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iamntbatman
Chaos Breed

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 2:06 pm 
 

There's a cool-looking graphic novel version of The Moon Moth:

http://us.macmillan.com/themoonmoth/JackVance
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Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 8:06 pm 
 

Will check it out asap. If he has a collection or two of short stories then I've got some shopping to do.

And you're very possibly right, the Darsh are huge front-runners just on the strength of their preferred sport.

The Rhune in this Alastor: Marune 933 book are pretty intriguing although they haven't gotten into a ton of detail yet. The "mirk" and the way they handle copulation though...wow.
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iamntbatman
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 2:32 am 
 

Just finished Demon Princes #2 - "The Killing Machine"

This one was fuckin' rad, too. I loved the simplicity of the early sequence, the whole bit with the Interchange and the counterfeiting scheme, then of course the crazy fantasy world of Thamber. I also really like how Gersen's just a straight up badass; sure dudes like him are common in adventure stories but I guess years spent with more complex/less traditional heroes on other media has made me forget just how satisfying a well-written badass can be. He's like James Bond meets Dexter...iiiiiiiiiiin spaaaaace. I also like how he's two for two so far in getting the girl just sort of incidentally, hah, and how this second one was an incomprehensibly beautiful fantasy princess to boot. I do admit that I was slightly let down again with the confrontation with the actual Demon Prince; just like in The Star King his identity is basically a mystery until the very end and then he dies with little fanfare. Hopefully future books are more satisfying in this regard.

Edit: I also find it kind of amusing, quaint really, that Vance is sort of prudish. He has no problem with really vicious descriptions of violence but whenever there's profanity he tiptoes around actually using it, and despite it being the sexy future everyone's pretty modest. Though maybe The Palace of Love will have some banging, since it's written in '67 and is about some sort of space bordello I reckon.
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failsafeman
Digital Dictator

Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 8:45 am
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 4:47 am 
 

Well, it doesn't really dive into the character of Kokor Hekkus very much, it's just sort of subtext. But, starting with #2, a running theme is the Demon Princes, for all their genius and power, generally use it in large part for incredibly petty, childish, and generally immature things. It's an interesting psychological premise, that actually seems to hold real weight - serial killers for example were very often abused by their mothers, ridiculed for wetting the bed, generally bullied, that kind of thing. Those childhood traumas end up stunting their emotional growth and stifling compassion, and even if they end up becoming extremely intelligent in adulthood, a lot of their inner lives seem very childish once revealed.

It's a failing of The Killing Machine that you never get an inside look at Hekkus (the main reason it isn't as good as 3-5), but as you can tell from his actions, a huge amount of his time and effort is spent essentially acting out a real-life RPG on his private D&D planet. The dude is fucking immortal, incredibly rich, and essentially a dictator within his galactic territory, and yet the reason Gersen catches him is because the princess tries to escape Hekkus's cliche D&D narrative. It seems to me he wasn't madly in love with her or anything like that, he was just pissed off that she had broken free of his control, and his ego demanded he get her back.

As for the fight, none of the eventual confrontations involve epic action-y showdowns or anything. I mean, these guys aren't Bane or the Joker or whatever, they're essentially Don Corleone, heads of vast criminal empires whose major defense is secrecy and whose major weapon is their intelligence and organizational abilities. They have henchmen to actually do the dirty work. Gersen meanwhile is a highly-skilled assassin. A green beret could beat the shit out of John Gotti 1-on-1. However, the last three confrontations are MUCH more emotionally satisfying, since you get a lot more insight into the characters of Demon Princes 3-5. I really really want to tell you more, but I don't want to risk spoiling anything either!
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iamntbatman
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 2:23 pm 
 

Well, I'm definitely looking forward to them. I started The Palace of Love but I'm not very far into it just yet.
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Jonpo
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:00 pm 
 

The Face is probably my favorite book in the series, but The Book of Dreams definitely has the most complex and interesting bad guy.

Batjim, you've gotta check out The Dying Earth and the Lyonesse trilogy! Then Planet of Adventure. He's so versatile and yet his style is instantly recognizable. I hope you have as much fun as I have going through his works. So far I've found almost everything I've searched for dirt cheap on Amazon.

NEVER see his stuff at the used book stores around here though. People hold onto this shit forever.
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iamntbatman
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:16 pm 
 

Yeah, I've never seen any for sale anywhere. The lye berry doesn't have much so once I finish Demon Princes I'll probably start buying 'em on the innanet.
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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
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Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:52 pm 
 

I'm lucky in that if I visit one of the really good used bookstores here there's probably a 50/50 chance I'll find at least one Vance book.

The Face, number 4, is probably my favourite too. And I love the ending to that one. I think Palace of Love is great too though....Navarth is such an awesome character. By the time you get to book 3 the sense of place is really something and you start to feel like you know this future universe. SO many cool little details; even the inter-chapter exerpts are memorable and clever.
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failsafeman
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:53 pm 
 

Jonpo wrote:
Batjim, you've gotta check out The Dying Earth and the Lyonesse trilogy! Then Planet of Adventure.

Durdane > all of those :annoyed:
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Jonpo
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:14 pm 
 

I'm going to have to re-read the Durdane series. I took a ridiculous amount of time between the second and last book and it suffered for the gap. Completely my fault and it was still pretty good from what I remember. I can obviously agree that it's better than Planet of Adventure. Not The Dying Earth though, that one is way too special to me. As soon as I get it back I'm going to read Rhialto the Marvelous for like the sixth time.
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Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:05 am 
 

What do you guys think about the Alastor series? I managed to find a copy for a couple dollars at the thrift shop. Never read any Vance before.
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Jonpo
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:46 pm 
 

I'm most of the way through Marune 933 and it's been very satisfying. If I'm correct though, I don't think the books actually intertwine beyond being set in the same cluster?

I wouldn't mind if they did because I'm loving the protag in Marune 933, simple though he is.
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andersbang
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:26 pm 
 

The other day I just finished The Master and Margarita again, it's still awesome. Today I reread Winter's Bone as I had to travel a bit by train, still pretty great, though his use of italics all the fucking time was irritating, he writes good enough to get the point across without shoving it in your face. I just recieved Never Let Me Go and A Canticle for Leibowitz, and have The Amazing Adentures of Kavalier and Clay in the mail, so I'll be reading those the next couple days.

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jute
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:30 am
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 1:54 pm 
 

andersbang wrote:
Today I reread Winter's Bone as I had to travel a bit by train, still pretty great, though his use of italics all the fucking time was irritating, he writes good enough to get the point across without shoving it in your face.


It's interesting to see someone from Denmark reading Woodrell. I've lived in the Ozarks my whole life and currently live very close to where they shot the film adaptation of Winter's Bone. Woodrells depiction of the backwoods uneducated rural poor in this area is accurate, and his writing is very fine. I recommend Tomato Red and The Death of Sweet Mister if you haven't read them.

I'm currently reading Henry Hart's biography of James Dickey, James Dickey: The World as a Lie. Dickey was a great poet and novelist but a basically wretched human being. Reading 800 pages of cringe-worthy drunken self-destruction is difficult, though it has helped me understand that my troubles with Dickey's later work are probably related to the alcohol-induced decline of his abilities.

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iamntbatman
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 2:06 pm 
 

Oh, uh, The Palace of Love was pretty sweet, with some elements that stuck with me a little more thoroughly than some stuff from the previous two. Navarth was a fun character. However, I wasn't quite as captivated by Viole Falushe's antics as I was with Kokor Hekkus' in The Killing Machine, even if they were a little more fully fleshed out. The library is taking their sweet time sending the next volume to my branch, though. Hopefully I'll have it in my hands tomorrow (along with Gene Wolfe's Shadow & Claw).
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Acidgobblin
Literally a puppy

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 7:27 pm 
 

I'm currently re-reading Robin Hobb's "The Farseer" trilogy. Was my favorite fantasy serious prior to reading Song of Ice and Fire; gotta say, while The Farseer is still good, the characters are pretty wooden. FitzChivalry seems like the idea of a teenage boy as written by a woman. But still worth reading...
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andersbang
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:41 pm 
 

jute wrote:
andersbang wrote:
Today I reread Winter's Bone as I had to travel a bit by train, still pretty great, though his use of italics all the fucking time was irritating, he writes good enough to get the point across without shoving it in your face.


It's interesting to see someone from Denmark reading Woodrell. I've lived in the Ozarks my whole life and currently live very close to where they shot the film adaptation of Winter's Bone. Woodrells depiction of the backwoods uneducated rural poor in this area is accurate, and his writing is very fine. I recommend Tomato Red and The Death of Sweet Mister if you haven't read them.


Yeah, Denmark is pretty far from the rural (hillbilly) life in the midwest, but the book got a lot of word of mouth up to the movie adaptation, and I heard good things about it, so it got on my reading list. As said, it's the second time I read it. The region and rural life in itself is interesting to me coming from a big city in a small country ('big city' = 1,5 million, but there's only 5,5 total in Denmark, so..). I also enjoyed McCarthy's early work which touch some of the same themes (though mostly taking place in Tennesee).

Thanks for the Woodrell recommendations, will check them out!

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niix
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2009 3:48 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:35 am 
 

just picked up Stephen King's new novel, 'Doctor Sleep'.. it is the sequel to 'the Shining'... it is pretty intense.
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MARSDUDE
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:16 am 
 

niix wrote:
just picked up Stephen King's new novel, 'Doctor Sleep'.. it is the sequel to 'the Shining'... it is pretty intense.


Can't wait to read that bastard.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:20 am 
 

I finished it last night. It's good - it's very outlandish and strange, and the plot would be absolutely ridiculous if it was a movie or anything. I hope they never do that. As a book though, well, King has a way of making those silly things very dramatic. He does good characters and makes you forget how silly the plot is. The writing is well done and I think he's made a good transition into a more character-based, well-rounded style, rather than the go-for-the-scare approach of his early stuff.
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niix
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:53 pm 
 

i know what you mean by hoping it does not become a film.. if it does it had better be top of the line production and cast/crew.. the plot does seem silly, yet it actually is a pretty scary one indeed.. i could not imagine putting up with that shit.. it is awesome though! it rings a bit of a, blues vibe throughout the pages.. when i read, i tend to create an atmosphere of a soundtrack to what is going on. it always has been like that.. sometimes, the words become lyrics then the lyrics are screaming in mind. (even have to put the damn thing down due to too much going on).. so the blues vibe is still sticking so far.. the 'riff' of the drift could change especially when i get into learning more about the True Knot..
p.s did you know King was a part of a music group called 'the Rock Bottom Remainders? i never knew that!
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Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 5:20 pm 
 

I have this problem where I'm trying to read too many books and consequently getting nothing read. I also can't play open world/sandbox video games.

Right now I'm reading: Urth of the New Sun, The New Buddhism, Care of the Soul, Being and Time...and I've started on A Theory of Everything, On Becoming a Person, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Psychology, Animal Ethics...

There's a hierarchy, I'm closest to New Buddhism/Care of the Soul/Urth, with B&T trailing behind, and the rest trailing further behind, but even 2-3 books is too much. Gah!
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Acidgobblin
Literally a puppy

Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:56 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:22 pm 
 

^I used to do that before I came to the same conclusion that you yourself have reached. Nowadays, I only read one fiction novel and one non-fiction at a time and am able to fully comprehend both.... The craving for information shouldn't lead to information overload.
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MARSDUDE
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:30 pm 
 

Yup, I just read one novel at a time. Short story anthologies I seem to want to read two at a time, though. Flipping back and forth after each story.
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iamntbatman
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 11:46 pm 
 

Cripes, almost fell off the first page!

Demon Princes #4 (The Face) was great, probably the all-around best of them so far. Wonderful sneaky antics by Gersen early on, then loads of fun adventures on Dar Sai, which was just wonderfully detailed and alive-feeling (plus he beat them at their own sport and porked a hot chick from a notoriously insular, stuck-up, prudish society). Then of course Methel had that well-crafted suburban Utopia with the celebrity-worship city of middle class people to run all the services the Methlen required to maintain their lifestyle. Lens Larque was also the most "real" feeling of the Demon Princes so far, even if he wasn't quite as enjoyably deranged as Kokor Hekkus or Viole Falushe.

I've started The Book of Dreams and it's neat so far, but still finding its legs.
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iamntbatman
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:20 am 
 

Book of Dreams was also fantastic. Howard Alan Treesong is definitely my favorite of the five Demon Princes, and the Book of Dreams itself was a really awesome bit of characterization for him. While none of the worlds Gersen visits are quite as fleshed out as Dar Sai was, there's still some really neat variety and the finale on the insane Jurassic Park alien jungle planet was a hoot.

I'm pretty sold on Jack Vance after reading through those books. It's pretty incredible how he's able to turn every world in the galaxy into this vibrant microcosm, yet still manage to make everything feel like it's part of a well-developed lore. Part of that might be due to his utter inability (or his lack of desire) to really differentiate between the ways any of the characters speak; they've all got this ridiculously well-spoken, archaic, formal way of talking that basically doesn't change much no matter where Gersen goes or who he talks to. That's not really a complaint, mind; the differences in physical appearance, dress, mannerisms, social customs and all of that made the whole cast memorable and alive, with the dialog functioning as part of what made it all part of the same meta-culture.

Next up for me is Gene Wolfe's New Sun series.
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DoomClaw
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 10:21 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 2:14 pm 
 

As stereotypical for a metalhead as it may seem, I`m currently reading H.P. Lovecraft`s Necronomicon (the chronological collective collection of his poetry and short stories) and I`m thoroughly enjoying every page!
The sense of impending doom is unmistakable, and it`s easy to see why so many metal bands have been influenced by his work. I`m finding it absolutely enthralling.
I`m on a horror kick lately, and decided to go nostalgic with some Goosebumps the other day (Night of The Living Dummy III) which was finished in one sitting..
Other than that, I`m constantly reading books on music theory and guitars; Currently reading a textbook called Music: An Appreciation which explains basic theory, and also has the complete history of music with the stories and works of notable composers examined.

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iamntbatman
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 3:15 pm 
 

Ah, phew, someone else posted in the thread so I can keep talking about books without this seeming like my personal blog.

Reading Lovecraft in chronological order is pretty fun, though there are some duds kind of early on in his career (for example, Reanimator kind of plods as a written story, due to how it seems like he didn't really give a shit and because of the demands of it being serialized, but was awesome as a movie). I especially enjoy some of those really short early Dunsany-ish dream stories.

I finished Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer and am about halfway through The Claw of the Conciliator. The two books have a fairly distinct tone, with the first seeming more dreary and dismal but doing an excellent job of introducing the setting and getting me accustomed to Severian as a protagonist and narrator. The second book has been much more of a wild adventure so far and I can't wait to find out how things turn out for Severian. I've got the third and fourth books coming in to the library so I'll probably pick those up next week, though they don't have the fifth so I'll have to buy that I guess.

I've also got a collection of Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan novels on hold at the library, which I'm really looking forward to.
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jute
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 2:28 pm 
 

I think Lovecraft's early Dunsany-esque stories are really underrated even by people like S.T. Joshi, whose two-volume Lovecraft bio I Am Providence I am about to begin reading.

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andersbang
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 3:43 pm 
 

The dream cycles are awesome. iamntbatman, you're in for a treat with both the Book of the New Sun series and Gormenghast!

I've read A Canticle for Leibowitz as well as The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which kinda disappointed me. It was good, but not great, and it felt overly long at times. A Canticle... was also kinda a let-down, I mean, it was cool but I had expected more because of all the praise it recieves.

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iamntbatman
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 3:48 pm 
 

I already finished The Claw of the Conciliator o.O

It was really cool, too. Bit of a different tone/atmosphere than the first book but had a really well-done combination of more straightforward (if strange) adventure segments and fucking bizarre, hazy dreamlike passages with plenty of newly introduced bits of weirdness regarding Urth's history and the nature of the various forces at play in the power struggle (Vodalus, the Autarch, the undines/Great Old Ones?). Definitely looking forward to books 3 and 4!
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Scorntyrant
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:48 pm 
 

Just finished Urth of the new sun. Having a bit of a WTF reaction about the ending to be honest. He can be mighty hard to follow at times.
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Nahsil
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 12:59 am 
 

I'm near the beginning of Urth. Hmm.
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Acidgobblin
Literally a puppy

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 3:30 am 
 

So I'm looking for some biblio-advice. Going to begin reading some more "classic" literature. I have Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. Which should I read?
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Erosion of Humanity
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:49 pm 
 

So today I finished The House on the Borderland which was recommended to me by Ambominatrix's signature. My conclusion is a big giant meh, bordering on a strong dislike, sorry Abom. The book started off really interesting and I blew through it rather quickly but then came times that just bored me to death, as in the only reason I finished it was because I wanted to see if my predictions were correct and I really wanted to see if it would get good again. By and large it didn't. Also I found the end rather lacking, but I feel that's just my need for a good, solid, cut and dry ending as opposed to the open ending for this book. A bit more in depth in the spoiler for those who either don't care or who've read the book.

Spoiler: show
I was really interested in the book up until they started reading the MS and after that I felt the book to range from mildly entertaining and interesting to mind numbingly boring. Who the fuck cares about the passage of time? Why do you need almost 20% of the book for a dream(?), sorry I read it on Kindle so I have no idea about pages and what not. Also I know it was supposed to add the the mysteria of the book but having part of the MS be 'unreadable' just annoyed the shit out of me cause I felt lost the rest of the time. Also what the fuck is up with the sister? does she just not notice shit, like how Pepper died and they just get a new dog? Or for that matter how the fuck does he manage to live (or her for that matter) without ever leaving his room while enough time has passed for pepper to disintegrate? The whole book just felt full of holes to me, and for sure the end. What the fuck was up with that, just leaving it open to the imagination... not for me.
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Scorntyrant
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 1:29 am 
 

Erosion Of Humanity wrote:
So today I finished The House on the Borderland which was recommended to me by Ambominatrix's signature. My conclusion is a big giant meh, bordering on a strong dislike, sorry Abom. The book started off really interesting and I blew through it rather quickly but then came times that just bored me to death, as in the only reason I finished it was because I wanted to see if my predictions were correct and I really wanted to see if it would get good again. By and large it didn't. Also I found the end rather lacking, but I feel that's just my need for a good, solid, cut and dry ending as opposed to the open ending for this book. A bit more in depth in the spoiler for those who either don't care or who've read the book.

Spoiler: show
I was really interested in the book up until they started reading the MS and after that I felt the book to range from mildly entertaining and interesting to mind numbingly boring. Who the fuck cares about the passage of time? Why do you need almost 20% of the book for a dream(?), sorry I read it on Kindle so I have no idea about pages and what not. Also I know it was supposed to add the the mysteria of the book but having part of the MS be 'unreadable' just annoyed the shit out of me cause I felt lost the rest of the time. Also what the fuck is up with the sister? does she just not notice shit, like how Pepper died and they just get a new dog? Or for that matter how the fuck does he manage to live (or her for that matter) without ever leaving his room while enough time has passed for pepper to disintegrate? The whole book just felt full of holes to me, and for sure the end. What the fuck was up with that, just leaving it open to the imagination... not for me.


It's sitting on my bedside table ready to start after I finish Litany of the long sun. Hoping I enjoy it more than you did haha.
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failsafeman
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 1:52 am 
 

William Hope Hodgson is incredibly frustrating. He's a barely competent writer who is just brimming with utterly amazing ideas. The Night Land is chock full of fantastic concepts - the sun has died, all that remains of humanity lives entirely within a few "Redoubts", giant pyramids that draw power from geothermal activity. Outside in the endless night, Lovecraftian horrors stalk anyone who ventures out into the open. The main character's Redoubt thinks it's the only one, until they get a radio message from another Redoubt many miles away - unfortunately, the second Rebout's power is starting to fail, meaning everyone in it will die, unless people from the Great Redoubt can brave the night to rescue them. Great concept, way ahead of its time - prefiguring the Dying Earth subgenre - but the prose is just really bad stuff. It's like traveling through a jungle, you have to keep chopping your way through the dense undergrowth of bad writing to get anywhere, though it's worth it in many ways.
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Scorntyrant
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 9:27 am 
 

I'm really enjoying "Nightside the long Sun" I have to say. The 3rd person narration makes it much less difficult than new sun. Certainly much more enjoyable than "Iron Council" (China Mieville), which I've put down for a while less than a hundred pages from the end. I find him a really frustrating writer - some of the concepts and imagery is amazing, but then you get a lengthy, ill-disguised lecture on marxist dialectic for 20 pages. I guess between Mieville and Wolfe you have to pick whether you would prefer your Science fiction seasoned with Hildegarde of Bingen (Catholic mysticism) or Victor Hugo (socialist realism). Coming from a background of medieval studies, comparative religion and theology (my wasted youth at university), there are layers on layers in Wolfe that correspond to Kabbalistic theory,Neoplatonism, etc...
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Erosion of Humanity
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 12:57 pm 
 

Yeah failsafeman you pretty much nailed what I was feeling almost the entire time I was reading tbe book. Though you've now presented me with a new problem: the book you were talking about sounds incredibly interesting. I think I'll check it out and just hope it can maintain the spark of interest I have for it now.
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Azmodes
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 1:02 pm 
 

Yeah, it does sound intriguing. There's also a free Kindle edition on Amazon, so that's that.
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