiction.

I have no idea if the movie that was just released is any good, but the book doesn't disappoint at all. There isn't much more to say because people should go into this book blind and have no idea what to expect other than the fact this book is about someone developing demonic abilities.

Grade: A





Book review:

The Alloy of Law


Spoiler: show
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I think here's the best way I can sell Alloy of Law. Think X-Men but in a Western setting.
Certain people have unique powers all requiring or involving metal. Some people can push or pull metal, which you can imagine is helpful in a Western setting. Some people can slow or speed up time. Others can heal rapidly. Weight can be adjusted to make things lighter or heavier. And so on...

All of these abilities are used cleverly and integrated well into the plot. The logic of these abilities is internally consistent and your mind creates a new world with its own rules. There's a lot of fun and creative uses for these various abilities that just add to the overall story. Not only that, but there's ingenious methods used to counteract special powers that really catch you off guard as being brilliant.

Now put all of these in a classic Western tale of outlaws and heroes but with an understanding of a modern audience, and you have yourself an addicting and satisfying tale.

The only drawback I saw is that I fairly easily predicted how the main bad guy, with his invincible seeming powers, would be beaten. If you have an understanding of Chekhov's gun (no pun intended) or are good at catching foreshadowing, then how the main villain is beaten should be predictable.

The plot twist in the epilogue is one that really got me though. You know another book is going to come out and you can't wait for it. There's also lots of surprises well within the story that delight.

This is an awesome book and the next one in the series can't come soon enough.

Final Verdict: A

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Morrigan
Crone of War

Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2002 7:27 am
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 24, 2014 4:29 pm 
 

Messiah_X wrote:
creepy rape fantasies.

Hahaha that's fucking Bakker in a nutshell.
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Markeri, in 2013 wrote:
a fairly agreed upon date [of the beginning of metal] is 1969. Metal is almost 25 years old

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Thumbman
Big Cube

Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:47 pm
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 3:31 pm 
 

Just finished Ham on Rye by Bukowski and he is exactly as much as an asshole as everyone says he is. Modest Mouse were pretty spot on when they said "yeah I know he's a pretty good read, but god who'd want to be such an asshole?". It's an autobiographical book running from his childhood to the year after graduating highschool. Found it a nice entertaining and grease-filled read, although did make me a bit depressed in parts. Would be interested in reading the other books in the series.
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hots_towel
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:19 am
Posts: 426
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 6:09 pm 
 

looking into Sapkowskis "Blood of elves" as my next fantasy read (i usually weave in and out of fiction, nonfiction). The last wish is probably my second favorite fantasy book behind LOTR. Either Sapkowski himself or his translator have a prose that I cant seem to look away from when i start reading. plus its got me all excited for the witcher 3

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darkeningday
xXdArKenIngDayXx

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:20 pm
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 7:37 pm 
 

I like the Witcher games too but Sapkowski is a terrible author...
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theposega
Mezla

Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:42 pm
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Location: Neo-Allegheny City
PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 1:37 am 
 

dystopia4 wrote:
Just finished Ham on Rye by Bukowski and he is exactly as much as an asshole as everyone says he is. Modest Mouse were pretty spot on when they said "yeah I know he's a pretty good read, but god who'd want to be such an asshole?". It's an autobiographical book running from his childhood to the year after graduating highschool. Found it a nice entertaining and grease-filled read, although did make me a bit depressed in parts. Would be interested in reading the other books in the series.


Go with Women next. My personal favorite Bukowski novel of the ones I've read.

Finished Reaper's Gale today. It probably has Erikson's best and worst moments in it so far.
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