Post by: Noah O. on November 05, 2014, 06:32:55 PM
When sharing new books, please state:
Title
Author
Genre (Take a guess if you don't know)
Description
Whatever other stuff you want to add
Post by: Lenny on November 05, 2014, 07:28:14 PM
Could we make it a request thread, too? Like we had in the General Discussion thread - someone asked for good lycanthropy books/stories and we all gave suggestions. It'd be fun.
As for books... currently, I'm reading Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski. From The Witcher series (fantasy, of course). I'm being really idiotic and reading one of the later books first, but that's because none of the other books have arrived at the library yet and I'm too excited not to start reading, haha. So far it hasn't disappointed, not at all!
And the book I was reading before that is my absolute favourite book, Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones. Fantasy, and one of her very very very few adult books. Though, the "adult" about it is mostly light swearing, people dying in a matter of fact manner, and references to sexual things - never acts. So it's pretty safe to read for most. Involves multiple universes, the caretakers of history, romance of a sort (but real, not sickly sweet horrible stuff), typical Diana wackiness, and it's just plain good. From first person perspective, but with various narrators. It's my favourite book for a reason, haha.
Post by: Sharion on November 05, 2014, 09:12:56 PM
As for books... currently, I'm reading Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski. From The Witcher series (fantasy, of course).I've only read the first book (yet). Not long after that, I run into the TV series... Both of them are funny and likeable, without any Hollywood glitter. :)
someone asked for good lycanthropy booksIt matters what one is looking for. :)
For horror, there is Silver Bullets from King (Or was it Cycle of the Werewolf?). It's not that big of a story (started out as a calendar...), but almost a classic.
Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf is more "modern": contains gore and... other adult material, so strictly 18+.
For more romantic people, there's Anne Rice's Wolf Gift. The story's about a young fool... er... journalist. Not her best work, but way better than her last two books. Those who like her style will like it, but if it's one's first time to read anything from her, better start with the Mayfair series. (Which is about witches. Mostly.)
I guess the WoD Werewolf series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Werewolf:_The_Apocalypse_books#Novels) is something that role players will value. (I only read a few pieces of the series, though.)
Pelevin's Sacred History of the Werewolf is a work of literature, meaning it's a tricky read (and has a fox spirit as main character. but werewolves make their appearance).
These were the ones suddenly coming to my mind. (Sorry to post it here: I don't read the General Discussions thread, so I don't want to randomly butt in.)
Also, as a source of great book titles (although, they are from the post-apocalyptic genre), I could recommend this thread. (http://ssssforum.pcriot.com/index.php?topic=27.0)
Post by: Noah O. on November 05, 2014, 11:38:28 PM
Post by: Fenris on November 06, 2014, 02:20:00 AM
Post by: noako on November 06, 2014, 02:38:25 AM
Currently re-re-reading the Belgarion & Mallorean series by David and Leigh Eddings. Its a fantasy series, and if you want groundbreaking innovation in plot or the subversion of fantasy tropes, these aren't really the books for you. What makes them fun is the characters, characterization and the often witty dialogue more than the plot itself (which still has some interesting twists and turns).
OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU??
Good books come and go but Belgariad is forever. Thanks so much for mentioning them <3
They are the reason I got interested in books and fantasy genre and most things I do in my free time in general!
Those books are so cliche, but there is just SOMETHING about them that I like. I guess the dialogue and characters?
Post by: OrigamiOwl on November 06, 2014, 03:33:14 AM
So, I've only read the first Howl in high school and I loved it so much. My friend never lent me the other books :(
I loved how the world worked and type of fantasy it was and and and...!
Howl is seriously the best X'D and Sophie and Michael and the STORY and Calcifer and Wales! Hehehe
I saw the film much later after reading it, and even though it was totally different I still loved it how it was. It was fantastic! But a straight book-to-film-adaption would also be equally fantastic. I think I would explode from three awesome renditions of the book floating around 8D
Post by: Lenny on November 06, 2014, 03:46:34 AM
Post by: OrigamiOwl on November 06, 2014, 04:16:58 AM
I knooooow!<3 He's one of my most favourite protagonists ever, in any series. I always love the selfish ones that overcome the selfishness XD And seriously, Howl with a cold is the FUNNIEST thing ever >:D And just..... aaargh, you NEED to read her other books<3 Wackiness is her speciality. D'you have a library card?I do...I think...from the 00's ;___; it's still valid right??
Howl is so fantastic X'D I just....I just.... And drunk Howl "I'm clone sold stober!" I think it was....was it? :0 and the Witch of the Waste was pretty creepy......poor whatshisname...S... Somethingson? I can't remember ;___; that makes me so sad! It's right on the tip of my tongue!!
SULLIVAN! Is that his name? Poor guy :(
Post by: potatobunny on November 06, 2014, 04:32:41 AM
I do...I think...from the 00's ;___; it's still valid right??
Howl is so fantastic X'D I just....I just.... And drunk Howl "I'm clone sold stober!" I think it was....was it? :0 and the Witch of the Waste was pretty creepy......poor whatshisname...S... Somethingson? I can't remember ;___; that makes me so sad! It's right on the tip of my tongue!!
SULLIVAN! Is that his name? Poor guy :(
WIZARD SULIMAN! :D
Post by: OrigamiOwl on November 06, 2014, 04:39:57 AM
WIZARD SULIMAN! :D
OH YEAH!! I remember being really sad about him :( and drawing a skull with his name under it in a school book :P
Post by: potatobunny on November 06, 2014, 04:47:01 AM
So, I've only read the first Howl in high school and I loved it so much.
Wait, there are others?! I have Howl's Moving Castle (and reread every now and then), but somehow I never thought of looking up more of the author's books.
Post by: Lenny on November 06, 2014, 05:51:02 AM
There are three Howl books! Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, and House of Many Ways. I love them aaaaaall, but probably House of Many Ways best, because of reasons.
YES IT'S STILL VALID. GO USE IT. Like I said, the state library has almost ALL of her books!<3 GO go go!<3 If you know your phone number and the library card number, log in online on the TALIS/LINC site, and place a hold on the Howl books and the Chrestomanci books. Start with those, they're really good. Then do the Dark Lord of Derkholm books. There are only two, but if you've read a lot of fantasy (especially Tolkien ripoffs), you'll appreciate them.
EDIT: Ah, I forgot - if you haven't used it since before you turned 18, you might have to go into the library itself and get them to fix your card for you. Things like fines change once you're 18, so they force that on you XD I think you'll be able to place holds, but not sure about actually taking anything out.
Post by: OrigamiOwl on November 06, 2014, 06:13:39 AM
Both of you are right, it's Suliman AND Sullivan. In Wales he was known as Ben Sullivan, after all XD
There are three Howl books! Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, and House of Many Ways. I love them aaaaaall, but probably House of Many Ways best, because of reasons.
YES IT'S STILL VALID. GO USE IT. Like I said, the state library has almost ALL of her books!<3 GO go go!<3 If you know your phone number and the library card number, log in online on the TALIS/LINC site, and place a hold on the Howl books and the Chrestomanci books. Start with those, they're really good. Then do the Dark Lord of Derkholm books. There are only two, but if you've read a lot of fantasy (especially Tolkien ripoffs), you'll appreciate them.
EDIT: Ah, I forgot - if you haven't used it since before you turned 18, you might have to go into the library itself and get them to fix your card for you. Things like fines change once you're 18, so they force that on you XD I think you'll be able to place holds, but not sure about actually taking anything out.
Ohhhhhh....hmmm ok. The city library is just a block away from where I hang out, so maybe I'll go in there...I went in there once, and freaked out because the layout was scary and ran away ;___; (I got list in a woolworths city store on Tuesday too ;__; the trauma...the trauma...there were moving stairs...and no baskets...)
I think that I heard my all-time favorite author (Jonathan Stroud) mention Diana as his major inspiration for how to world-build in the fantasy genre... And he was so right, her books are awesome!
Heh, I can see Howl 1's pretty purple and green spine peeking out from behind a jumper....I think it knows I'm talking about it XD
Post by: Lenny on November 06, 2014, 06:28:58 AM
Oh oh oh before she died, she and her editor put together a book full of essays and articles that she wrote. It's a treasure trove for writers and writers-to-be<3 Reflections on the Magic of Writing is what it's called. Reeeally good.
Give yourself a good block of time, and figure out that library. Go as slow as you need to ;) Libraries are too good to be scared of<3 And no one minds if you ignore every one else. It's an introvert's place, after all.
Oooh, have you named a lizard after Howl? :D
Post by: Fenris on November 06, 2014, 06:33:14 AM
OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU??Same for me (they were the first Fantasy books I read). I think its mostly the characters, dialogue and writing in general. I've always found them to be very easy to read (both the Norwegian translation and the original English). I keep getting back to the series with some 3-4 years in between.
Good books come and go but Belgariad is forever. Thanks so much for mentioning them <3
They are the reason I got interested in books and fantasy genre and most things I do in my free time in general!
Those books are so cliche, but there is just SOMETHING about them that I like. I guess the dialogue and characters?
Post by: OrigamiOwl on November 06, 2014, 06:35:14 AM
She was Neil Gaiman's sort of mentor, too. They were good friends. She actually based some of Nick's characteristics (from Deep Secret) on Neil's habits XD And wrote Hexwood based on something he wrote, and dedicated it to him. (And Neil Gaiman in his turn is pretty close with Terry Pratchett! All my favourite authors know each other in some way, yay!)Oooooh! I'll give them and the library a look! After Monday. Last-exam-Monday.
Oh oh oh before she died, she and her editor put together a book full of essays and articles that she wrote. It's a treasure trove for writers and writers-to-be<3 Reflections on the Magic of Writing is what it's called. Reeeally good.
Give yourself a good block of time, and figure out that library. Go as slow as you need to ;) Libraries are too good to be scared of<3 And no one minds if you ignore every one else. It's an introvert's place, after all.
Oooh, have you named a lizard after Howl? :D
I usually looooove libraries but this one weirds me out..
And pffffft I wish I had a lizard!! He could be a lizard wizard! X'D and of course I would call him Howl!!!!!!!!
But alas. I meant a book spine ;______;
Post by: Clayres on November 06, 2014, 02:34:24 PM
Reading it was really worth the while, two unlikely and equally reluctant heroes that are quite different from each other somehow need two overcome all the odds... Different from the usual stuff, but in a good way.
And all that talk about Howl makes me want to read the books, too, but first I need to find out where to get them from (sadly not from the libraries, I've checked already).
I've seen the Ghibli version of Howl's Moving Castle, but I couldn't quite get into it.
Post by: Fimbulvarg on November 06, 2014, 03:22:02 PM
Post by: Sunflower on November 06, 2014, 04:38:26 PM
The latest book I read was Pinet's Invitation to Oceanography. Worth reading for a number of reasons ... Yeah, I suppose people are mostly interested in talking about works of fiction.
No, go ahead and recommend a non-fiction book if you think it would interest the forum.
I just re-read a good one: "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why" (http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Survival-Who-Lives-Dies/dp/0393326152/) by Laurence Gonzales.
The author is a journalist who had written a lot of stories about adventure and disaster (plane crashes, mountaineering accidents) for magazines. With this book, he stepped back to analyze the common factors among those who lived and died.
Gonzales works in a lot of recent psychology research about "hot cognition" and "cold cognition" -- how your instincts and intellect work in tandem to either help you (e.g. as the Oresund Bridge began collapsing, Tuuri's steering reflexes probably kicked in crucial milliseconds before her intellect could take stock of what was happening) or trip you up (Emil foolishly pitching the Cattank's mirror; Lalli getting momentarily distracted before the Glurrrrr Monster grabbed him).
Even for risk-averse armchair adventurers like me, it's a fascinating read. And it gives valuable insights into why people react the way they do in risky situations.
Post by: ThisCat on November 06, 2014, 04:47:19 PM
No, go ahead and recommend a non-fiction book if you think it would interest the forum.
I just re-read a good one: "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why" (http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Survival-Who-Lives-Dies/dp/0393326152/) by Laurence Gonzales.
The author is a journalist who had written a lot of stories about adventure and disaster (plane crashes, mountaineering accidents) for magazines. With this book, he stepped back to analyze the common factors among those who lived and died.
Gonzales works in a lot of recent psychology research about "hot cognition" and "cold cognition" -- how your instincts and intellect work in tandem to either help you (e.g. as the Oresund Bridge began collapsing, Tuuri's steering reflexes probably kicked in crucial milliseconds before her intellect could take stock of what was happening) or trip you up (Emil foolishly pitching the Cattank's mirror; Lalli getting momentarily distracted before the Glurrrrr Monster grabbed him).
Even for risk-averse armchair adventurers like me, it's a fascinating read. And it gives valuable insights into why people react the way they do in risky situations.
In psychology I recommend Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow. It taught me so much about my own mind.
Am I allowed to recommend Richard Dawkins here? Because his The Greatest Show on Earth and The Ancestor's Tale are both great reads for anyone interested in biology and evolution.
Post by: Fen Shen on November 06, 2014, 05:39:58 PM
And I've seen "Thinking, fast and slow" many times, but never actually looked into it... one of my coworkers keeps it at the women's toilet ::) But honestly, who's got time to read on the toilet - at work?
Post by: Noah O. on November 06, 2014, 05:54:14 PM
Post by: Sunflower on November 06, 2014, 06:08:16 PM
Any of you fans of Arthur C. Clarke?
For a given value of "fan." I really like some of his stories (e.g. "The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Monolith") and novels. Others are classic Golden Age science-fiction -- that is, the characters are about as distinctive as a set of tin soldiers, but they pose interesting problems in engineering. Clarke really knew his science, and he anticipated lots of modern technological developments -- including not just satellite TV, but the social impacts of enormous amounts of uncensored content suddenly pouring in.
Is there something of his you can recommend?
Post by: Noah O. on November 06, 2014, 06:42:36 PM
For a given value of "fan." I really like some of his stories (e.g. "The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Monolith") and novels. Others are classic Golden Age science-fiction -- that is, the characters are about as distinctive as a set of tin soldiers, but they pose interesting problems in engineering. Clarke really knew his science, and he anticipated lots of modern technological developments -- including not just satellite TV, but the social impacts of enormous amounts of uncensored content suddenly pouring in.Hm, well I just finished Rendezvous with Rama, but I'll admit that most of his characters are rather oatmeal-ish. I know that, and yet I can't help but love all of his stories.
Is there something of his you can recommend?
Post by: Eich on November 06, 2014, 09:21:59 PM
For a given value of "fan." I really like some of his stories (e.g. "The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Monolith") and novels. Others are classic Golden Age science-fiction -- that is, the characters are about as distinctive as a set of tin soldiers, but they pose interesting problems in engineering. Clarke really knew his science, and he anticipated lots of modern technological developments -- including not just satellite TV, but the social impacts of enormous amounts of uncensored content suddenly pouring in.I never really liked sci-fi, very much. I think the last book I read was either the first book of the "Michael Vey" series (which featured my favorite superpower so, how could I not read it? ), which was okaaaaay, or "The Lost Gate." Strangely, both sci-fi. I remember liking "The Lost Gate," but it felt exactly the same as "Ender's Game," to me, except with superpowers. Card has a thing for writing insufferable, self-bastardizing, family-hating, children for his lead characters.
Is there something of his you can recommend?
Post by: OrigamiOwl on November 06, 2014, 09:48:47 PM
Post by: OrigamiOwl on November 10, 2014, 09:57:34 PM
Anywho, I think I've already talked about Jonathan Stroud, but yesterday after my exam i went to the book store and bought his latest book: "The Whispering Skull"
[There was a really long and rambling description here, but it sucked because I was too excited and words just went everywhere...]
So far it's reeeeeeaaaaaally enjoyable. Not to everyone's tastes, but I really like it, and just thought I'd share ;P
Post by: Lenny on November 11, 2014, 12:14:07 AM
For those of you that love fantasy, and love dragons, and love history (but not for pedantic peoples - history is changed here), the Temeraire series is very good. It's set in the time of the Napoleonic wars (the first, I think...urgh, it's been a while) from the British perspective, and the entire premise of the series is how the world would be if sentient dragons existed throughout history. I've been enjoying the latest book immensely - it brings in a very interesting concept, but no spoilers here~
Post by: Clayres on November 11, 2014, 05:52:12 AM
So I was in the library the other day, and came across a Temeraire book I hadn't read yet. And then I realised I'd forgotten all about that series for years. Now I'm on a rereading mission, heheh.His (or was it Her? bad at history and remembering stuff...) Majesty's Dragons! Yes! I also need to catch up with the latest release. But first, gotta read the continuation of The Peculiar, The Whatnot. So far not so bad. (What am I saying, I love it!)
For those of you that love fantasy, and love dragons, and love history (but not for pedantic peoples - history is changed here), the Temeraire series is very good. It's set in the time of the Napoleonic wars (the first, I think...urgh, it's been a while) from the British perspective, and the entire premise of the series is how the world would be if sentient dragons existed throughout history. I've been enjoying the latest book immensely - it brings in a very interesting concept, but no spoilers here~
Post by: Fen Shen on November 11, 2014, 11:13:50 AM
Post by: ruth on November 11, 2014, 03:47:27 PM
Same for me (they were the first Fantasy books I read). I think its mostly the characters, dialogue and writing in general. I've always found them to be very easy to read (both the Norwegian translation and the original English). I keep getting back to the series with some 3-4 years in between.
oh my gosh i thought i was the only one who did this. the belgariad and the malloreon were pretty much my very first fantasy series. i wonder if it would be easy to find a copy in translation to as a language learning aid?
Post by: Noah O. on November 11, 2014, 05:08:25 PM
So I was in the library the other day, and came across a Temeraire book I hadn't read yet. And then I realised I'd forgotten all about that series for years. Now I'm on a rereading mission, heheh.Hm, sounds interesting. I'll look into it.
For those of you that love fantasy, and love dragons, and love history (but not for pedantic peoples - history is changed here), the Temeraire series is very good. It's set in the time of the Napoleonic wars (the first, I think...urgh, it's been a while) from the British perspective, and the entire premise of the series is how the world would be if sentient dragons existed throughout history. I've been enjoying the latest book immensely - it brings in a very interesting concept, but no spoilers here~
Post by: Lenny on November 12, 2014, 06:03:05 AM
I was wondering, does anyone else here read Yu Wo's books (Legend of the Sun Knight, Gong Hua, Kill No More, etc.)? Or other Taiwanese/Chinese light novels, like Legend of the Sunken Moon or Unique Legend?
Post by: Elrew on November 12, 2014, 05:41:55 PM
Anyway, I'd recommend the Wool trilogy by Hugh Howey. I can't find words to descrive the genre; dystopian maybe? The first two books are brilliant, the third one seemed a little rushed but I enjoyed it anyway. There's such good character development and the narrative keeps changing to focus on different people. It's so so good!
In regard to all the fantasy, I recently rediscovered Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz. It's still as spooky as I remember it...
Post by: Fenris on November 12, 2014, 05:53:13 PM
oh my gosh i thought i was the only one who did this. the belgariad and the malloreon were pretty much my very first fantasy series. i wonder if it would be easy to find a copy in translation to as a language learning aid?I know they've been translated to all the nordic languages at least, but not sure how easy it would be the find copies. I checked out some online Swedish and Norwegian book stores, and while they had the books, they only had the English editions for some reason. I know most libraries have the series though. My local library has the Belgariad in its Norwegian translations, but the Malloreon in English.
Post by: OrigamiOwl on November 12, 2014, 05:55:41 PM
In regard to all the fantasy, I recently rediscovered Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz. It's still as spooky as I remember it...EEEEEEE! *hug tackles* I love that series! R.Gate is my favorite! I still call scary old ladies "Mrs Deveril" (or however it's spelt) haha
But I'm too chicken to read the last book U___U I accidentally saw the spoilers and I've decided that the end of Necropolis is fiiiiiiiiiiiiine..... O____O
Post by: Lenny on November 13, 2014, 05:11:13 AM
I just finished reading the last book to Catherine Jinks's Genius trilogy. SO GOOD ;;_;; I'm not really a fan of many Australian authors, but she is one of those few I admire (D. M. Cornish being another - anyone else read his Monster Blood Tattoo series? I believe they censored the series title to The Foundling's Tale or something in the American editions).
Post by: Elrew on November 13, 2014, 10:41:20 AM
EEEEEEE! *hug tackles* I love that series! R.Gate is my favorite! I still call scary old ladies "Mrs Deveril" (or however it's spelt) hahaI'd heard quite a few spoilers before reading it (most of them from the writer himself in an interview). I was in a dilemma about whether to read it; I like the characters nice and alive, thank you very much. I eventually decided that I couldn't resist more Pedro cuteness. :3
But I'm too chicken to read the last book U___U I accidentally saw the spoilers and I've decided that the end of Necropolis is fiiiiiiiiiiiiine..... O____O
Aaaah I read that Anthony Horowitz series back when it had no ending. I need to reread it. It took him so long to get that last book out, no wonder I forgot about it >.> Also, has anyone read that last Alex Rider book? About Yassen Gregorovitch? Loved that, I always liked Yassen best and wanted to know more about him.That's on my 'to read' list. Whenever I'm in a book shop, they have all the books the first one!
Post by: tedlar on November 19, 2014, 08:45:44 AM
I was wondering, does anyone else here read Yu Wo's books (Legend of the Sun Knight, Gong Hua, Kill No More, etc.)? Or other Taiwanese/Chinese light novels, like Legend of the Sunken Moon or Unique Legend?Kill No More, Legendary moonlight scultor, Shield Hero, Re:monster
first I find the manga/manhua then I read the light novel, then others light novels on the same site, then...
I just finished reading the last book to Catherine Jinks's Genius trilogy. SO GOOD ;;_;; I'm not really a fan of many Australian authors, but she is one of those few I admire (D. M. Cornish being another - anyone else read his Monster Blood Tattoo series?Loved the Tomorrow series:
a series of 7 young adult invasion novels written by Australian writer John Marsden, detailing the invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power. The novels are related from the first person perspective by Ellie Linton, a teenage girl, who is part of a small band of teenagers waging a guerrilla war on the enemy soldiers in the region around their hometown.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_series
sort of an anti-SSSS, with sun, blood and survival... in some ways, many similarities.
Post by: Yannick on November 23, 2014, 08:47:04 PM
The Name of the Wind (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind) (April 2007)
The Wise Man's Fear (March 2011)
The Doors of Stone (In Progress)
Post by: EmmaC on March 12, 2015, 09:40:45 PM
I'm mostly a fan of SF and Fantasy.
Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my fav author, I have all his books. The Fionavar Tapestry is beautiful but 'A song for Arbonne' has my heart for the moment! He writes what I would call fantasy history.
Barbara Hambly and her Fendragon series: fantasy with dragons and witch, and love...
C.J. Cherry with Faded sun and her Ealdwood stories : Faded sun is a mix between fantasy and SF, for me at least and Ealdwood is definitively a fantasy book, well a serie of books.
well, I love lots of authors (We have so many books that no one wants to help us move anymore!)
But right now, the serie I read and read and reread: Malazan book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson with the parallel serie written by Ian Esselmont Novels of the Malazan Empire.
It is in a fantasy setting, more or less but you won't find any dwarves or elves. The magic is very different from what you encounter most of the time and the characters. Ah, the characters: one day you want to kill one and love the other but then you read and you find that you pity the first one and the second is a cruel bastard... Oh yeah. Those books got me good.
Anyone reading them?
Post by: Chizu on March 29, 2015, 10:17:28 PM
So my question is, what books do you guys read? What fictional worlds wrapped between paper pages keep you awake and wondering...
Surely I am not the only one that gives up on sleep to read...
(https://confessionsofabookgeek.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/tumblr_maw96zigmc1rxtlu1o1_500.gif?w=620)
Post by: Chizu on March 29, 2015, 11:07:40 PM
The Kingkiller Chronicle, by Patrick Rothfuss (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Rothfuss)
The Name of the Wind (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind) (April 2007)
The Wise Man's Fear (March 2011)
The Doors of Stone (In Progress)
Yes but when are The Doors of Stone coming out???? I mean they say 2016, but every year there is a rumour about it...
Post by: Adrai Thell on March 29, 2015, 11:13:10 PM
Has anybody else read anything from the Stormlight Chronicles? Way of Kings? Words of Radiance? How about the Mistborn Trilogy? They've taken their place at the top of my favorite fantasy EVER. Brandon Sanderson's original works are amazing...
Post by: Chizu on March 29, 2015, 11:16:09 PM
Oooh, ooh! Had no idea this thread existed, but I should've looked for it.YES !! The misborn trilogy!!!! I am just looking through my shelf and was debating whether to start devouring the 3rd book. But I am afraid the series to finish, tho I know the author published few more....
Has anybody else read anything from the Stormlight Chronicles? Way of Kings? Words of Radiance? Ho about the Mistborn Trilogy? They've taken their place at the top of my favorite fantasy EVER. Brandon Sanderson's original works are amazing...
Post by: Adrai Thell on March 29, 2015, 11:22:43 PM
YES !! The misborn trilogy!!!! I am just looking through my shelf and was debating whether to start devouring the 3rd book. But I am afraid the series to finish, tho I know the author published few more....
Definitely worth finishing. And I think he's got a sequel of sorts within the same universe? I haven't read it though... yet!
The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance are absolutely phenomenal as well, though they start out a bit slow - intertwining tales take a bit to set up, but ooooh man do they get going.
I also really like Warbreaker, by him as well. He really has fascinating and well-thought-out worlds, magic, and cultures...
Post by: Cancvas on March 30, 2015, 04:38:38 AM
Michael Cobley Humanitys Fire series, starting with Seeds of Earth
Hannu Rajaniemi
Quantum thief, Fractal Prince and Causal Angel
They were good read at 1st go, but these were rare in the respect that I need to read them trough again, to get good grasp of them.
Adrian Tchaikovsky Shadows of the Apt series, about 10 books, last four of which is still unread. Fantasy but very unconventional, some bit heavier strecthes, but all in all interesting.
Oh, and Ken MacLeods Star Fraction, Stone Canal, Cassini Division, and Sky Road, at least Star Fraction on has some current relevance maybe?
-C
Post by: Chizu on March 30, 2015, 05:15:20 AM
Definitely worth finishing. And I think he's got a sequel of sorts within the same universe? I haven't read it though... yet!I do agree, few are the authors who can create a world in such well thought manner. I think the Way of the King was classed as better than the Mistborn trilogy, but I can't really support that till I read it. However, Brandon Sanderson is quite the author, so I completely understand your fascination.
The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance are absolutely phenomenal as well, though they start out a bit slow - intertwining tales take a bit to set up, but ooooh man do they get going.
I also really like Warbreaker, by him as well. He really has fascinating and well-thought-out worlds, magic, and cultures...
If you like his work you would probably also enjoy the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks, I still need to finish it myself, but it is a book that wraps you up in a thrilling adventure. The characters and overall world are also so brilliant.
Post by: DB (f.k.a. DaveBro) on April 25, 2015, 09:51:32 AM
"Bellwether," by Connie Willis? Sheepses! Science! Screwball comedy!! :)
IMO; YMMV:
She recently hit the Gabaldon Point of being "Too (Adjective) To Edit", and her last two books (Blackout, & All Clear) ballooned into multiplot, multi-PoV doorstops--still readable, but a comedown. Her time-traveling history students are my favorite series, one reason I muddled through the doorstops.
Fire Watch, a short story or novella, is wonderful.
Doomsday Book is a gripping tearjerker.
To Say Nothing of the Dog is a joyous screwball riff on Jerome K. Jerome (to offset Doomsday Book?), with kittehs.
You have to be good to reach the Gabaldon Point.
Post by: Mélusine on April 25, 2015, 04:22:52 PM
I loved To say nothing of the dog and have read Blackout, All Clear, Doomsday Book (Argh T_T) and Passage, but this one was without time-traveling history students. I'm sure I would have more students with me if we could have make a few time-traveling checking ^^
"Bellwether," by Connie Willis? Sheepses! Science! Screwball comedy!! :)
IMO; YMMV:
She recently hit the Gabaldon Point of being "Too (Adjective) To Edit", and her last two books (Blackout, & All Clear) ballooned into multiplot, multi-PoV doorstops--still readable, but a comedown. Her time-traveling history students are my favorite series, one reason I muddled through the doorstops.
Fire Watch, a short story or novella, is wonderful.
Doomsday Book is a gripping tearjerker.
To Say Nothing of the Dog is a joyous screwball riff on Jerome K. Jerome (to offset Doomsday Book?), with kittehs.
You have to be good to reach the Gabaldon Point.
I'm reading again Lois Lowry because I love The Giver (Not the movie, the movie doesn't exist.), and the marvelous Nation by Terry Pratchett, and even if I have still a lot of books waiting to be read, I think of buying more Ray Bradbury... maybe From the Dust Returned.
Post by: Oh Deer on April 26, 2015, 08:31:03 PM
Now, I read a lot. A. Lot. But one book that I recently read that I really love is The Young Elites. It's only on its first book, but the main character is a huge twist. She really is creepy, but it seems you're seeing from the villains point of view!
Though, my favorite book series (finished) is Eragon. I could talk about it for hours, I won't but. It has dragons!
Post by: Noodles on April 27, 2015, 01:57:39 AM
It's a spin-off that starts when the aging detective runs into a really smart teenager during his beekeeping days, about 6 months after the last Conan Doyle story. There are lots of books, but the first several are the best and it is really beautiful and ... she didn't try to preserve Holmes the way he was, because he wouldn't be like that anymore? So it's better than a lot of the spin-offs I've read.
First book is called The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
Post by: Mélusine on April 27, 2015, 05:43:52 AM
But one book that I recently read that I really love is The Young Elites. It's only on its first book, but the main character is a huge twist. She really is creepy, but it seems you're seeing from the villains point of view!The translation is for june in France and I have a little sister very impatient to read it *Will read too* ^^
Post by: Chizu on April 27, 2015, 05:47:28 PM
But here is a suggestion for those who like creepy books that will suck you in the world with a jumping start "Ashes" by Ilsa Bick, it is chilling, the characters are well created and the writing has this odd way of wrapping your mind in such a clever manner that you feel, smell and see what the characters do.
Post by: Oh Deer on April 27, 2015, 07:09:41 PM
creepy books
Speaking of creepy books, The 5th Wave. It's about an alien invasion but is a lot more creepy than it sounds. It really messes with the psychological problem of being safe with the threat of outsiders. It's pretty much going along with the idea that if aliens did invade, it would be a lot like how Christopher Columbus came to America. Except we would be the native Americans. By: Rick Yancey
Post by: Sunflower on May 13, 2015, 04:19:07 AM
It will make you cry, but that's a plus in my book.
http://smartb****estrashybooks.com/reviews/passage-by-connie-willis/
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/07/messages-from-beyond-death-connie-williss-passage
Post by: Mélusine on May 13, 2015, 04:48:34 AM
Has anyone read "Passages" by Connie Willis? It's about the Titanic and research into near-death experiences -- both of which include a lot of icy-water-under-starry-skies imagery that reminds me strongly of page 318. I recommend it highly.It's the last Connie Willis I read :) Not my favorite but a good one.
It will make you cry, but that's a plus in my book.
http://smartb****estrashybooks.com/reviews/passage-by-connie-willis/
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/07/messages-from-beyond-death-connie-williss-passage
Post by: Sunflower on May 13, 2015, 05:06:28 AM
"Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome." (http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/05/unlocked-an-oral-history-of-hadens-syndrome-john-scalzi)
It's relevant to SSSS because it describes the progress of a mysterious and hugely fatal epidemic. Haden's Syndrome has very different symptoms and outcomes from The Rash, but Scalzi's description of how officials in the U.S. react to its onslaught is detailed and rings true.
Post by: Haiz on May 13, 2015, 05:17:33 AM
Post by: Mélusine on May 13, 2015, 05:22:50 AM
Has anyone recommended Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver yet? They are absolutely gorgeous and I think SSSS-readers would like them. They're "historical fantasy" except they're actually pre-historical fantasy and they will make you want to roam forests for hours or days afterwards*Appear suddenly* Did anyone said "forests" ? :D
*Make a quick research* Transleted in french. My purse might hate me.
Post by: Sunflower on May 13, 2015, 05:36:37 AM
Ruby
I initially read that as "Hiro Protagonist" and got really excited that there was another Neal Stephenson fan here. :( *takes a long, lonely drink*
just another flyboy Ruby • 3 days ago
there is, dear one, take heart!! also, read Zodiac, too if not already done. w00t! Stephenson 4 da WIN!
Euodiachloris Ruby • 3 hours ago
Um, yes? Let's just say I know the link to Sumaria implied with that name, too. ;)
Sunflower Ruby • 4 hours ago
There Is Another.
Ruby
SUNFLOWER
*tackle hugs sunflower*
Which is your favorite novel of his what about your favorite character what do you think of his social commentary omg isn't he amazing!!?!?! *pant pant*
Sunflower
I adore everything about Neal Stephenson except that he can't write a convincing female character to save his life.
Sure, they're all hypercapable superwomen, from Y.T. to Eliza, but none of them have believable inner lives. In contrast to his often bumbling or unsure, but very thoroughly drawn, male protagonists.
With that said, Stephenson is incredibly prophetic about cultural and technological trends, and he's very funny in a dry way.
Euodiachloris Sunflower • 3 hours ago
Agreed. xP Action scenes? Check. Interesting villains? Very check. Complex, thought-provoking plot? Hell, yeah.
Strong Female Protagonist? Well... he can kinda do Action Girls quite well -- good luck with any other woman. :P
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Ruby Sunflower • 3 hours ago
I largely agree, but to play devil's advocate: what about Nel from Diamond Age? She is a multi-faceted character who survives impossible odds, but as a result of a combination of smarts and blind luck rather than through any hypercapability. She does have "super power" moral sense, but that can be explained through her education from the interactive book.
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Sunflower Ruby • 3 hours ago
Eh, well, Stephenson isn't George Eliot, and "The Diamond Age" isn't a character-driven novel like "The Mill on the Floss" -- I guess I'm OK with that. "The Diamond Age" is probably my favorite of his books, if only because I totally want to be a Neo-Victorian.
Euodiachloris Ruby • 3 hours ago
She's... still a bit flat. Without that book, she'd still be the meek, abused girl who would have died of a brain haemorrhage. -_-
Ruby Euodiachloris • 3 hours ago
Isn't that part of the point, though? We are all shaped by our circumstances. Without the book, Nel would have been one more poor girl on the streets, but with it she was able to make more of herself. Stephenson is pointing out the power of education.
Euodiachloris Ruby • 3 hours ago
Unfortunately, with all the grace of a standard McGuffin Magical Girl premise. xP
Sunflower Euodiachloris • 3 hours ago
And an ending that comes out of nowhere.
Ruby Sunflower • 3 hours ago
Yeah, the ending to Diamond Age is definitely one of its weakest points.
YT's cameo completely makes up for it though. ^_^
Sunflower Ruby • 3 hours ago
So is that canon? That Y.T. grew up to be the elderly headmistress?
Ruby Sunflower • 3 hours ago
""Chiselled Spam," Miss Matheson said, sort of mumbling it to herself.
"Pardon me, Miss Matheson?" Nell said.
"I was just watching the smart wheels and remembering an advertisement from my youth," Miss Matheson said. "I used to be a thrasher, you know. I used to ride skateboards through the streets. Now I'm still on wheels, but a different kind. Got a few too many bumps and bruises during my earlier career, I'm afraid.""
The inclusion of the phrase "chiselled spam" certainly gives the impression of intentionality to the reference.
Ruby Sunflower • 3 hours ago
Sunflower, what Neal Stephenson book would you recommend? I'm currently trying to read Cryptonomicon, but finding it frustrating that so many of the historical references are going over my head.
Sunflower Ruby • 2 hours ago
I'm not the best one to ask, since I haven't read any of Stephenson's novels after "Quicksilver." I hear "Reamde" is good, and not as hugely oversized as most of his other novels. If you found Cryptonomicon hard to follow (though the Wikipedia article helps), you'd definitely want the fan-wiki for "Quicksilver," though unfortunately it's mostly archived now. http://baroquecycle.wikia.com/...
I liked his 1999 nonfiction long essay/short book, "In the Beginning Was the Command Line." I work in the high-tech field though I'm not a programmer, and "Command Line" was a great help in explaining a lot of the concepts and trends I had to make sense of. I generally like his essays and journalism pieces.
He's coming out with a new novel, Seveneves, on May 19!
just another flyboy
Cryptonomicon is well worth the work, though. maybe, read some, then research what caught your eye, then read more? it's grrrreat!! *iz maybe a *tad* overenthused*
Ruby just another flyboy • 2 days ago
That's what my sister keeps telling me, so I'll keep pushing through! :)
Post by: viola on May 16, 2015, 06:32:46 PM
Has anyone recommended Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver yet? They are absolutely gorgeous and I think SSSS-readers would like them. They're "historical fantasy" except they're actually pre-historical fantasy and they will make you want to roam forests for hours or days afterwards
I stumbled across the first book in a used book store a few years ago and loved it. It's a great series!
Another really good series is Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series. It's set during WWI in an alternate universe and is of the steampunk variety. Also The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima is the first book in a really good fantasy adventure series and I highly recommend it.
Post by: Solovei on May 16, 2015, 06:35:52 PM
I stumbled across the first book in a used book store a few years ago and loved it. It's a great series!I saw some art from it a while ago (I'm a sucker for illustrated novels - highly recommend Brom's work i.e. The Child Thief) but a few of my grad school classmates mentioned that it was geared to rather young kids... Like, Harry Potter-level? (Not the later HP books either, like the first and second books). Would an old bitter person like me still enjoy Leviathan?
Another really good series is Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series. It's set during WWI in an alternate universe and is of the steampunk variety. Also The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima is the first book in a really good fantasy adventure series and I highly recommend it.
Post by: viola on May 16, 2015, 06:55:20 PM
I saw some art from it a while ago (I'm a sucker for illustrated novels - highly recommend Brom's work i.e. The Child Thief) but a few of my grad school classmates mentioned that it was geared to rather young kids... Like, Harry Potter-level? (Not the later HP books either, like the first and second books). Would an old bitter person like me still enjoy Leviathan?
Hmmmm I would say yes it would be similar to the first few Harry Potter books. It's actually been a few years since I've read it, I think I was around 14 when I read the last book. I'd have to go back to the library and reread it to see. The atmosphere of SSSS made me think of it though. You can always try it out and see how it goes. The art is really well done if all else fails.
Post by: Divra on May 16, 2015, 07:02:52 PM
I saw some art from it a while ago (I'm a sucker for illustrated novels - highly recommend Brom's work i.e. The Child Thief) but a few of my grad school classmates mentioned that it was geared to rather young kids... Like, Harry Potter-level? (Not the later HP books either, like the first and second books). Would an old bitter person like me still enjoy Leviathan?
I'm significantly older and more bitter than you, and I enjoyed Leviathan. Granted, I am very fond of both steampunk and historical allusions (which the series indulges heavily in). My one gripe with it was how very clear it was which side of the background conflict we're supposed to like (which was particularly jarring since neither side is particularly evil).
Post by: Sunflower on May 17, 2015, 05:04:11 AM
PhantomTollBoat
well if he doesn't know how to paddle maybe he can sit still and stay silent, for the magic boat goes without saying. (http://www.sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=318#comment-2021775998)
Auleliel
(Is that a Phantom Tollbooth reference?)
Ruby
Squeeeee! My favorite book of all time! ^_^
Though I must warn you about jumping to Conclusions, because you'll have to swim back. ;)
Auleliel
It is my favorite book of all time, too! :D
Blackjazz
MINE TOO! :DDD
Sunflower
So I'm not the only one who finds myself in the Doldrums (and out of Context) a lot of the time...
LooNEY_DAC
And now, a moment of noise to commemorate the DREADFUL RAUW, who perished in the Great Silence of '88, (and to link book & movie): NOISE, BEAUTIFUL NOISE by Kakafonous A. ("AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE") Discord, Doctor of Dissonance.
Ruby
AAAAH JOY!
I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE!!!
LooNEY_DAC
Then how has no one recognized me as the Everpresent Wordsnatcher?
Ruby
Alas, they did not notice, for I am the Senses Taker.
Sunflower --> Auleliel
OK if I archive? We need to educate the youth on the value of knowing things. And owning little electric cars that come with magic tollbooths.
Auleliel --> Sunflower
The Phantom Tollbooth is absolutely one of the most important things to know about. ...
I remember waiting for a tollbooth-sized package that never came. (So then I focused on book-sized packages. :) ) Knowledge is power, and also fun.
Post by: Chizu on May 28, 2015, 09:29:13 PM
I was very sceptical at the beginning as I usually am with the post apocalyptic infection genre. However, not only was I pleasantly surprised, but I was also blown away beyond belief. The style of writing is near perfect, every word fits in its place like a puzzle piece. The author skilfully plays with the strings of your heart, making you fall inlove with the characters, he makes you feel what they feel. Their loss is your loss, their pain yours...The whole book is one massive blood fest. Safety is but a long forgotten dream and hope that mocks them at each corner. As you read you forget that the main characters are just a bunch of children until you are reminded of the brutal cruelty of the reality. And then you feel anger the unfairness of the situation.
The book is a wonderful roller-coaster of emotions and mutilated diseased body parts. If you think Game of Thrones has a lot of murdering think again, this series makes JR Martin's world look like a peaceful flowery playground.
I am devouring book two as I am typing this Rant/Review. I highly recommend this book to everyone!!! It will give you an unforgettable adventure.
Post by: Tap10lan on May 29, 2015, 04:01:41 AM
Seitsemän veljestä / Sju bröder / Seven brothers / Sieben Brüder / Los siete hermanos / other editions?
Classic Finnish literature, sort of humorous social realism with a heart, and stylistically it speaks with the epic Kalevala songs.
First published in 1870
I've been thinking for a while about the characters in this epic comic. Unsurprisingly, there are elements in them that might be seen as emblematic of the countries/cultures they come from, although of course not exclusively of those cultures. That, also, isn't really important, even though it's one of those things enjoyable to discuss, disagree, and generally have fun about.
As we've already seen, there are powerful elements from old Finnish culture, the runo singers may be the clearest such. Thus, one could look at the Finnish national epic Kalevala, and compare with the characters in it, since it is such a clearly character driven epic. I'm sure many of you have already thought of this.
However, it also made me think of a book which far fewer probably have come in contact with: Aleksis Kivi's "Seitsemän veljestä"/"Sju bröder"/"Seven brothers" (It should really be "Of seven brothers", but I guess that isn't as terse, or something?)
There you have 7 Finnish brothers (young adults) who've lost their parents. They're a mess, and try to deal with life in accordance with their various personalities. They also try to help their brothers ... Since they are so different, this causes some troubles. They get in fights, can't agree on what to do, and aren't exactly seen as pillars of the community in rural Finland.
It was first published in 1870, so the language isn't for everyone, but what makes me love it is exactly that language. It's akin to those rolling runo songs. With a good translator, it could be great in English, too.
I also love it for those imperfect, lovable lunks of characters, the brothers.
Hope this inspires some of you! ;D
Post by: wolfie on May 29, 2015, 04:20:13 AM
Post by: Tap10lan on May 29, 2015, 05:44:15 AM
But right now, the serie I read and read and reread: Malazan book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson with the parallel serie written by Ian Esselmont Novels of the Malazan Empire.
It is in a fantasy setting, more or less but you won't find any dwarves or elves. The magic is very different from what you encounter most of the time and the characters. Ah, the characters: one day you want to kill one and love the other but then you read and you find that you pity the first one and the second is a cruel bastard... Oh yeah. Those books got me good.
Anyone reading them?
They're my all-time favourite fantasy series, bar none.
I was going to suggest Steven Erikson's Malazan series, from a few slightly different perspectives (well, they're great, I love them, and all of course :D )
I've noticed several posters mentioning not reading unfinished series: well this is one of those rare things - a 10 part fantasy series, which the author said would be 10 parts, and which he published in a timely, reliable manner!!!
Also, there ARE elves ... sort of ... They even have various colours. I would even go so far as to say Steven Erikson put in an homage to Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné (yet another good fantasy writer who's influenced the entire genre).
He's actually managed to show his love for many different predecessors (Conan, anyone, and OH SO CORRECT! ;D ), and all he does fits together seamlessly!
This goes for the entire epic fantasy series.
He works the entire scale from individuals, army squads (yup, there are wars) all the way up to entire races/cultures, and gods.
He also has a magic system which is integrated into the whole multiverse, its history, and intimately connected to the story/stories.
He even manages to have "character progression" from lowly human to God
Even more impressive: he balances the cultures so a Rome-type mighty empire (PLUS heavy magic) has well-deserved respect for the stone age culture it comes across. Magic can be a great leveler, but it COSTS!
He borrows from everywhere, but makes it all his own, and it all fits together.
I would compare it with the great Homeric epics in scope, as well as ambition.
Am I exaggerating? Check it out. The first book is a finished work in itself, even though you will want to know what will happen, of course. ;D
Post by: Tap10lan on May 29, 2015, 06:28:29 AM
Few that I could recommend, mostly SF
Michael Cobley Humanitys Fire series, starting with Seeds of Earth
Hannu Rajaniemi
Quantum thief, Fractal Prince and Causal Angel
They were good read at 1st go, but these were rare in the respect that I need to read them trough again, to get good grasp of them.
Adrian Tchaikovsky Shadows of the Apt series, about 10 books, last four of which is still unread. Fantasy but very unconventional, some bit heavier strecthes, but all in all interesting.
Oh, and Ken MacLeods Star Fraction, Stone Canal, Cassini Division, and Sky Road, at least Star Fraction on has some current relevance maybe?
-C
Oooh! Ken MacLeod! Love him! Everything (I've read that) he's written is great!
Also, I like Cobley's trilogy. I tend to compare it to what Star Wars should be: truly epic with lots of rollicking action, stars in the balance, and some goofy characters (no bloody floppy ears, though).
Have to check out Hanny Rajaniemi ...
As well as Adrian Tchaikovsky ...
Post by: Tap10lan on May 29, 2015, 06:32:13 AM
So I was in the library the other day, and came across a Temeraire book I hadn't read yet. And then I realised I'd forgotten all about that series for years. Now I'm on a rereading mission, heheh.
For those of you that love fantasy, and love dragons, and love history (but not for pedantic peoples - history is changed here), the Temeraire series is very good. It's set in the time of the Napoleonic wars (the first, I think...urgh, it's been a while) from the British perspective, and the entire premise of the series is how the world would be if sentient dragons existed throughout history. I've been enjoying the latest book immensely - it brings in a very interesting concept, but no spoilers here~
I think I've read 5 of these. Have to look for the later ones.
For me they make me think of the Hornblower books, in a good way. It's the era, as well as the war, but it is also a matter of the social commentary. Plus of course the dragons! They're lovely! Good stuff.
Post by: Tap10lan on May 29, 2015, 06:42:28 AM
Any Sherlock Holmes peeps out there, the Mary Russell series (by Laurie R. King) is excellent.
It's a spin-off that starts when the aging detective runs into a really smart teenager during his beekeeping days, about 6 months after the last Conan Doyle story. There are lots of books, but the first several are the best and it is really beautiful and ... she didn't try to preserve Holmes the way he was, because he wouldn't be like that anymore? So it's better than a lot of the spin-offs I've read.
First book is called The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
Hahaaa! A Laurie R. King fan! I haven't read more than part of her first Mary Russell book, for some strange reason ... can't really explain.
However, I love her Kate Martinelly crime novels, and I also quite enjoyed A Darker Place and Folly. Her post-apocalyptic sci-fi Califia's Daughters is also good.
I have to say thank you to Minna once more for gathering us all here!
Post by: Tap10lan on May 29, 2015, 06:52:05 AM
... has some fans. Discussion from p. 318; I'll edit it later.
I'm also a Stephenson fan!
I do like how he's so generous. His books aren't "Ooh, I came up with an idea! Let's stretch if for 300 pages!"
Rather, he builds worlds, and when he uses the established worlds, he keeps embellishing, and adding cool stuff all over.
Post by: Tap10lan on May 29, 2015, 07:22:29 AM
In Sweden, books become very hard to find after a few years. Bookshops here don't keep older books in stock, and I'm not talking of "used books". After a few years, books are sold off in sales. It's sad.
E-books aren't cheap in Sweden (yet).
I want more options than Amazon.
So where do you guys find books at good prices?
One thing is libraries, obviously. They're great, but sometimes at least I want to own books.
www.humblebundle.com sells books every now and then. Cheap (if you want), and you get to do a good deed.
I use www.bokfynd.nu to look for the best price for books. Works for books in quite a few languages. There is a Swedish-centric tendency to the results, but you do get British booksellers, too, for instance.
Any other suggestions?
Post by: SectoBoss on May 30, 2015, 09:22:44 AM
If you want a good jumping-off point into his work, I’d recommend Perdido Street Station, which is the first of three largely-unconnected novels set in the same fictional universe.
On a similar topic, does anyone know of any good fantasy novels that buck the ‘always set in the middle ages’ trend? (I used to shun fantasy books when I was younger mostly for this reason, but I’m trying to broaden my horizons a bit more now)
Post by: Tap10lan on May 30, 2015, 12:15:43 PM
On a similar topic, does anyone know of any good fantasy novels that buck the ‘always set in the middle ages’ trend? (I used to shun fantasy books when I was younger mostly for this reason, but I’m trying to broaden my horizons a bit more now)
How about a sort of modern world where magic works like "science"?
Check out Walter Jon Williams two novels
"Metropolitan" and "City on Fire"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_%28novel%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_on_Fire_%28novel%29
Female protagonist, who's sort of a tax auditor for the substance that powers magic. Heheh, I really like these. I'd be happy if Williams did more novels in this universe!
Post by: SectoBoss on May 30, 2015, 12:40:47 PM
How about a sort of modern world where magic works like "science"?
Check out Walter Jon Williams two novels
"Metropolitan" and "City on Fire"
Wow, those sound really cool! Thanks!
Post by: ParanormalAndroid on May 30, 2015, 01:13:22 PM
I could suggest far too many things, but uh:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22) is quite possibly one of my favourite novels (ever). It's a subtle, hilarious (yes, it makes it funny) portrayal of the inherent absurdity of war, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
I'll see what the reaction to that is, and if good I'll post more novels.
Post by: SectoBoss on May 30, 2015, 01:34:55 PM
So yeah, I second ParanormalAndroid on that one!
Post by: DB (f.k.a. DaveBro) on May 31, 2015, 09:39:36 AM
Maybe there is something like www.paperbackswap.com in Sweden or nearby? They recently started charging a membership fee, but it's been very good to our household. You might even want to start your own, transatlantic postage being stratospheric. They might even share coding if you wanted to do that.
Sectoboss:
Have you tried Urban Fantasy, like Seanan McGuire, Charles de Lint, Kat Richardson, C.E. Murphy, or Jim Butcher? No Dwarves that I've noticed in any of them.
Seanan's October Daye books have fae, but they are updated and decidedly non-Tolkienesque. Her Incryptid series is fae-free. Shameless plug, there are free short stories in each series at her eponymous website. She also writes as Mira Grant, and has released two or three filk CDs.
Kat Richardson's Greywalker books are set in the Grey, between life & death, with the past only a temporacline away.
C.E. Murphy's Urban Shaman books mix Celtic and Native American beliefs, along with a Reynir-esque discovery of powers story--she's a police mechanic in the beginning, and never loses her gearhead tendencies. Fae-free, unless you count the Tuatha de Danaan
Finally, there's gumshoe wizard Harry Dresden of Jim Butcher's Chicago. Some books are fae-free, but these are likewise un-Tolkienesque. Note, The Dresden Files refers to a short-lived TV spinoff.
I enjoyed all of these, so I hope you find something to like, in there amongst 'em. ;). Good reading!
Post by: Fen Shen on May 31, 2015, 12:42:12 PM
http://www.danielabraham.com/books-by-daniel-abraham/the-long-price-quartet/ (http://www.danielabraham.com/books-by-daniel-abraham/the-long-price-quartet/)
The setting is really unique, in a somewhat-Asian culture with only small amounts of magic - bound spirits, called andates, are forced to work their special powers for their cities. And there are lots of political and personal intrigues. (I'm sorry, I'm bad at summarizing epic plots...)
Post by: Viisikielinenkantele on May 31, 2015, 01:19:51 PM
If there’s anyone out there who, like me, is a bit fed up with the Tolkien-esque ‘elves and dwarves and the dark ages’ slew of fantasy novels recently, then I’d heartily recommend the author China Miéville. His stuff is what I always thought fantasy should be: full of weird creatures in impossible cities, with magic almost indistinguishable from science and schizoid tech all over the place.
If you want a good jumping-off point into his work, I’d recommend Perdido Street Station, which is the first of three largely-unconnected novels set in the same fictional universe.
On a similar topic, does anyone know of any good fantasy novels that buck the ‘always set in the middle ages’ trend? (I used to shun fantasy books when I was younger mostly for this reason, but I’m trying to broaden my horizons a bit more now)
Oh, another Miéville-Fan! I recently reread "Embassytown", a novel about a human outpost on an alien world with a unique language-system. But my favourite is actually "The city & the city", about a fictive eastern-european city which grew into two intertwined cities with their inhabitants constantly "unseeing" each other.
Jim Butchers "Dresden Files" are really fun to read as ReturnOfDaveBro mentioned, and I liked also his "Codex Alera"-series.
If you like the "Dresden Files", you might also enjoy Benedict Jacka's "Alex Verus" books. It's somewhat similar as it also starts with wizards in the modern world, in this case London. But his approach to magic differs.
If you are interested in world-building, the books of L. E. Modesitt Jr. might be something for you. I especially like his newest series "Imager Portfolio" (still ongoing) and "Corean Chronicles", both with a unique set of magic-rules, politics and religion. If you want to try first a standalone book, I like to recommend "Haze", a science-fiction-novel about a secret mission on a very reclusive planet.
And now I'm going and looking up some of the suggestions, I'm desperately in need of a new book :)
Post by: ParanormalAndroid on May 31, 2015, 02:10:37 PM
Sci-fi
Iain M. Banks' Culture series for some of the best, most epic (in the old sense) space opera/sci-fi around.
Isaac Asimov's Foundation series for a more thoughtful alternative.
William Gibson's Neuromancer as it is the *definition* of cyberpunk.
Phillip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep because it's legendary, and deservedly so.
Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama for a glimpse into how sci-fi used to be.
General Fiction
David Mitchell's The Bone Clocks (and to a lesser extent, Cloud Atlas and Ghostwritten) is a beautifully subtle modern take on fantasy, although they're hard to pin down to any one genre.
Iain Banks' (same author, no M) fiction (non-sci-fi) series is exceptional (start with Stonemouth or Dead Air, or maybe Complicity).
...
I'll stop for now, but there's a few ideas for all of you.
Post by: Sunflower on June 01, 2015, 05:04:41 PM
by Emily St. John Mandel
Published Sept. 2014
Holy smokes, this novel is extraordinary! I'm so grateful to Mélusine for recommending it on the post-apocalyptic thread. (https://ssssforum.com/index.php?topic=27.msg31775#msg31775)
Basically, Station Eleven (http://www.emilymandel.com/stationeleven.html) is about a mutated flu that kills off 99.99% of the world's population, starting on a night when a washed-up movie star has a heart attack while starring in a Canadian production of "King Lear." Twenty years after the outbreak, a young woman named Kristen, who was a child actress in that play, is now part of a traveling troupe of players bringing theater, music, and inspiration to ragged settlements of survivors.
Aside from the fact that it's a terrific novel with keen insight into love, friendship, co-worker complications, and other relationships... and that it's unflinching yet hopeful about the likely consequences of apocalypse... and that it's a gripping mystery story.... and so addictive I spent the last 4 hours frantically gulping it down before I have to return it to the library (regardless of Poor Neglected Responsibilities)...
-->It's basically "SSSS: The Early Years"!
Not to say that it's derivative of Our Beloved Comic, or vice-versa. But part of why I'm recommending it here is that it addresses a lot of the questions I had about what might have happened in the Known World between Year Zero and the present day.
Of course, Minna's Scandinavians wouldn't necessarily react the same way as Mandel's Americans and Canadians. But there are enough parallels to feed my tendency to overthink, and to obsessively wonder about the gaps in whatever narrative world I'm interested in. I almost feel "I can sleep easier tonight, knowing there's at least one post-apocalyptic scenario with a plausible path for how we get from the near-total death of the entire human race to the relatively healthy, prosperous, and civilized state of Y90... so, sssshhh, left brain, you can stop gnawing on all those conundrums now."
Oh! Plus! One of the characters is a graphic novelist (and it's important to the story), so there's an extra bonus for SSSS fans.
OK, rant over.
Review in the Guardian. (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/15/station-eleven-review-emily-st-john-mantel-richly-imagined-post-apocalyptic)
New York Times review: (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/books/review/station-eleven-by-emily-st-john-mandel.html?_r=0) Warning, spoilerriffic though interesting.
Post by: tabeabd on June 01, 2015, 05:34:09 PM
Have you tried Urban Fantasy, like Seanan McGuire, Charles de Lint, Kat Richardson, C.E. Murphy, or Jim Butcher? No Dwarves that I've noticed in any of them.
I've only read one work by Charles de Lint, "The Dreaming Place", and I really enjoyed it! It's an urban fantasy that uses Native American lore, which is pretty cool, and it's also a short (under 200 pages), easy read. I didn't think I'd really get into an urban fantasy, but I might read more if they're like this, haha.
A series I've been reading recently is the Agent Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. There are 14 books so far though! I'm about halfway through. It's a fun detective/mystery type series that often takes place at the natural history museum in New York. Some books are better than others, but I have enjoyed all of them so far. The trouble is that the books aren't labeled as a series, so I keep having to look on goodreads to see the order they're supposed to go in. The first one is Relic, which ties in some interesting science-fictiony biology, and my favorite so far is Cabinet of Curiosities (the third one) which has to do with solving a 100+ year old serial murder case. Some of them are supposed to be able to be read on their own, but they make so much more sense if read in order!
Post by: Mélusine on June 01, 2015, 06:04:27 PM
If there’s anyone out there who, like me, is a bit fed up with the Tolkien-esque ‘elves and dwarves and the dark ages’ slew of fantasy novels recently, then I’d heartily recommend the author China Miéville. His stuff is what I always thought fantasy should be: full of weird creatures in impossible cities, with magic almost indistinguishable from science and schizoid tech all over the place.Perdido Street Station was very good, but I have been disappointed by others books :-\ For me, China Miéville is marvelous at creating universes, but the story might suffer of a lack of... something. The Scar was not at Perdido Street Station level, in my humble opinion, and Iron Council had good ideas but I was unable to really enjoy my reading... but he's still good in the creation :)
If you want a good jumping-off point into his work, I’d recommend Perdido Street Station, which is the first of three largely-unconnected novels set in the same fictional universe.
Do you know Steph Swainston's books ? The Year of Our War was the only one translated in France, I had been obligated to read the next one in english with a dictionary ^^ (And it's not fault to have asked the publishers at every festival several years, but sadly it doesn't find readers here.) It's a more dark and adult fantasy, the main character, Jant, is one of the Immortals in a land in "war" against the Insects, the Messenger, the only one who can fly BUT a junkie. You'll not find fantasy's cliché (Middle-Age, princess, powerful wizard, prophecy, elves or dwarves...) inside. I still have the third book to read. In english. With a dictionary. But The Year of Our War is one of my best reading in fantasy :)
Station ElevenI'm glad you liked this book :) It was my last reading when I saw Minna's drawing for the first time ^^
by Emily St. John Mandel
Published Sept. 2014
Holy smokes, this novel is extraordinary! I'm so grateful to Mélusine for recommending it on the post-apocalyptic thread. (https://ssssforum.com/index.php?topic=27.msg31775#msg31775)
Post by: SectoBoss on June 02, 2015, 02:40:25 PM
The Scar was not at Perdido Street Station level, in my humble opinion, and Iron Council had good ideas but I was unable to really enjoy my reading
I will agree with you that Iron Council was definitely the weakest of the three. Ah well, each to their own! :)
Thanks for all the various reccomendations guys! I think a trip to the bookship might be in order once my exams are over.
Edit: or even the bookshop, who knows... ;)
Post by: koalalou on June 02, 2015, 04:16:07 PM
"Frank looked at Percy with wide eyes. He mouthed: Can your sword do grenade form?
Percy mouthed back, No. Shut up."
I'd forgotten how much this series could make me laugh.
Okay. That's all. Just felt like sharing. //beats a hasty retreat back to her usual threads//
Post by: Viisikielinenkantele on June 03, 2015, 03:50:29 PM
Perdido Street Station was very good, but I have been disappointed by others books :-\ For me, China Miéville is marvelous at creating universes, but the story might suffer of a lack of... something. The Scar was not at Perdido Street Station level, in my humble opinion, and Iron Council had good ideas but I was unable to really enjoy my reading... but he's still good in the creation :)
Do you know Steph Swainston's books ? The Year of Our War was the only one translated in France, I had been obligated to read the next one in english with a dictionary ^^ (And it's not fault to have asked the publishers at every festival several years, but sadly it doesn't find readers here.) It's a more dark and adult fantasy, the main character, Jant, is one of the Immortals in a land in "war" against the Insects, the Messenger, the only one who can fly BUT a junkie. You'll not find fantasy's cliché (Middle-Age, princess, powerful wizard, prophecy, elves or dwarves...) inside. I still have the third book to read. In english. With a dictionary. But The Year of Our War is one of my best reading in fantasy :)
I'm glad you liked this book :) It was my last reading when I saw Minna's drawing for the first time ^^
I can relate to your not liking "The Iron Council". I like the stand-alone-books of China Miéville more, because every time he manages to create a whole new world and this I find fascinating.
Steph Swainston's "Castle"-books are fun to read, but I lost interest halfway through the fourth book. It just felt like she had no new ideas. But the first three I can recommend!
Do you know Jasper Fforde's books? I really enjoyed the "Thursday Next"-series, the protagonist works for jurisfiction, a police unit ensuring the smooth run of reading, because books can be altered by persons entering them. It plays in an alternate London. The books are full of literary hints and I laughed quite a few times reading them. His "Nursery Crime"-books are fun too, about a detective trying to solve the murders of nursery rhyme protagonists.
Post by: Mélusine on June 03, 2015, 05:17:12 PM
Steph Swainston's "Castle"-books are fun to read, but I lost interest halfway through the fourth book. It just felt like she had no new ideas. But the first three I can recommend!I'll read again the first books of The Castle, but in english, before discovering the last one. The changes between french and english were disturbing, the last time :)
Do you know Jasper Fforde's books? I really enjoyed the "Thursday Next"-series, the protagonist works for jurisfiction, a police unit ensuring the smooth run of reading, because books can be altered by persons entering them. It plays in an alternate London. The books are full of literary hints and I laughed quite a few times reading them. His "Nursery Crime"-books are fun too, about a detective trying to solve the murders of nursery rhyme protagonists.
I know the name of Jasper Fforde but have never tried one of his books yet. Thank for the advice !
Post by: Tap10lan on June 05, 2015, 04:35:16 AM
by
Writer Joe Hill
Artist Gabriel Rodriguez
Since this is a comic (well, by now it's a bunch of collections, and finished), it's possible there's another thread for it, but if you haven't read this yet, I highly recommend it.
It has a bit of a Lovecraftian/Stephen King vibe to it, but it's all its own thing, with a metal with which you can make keys that turn you into a giant, give you wings, etc. Those examples are actually the most mundane! And it's a scary story, too. Well, it would be, if I associate it with Lovecraft/King, wouldn't it?
Also, I mention it since Humblebundle are "selling" all of the albums right now for less than 20 bucks (well, it's mostly for good causes, in this case Traveling Stories, so you can of course plonk down a lot more ...).
So if you can stand e-comics/e-books, and have the money, this is a great thing! :)
Post by: Tap10lan on June 05, 2015, 04:47:32 AM
They have Darwyn Cooke's rendition of Richard Stark's Parker books, too. I really like those.
Also, a few of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen books. They're on the good side of OK, but not his strongest work, if you ask me.
Plus a bunch of other stuff I don't know.
(I wouldn't do this shilling thing if it weren't for the good "price", and the fact that the money goes to good causes. ;D )
Post by: meshebe on June 06, 2015, 03:05:03 AM
Title: DUNE
Author: Frank Herbert
Genre: SciFi
Description: "Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib."
Comments: This is probably my favorite book, there were so many little details and little truths in this one book. Unfortunately the next books in the series become more and more details and less and less action... I enjoyed the next book (Dune Messiah) but I know many people who did not.
Title: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings triligy
Author: JRR Tolkein
Genre: Fantasy
Description: You know it.
Comments: I can't believe the large amount of people who have not read these books but also love fantasy. I suggest reading the hobbit first, it helped me a lot to get into the series. I also tried to read the lord of the rings in grade school and it scared me away "waaaay to dense!" but later in life (college) I appreciated every little detail. It's a world you can get lost in, that's for sure. :)
Title: The Dark Tower Series (7 books)
Author: Stephan King
Genre: Fantasy/Western?
Description: "The Dark Tower series tells the story of Roland Deschain, Mid-World’s last gunslinger, who is traveling southeast across Mid-World’s post-apocalyptic landscape, searching for the powerful but elusive magical edifice known as The Dark Tower."
Comments: This series is not like other books by Stephan King - It is not excessively...gross. I discounted King's books after trying to read Desparation, but I am so glad that I read these books. I've never been so startled and surprised by a story in a book, and I don't think I've ever read 700 page book so quickly.
Anyway, I hope someone enjoys my "two cents"
Post by: Robert on June 06, 2015, 05:34:33 AM
Title: DUNE
Author: Frank Herbert
Genre: SciFi
Description: "Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib."
Comments: This is probably my favorite book, there were so many little details and little truths in this one book. Unfortunately the next books in the series become more and more details and less and less action... I enjoyed the next book (Dune Messiah) but I know many people who did not.
I've heard people advise reading the first two or three books in the DUNE series and stopping there.
For those that like cats I suggest reading "Tailchaser's Song" by Tad Williams. It's epic fantasy without much distracting politics and with cats as the main characters. They act like cats too, which just makes it even better.
For those that want fantasy that is neither set in a pseudo middle ages nor in the modern world there are two pairs of books by Sean Russell. "Beneath the Vaulted Hills" and "The Compass of the Soul" are set in a period like the Enlightenment, though magic definitely exists and one of the major secondary characters is a trained mage. He's the only one, but "It takes a lifetime to make a mage." as they say in the book. The second set "World Without End" and "Sea Without a Shore" are set at least 40 years later and includes a major plot thread set on a Navy survey ship.
Post by: Tap10lan on June 06, 2015, 02:06:41 PM
I'm reading
Ancillary Justice
by
Ann Leckie
You know how blurbs read "... picking up the mantle ...", "A NEW Ian M Banks", etc.?
Well, this time I hadn't tweaked to it. (As an aside: W00h00! I've finally learned how to ignore (at least some) zero transmissions such as ads! :D )
Instead, when I started reading Leckie, it felt like coming home.
It's as if Banks had written a book that's pre-Culture, with remnants of one of the larger Ships going about their stuff, inside one of the evil empires.
DANG!
So yeah, I'm telling everyone who might have missed this fact.
(And hey, her last name sounds Scottish, so she's up there with the best contemporary SF writers: Ian M Banks, Michael Cobley, Ken MacLeod, Charles Stross (well, I just made him honorary Scotsman, I guess). OK, then, the Brits have a few, too, like Alastair Reynolds.
And now I made the mistake of checking Ann Leckies background. Turns out she was born in the States. Well, it was a nice theory, while it lasted. Anyway, she's great, and she writes in the grand tradition of Ian M Banks.
READ! :D
Post by: ParanormalAndroid on June 06, 2015, 03:49:13 PM
He was an exceptional author.
Post by: Tap10lan on June 07, 2015, 12:27:52 PM
Gah, when I heard Iain M Banks had died I actually cried, only slightly but still.Me too. I'm still sad when I think about it. I'd sort of settled into an expectation of getting new books from him to read every now and then, and now ...
He was an exceptional author.
Still, I do recommend Ann Leckie. Like Banks, she combines sociology, cool extreme science, and some action, switching scales in a natural way. And there's something in her language that makes me think of Banks, too. It's unhurried, and ... thoughtful (?). I like it.
I think I have a penchant for sociological literature (well, I found the original Foundation books a bit boring, sorry ;) ).
I love Steven Erikson's Malazan decalogue. It most definitely is the best fantasy EVER.
Quite possibly, Ursula K LeGuin is one of the top 10 best ever SF/fantasy authors ever ... Apart from all the well-known fantastic stuff she's written (Earthsea, Hainish, etc.), I'd like to mention an oddity: a "novel/anthropological study" about a future (?) "indian" tribe, with songs, stories, legends, artwork, and a specific story about a member of this tribe. A fascinating read!
Post by: Tap10lan on June 07, 2015, 12:32:19 PM
It's
Always coming home
by
Ursula K LeGuin
Post by: snotra on June 08, 2015, 05:32:20 AM
Post by: mithrysc on June 08, 2015, 09:03:30 AM
Does anyone have advice on how to limit your book-buying inclinations without restraining you from ever entering book shops unless you absolutely have to and how to manage your buying habits so you won't run out of shelf space? I have so far tried to externalise the bought books by instantly gifting them to someone else and then keeping the title in consideration for borrowing later.
Uh...I may not be the best person to answer this, given that I am currently looking at a shelf stacked (two deep, and with an extra row on the top) with books. At least I personally did not buy them. Or much of them.
Perhaps some sort of "book-buying" budget--limit the amount of money you can spend on books, which hopefully means less books bought (and hopefully not more cheap copies bought)?
A rule of thumb for me would be to first borrow an interesting title (via friend or library), and then only if you think it's good enough for a re-read go and buy it.
Post by: snotra on June 08, 2015, 09:12:39 AM
Post by: Tap10lan on June 08, 2015, 10:26:06 AM
Does anyone have advice on how to limit your book-buying inclinations without restraining you from ever entering book shops unless you absolutely have to and how to manage your buying habits so you won't run out of shelf space? I have so far tried to externalise the bought books by instantly gifting them to someone else and then keeping the title in consideration for borrowing later.I've tended to do like snotra, and I have a wall that's something like 24'x8' packed with books, comics, and old-style vinyl records/CDs. But I've been at this a while ...
Libraries are of course a way around this, as mithysc says.
Also, nowadays you can get stuff cheaper by e.g. getting e-books. humblebundle often has good deals with really good quality books/comics.
If you want to REDUCE the consumtion, I guess finding another poison is the "solution", although watching movies/tv series in cinemas/at home doesn't reduce my interest in books.
Neither is gaming, come to think of it ... Or art, or music. Dang ... ;D
Post by: Silent Fox on June 08, 2015, 09:03:22 PM
I stumbled across the first book in a used book store a few years ago and loved it. It's a great series!Seconding Chronicles. Just finished the first book and it kept me interested.
Another really good series is Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series. It's set during WWI in an alternate universe and is of the steampunk variety. Also The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima is the first book in a really good fantasy adventure series and I highly recommend it.
I've also read the first book in the Ice People series by Margit Sandemo; wasn't bad, but the English translation isn't quite my cup of tea (and I hate when this happens!).
Also, I'm reading Jurassic Park for the first time now, and my god the writing is great! Why didn't any of my old friends ever tell me?!
Does anyone know of any books/comics that are specifically similar to what SSSS is doing? Plot wise? I don't even know what genre it would be categorized in?
Post by: Noodles on June 10, 2015, 03:54:29 AM
Do you know Jasper Fforde's books? I really enjoyed the "Thursday Next"-series, the protagonist works for jurisfiction, a police unit ensuring the smooth run of reading, because books can be altered by persons entering them. It plays in an alternate London. The books are full of literary hints and I laughed quite a few times reading them. His "Nursery Crime"-books are fun too, about a detective trying to solve the murders of nursery rhyme protagonists.Ooh, yes, these are really good and funny. THere's also The Last Dragonslayer which is ... fantasy, I guess? and hard to categorise. It's about a hedge-wizard who's been drafted as a dragonslayer and Stuff Happens.
Post by: ParanormalAndroid on June 10, 2015, 01:38:59 PM
*blithers*
Post by: Mélusine on June 10, 2015, 05:23:31 PM
Ooh, while we're on fantasy I'd also like to recommend The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, it's a beautiful little tale/metaphor about life and memory.The name remembers me something... ah. Never let me go.
*blithers*
Post by: Silent Fox on June 16, 2015, 07:15:24 PM
Behold! I can partially answer my own question! Browsing through Barnes and Noble online for eons I have come upon:
The Fellowship of Ghosts by Paul Watkins- in my hands right now, really good so far.
Riding With Reindeer by Robert M. Goldstein- A very fun read! Definitely recommended. *_*
I also remember there being a few more, but they were all only Nook (e-reader) books. :(
Post by: Sunflower on June 16, 2015, 08:17:35 PM
It's in somewhat disjointed sections of prose and verse, so you can dip into it wherever you like.
Auden loved geography, so of course he loved Iceland (except maybe the food).
A poem from the book:
Journey To Iceland
by W. H. Auden (https://www.poeticous.com/w-h-auden/journey-to-iceland?locale=en)
Each traveller prays Let me be far from any
physician, every port has its name for the sea,
the citiless, the corroding, the sorrow,
and North means to all Reject.
These plains are for ever where cold creatures are hunted
and on all sides: white wings flicker and flaunt;
under a scolding flag the lover
of islands may see at last,
in outline, his limited hope, as he nears a glitter
of glacier, sterile immature mountains intense
in the abnormal northern day, and a river's
fan-like polyp of sand.
Here let the citizen, then, find natural marvels,
a horse-shoe ravine, an issue of steam from a cleft
in the rock, and rocks, and waterfalls brushing
the rocks, and among the rock birds;
the student of prose and conduct places to visit,
the site of a church where a bishop was put in a bag,
the bath of a great historian, the fort where
an outlaw dreaded the dark,
remember the doomed man thrown by his horse and crying
Beautiful is the hillside. I will not go,
the old woman confessing He that I loved the
best, to him I was worst.
Europe is absent: this is an island and should be
a refuge, where the affections of its dead can be bought
by those whose dreams accuse them of being
spitefully alive, and the pale
from too much passion of kissing feel pure in its deserts.
But is it, can they, as the world is and can lie?
A narrow bridge over a torrent,
a small farn under a crag
are natural Settings for the jealousies of a province:
a weak vow of fidelity is made at a cairn,
within the indigenous figure on horseback
on the bridle-path down by the lake
his blood moves also by furtive and crooked inches,
asks all our questions: Where is the homage? When
shall justice be done? Who is against me?
Why am I always alone?
Out time has no favourite suburb, no local features
are those of the young for whom all wish to care;
its promise is only a promise, the fabulous
country impartially far.
Tears fall in all the rivers: again some driver
pulls on his gloves and in a blinding snowstorm starts
upon a fatal journey, again some writer
runs howling to his art.
Post by: Silent Fox on June 16, 2015, 08:22:41 PM
This IS "an old book surely out of print," but may I suggest "Letters from Iceland" (1937) by W.H. Auden and Louis MacNeice? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_from_Iceland
It's in somewhat disjointed sections of prose and verse, so you can dip into it wherever you like.
Auden loved geography, so of course he loved Iceland (except maybe the food).
A poem from the book:
Journey To Iceland
by W. H. Auden (https://www.poeticous.com/w-h-auden/journey-to-iceland?locale=en)
Each traveller prays Let me be far from any
physician, every port has its name for the sea,
the citiless, the corroding, the sorrow,
and North means to all Reject.
These plains are for ever where cold creatures are hunted
and on all sides: white wings flicker and flaunt;
under a scolding flag the lover
of islands may see at last,
in outline, his limited hope, as he nears a glitter
of glacier, sterile immature mountains intense
in the abnormal northern day, and a river's
fan-like polyp of sand.
Here let the citizen, then, find natural marvels,
a horse-shoe ravine, an issue of steam from a cleft
in the rock, and rocks, and waterfalls brushing
the rocks, and among the rock birds;
the student of prose and conduct places to visit,
the site of a church where a bishop was put in a bag,
the bath of a great historian, the fort where
an outlaw dreaded the dark,
remember the doomed man thrown by his horse and crying
Beautiful is the hillside. I will not go,
the old woman confessing He that I loved the
best, to him I was worst.
Europe is absent: this is an island and should be
a refuge, where the affections of its dead can be bought
by those whose dreams accuse them of being
spitefully alive, and the pale
from too much passion of kissing feel pure in its deserts.
But is it, can they, as the world is and can lie?
A narrow bridge over a torrent,
a small farn under a crag
are natural Settings for the jealousies of a province:
a weak vow of fidelity is made at a cairn,
within the indigenous figure on horseback
on the bridle-path down by the lake
his blood moves also by furtive and crooked inches,
asks all our questions: Where is the homage? When
shall justice be done? Who is against me?
Why am I always alone?
Out time has no favourite suburb, no local features
are those of the young for whom all wish to care;
its promise is only a promise, the fabulous
country impartially far.
Tears fall in all the rivers: again some driver
pulls on his gloves and in a blinding snowstorm starts
upon a fatal journey, again some writer
runs howling to his art.
Ugh, that is so good! Thank you; I shall keep it in mind. :)
Post by: Laufey on June 16, 2015, 08:35:17 PM
the student of prose and conduct places to visit,
the site of a church where a bishop was put in a bag,
the bath of a great historian, the fort where
an outlaw dreaded the dark,
The bishop probably refers to Jón Árason (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3n_Arason).
Bath of a great historian = Snorralaug (http://www.snorrastofa.is/default.asp?sid_id=14271&tre_rod=001%7C&tId=1&qsr), the natural spring Snorri Sturluson had fashioned into a bath for himself. Snorri is known for f.ex. writing down Edda and loads more of Icelandic history.
Outlaw who dreaded the dark: Grettir Ásmundarson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grettis_saga).
remember the doomed man thrown by his horse and crying
Beautiful is the hillside. I will not go,
the old woman confessing He that I loved the
best, to him I was worst.
The first two lines refer to Gunnar af Hlíðarendi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar_H%C3%A1mundarson) who knew he'd die if he stayed in Iceland. Yet when his horse threw him down and he saw his home far behind he couldn't go.
The second person is Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%B0r%C3%BAn_%C3%93sv%C3%ADfrsd%C3%B3ttir), who gave this answer to her son when he asked which one of her men (she was 4 times married) she had loved the most. The trick is that the man she treated the worst was none of them.
Post by: Sunflower on June 16, 2015, 08:40:44 PM
Oooh! This poem is amazing, and I love how it references Icelandic history:
The bishop probably refers to Jón Árason (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3n_Arason).
Bath of a great historian = Snorralaug (http://www.snorrastofa.is/default.asp?sid_id=14271&tre_rod=001%7C&tId=1&qsr), the natural spring Snorri Sturluson had fashioned into a bath for himself. Snorri is known for f.ex. writing down Edda and loads more of Icelandic history.
Outlaw who dreaded the dark: Grettir Ásmundarson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grettis_saga).
The first two lines refer to Gunnar af Hlíðarendi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar_H%C3%A1mundarson) who knew he'd die if he stayed in Iceland. Yet when his horse threw him down and he saw his home far behind he couldn't go.
The second person is Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%B0r%C3%BAn_%C3%93sv%C3%ADfrsd%C3%B3ttir), who gave this answer to her son when he asked which one of her men (she was 4 times married) she had loved the most. The trick is that the man she treated the worst was none of them.
I am thrilled to learn this! I took a course in Auden (and some other 20th C. poets, but mostly Auden) in college <namedrop> from Joseph Brodsky, the Russian emigre poet and essayist who later became U.S. Poet Laureate and won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Back in the late '80s he was just a shabby-looking guy who smoked a lot, and I was the youngest and by far least qualified student in his seminar. </namedrop> From him, I picked up a real appreciation for Auden... in part because Auden liked history so much.
Post by: DiscoMonster on June 17, 2015, 04:44:49 AM
For all who, like me, are still sad about Ian (M.) Banks passing way earlier than I'd hoped he would: I'm reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
That's a great book. If you like Banks, then I think you might enjoy Hannu Rajaniemi's books. He's Finn based in Edinburgh and his stories are astonishing. A bit like the Leckie book and lots of Banks' work in that the tech is wonderful and the characters not always aware of their true purpose or real past(s), not to mention all the personal and political intrigue and detective work. It's also a bit like Minna's work in that he throws in Finnish names and words as well as words from other languages to tell stories within stories and name objects that would otherwise require whole sentences in English. Start with The Quantum Thief.
Post by: Tap10lan on June 18, 2015, 05:21:40 AM
That's a great book. If you like Banks, then I think you might enjoy Hannu Rajaniemi's books. He's Finn based in Edinburgh and his stories are astonishing. A bit like the Leckie book and lots of Banks' work in that the tech is wonderful and the characters not always aware of their true purpose or real past(s), not to mention all the personal and political intrigue and detective work. It's also a bit like Minna's work in that he throws in Finnish names and words as well as words from other languages to tell stories within stories and name objects that would otherwise require whole sentences in English. Start with The Quantum Thief.Thanks! That's a great recommendation - and since I'll be on vacation soon, I was beginning to ponder what to bring (I have a bunch of classics I mean to read, but "I WANT CANDY!" ;D .
Post by: DiscoMonster on June 18, 2015, 08:35:23 AM
Thanks! That's a great recommendation - and since I'll be on vacation soon, I was beginning to ponder what to bring (I have a bunch of classics I mean to read, but "I WANT CANDY!" ;D .It's candy! It drops you in the story and tech, so it's a bit bewildering at times but then the penny drops and you're in his world.
Post by: Tap10lan on June 18, 2015, 02:06:17 PM
It's candy! It drops you in the story and tech, so it's a bit bewildering at times but then the penny drops and you're in his world.W000t! OK, checking best way to get my paws on this ASAP! NOW! :)
Post by: Den som er skjult on July 04, 2015, 05:26:31 PM
All this about cats and especially cats belonging to a military crew made me think to an author I love since the seventies: Cordwainer Smith.
I wonder if Minna has read something by this author.
http://www.cordwainer-smith.com/
There is a short story (The Game of Rat and Dragon) in which telepathic cats are used to fight space monsters they see as huge rats while humans see them as dragons:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29614/29614-h/29614-h.htm
There is also a character named C'Mell (C because she not a human woman but a cat girl). Better read Cordwainer Smith than read my description which would be poor and inaccurate.
The series of short stories is known under the name: The Lords of Instrumentality (I read it in French for the first time back in the previous century, Les Seigneurs de l'Instrumentalité).
Post by: Hrollo on July 05, 2015, 06:25:25 PM
My next project is going to be a fantasy story… except I haven't read any fantasy since high school, and nothing really recent.
So could you recommend to me some relatively recent, well written high fantasy/epic fantasy/heroic fantasy with a rather bright/optimistic/idealistic outlook? Basically I'm looking for the stark opposite of Game of Thrones... the setting itself doesn't really matter.
Thank you in advance.
Post by: Mélusine on July 05, 2015, 07:55:43 PM
My next project is going to be a fantasy story… except I haven't read any fantasy since high school, and nothing really recent.What were you reading in fantasy in high school ? I'm difficult in fantasy now but I can try to find something :)
Post by: Adrai Thell on July 05, 2015, 08:07:16 PM
...relatively recent, well written high fantasy/epic fantasy/heroic fantasy with a rather bright/optimistic/idealistic outlook? Basically I'm looking for the stark opposite of Game of Thrones... the setting itself doesn't really matter.
Hmm. I'd personally recommend the Stormlight Archives for this, even if it takes a little bit to get to the optimistic worldview. Also, they're huge - The Way of Kings (the first one) is 1280 pages, and it looks like they'll be ramping up from there. But I haven't read a fantasy series so compelling in a long time - I actually like them more then the Lord of the Rings (heresy, I know).
Post by: Hrollo on July 05, 2015, 08:14:34 PM
Adrai Thell > thanks, I'm noting those.
Post by: Mélusine on July 06, 2015, 04:09:31 AM
When people talk about fantasy, I think to Eddings with The Belgariad and The Malloreon. Very "classical" (A chosen one, a sorcerer, a thief...) but it's not so recent. Same for The Death Gate Cycle by Weis & Hickmann I read just after when I was a teenager, and this one is not so optimistic when you begin to read... Maybe Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber ? (Corwin's cycle is better, to my mind, so the five first books.) But, again, I fear it's not exactly "bright/optimistic/idealistic", only Eddings hit this for this moment ::)
Post by: Hrollo on July 06, 2015, 07:22:05 PM
Post by: Sunflower on July 12, 2015, 09:04:31 PM
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/12/418600253/cold-iron-asks-what-if-tolkien-had-been-american
It opens:
Quote
In the acknowledgements for Cold Iron, Stina Leicht writes that one of the questions at the core of her new Malorum Gates series is, "if Tolkien had been American, what would fantasy look like?" It's a fascinating question — and I don't intend to sound cynical or glib when I say that, according to Cold Iron, the answer is, at least partly, "more full of guns."
Cold Iron is very attentive to the nuances of early modern warfare, on both land and sea. It explores the clash between competing technologies and philosophies as magic-wielding Kainen (elves) and musket-firing Acrasians (humans) wage war on each other.
Rollo, not sure if this will fill your request, but it certainly sounds intriguing.
So could you recommend to me some relatively recent, well written high fantasy/epic fantasy/heroic fantasy with a rather bright/optimistic/idealistic outlook? Basically I'm looking for the stark opposite of Game of Thrones... the setting itself doesn't really matter.
Here's my nomination: "Bright and Shining Tiger" by Claudia Edwards. (http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Shining-Tiger-Claudia-Edwards/dp/0445206268) It's the story of a wandering healer, Runa, who by apparent chance becomes a feudal ruler in a land where magic-wielding Mantics and warlike Margraves protect the peasantry.
It's less epic in scope than Game of Thrones but is set in a vaguely medieval world with a carefully thought-out system of magic (or mental powers?) a bit like laran/The Overworld in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series.
It's not the most sophisticated novel I've ever read, but I really enjoyed it. Some strong points:
* Original setting, not based on Western Europe/England like a lot of fantasy. The geography and ecology are very much like the U.S. Midwest. At one point, Runa comes across a tribe of primitive desert-dwelling people similar to Australian Aborigines or African Bushmen.
* A well-thought-out feudal economy and social milieu. Runa is forcibly installed as Mantic in a long-abandoned castle, and is soon surprised to find a crowd of peasants hammering at the gate.... to lecture her about her obligations as their new protector and provider. Runa's social conflicts and misunderstandings -- with the peasants, the snobbish local gentry, and the band of Viking-esque warriors she imports as her fighting force -- drive a lot of the plot.
* Horses are very important in this novel, and Edwards knows her stuff. No Automaton Horses (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AutomatonHorses)here. (YMMV -- I'm not a horsey type myself, but I respect accurate world-building.)
* Did I mention Vikings? The barbarian warrior culture in this book draws heavily on Viking culture, including being fairly gender-neutral. (The barbarian characters are all male, but they have no objections to women leaders and fighters, or to making their own clothes.)
* Strong female characters (no, not that kind (http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=311)) and a romance that's delicately paced and touching.
* A happy ending (even if it doesn't tie up all the loose ends in the plot).
On the down side, the plotting is kind of random in places. Also, Runa sometimes comes close to sounding like a Lonely 30-Something Career Girl stereotype -- though not enough to spoil my enjoyment.
Post by: Hrollo on July 13, 2015, 10:41:15 AM
Post by: Nimphy on August 29, 2015, 04:09:18 PM
So something called The Elegance of the Hedgehog sounded naturally interesting to me. It lost all of this interest when the first line I read was something along the lines of "Marx's work completely changed my view of the world!" shortly followed by something about how to truly understand Marx's work you had to read the German Ideology. I stopped paying attention at that point, deciding this would be boring.
Eeh, guilty of judging a book by its cover, yes.
Anyway, the overly complicated prose and at times repetive concepts were definitely not helping my idea of this book. Until, until the narrator changed.
The first narrator was an old concierge, for some reason hiding her knowledge of philosophy and literature. Nothing much to see or understand. The second narrator, who starts her part with "Deep Thoughts" is a self-defined super-genius twelve-year-old. She also attempts to hide this intelligence, but this is not her dfining characteristic: after spending a few pages talking about the "fish bowl" that is adult life, giving the illusion of knowing the meaning of life but endlessly wandering without a clue, she informs the reader that to avoid his destiny she will commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday, and give fire to the house to remind her parents that tragedy can strike them too.
Back to Renée, the concierge, I got to like her more as I learned more about her. She is an autodidact who hides her passion for literature, art, philosophy and the like to fall within the stereotypes that society wants, and the more is revealed, the more I get to appreciate her.
A particularly amusing scene is one where a Japanese man decides to transfer in the building: while they first meet, she cites Anna Karenina by telling an annoying lady that "All happy families are the same", and he completes by adding "All unhappy families have their own unhappiness". Her cat runs out, and Mr. Ozu asks for his name, which happens to be Lev. So Renée realizes she can't hide anymore. It's a rather funny scene which makes up for most of my squealing about this book.
So yeah, I'm enjoying this experience. I'd appreciate if it didn't go off on chapter-long tangents, but as this is a philosophy book I guess it's natural. It takes a good while to get into some kind of plot, but that's fine, because what's interesting here are the characters. So yeah, I'm done ranting and necroing. Carry on, possibly looking for this book in your local library.
Edit: ah yes, haven't finished it yet. As a matter of fact, I'm slightly past the middle.
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on September 28, 2015, 01:46:35 AM
That prefatory paragraph was written to explain why I'm currently enjoying Rest You Merry, a 1979 murder mystery by Charlotte MacLeod that sparked the Peter Shandy Mysteries. I've read most if not all of her books (as she passed in 2005, there are no new ones for me to discover) over and over through the years. She wrote four principal mystery series, two set in her native Canada (under the pen name Alisa Craig) and two in her adopted Massachusetts; the Peter Shandy series is one of the latter, set at an agricultural college and environs.
Re-reading a book after a long time, especially one you've almost memorized anyway, is like getting back together with an old friend, and perhaps doubly so in audiobook, where scanning or skipping ahead is a much more difficult proposition than with the dead tree copy. In this case, it's forcing me to drink in the author's marvelous prose, such that stopping the recording for any purpose becomes a bother.
It's a bit dismaying to realize part of my enjoyment of this book stems from having gone up what seems like several grade levels in English composition, vocabulary, and grammar from what I usually read today. Thirty-six years of decline might be said to be thus illustrated. Do not, however, let this deter you from seeking out any of Charlotte MacLeod's excellent mysteries, any more than it might deter you from Tolkien. Yes, I just made that comparison; as both were masters of their craft in their respective fields, it is apt.
Post by: Unwary on October 03, 2015, 10:00:29 PM
I have so many good books and series I could pass on.
First of all let's start with sci-fi.
Neal Asher is one of my all time favorites. He writes sci-fi in a style I would sum in one word as 'brutal'
It's both massively cinematic in scope, and cozy. The characters and setting feel extremely real, even as they deal with life in his vivid setting.
Some favorite quotes. (Both are from beginning of chapters, this not actual narrative.)
"A Contraterrene device is a bunker buster bomb resembling nothing so much as large thermos. However if you were open this one, you would find antimatter,briefly."
"With seven previously known civilizations with technological prowess beyond our knowledge, and with the inevitable march of Moore's laws past the atomic level, it almost certain we are surrounded by relics of aeons past. And that somewhere, on some once dead world, the machinery in a grain of dust will spring to life, charged by the heat of passing probe, and our world will change forever."
I can recommend Prador Moon as good first book.
Another good one is the Empress of Mars by Kage Baker.
A story about what happens when the colonization of Mars is abandoned as unprofitable, and the strange society that happens with the people left there, with no way to earn enough money to make it home. That situiation changes pretty quickly.
I must confess its a rather vague recomendation, but do read the Years Best Science fiction and Fantasy. I find the short stories in there jaw dropping, and i kept having to think of actual novel length stories when i set out to make recommendations.
In terms of Fantasy, one of my all time favorites is Jane Lindskold, in particular her Firekeeper series.
The first book is "Through Wolve's Eyes." And though it doesn't have much outright magic in it, it is strong tale featuring a woman raised by wolves being thrust into the middle of politics as the realm teeters towards a war of succession. Later books have more magic and fantasy in them, but they are all really about the characters and plots between them instead of the rise of some dark lord or another.
A graphic series i can recommend is Linda Medley's Castle Waiting series. Beautiful woodcut style illustrations and a story about people, making ends meet. No obvious heroes or ancient quests, just people getting along as best they can. Includes Doctor Fell, an obscure character from a nursery rhyme. Oh, and Beaky and Chess, one of my favorite duos.
Spoiler: An example page • show
Post by: LadyRamkin on October 04, 2015, 12:28:17 AM
Post by: Unwary on October 05, 2015, 05:46:33 PM
I am a bit of a Terry Pratchett if you didn't notice.Any sets of characters in particular? Myself I'm way to fond of the watchmen, and the witches. I don't like the Unseen academicals as much, but they’re good in their own right.
Post by: Mélusine on October 05, 2015, 06:04:21 PM
Any sets of characters in particular? Myself I'm way to fond of the watchmen, and the witches. I don't like the Unseen academicals as much, but they’re good in their own right.The witches are my favorites too (Actually I had discovered Pratchett with a novel with the witches :) ), but I still don't like a lot Cohen. Oh, and I love the Death. The first thing I was checking in the library by turning a few pages, when I was a teenager, was if it were capitals inside ^^
Post by: loki on October 24, 2015, 08:05:29 PM
i just really love the 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' series (it's a trilogy) by Laini Taylor, but not a lot of people have hear dof it...it's amazing ,her writing style is so rich and idk, savory?? that sounds weird but it's so gOOD,,, uh, i guess i'd call it urban fantasy? genre wise? whatever. it's 1000/10 strongly recommend uwu (probably more recommendations from me to come i am a major bookworm)
Post by: Mélusine on January 20, 2016, 06:06:40 PM
Now I want to re-read Neverwhere, but in English this time.
Post by: Yuuago on February 04, 2016, 10:42:09 AM
(Though overall Rincewind is still my favourite of Pratchett's characters.)
I started a Discworld re-read last year, though it's been slow going because I prefer not to read them without something by another author in between - otherwise they run together. Too much of a good thing.
...Still haven't read Shepherd's Crown. Part of me doesn't want to read it.
Post by: Mélusine on February 04, 2016, 10:51:36 AM
I re-read Patchett's Reaper Man last night and I am still emotionally compromised. Some of the Discworld novels just have that way of knocking me off my feet. Death is such a brilliant character.*As the girl who opened the books in the library to see if there will be capital letters inside, nods*
...Still haven't read Shepherd's Crown. Part of me doesn't want to read it.I found it in the French publisher of Pratchett's bookshop last autumn, which was a complete surprise, and grabbed it with a huge smile. I had to buy it, I was sure I had read all with Tiffany and suddenly, wow, an other one ! <3 And a moment after, a part of my brain asked me if my English will be good enough to understand the Nac Mac Feegles. Ahem... ^^°
I would highly recommend the book I'm reading these last days, but "unfortunately" it's a first book of a new French author :-\
Post by: Yuuago on February 04, 2016, 10:55:15 AM
I found it in the French publisher of Pratchett's bookshop last autumn, which was a complete surprise, and grabbed it with a huge smile. I had to buy it, I was sure I had read all with Tiffany and suddenly, wow, an other one ! <3 And a moment after, a part of my brain asked me if my English will be good enough to understand the Nac Mac Feegles. Ahem... ^^°
How lucky! ...Were you able to understand them? ;p I love stuff written in dialect but mannn sometimes I have trouble.
I would highly recommend the book I'm reading these last days, but "unfortunately" it's a first book of a new French author :-\
Ah! Well, at least you're enjoying it. (Maybe some day there will be a version I can read, if it's successful... : D )
Post by: Mélusine on February 04, 2016, 11:07:26 AM
How lucky! ...Were you able to understand them? ;p I love stuff written in dialect but mannn sometimes I have trouble.*Coughs* Wellllllll, I hadn't read it yet, maybe for reasons similar as yours ? (Because it's the last one ?) Maybe it's time to make this try when I'll have finished my current book. It's funny, I always thought I wouldn't try to read a Pratchett in English before :) Because of how he plays with words, and because we have a marvelous translator. And the book I pick is one with the Nac Mac Feegle, who sometimes are hard to understand even in my language, I must be crazy ^^ For having troubles... I'll tell you after my reading ;)
Post by: Yuuago on February 04, 2016, 11:14:28 AM
*Coughs* Wellllllll, I hadn't read it yet, maybe for reasons similar as yours ? (Because it's the last one ?) Maybe it's time to make this try when I'll have finished my current book. It's funny, I always thought I wouldn't try to read a Pratchett in English before :) Because of how he plays with words, and because we have a marvelous translator. And the book I pick is one with the Nac Mac Feegle, who sometimes are hard to understand even in my language, I must be crazy ^^ For having troubles... I'll tell you after my reading ;)
Aaahhh I see! Yeah, understandable. For me, it's because of that reason, but also because I saw some spoilery discussions elsewhere that made me reluctant to pick it up. (Though I would have been waiting anyway, no matter what the content - because I always-always wait for the paperback release.) I'll get to it eventually... and probably save some of Pratchett's non-Discworld books to read after that, to console myself if necessary (the Johnny Maxwell series, probably. So good! Or maybe Strata...)
You might be crazy, but there's nothing wrong with being a little crazy now and then. ;p
Post by: Mélusine on February 04, 2016, 11:32:01 AM
You might be crazy, but there's nothing wrong with being a little crazy now and then. ;pI'll be crazy when I'll try again The Year of Our War (by Steph Swainston : fantasy but more dark and mature with less expected characters, and I can recommend this ! When the main character is an immortal - but could cease to be one - and the only one who can fly but also a junkie, it's a good start when you're looking for an other kind of fantasy books.) and the next two in English. I still have vivid memories of me, ten years ago, trying to read the second one in English with a dictionary next to my bed ::)
Post by: Kiraly on February 04, 2016, 12:25:17 PM
*deep breath*
I just re-read Thief of Time which is one of my favorites, and which I haven't read for years. After all this time, I still want to be Susan Sto-Helit. I haven't read Reaper Man in a while either (though I read it for the first time much later than many of his books, since my brothers and I sort of collected them as we came across them and read everything out of order) and your Tumblr posts have been making me want to read it again, Yuu.
I did read The Shepherd's Crown. The foreword will explain this, but it's a little less polished than his other books - for the simple reason that he wasn't done polishing it yet. I don't want to spoil anything, so all I'll say is that I enjoyed it (in a sad kind of way) and there are a lot of elements around the theme of growing up, growing old, and dying. So make sure you're in the mood for that kind of thing when you get around to it.
Post by: Mélusine on February 04, 2016, 12:33:36 PM
I don't want to spoil anything, so all I'll say is that I enjoyed it (in a sad kind of way) and there are a lot of elements around the theme of growing up, growing old, and dying. So make sure you're in the mood for that kind of thing when you get around to it.I, errr, well...
Post by: Yuuago on February 04, 2016, 12:46:57 PM
I haven't read Reaper Man in a while either (though I read it for the first time much later than many of his books, since my brothers and I sort of collected them as we came across them and read everything out of order) and your Tumblr posts have been making me want to read it again, Yuu.
< 3 I read everything completely out of order as well. There were only a few of the books at the library when I was growing up, and the bookstore never had many of them in stock, so... let's just say I'm glad most of them can stand alone (ish). This is my first time trying to read them in publication order.
(And Reaper Man is so good, so good, yessss do a re-read)
there are a lot of elements around the theme of growing up, growing old, and dying. So make sure you're in the mood for that kind of thing when you get around to it.
It sounds like it'll absolutely wreck me. ...Then again, the Tiffany novels tend to have that effect. ;;
Post by: Kiraly on February 04, 2016, 02:37:46 PM
< 3 I read everything completely out of order as well. There were only a few of the books at the library when I was growing up, and the bookstore never had many of them in stock, so... let's just say I'm glad most of them can stand alone (ish). This is my first time trying to read them in publication order.
(And Reaper Man is so good, so good, yessss do a re-read)
That's pretty much exactly how it was for me too - the library had some and that's how we got hooked, and we ended up accumulating paperbacks around holidays when we bought them as gifts for each other. (I lucked out and ended up with most if not all of the communal Pratchett pile...hopefully my brothers don't mind). Luckily the library system I work for now has a huge collection, so now I can pretty much get any of them whenever I want.
It sounds like it'll absolutely wreck me. ...Then again, the Tiffany novels tend to have that effect. ;;
It might. I re-read The Wee Free Men right after he passed away and pretty much destroyed myself. But it is a good book, and I was glad to get to read one more in the Tiffany lineup. (I also aspire to be Tiffany Aching, in addition to Susan).
Post by: Mélusine on February 04, 2016, 02:47:58 PM
I re-read The Wee Free Men right after he passed away and pretty much destroyed myself.I re-read Nation right after. Stoping every three pages, thinking once again "This is so good
I had read the first two in right order, then like Yuu and you picked what I was finding in the library, with a particular taste for the Witches. (I came to Pratchett because of a short novel on the Witches.) And Death :)
Post by: urbicande on February 04, 2016, 02:51:54 PM
Ford Prefect's character name in French is "Ford Escort" which was understandable as a joke to me instantly. Ford never sold the Prefect in the USA, but the Escort was a common car.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on February 04, 2016, 09:43:24 PM
Totally unrelated to Pratchett, I understood a joke in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy when I tried to read it in French.
Ford Prefect's character name in French is "Ford Escort" which was understandable as a joke to me instantly. Ford never sold the Prefect in the USA, but the Escort was a common car.
I read something by Adams once where he said that he kind of regretted choosing the Ford Prefect because - in retrospect - there was no way for Americans to get the joke. He said that most American readers he'd talked to thought it was an odd misspelling of 'Perfect'.
Post by: urbicande on February 05, 2016, 09:25:08 AM
I read something by Adams once where he said that he kind of regretted choosing the Ford Prefect because - in retrospect - there was no way for Americans to get the joke. He said that most American readers he'd talked to thought it was an odd misspelling of 'Perfect'.
Which is why it made sense in the French translation. They could, of course, have changed the name for the American market, but I suspect that the editors who go through the books changing Britishisms to Americanisms* missed that one entirely.
* I'm not a fan of this practice. We're perfectly capable of understanding British English most of the time and the rest of the time we can figure it out.
Post by: Mélusine on February 12, 2016, 09:51:27 AM
Post by: Crumpite on February 12, 2016, 03:11:07 PM
I just found a link to some weird Norwegian tales from the 1800's.
What I've read is pretty good, so any fans of weird might want to take a look at this.
All are pretty short, but creepy :)
Enjoy !
Post by: urbicande on February 12, 2016, 08:38:30 PM
Hi, it's me Crumpite... (like you didn't know ;')
I just found a link to some weird Norwegian tales from the 1800's.
What I've read is pretty good, so any fans of weird might want to take a look at this.
All are pretty short, but creepy :)
Enjoy !
Are they in English or Norwegian?
By the way, since you're new here (I see this was your first post) Welcome! You might want to post in the Introduction thread (https://ssssforum.com/index.php?topic=131.0).
Post by: Crumpite on February 12, 2016, 09:53:37 PM
Though it lists the books titles in Norwegian for those who read it and a short bio of the author.
Thanks for the introduction thread idea, I'll do that.
Post by: Yuuago on February 13, 2016, 01:24:00 PM
It's The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher, better known as Ursula Vernon. The novel is a re-telling of HCA's "The Snow Queen", with some adjustments, and it's just so lovely and atmospheric and witty and charming. *_*
Soooo for those who like fairytale retellings with talking animals, Nordic settings, lots of magic, and a dash of f/f romance, I do suggest reading this one. It's a quick read, but it's lovely. Released as ebook only, I'm afraid, as are many of Kingfisher's other novels, but oh well. (The website (http://tkingfisher.com/) lists which sites have it available.)
Post by: Kiraly on February 13, 2016, 02:26:20 PM
AHH one of my favourite authors released a new novel a few days ago, and it's so good. < 3
It's The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher, better known as Ursula Vernon. The novel is a re-telling of HCA's "The Snow Queen", with some adjustments, and it's just so lovely and atmospheric and witty and charming. *_*
Soooo for those who like fairytale retellings with talking animals, Nordic settings, lots of magic, and a dash of f/f romance, I do suggest reading this one. It's a quick read, but it's lovely. Released as ebook only, I'm afraid, as are many of Kingfisher's other novels, but oh well. (The website (http://tkingfisher.com/) lists which sites have it available.)
I LOVE Ursula Vernon! I haven't read that one yet, but I bought it for my kindle. Maybe when I'm finished with the book I'm in the middle of now...
Post by: Mélusine on February 16, 2016, 08:14:39 AM
Years after, I re-read one of my first Pratchett on the train, laughing discreetly (or maybe less at a moment ::)) alone. It's pleasant to see some good things don't change.
Post by: Kiraly on February 16, 2016, 09:54:46 AM
In high school, I was reading some Pratchett on the bus, laughing discreetly alone.
Years after, I re-read one of my first Pratchett on the train, laughing discreetly (or maybe less at a moment ::)) alone. It's pleasant to see some good things don't change.
This is one of my favorite things about Pratchett: he's one of the few authors that can make me laugh out loud. When my brothers and I started going through his books in high school, one of us would start laughing at something in the book and then read it out loud to the others. (I'm not very good at this because I laugh too hard and it's hard to tell what I'm saying, haha).
Post by: IKEA on February 21, 2016, 10:56:46 AM
Post by: IKEA on March 05, 2016, 08:10:26 PM
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 07, 2016, 01:23:50 AM
Has anyone not related to me on this forum ever even heard of Eleanor Cameron? Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin? Hopefully more of you have heard of Stephen Manes, Clifford B. Hicks, E. W. Hildick and Donald J Sobol.
So much for the obscure children's series authors. Moving to sci-fi, I tend towards the originators: Jules Verne (in translation only, I'm afraid), and H. G. Wells (though I haven't managed to read most of his political and/or historical writings). In later sci-fi, I prefer "Doc" Smith's Lensman series (not so much his others, though), everything H. Beam Piper ever wrote, some Poul Anderson, some Harry Turtledove, most Timothy Zahn, and some Larry Niven.
I already mentioned Charlotte MacLeod as one of my old favorite mystery authors, and Erle Stanley Gardiner always delivers a pleasant read. I also enjoyed Michael Shaara's historical novel The Killer Angels and Jeff Shaara's sequels and prequels. I've always enjoyed Robert Louis Stevenson, Conan Doyle, and Baroness Orczy, and I'm currently exploring Dumas and Hugo. I have quite a bit left to go, though.
So, how alone am I?
Post by: Róisín on March 07, 2016, 02:16:07 AM
And let us not forget George Turner, Cordwainer Smith and John J. Alderson!
EDIT: If you like detective and puzzle stories, how could I forget Poe's detective stories, Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael tales, and the satirical archaeological mysteries of Elizabeth Peters. Those are somewhat better for being read in sequence, so as to keep track of who are all the characters and how they relate to one another at particular points in the story, but 'The Last Camel Died at Noon' is a glorious send-up of a whole genre of adventure stories, as well as a ripping yarn in its own right.
Post by: urbicande on March 07, 2016, 09:27:46 AM
Post by: Róisín on March 07, 2016, 09:42:53 AM
Post by: Kiraly on March 07, 2016, 09:52:14 AM
Post by: Róisín on March 07, 2016, 10:19:31 AM
Post by: IKEA on March 07, 2016, 03:01:49 PM
Post by: SectoBoss on March 07, 2016, 03:27:40 PM
Post by: IKEA on March 07, 2016, 03:34:50 PM
Post by: Mélusine on March 07, 2016, 03:42:05 PM
Post by: IKEA on March 07, 2016, 03:43:40 PM
It's very interesting to see a lot of author's name and realize I had never heard about most of them... (Or "Hello, I'm French !")How about Antoine de Saint-Exupery?
Post by: SectoBoss on March 07, 2016, 03:46:08 PM
I'll have to remember that one. I see it was only published last year too. Since you're a steampunk fan, ever read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series? The first trilogy is fantasy, but the second (starting with An Alloy of Law) takes place many years later and is steampunk with magic. The second book came out only a few months ago.
The name certainly rings a bell - I think I must have spotted them a couple of times in the local bookshop! - but I haven't read them, no. I must admit that I tend to favour individual works over series because my attention span is very short and I often forget who everyone is between books! But I will keep an eye open for it.
And before I forget I should also recommend a book called Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. On the face of it it's a post-cyberpunk romp through the near future with a slightly childish (and by which I suppose I mean quite 'adult') but excellent sense of humour, but scratch the surface and you'll find it taking a good hard look at wealth gaps and the treatment of women in modern society. One of those I'd tentatively put in the 'something for almost everybody' category.
Post by: Mélusine on March 07, 2016, 03:48:44 PM
How about Antoine de Saint-Exupery?Haha, I had recorded myself reading a chapter of The Little Prince when everybody was posting in the "What do you sound like" thread ^^
But it's not a problem, just the fact that I recognize maybe one name here or there in the last comments :) Some books aren't translated, and I hadn't a correct English bookshop before moving in Paris' area, so...
Post by: urbicande on March 07, 2016, 05:34:37 PM
Haha, I had recorded myself reading a chapter of The Little Prince when everybody was posting in the "What do you sound like" thread ^^
But it's not a problem, just the fact that I recognize maybe one name here or there in the last comments :) Some books aren't translated, and I hadn't a correct English bookshop before moving in Paris' area, so...
And le Petit Prince is my favorite book. And bonus, it was written on Long Island when Saint-Exupéry was living in exile. Just before I moved to London, I went to an amazing exhibition at the Morgan Library (http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/little-prince) in New York City. There were handwritten pages, original drawings, rough sketches, discarded concepts. It moved me to tears.
Adieu, dit le renard. voici mon secret. Il est très simple : on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
Or maybe that should be Adieu, dit le Reynir...
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 07, 2016, 08:01:14 PM
Not alone at all! Add D.K. Broster, Jeffrey Farnol, Rosemary Sutcliffe, Evangeline Walton (who did the most accessible retelling of the 'Mabinogi' tales I've read), Madeleine L'Engle, John Buchan, Gene Stratton-Porter, and Kipling's lovely science-fiction stories, including 'With the Night Mail'. Lots of other Kipling. William Hope Hodgson. Algernon Blackwood. Clark Ashton Smith. Maurice Walsh (who wrote, among other good things, the story on which the movie 'The Quiet Man' is based). And yes, H. Beam Piper, Poul Anderson, also William Morris and George MacDonald and Michael Scott Rohan.The irony is, of course, that Farnol, the two Peters, and Sutcliffe, as well as Georgette Heyer's corpus and the Lord Peter Wimsey canon, have all been on my mom's very extensive bookshelves for the last few decades, accompanied by a hefty helping of Wodehouse. I haven't read the Farnol, two Peters, and Sutcliffe, but I'll look into them.
And let us not forget George Turner, Cordwainer Smith and John J. Alderson!
EDIT: If you like detective and puzzle stories, how could I forget Poe's detective stories, Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael tales, and the satirical archaeological mysteries of Elizabeth Peters. Those are somewhat better for being read in sequence, so as to keep track of who are all the characters and how they relate to one another at particular points in the story, but 'The Last Camel Died at Noon' is a glorious send-up of a whole genre of adventure stories, as well as a ripping yarn in its own right.
If there are any steampunk/alternate history fans (or, indeed, anyone who just enjoys a good story) here...The name Harry Turtledove failed to ring a bell there?
I have to admit, I was hoping Kiraly or Sunflower would recognize Eleanor Cameron. Oh, well.
It's very interesting to see a lot of author's name and realize I had never heard about most of them... (Or "Hello, I'm French !")Well, you've been discussing a number of French authors essentially beyond my ken; turnabout is still fair play.
Post by: Róisín on March 07, 2016, 08:21:19 PM
SectoBoss: I'll look out for 'The Mechanical'. Sounds fascinating.
Ikea: I take it you've read the 'Instrumentality' books and short stories? But all Smith's stuff is great. Australian SF writers tend to get forgotten, but we've produced some good ones. It's worth hunting down Paul Collins' anthologies to get a taste of Australian fantasy and SF.
LooNEY: yeah, Harry Turtledove's 'Guns of the South' is excellent. Some of his more modern AUs are a tad bit depressing (the horrible tiny-print edition we saw doesn't help).
Eleanor Cameron's essays should be essential reading for any aspiring writer. I've recommended 'The Green and Burning Tree' right along with Le Guin's 'From Elfland to Poughkeepsie' to anyone who wants to write fantasy or kid's books. And Cameron's 'Mushroom Planet' books are great.
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 07, 2016, 08:29:20 PM
Cameron's 'Mushroom Planet' books are great.They recently reprinted "The Wonderful Flight" and "Stowaway", so I managed to replace the hardback library discards that vanished some years ago. I still have the hardback "Time and Mister Bass", though (and a desire to visit Llanbedr).
EDIT: I actually homaged "Time and Mister Bass" here (http://looney-dac.deviantart.com/art/Camp-NaNoWriMo-July-2013-Day-17a-386263739). I'd forgotten I did that.
Post by: urbicande on March 07, 2016, 08:40:34 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 07, 2016, 11:05:42 PM
I've just finished reading my way though S.M.Stirling's Nantucket trilogy, which I would recommend to any Turtledove fan.
Post by: Athena on March 07, 2016, 11:08:38 PM
Post by: Róisín on March 08, 2016, 12:44:29 AM
Post by: Sunflower on March 08, 2016, 03:59:03 AM
…And here's where LooNEY_DAC kvetches and whinges about being part of small or passé fandoms.
Has anyone not related to me on this forum ever even heard of Eleanor Cameron? Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin? Hopefully more of you have heard of Stephen Manes, Clifford B. Hicks, E. W. Hildick and Donald J Sobol.
So much for the obscure children's series authors. Moving to sci-fi, I tend towards the originators: Jules Verne (in translation only, I'm afraid), and H. G. Wells (though I haven't managed to read most of his political and/or historical writings). In later sci-fi, I prefer "Doc" Smith's Lensman series (not so much his others, though), everything H. Beam Piper ever wrote, some Poul Anderson, some Harry Turtledove, most Timothy Zahn, and some Larry Niven.
So, how alone am I?
The irony is, of course, that Farnol, the two Peters, and Sutcliffe, as well as Georgette Heyer's corpus and the Lord Peter Wimsey canon, have all been on my mom's very extensive bookshelves for the last few decades, accompanied by a hefty helping of Wodehouse. I haven't read the Farnol, two Peters, and Sutcliffe, but I'll look into them.The name Harry Turtledove failed to ring a bell there?
I have to admit, I was hoping Kiraly or Sunflower would recognize Eleanor Cameron. Oh, well.Well, you've been discussing a number of French authors essentially beyond my ken; turnabout is still fair play.
Heard of Eleanor Cameron (http://www.librarypoint.org/eleanor_cameron)? I knew people who knew her! (My grandparents lived near where she did, in Monterey, and I'm familiar with many of the settings of her novels.) Her books were among my favorites growing up, and I still have "A Spell is Cast" on my bookshelf.
The sad thing is I've been kind of AWOL from the Forum since the start of the year, between work pressures and time-consuming things on the home front. So I'm sorry I wasn't around to respond in real time to your post, LooNEY. (As it is, it's long past my bedtime but I couldn't resist talking about her.)
What were some of her books that appealed to you -- the "Mushroom Planet" series? As for the "Danny Dunn" books, they appealed more to my brothers than me, but I'm sure they inspired many a future scientist or inventor. Likewise the Alvin Fernald books.
Holy cow, am I having flashbacks now, to all those yellowing little Scholastic paperbacks, so cheaply printed with the pages falling out, which my brothers and cousins and I bought by the dozens at garage sales and left around the house until they got thrown out or sold at a garage sale in turn....
Thanks for bringing back some fond childhood memories, LooNEY!
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 08, 2016, 04:26:50 AM
Heard of Eleanor Cameron (http://www.librarypoint.org/eleanor_cameron)? I knew people who knew her! (My grandparents lived near where she did, in Monterey, and I'm familiar with many of the settings of her novels.) Her books were among my favorites growing up, and I still have "A Spell is Cast" on my bookshelf.My mom got me the three Mushroom Planet books she found in the library discard sale, "The Wonderful Flight", "Stowaway", and "Time and Mister Bass". By the time I came around, and considering that we lived 300ish miles down the coast from her home turf, little or nothing else was available--I eventually found the other two Mushroom Planet books, and "The Terrible Churnadryne", but that was it. It was rather frustrating at times.
The sad thing is I've been kind of AWOL from the Forum since the start of the year, between work pressures and time-consuming things on the home front. So I'm sorry I wasn't around to respond in real time to your post, LooNEY. (As it is, it's long past my bedtime but I couldn't resist talking about her.)
What were some of her books that appealed to you -- the "Mushroom Planet" series? As for the "Danny Dunn" books, they appealed more to my brothers than me, but I'm sure they inspired many a future scientist or inventor. Likewise the Alvin Fernald books.
Holy cow, am I having flashbacks now, to all those yellowing little Scholastic paperbacks, so cheaply printed with the pages falling out, which my brothers and cousins and I bought by the dozens at garage sales and left around the house until they got thrown out or sold at a garage sale in turn....
Thanks for bringing back some fond childhood memories, LooNEY!
As for Danny Dunn, Irene wasn't a draw? She was going to be a botanist, but it was made quite clear that it was by her own choice rather that any lack of intelligence on her part.
Post by: urbicande on March 08, 2016, 09:45:41 AM
Heard of Eleanor Cameron (http://www.librarypoint.org/eleanor_cameron)? I knew people who knew her! (My grandparents lived near where she did, in Monterey, and I'm familiar with many of the settings of her novels.) Her books were among my favorites growing up, and I still have "A Spell is Cast" on my bookshelf.
The sad thing is I've been kind of AWOL from the Forum since the start of the year, between work pressures and time-consuming things on the home front. So I'm sorry I wasn't around to respond in real time to your post, LooNEY. (As it is, it's long past my bedtime but I couldn't resist talking about her.)
What were some of her books that appealed to you -- the "Mushroom Planet" series? As for the "Danny Dunn" books, they appealed more to my brothers than me, but I'm sure they inspired many a future scientist or inventor. Likewise the Alvin Fernald books.
Holy cow, am I having flashbacks now, to all those yellowing little Scholastic paperbacks, so cheaply printed with the pages falling out, which my brothers and cousins and I bought by the dozens at garage sales and left around the house until they got thrown out or sold at a garage sale in turn....
Thanks for bringing back some fond childhood memories, LooNEY!
Wow, Eleanor Cameron and Danny Dunn. Memories!
I actually reread The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet a year or two back for a convention panel I was on. Loads of fun.
Post by: IKEA on March 08, 2016, 07:32:59 PM
I'm not sure if it's been mentioned already, but for LOTR/fantasy fans, the Eragon series is very good, and a longer read, if you like that sort of thing. The series is finished, so no cliffhangers there either. :))Eh, Eragon always struck me as way too derivative of other series like LOTR, Dune, Wheel of Time, etc. Wheel of Time, by the way is excellent if you like your fantasy long, intricate and epic. (Warning: skip Book 10. Literally nothing happens in nearly 1000 pages).
Post by: Athena on March 08, 2016, 09:59:34 PM
Eh, Eragon always struck me as way too derivative of other series like LOTR, Dune, Wheel of Time, etc. Wheel of Time, by the way is excellent if you like your fantasy long, intricate and epic. (Warning: skip Book 10. Literally nothing happens in nearly 1000 pages).
(shrug) idk, probably a bit of childhood bias for me, guess. It was one of the first fantasy-style books I read after LOTR and I loved the whole world and characters and everything. It's kinda stuck with me over the years. It is really based off LOTR and stuff and is pretty cliche in world-building/storyline but meh. still really good!
I should check out Wheel of Time...
Post by: urbicande on March 09, 2016, 01:23:36 AM
characters and everything. It's kinda stuck with me over the years. It is really based off LOTR and stuff and is pretty cliche in world-building/storyline but
That happens. I mean, people like the Sword of Shannara, which is a) totally derivative of Tolkien and b) a book so badly written that a 15-year-old me literally threw it across the room in disgust.
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 09, 2016, 04:57:38 AM
That happens. I mean, people like the Sword of Shannara, which is a) totally derivative of Tolkien and b) a book so badly written that a 15-year-old me literally threw it across the room in disgust.I've never read the Shannara series, but I really like the Magic Kingdom of Landover series by the same author (Terry Brooks), though it's his less popular series.
Post by: IKEA on March 09, 2016, 05:50:50 AM
(shrug) idk, probably a bit of childhood bias for me, guess. It was one of the first fantasy-style books I read after LOTR and I loved the whole world and characters and everything. It's kinda stuck with me over the years. It is really based off LOTR and stuff and is pretty cliche in world-building/storyline but meh. still really good!Oh yeah, I understand the feeling. I am still a big Redwall fan because I grew up reading it, even though the whole series is kinda cliché and cheesy.
I should check out Wheel of Time...
Post by: Yuuago on March 09, 2016, 07:29:05 AM
(But it pushes my buttons so right, I don't even know...)
Post by: Mélusine on March 09, 2016, 07:50:47 AM
Speaking of badly-written fantasy novels, I've fallen face-first into the Last Herald Mage trilogy after not reading anything from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series in about 15 years, and oh my gods. The cheese. The sparkly, sparkly nostalgic cheesiness of it all.Mercedes Lackey. I was... 14 ? 15 years old maybe ? Just after some Anne McCaffrey, and maybe just before discovering David Eddings's Belgariad and Weis & Hickman's Death Gate Cycle. (Joy for the teenager who was reading everywhere, every time : when discovering a book followed by four or more other books ^^) So, before Terry Pratchett, I assume... Memories, memories... :)
(But it pushes my buttons so right, I don't even know...)
If I think I could re-read The Death Gate Cycle, or at least try because Haplo was such an unexpected main character, I don't plan to re-read Mercedes Lackey or David Eddings now. Too many books waiting to be read.
Post by: Pupunen on March 09, 2016, 08:17:41 AM
If I think I could re-read The Death Gate Cycle, or at least try because Haplo was such an unexpected main character, I don't plan to re-read Mercedes Lackey or David Eddings now. Too many books waiting to be read.I used to love David Eddings in my early teens but I have the sneaking suspicion that his books maybe aren't quite as good as I thought back then, so I don't want to re-read them. It's better to keep my happy memories. :D
Post by: Mélusine on March 09, 2016, 09:40:13 AM
I used to love David Eddings in my early teens but I have the sneaking suspicion that his books maybe aren't quite as good as I thought back then, so I don't want to re-read them. It's better to keep my happy memories. :DThe books were good for someone who begin to read fantasy (If I can use "fantasy" to define them ?) and teenagers. Today, I would probably see them as too... errr... "classical" ? You know, you have a Chosen one, a wizard, a thief, a princess... Now I'm looking for things different :)
Post by: urbicande on March 09, 2016, 10:04:53 AM
Post by: Mélusine on March 09, 2016, 10:09:47 AM
All too often, books we LOVED in our youth have been visited by the suck fairy.Not always :) I'm still re-reading The Giver and still loving it <3
And I started to re-read Timothy Zahn's Star Wars trilogy which, strangely, is still nice to read for me 15 years after. Good surprise.
Post by: Kiraly on March 09, 2016, 03:23:05 PM
Mercedes Lackey is one of those authors who I can't help loving even though her books are massively cheesy. Lots of nostalgia there, and I still read her books as a guilty pleasure now and then. (She was also the first author I read who wrote gay characters, which was pretty eye-opening for teenage Kiraly living in a conservative small town).
I loved the Belgariad and some of the Terry Brooks books too. I read a handful of Shannara books and somehow never noticed the similarity to LOTR until years later when one of my housemates went on a tirade about them. The Magic Kingdom books were entertaining too, sort of reminiscent of Piers Anthony's Xanth books which I also loved (even though I probably missed like half of the references).
And the Redwall books were one of my first great reading loves - and probably, come to think of it, my first fandom. Not only did my friend and I make a gingerbread version of Redwall Abbey one year, but we also got a large group of our family and friends together for an actual Redwall feast, complete with costumes. We actually made Turnip 'n Tater 'n Beetroot Poi (pie), which was not as tasty as the books made it sound.
Post by: Yuuago on March 09, 2016, 03:35:57 PM
Oh gosh, we're talking about all my high school-era fantasy loves now!
Mercedes Lackey is one of those authors who I can't help loving even though her books are massively cheesy. Lots of nostalgia there, and I still read her books as a guilty pleasure now and then. (She was also the first author I read who wrote gay characters, which was pretty eye-opening for teenage Kiraly living in a conservative small town).
Yeeesss. It's been ages since I revisited her stuff, but I'm having such a grand time, I'll probably read more. If I remember correctly, the Bardic Voices novels were my favourites, but... man. The Last Herald Mage books sure are something else. Re-reading them now, all those emotions are coming back - I remember being so utterly floored that there were novels with a gay protagonist from a mainstream publisher and I could just walk into my local library and read them... (and a likeable protagonist, too, or at least I liked Vanyel a lot at the time). Ahh I'm getting a little teary-eyed from remembering. :') But yeah, these books meant a lot to me.
And... reading through now, I can definitely see that Lackey influenced my writing in some ways that I'll probably never be able to scrub out. orz But that's okay.
Post by: IKEA on March 09, 2016, 05:49:06 PM
EDIT: we, not se
Post by: Kiraly on March 09, 2016, 06:10:01 PM
Kiraly, I made my parents get the official Redwall cookbook so se could make all the recipies! If I remember, Turnip n' Tater n' Beetroot Poi was pretty good.
Nice! I seem to remember getting that from the library at some point, but I can't remember if it was before or after we had our feast. I'm sure part of the reason I didn't enjoy it is because I had never had beets before and it turns out I don't much like them. Ah, well.
Interestingly enough, the same friend who was my co-conspirator on that feast has now written the official Game of Thrones cookbook. I haven't actually read those, but the food is tasty. :)
Post by: urbicande on March 09, 2016, 07:13:11 PM
Interestingly enough, the same friend who was my co-conspirator on that feast has now written the official Game of Thrones cookbook. I haven't actually read those, but the food is tasty. :)
Be wary if you're asked to cater a wedding.
Post by: Mélusine on March 12, 2016, 03:55:28 AM
Post by: Róisín on March 12, 2016, 05:09:55 AM
Post by: Mélusine on March 12, 2016, 07:04:52 AM
Lovecraft is definitely not lullaby material! At least he wrote some good drinking songs (I've made tunes for a couple of them, and sing them at feasts.)I was thinking "It's two short novels, I can read just one..." but it was a bad idea. The Color out of Space is very... well, you see more than what is written.
But I had no idea he wrote something else :)
Post by: Hrollo on March 12, 2016, 07:38:18 AM
Post by: Hrollo on March 12, 2016, 07:40:46 AM
It's quite bleak.
Post by: Róisín on March 12, 2016, 10:12:15 AM
Another author to avoid at bedtime, though his work is brilliant: William Hope Hodgson, especially 'The House on the Borderland', a surprisingly modern horror/fantasy novel about an old house built around a dimensional portal. Both Lovecraft and Pratchett cited Hodgson as a seminal influence on their own writing, and a young Alfred Hitchcock was inspired to make the film 'In the Doldrums' by one of the short stories in Hodgson's 'The Boats of the Glen Carrig'.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 12, 2016, 07:48:36 PM
Mélusine: Lovecraft wrote short stories, novels/novellas, at least one verse-play (The Tomb), and scads and scads of poetry, much of it very good. I used to own a volume of his verse, can't remember the title, was it 'Fungi From Yuggoth'?
That would be right! Fungi from Yuggoth is one of the few of his works I've never got around to reading.
I got heavily into Lovecraft as a teenager. I would probably not be the rather strange person I am without his influence (this could be a good thing or a bad thing.. ;D )
Post by: Vafhudr on March 13, 2016, 11:54:54 AM
Post by: Mélusine on March 13, 2016, 11:57:28 AM
Lovecraft is good for sleep. His heavy, clunky prose is a sure-fire way to fall asleep.I have to disagree. For me, nothing is more a sure way to fall asleep than Marcel Proust.
Post by: cati on March 13, 2016, 02:39:05 PM
Lovecraft is good for sleep.
You're only the second person I've encountered in my life who thinks that! The first was a baby-sitter who read it to a friend and I at bed time when we were very very young, and then got upset at us for refusing to sleep in our own beds after it. Still scares me too much to read alone at night; I've learned the hard way that even re-reading a story I know, that doesn't sound very frightening, is somehow still a bad idea.
Post by: Mélusine on March 13, 2016, 02:42:07 PM
The first was a baby-sitter who read it to a friend and I at bed time when we were very very young, and then got upset at us for refusing to sleep in our own beds after it.O_o ... Some persons aren't made AT ALL to take care of young children.
Post by: JoB on March 13, 2016, 03:25:46 PM
O_o ... Some persons aren't made AT ALL to take care of young children.I have a hunch that Torbjörn might disagree. >:D
Post by: Dverghamrar on March 13, 2016, 05:21:33 PM
Has anyone read The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison?
Post by: Yuuago on March 13, 2016, 05:26:33 PM
Has anyone read The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison?
*_* I love TGE! It's such a charming novel. I can't quite put my finger on what it is about it, but somehow, it pushes my buttons juuuust right. Planning to do a re-read one of these days, though perhaps in paper copy... to make flipping to the character list easier.
Post by: Dverghamrar on March 13, 2016, 05:32:45 PM
*_* I love TGE! It's such a charming novel. I can't quite put my finger on what it is about it, but somehow, it pushes my buttons juuuust right. Planning to do a re-read one of these days, though perhaps in paper copy... to make flipping to the character list easier.Yes! :) And this one, I remember, was leaving me with such feel-good pleasant dreams about the world and characters while I was reading it right before bed. It's a comfort book. :) I know the criticisms had been about the realism, but I thought there was a healthy dose of darkness along with the light.
Post by: Yuuago on March 13, 2016, 05:41:50 PM
Yes! :) And this one, I remember, was leaving me with such feel-good pleasant dreams about the world and characters while I was reading it right before bed. It's a comfort book. :) I know the criticisms had been about the realism, but I thought there was a healthy dose of darkness along with the light.
Ah, yeah, I know what you mean re: realism etc. And to that, I say... well, I don't always want realism in my comfort reading, so that's just fine with me. ;p Plus! As you mentioned, it isn't all coziness.
Post by: Q on March 13, 2016, 07:40:43 PM
Post by: cati on March 13, 2016, 08:04:59 PM
Post by: Kiraly on March 13, 2016, 08:39:38 PM
Edit: Okay, the number of times I've messed up a whole post because I started something with an italics tag and ended it with a bold tag...ugh.
Post by: Q on March 14, 2016, 10:01:41 AM
YES, I LOVED The Goblin Emperor[/b]! It was a very strange reading experience though, because I was hooked on the story but the language made for slow going. It took me quite a while to figure out the naming/title rules and the formal vs. informal we/I thing. And then I got to the end of the book and found that handy section that explained all of those rules...oops. That's happened to me far too many times, I really should learn to start checking for those.
Hahaha... same. That's part of why I want to reread - I didn't pick up on as much of the political, social, or linguistic worldbuilding detail as I'd like.
Post by: Vafhudr on March 14, 2016, 11:09:55 AM
You're only the second person I've encountered in my life who thinks that! The first was a baby-sitter who read it to a friend and I at bed time when we were very very young, and then got upset at us for refusing to sleep in our own beds after it. Still scares me too much to read alone at night; I've learned the hard way that even re-reading a story I know, that doesn't sound very frightening, is somehow still a bad idea.
You see the thing here is that I don't find Lovecraft scary in the slightest. To me he is a stunning failure has a horror writer. There is no suspense or tension in his stories at all. He is the written equivalent of a b-movie and he is very guilty of telling not showing. What I do like in his stories are some of his concepts - I love the idea of stunningly old civilizations rising and falling before humans ever saw the light of day.
Post by: Hrollo on March 14, 2016, 02:27:12 PM
The whole idea that "show don't tell" is good style in a book, a media that works through language (as opposed to a movie, which is primarily visual) is thus rather arbitrary and much more recent than you'd think — but the fact that's it's constantly hammered as dogma in writer circles make it hard to appreciate books written from a different perspective.
Post by: Vafhudr on March 14, 2016, 02:59:10 PM
Post by: cati on March 14, 2016, 05:15:11 PM
For effect he relies almost entirely on piling up adjectives. Telling me something is horrible, inhumane, terrifying or an undescribable writhing mass of tendrils does not actually inspire that particular emotion in me.
See, telling myself this is exactly how I end up deciding to read his stuff before bed - I read plenty of old heavy flowery writing and I'm pretty used to the style, and to laughing at it when called for - and somehow it works some kind of magical scare-effect on me despite its ridiculous self. Doesn't make sense, but by now I've learnt through experience!
Post by: Róisín on March 14, 2016, 06:46:45 PM
Back when Lovecraft was writing, he was right at the end of a period when flowery language and adjective-heavy writing was just how it was done. A reader of the time would find his prose actually quite sparse; some contemporary commenters found his work numinous and scary precisely because he hinted and suggested rather than detailing the intricate corrugations of each tentacle! I rather like the style, done well, but my tastes are fairly broad because I've read a lot across the work of a number of eras, and struggled through a lot of books in their original languages.
And Rollo is correct about the style being discouraged in American English because of the politics, since that style was popular among Russian novelists. Whereas in British literature, it was edged out on the wave of post WW2 depression, anger and kitchen-sink 'realism'.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 14, 2016, 07:15:04 PM
The Complete Works of H.P.Lovecraft
Narrator: I will tell you about something horrific I witnessed.
(Narrator discusses MUNDANE experiences which supposedly lead up to something HORRIFIC.)
Narrator: We're almost at the horrific bit.
(Narrator talks about more stuff that might be SPOOKY if he'd only GET ON WITH IT.)
Narrator: We're very close now.
(Narrator draws it out MORE.)
Narrator: This time I swear we're just about at the horrific thing almost.
(Narrator FINALLY gets to the HORRIFIC thing which is HUGE and POWERFUL and EVIL and LAME)
THE END
Post by: Vafhudr on March 14, 2016, 08:39:46 PM
Like how am I suppose to take seriously a scenario where someone gets his head bitten off by degenerate inbreeding Dutch mole people?
If anything I prefer his more imaginative stuff, especially what I believe is called the Dream cycle - the ones with the Silver key and multiple planes. The Nameless City is another I like, but like I said, I like most of his stories that revolve around the unbelievably ancient civilizations.
Post by: Ragnarok on March 14, 2016, 08:44:41 PM
Game of Thrones
*runs*
Post by: IKEA on March 14, 2016, 09:28:26 PM
*whispers*Is it really any good? I've heard so much about it but have always been put off by all the rape, sex, incest and more rape. Are these elements as pronounced as I've heard? (Disclaimer: huge Wheel of Time fan so series length isn't an issue).
Game of Thrones
*runs*
Post by: Ragnarok on March 14, 2016, 09:37:02 PM
Less so in the books. I paid a lot more attention to the politics and battles.
Post by: Róisín on March 14, 2016, 09:54:13 PM
Post by: urbicande on March 14, 2016, 10:46:34 PM
The books are better. You get a lot more of background, history, character development and motivations, and many more subtle hints about precisely what is really going on. And the description is great.
I bounced pretty hard off the books. I very quickly said the Eight Deadly Words. I've never seen the show.
The Eight Deadly Words are "I don't care what happens to these people."
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 14, 2016, 11:31:02 PM
Do any of you have authors whose writing you like except for the characterization?
I bounced pretty hard off the books. I very quickly said the Eight Deadly Words. I've never seen the show.…Maybe my question isn't so derailing to the discussion after all.
The Eight Deadly Words are "I don't care what happens to these people."
Post by: IKEA on March 14, 2016, 11:58:06 PM
Post by: Róisín on March 15, 2016, 12:25:05 AM
Stephen Donaldson is another writer whom I find 'good in parts'. His prose is a delight. The giants are a marvellous creation. His landscapes sing. But Thomas Covenant....if I want to read an annoying main character, I'd prefer Hannu. Covenant rouses in me the impulse to pick him up by the scruff and shake him out of his self-indulgent whining. It quite spoils the story for me.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 15, 2016, 12:40:56 AM
Stephen Donaldson is another writer whom I find 'good in parts'. His prose is a delight. The giants are a marvellous creation. His landscapes sing. But Thomas Covenant....if I want to read an annoying main character, I'd prefer Hannu. Covenant rouses in me the impulse to pick him up by the scruff and shake him out of his self-indulgent whining. It quite spoils the story for me.
Couldn't agree more! There's an edited Thomas Covenant cover floating around the interwebs somewhere, retitled as "[Nasty-word] Leper Hero" which sums it up pretty well.
Some of Donaldson's short stories are brilliant though. Reave the Just and Animal Lover have stuck with me for years.
Edit: Oops! Didn't realise that was a forbidden word. My bad!
Post by: Ragnarok on March 15, 2016, 08:08:25 AM
Post by: urbicande on March 15, 2016, 08:56:04 AM
Arthur C. Clarke. His ideas were great but I cannot remember a single memorable thing about any of his characters, or even any names besides Dave Bowman. HAL-9000 doesn't count; I mean human characters.
Other than Karellen, yeah, me neither.
Post by: Róisín on March 15, 2016, 09:31:34 AM
Post by: urbicande on March 15, 2016, 10:26:43 AM
Stephen Donaldson is another writer whom I find 'good in parts'. His prose is a delight. The giants are a marvellous creation. His landscapes sing. But Thomas Covenant....if I want to read an annoying main character, I'd prefer Hannu. Covenant rouses in me the impulse to pick him up by the scruff and shake him out of his self-indulgent whining. It quite spoils the story for me.
I've often said that if you took all the repetitions and variations of "Leper outcast unclean!" out of the first Thomas Covenant trilogy you'd have a single, good novel.
Oh, another book that everyone should read is John Myers Myers' "Silverlock"
Post by: Athena on March 15, 2016, 01:23:50 PM
Post by: Ragnarok on March 15, 2016, 01:46:08 PM
Post by: Kiraly on March 15, 2016, 01:51:12 PM
Lately I've been reading the Leviathan trilogy, by Scott Westerfeld. It's also filled with some pretty awesome illustrations by Keith Thompson. (http://keithwormwood.deviantart.com) I don't want to give too much of the story away, but it's basically a steampunk-ified alternate history of WWI, and starts off following the story of an Austrian prince named Aleksander. I'm on the second book now, Behemoth, and I just started reading it yesterday and am past halfway already... ::)
I love those books! It's been a while since I read them, but I really enjoyed them. (And the illustrations are awesome, I wish more books had drawings like that!)
Very fun, but a bit biased in favor of the Darwinists, IMHO. He only applies physics to the mech guys haha
Haha, true...but it would be hard to find a way to make actual physics apply to a flying whale, so a fair amount of science fantasy was bound to happen anyway. ;)
My current read is A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab. It's the sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic, which I highly recommend for anyone who likes their fantasy/alternate world novels on the dark-and-gritty side. I'm enjoying the second book so far, but I sort of wish I'd re-read the first one because I don't quite remember how it ended.
Post by: Athena on March 15, 2016, 01:55:33 PM
Very fun, but a bit biased in favor of the Darwinists, IMHO. He only applies physics to the mech guys haha
Yeah, the Leviathan itself was a bit unrealistic, along with a few other creatures. I think trying to bind together DNA structures like that the creature would expel the other DNA and end up destroying itself. The Clanker machines are so cool seriously why don't we have walkers irl!
Post by: SectoBoss on March 15, 2016, 02:01:10 PM
I bounced pretty hard off the books. I very quickly said the Eight Deadly Words. I've never seen the show.I'm in the exact same boat with Game of Thrones. I tried reading the first book, quickly forgot who everyone was, and even when I managed to remember I simply couldn't bring myself to give a stuff. It doesn't help that the author, in my opinion, cannot write novels very well - instead, his works read like extended screenplays, which might be one reason they've been translated so successfully to the screen.
The Eight Deadly Words are "I don't care what happens to these people."
Lately I've been reading the Leviathan trilogy, by Scott Westerfeld. It's also filled with some pretty awesome illustrations by Keith Thompson. (http://keithwormwood.deviantart.com) I don't want to give too much of the story away, but it's basically a steampunk-ified alternate history of WWI, and starts off following the story of an Austrian prince named Aleksander. I'm on the second book now, Behemoth, and I just started reading it yesterday and am past halfway already... ::)I have fond memories of these books - half the delight was always seeing what diesel-powered or biological marvel he'd come up with next! If you like that, might I recommend the Mortal Engines Quartet by Philip Reeve? Another set of young adult books I have fond memories of, set millennia after an apocalyptic war. Mobile cities roam the earth and eat each other, with the Tibetian Plateau being the last bastion of stationary civilization. The action initially follows an apprentice historian from London but heads to all four conrners of the globe by the end - well worth a read!
I love those books! It's been a while since I read them, but I really enjoyed them. (And the illustrations are awesome, I wish more books had drawings like that!)The artist has a site well worth checking out! (http://www.keiththompsonart.com/)
Haha, true...but it would be hard to find a way to make actual physics apply to a flying whale, so a fair amount of science fantasy was bound to happen anyway. ;)
My current read is A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab. It's the sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic, which I highly recommend for anyone who likes their fantasy/alternate world novels on the dark-and-gritty side. I'm enjoying the second book so far, but I sort of wish I'd re-read the first one because I don't quite remember how it ended.
And I've heard good things about A Darker Shade of Magic. Hopefully I'll be able to borrow it from a friend soon...
Post by: Ragnarok on March 15, 2016, 02:32:39 PM
The Clanker machines are so cool seriously why don't we have walkers irl!
From what I know, it's a combination of engineering and economics. The former due to the difficulty of building a working
bipedal system, the latter due more to feasibility. We CAN build walkers, it's just in terms of firepower, armor, and speed they'd be inferior to while be more expensive than a tank. Eh this is books thread, not future thread, whatevs.
Post by: IKEA on March 15, 2016, 03:41:32 PM
Post by: urbicande on March 15, 2016, 04:36:14 PM
On the subject of steampunky/futuristic works, Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter collaborated on The Long Earth (http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Earth-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0062068687). It takes place in a series of parallel universes that can be navigated between using a device made out of a potato. Huge numbers of colonists set out to explore these parallel Earths. Well worth checking out even for non-Pratchett fans.
Th...there are NON-Pratchett fans? *faints*
Post by: IKEA on March 15, 2016, 04:37:29 PM
Th...there are NON-Pratchett fans? *faints*I've heard rumors... never seen one in the wild though.
Post by: Hrollo on March 15, 2016, 06:47:58 PM
Post by: Róisín on March 15, 2016, 06:50:48 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 16, 2016, 07:33:03 PM
I've never read Pratchett and have no intention to do so in the foreseeable future.
Shun the non-believer! Shuuuuunnn!!! ;)
I just finished S.M.Stirling's Nantucket Trilogy. I've been meaning to tackle it for years and now wish I'd done it sooner.
I'm also halfway through My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. It's the first book since Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that has had me snorting, cackling and giggling in public places.
Post by: Róisín on March 16, 2016, 07:55:36 PM
Post by: cati on March 18, 2016, 01:18:31 PM
Durrell is fun!
Seconded to infinity! And MFaOA is an excellent one to start - the first of his books that my mum read, and then first I read.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 18, 2016, 10:06:17 PM
Durrell is fun!
Seconded to infinity! And MFaOA is an excellent one to start - the first of his books that my mum read, and then first I read.
Larry's criticism of the Dandie Dinmont almost made me break into hysterics. Which given that I was on a bus at the time would have been interesting :)
Post by: Antillanka on March 18, 2016, 10:26:58 PM
Any Patrick Rothfuss fan around? Somebody? Still waiting for TKKC to finally turn a trilogy *sighs* someday... no, The Slow Regard of Silent Things doesn't count. Yes, I enjoyed it, and yes, I would understand anybody absolutely hating it because it's such a strange tale XD
Post by: Ragnarok on March 18, 2016, 10:28:32 PM
Larry's criticism of the Dandie Dinmont almost made me break into hysterics. Which given that I was on a bus at the time would have been interesting :)
Love Durrel!
Post by: Kiraly on March 18, 2016, 11:07:13 PM
*didn't read the entire thread back*
Any Patrick Rothfuss fan around? Somebody? Still waiting for TKKC to finally turn a trilogy *sighs* someday... no, The Slow Regard of Silent Things doesn't count. Yes, I enjoyed it, and yes, I would understand anybody absolutely hating it because it's such a strange tale XD
Ooh, me! Except I'm going to have to re-read them before the new one comes out (whichever future day that may be) because I've forgotten so much.
Post by: Vafhudr on March 19, 2016, 12:22:51 PM
*didn't read the entire thread back*
Any Patrick Rothfuss fan around? Somebody? Still waiting for TKKC to finally turn a trilogy *sighs* someday... no, The Slow Regard of Silent Things doesn't count. Yes, I enjoyed it, and yes, I would understand anybody absolutely hating it because it's such a strange tale XD
Still waiting.
At this rate I expect a monstrous brick twice the size of A Wise Man's Fear.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 19, 2016, 08:00:47 PM
Post by: urbicande on March 19, 2016, 08:58:16 PM
Do we have any fans of Ben Aaronovitch's PC Grant series? Fun and gripping novels about a modern day London cop who gets apprenticed to the last official wizard in England. There are five books so far with another coming out in June, and a bunch of spin off comics that I'm yet to check out.
Oh yes. I mainlined those when I started reading them. (Even better because I recognized so many places from my time living in London)
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 21, 2016, 02:18:17 AM
Oh yes. I mainlined those when I started reading them. (Even better because I recognized so many places from my time living in London)
I'm a big London nerd, so although I don't live there (or even on the same side of the planet) I know exactly what you mean.
I got so involved in Rivers of London/Midnight Riot that when I figured out who the villain was about a chapter before the characters did, it took all I had not to start jumping up and down shouting "It's [villain] you fools!". I was on a bus at the time, so it would not have been a good look :)
(Yes, I do a lot of my reading on the bus)
Post by: urbicande on March 21, 2016, 09:30:53 AM
I'm a big London nerd, so although I don't live there (or even on the same side of the planet) I know exactly what you mean.
I got so involved in Rivers of London/Midnight Riot that when I figured out who the villain was about a chapter before the characters did, it took all I had not to start jumping up and down shouting "It's [villain] you fools!". I was on a bus at the time, so it would not have been a good look :)
(Yes, I do a lot of my reading on the bus)
I expect I'll read the next one the day it comes out (which is about when I'll download it)
Post by: Pupunen on April 08, 2016, 05:46:30 PM
Post by: Yuuago on April 08, 2016, 06:47:24 PM
I'd like to thank whoever was talking about The Goblin Emperor some time ago. It had been a while since I last finished a book in one sitting. (On the other hand, I didn't do any of the homework I had planned to work on tonight, but I don't care, it was worth it.)
It was a few people who mentioned it, I think. But AHH yes, TGE! Such a fun book. *_* Well worth neglecting responsibilities for, I think. ;p
Post by: Mélusine on April 09, 2016, 10:50:42 AM
Post by: SectoBoss on April 09, 2016, 11:09:41 AM
So, it's time to read a book I should have read eight or nine years ago. (Outch, this period of my life can't be so old ?) The last Harry Potter ^^°
I never got past book five :-[
Post by: Yuuago on April 09, 2016, 11:10:51 AM
So, it's time to read a book I should have read eight or nine years ago. (Outch, this period of my life can't be so old ?) The last Harry Potter ^^°
Wow, has it really been that long?
I've been thinking about re-reading them, but... that would mean I'd have to dig them out of storage. /Lazy
Post by: Mélusine on April 09, 2016, 11:49:44 AM
I never got past book five :-[I will always remember how I was just taking a look at a few pages, in my book five, thinking "It's in English, I won't understand sentences correctly if I'm not concentrate." (I was... oh, I don't remember exactly, but in high school, so at a moment when reading a whole book in a foreign language isn't exactly what your teachers are waiting for you to do but, you know, books weren't translated in French so quickly, soooooooo...) Well. WORST IDEA EVER. (Or "how to learn who will die in one glance, well done, Mélu.")
Wow, has it really been that long?I know why I hadn't bought the book immediately in a bookshop and in which year it was, so yes, it's... that long and no-so-long-isn't-it ?
I've been thinking about re-reading them, but... that would mean I'd have to dig them out of storage. /Lazy
Having this last one in French is really strange. Friends were promising to lend me this book since years, because I'm hearing a "How could you haven't read it ?!?" since years too ::)
Post by: Helia on April 09, 2016, 11:58:31 AM
Wow, has it really been that long?
I've been thinking about re-reading them, but... that would mean I'd have to dig them out of storage. /Lazy
Try the audiobooks with Stephen Fry - he's a genius.
I will always remember how I was just taking a look at a few pages, in my book five, thinking "It's in English, I won't understand sentences correctly if I'm not concentrate." (I was... oh, I don't remember exactly, but in high school, so at a moment when reading a whole book in a foreign language isn't exactly what your teachers are waiting for you to do but, you know, books weren't translated in French so quickly, soooooooo...) Well. WORST IDEA EVER. (Or "how to learn who will die in one glance, well done, Mélu.")
Hmmm... reading the HP books in English boosted my language skills more than any English course.
Post by: Mélusine on April 09, 2016, 12:02:54 PM
Hmmm... reading the HP books in English boosted my language skills more than any English course.It had been the same for me :)
The funniest thing with this 7th book I read sooooooo late is that I hadn't read/seen any spoilers in... six or seven years maybe ?
Post by: Kiraly on April 09, 2016, 12:49:09 PM
And wow, it's amazing you haven't encountered spoilers for the last Harry Potter, Mélusine! I was one of the first among my friends to finish it when it came out, and I was still desperately worried about having it spoiled.
SectoBoss I can't say that I blame you, book 5 was my least favorite. Six was okay and I really loved the seventh, though.
Post by: Mélusine on April 09, 2016, 04:06:18 PM
Mélusine, it must have been difficult to avoid Harry Potter spoilers back when everyone was talking about them! I read each of the last three books within 48 hours of when the book was out, and didn't talk to anyone before I was finished. :DJust imagine the first weeks being a new student in a new university in which you don't have friends yet, and simply saying things like "Haaaaaaa, no, I hadn't read it yet, I don't want to know anything !" ;) And after... honestly, I don't know how I did that.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on April 18, 2016, 03:59:32 AM
There are two books I remember reading but have never been able to to track down.
The first was a young-adult post-apocalyptic novel about a future Earth where a nuclear war has knocked society back to a medieval level, and anyone who knows anything about science is regarded as some kind of mage. Humanity is threatened by mutated superintelligent rat creatures. The story follows a mage and his apprentice who are looking for an ancient treasure that turns out to be a computerised encyclopedia. About the only other thing I can remember is that metal is really rare - a character has a small metal dagger and it's regarded as almost magical.
The other is a sort of horror novel where the protagonist is forced to go on a kind of treasure hunt through modern day London at the behest of a bunch of bored young aristocrats. If he wins, they bring him into their group and make him rich, if he loses, they kill him. He has to solve a bunch of historical puzzles and isn't allowed to ask for help from anyone - at one point he gets help from a homeless man who the aristocrats kill. In the end he wins and then turns into a soulless monster just like the rest of them.
Does anyone have the faintest idea what books I might be talking about? :)
Post by: Kelpie on April 18, 2016, 01:40:32 PM
Quote
The first was a young-adult post-apocalyptic novel about a future Earth where a nuclear war has knocked society back to a medieval level, and anyone who knows anything about science is regarded as some kind of mage. Humanity is threatened by mutated superintelligent rat creatures. The story follows a mage and his apprentice who are looking for an ancient treasure that turns out to be a computerised encyclopedia. About the only other thing I can remember is that metal is really rare - a character has a small metal dagger and it's regarded as almost magical.
I just spent the past hour trying to find that and sadly have nothing to show for it, but I volunteer at a library so it's now my life's goal to figure out what that is because it sounds awesome.
On a side note has anyone read Monster Blood Tattoo (The Foundling's Tale in U.S.) by D.M. Cornish? It's set in a bio-punkish world, roughly equivalent to the 18th century, and is about a orphan boy named Rossamünd who is trying desperately to travel to his new job as a lamplighter. There's lots of monsters and such, and also some modified people who switched out their organs for different ones to give them special abilities. Also pictures! It's illustrated! :D
Post by: Kiraly on April 18, 2016, 01:56:06 PM
I just spent the past hour trying to find that and sadly have nothing to show for it, but I volunteer at a library so it's now my life's goal to figure out what that is because it sounds awesome.
On a side note has anyone read Monster Blood Tattoo (The Foundling's Tale in U.S.) by D.M. Cornish? It's set in a bio-punkish world, roughly equivalent to the 18th century, and is about a orphan boy named Rossamünd who is trying desperately to travel to his new job as a lamplighter. There's lots of monsters and such, and also some modified people who switched out their organs for different ones to give them special abilities. Also pictures! It's illustrated! :D
So, one: Library high-five! (I work at a library :) We love volunteers, so it's awesome that you're doing that!)
Two: I haven't read that but it sounds AMAZING, I'll add it to my to-read list! I'm a sucker for illustrated novels.
PurpleWyrm I'm afraid I don't know those books, but I'll keep an eye out for them. You never know what's going to cross the desk in this place...
Post by: Purple Wyrm on April 18, 2016, 07:58:15 PM
I just spent the past hour trying to find that and sadly have nothing to show for it, but I volunteer at a library so it's now my life's goal to figure out what that is because it sounds awesome.
I'm afraid I don't know those books, but I'll keep an eye out for them. You never know what's going to cross the desk in this place...
Woohoo! I have Librarians on my side now! I cannot fail! ;)
A couple more details on the post-apocalyptic one that I've dredged up from the depths of my memory. It was probably the second or third book of a series, since it dropped straight into the story with a brief summary of previous events. When they find the encyclopedia (spoilers!) and start it up it shows a picture of a hand pressing a green button, while a voice over explains that if they can understand what's being said, they should press the red button instead. Language has changed to the point where they can't understand the voice over, so they press the green button and it launches a language course.
As for it sounding awesome, I read it when I was about 12. So while pre-teen me indeed thought it was great, it may turn out to be complete rubbish ;D
I've been trying to track down both books for years with no success. If it wasn't for the fact that I've found a few fellow seekers online I'd be tempted to think I dreamed both of them.
Post by: Ragnarok on April 18, 2016, 09:00:52 PM
I just spent the past hour trying to find that and sadly have nothing to show for it, but I volunteer at a library so it's now my life's goal to figure out what that is because it sounds awesome.
On a side note has anyone read Monster Blood Tattoo (The Foundling's Tale in U.S.) by D.M. Cornish? It's set in a bio-punkish world, roughly equivalent to the 18th century, and is about a orphan boy named Rossamünd who is trying desperately to travel to his new job as a lamplighter. There's lots of monsters and such, and also some modified people who switched out their organs for different ones to give them special abilities. Also pictures! It's illustrated! :D
Yep. First two books in the series. MBT is now called 'Foundling' IIRC. Very fun and very creepy.
Post by: Antillanka on April 25, 2016, 05:43:46 PM
Post by: Mélusine on April 25, 2016, 06:09:33 PM
Just started Anna Karenina... wonder why it took me so long to make up my mind and pick it up!Oh, Russian literature ! I still see me thinking, while reading Anna Karenina " Who's (Insert a new name here) ? ... Okay, this character has a first name, a last name, a pet name and ALSO a name with nothing related to the first three..." ::)
I'm at the end of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (in English) and might e-read the third Harry Potter after. Just because.
Post by: Mélusine on June 02, 2016, 02:16:52 PM
Post by: Mélusine on June 11, 2016, 07:38:33 AM
Spoiler: show
Post by: moonamaija on June 13, 2016, 10:17:28 AM
This citation, just because I thought to all of these conversations about genders and difficulties I read in the threads without speaking, while I read it in Pratchett's The Shepherd's Crown.Spoiler: show
Oh, I just started Pratchett's Slip of the Keyboard - Collected Nonfiction, and there's an article he wrote about witches and wizards in fantasy, it's practically that quote explained :D All the other texts in that book are awesome too, and it feels so weird to read them 'cos I've only read fiction written by him before, give or take a few prefaces. Also sad, 'cos there's many texts about cons and his fans and I never got to meet him.
Post by: Shine on June 13, 2016, 12:06:54 PM
No, really, it's honestly what Pratchett and Gaiman thought the apocalypse would be like.
Post by: moonamaija on June 13, 2016, 04:44:34 PM
Well, you seem to have read Good Omens. Don't you know that's completely non-fiction?Haha omg sorry, completely forgot that one! I take Good Omens very seriously, as the book of real facts it is.
No, really, it's honestly what Pratchett and Gaiman thought the apocalypse would be like.
Post by: Shine on June 16, 2016, 01:22:30 AM
The series starts with someone posting on the Internet the instructions for a 'stepper', a very simple device which enables you to step into alternate Earths, and then continues (as far as I can tell) by chronicling important parts of the life of Joshua Valienté, a natural stepper who is sent on a mission to explore the Long Earth.
Post by: smol on June 16, 2016, 01:55:05 AM
Post by: BlueSkyVail on June 16, 2016, 03:51:44 PM
I know some Minnions read his books because I got in a great discussion with some of them in the comments, but I want to recommend Brandon Sanderson to EVERYONE. :) He's a fantasy/science fiction/sorta-mystery writer. His books are incredible. He's my favorite author ever.
Basically, he's written a bunch of different series. There's one of my favorites, the Mistborn trilogy, which is incredible. (And now there's gonna be two other trilogies in the same universe... what?!) There's the Stormlight Archive, which will consist of 10 monstrous books. Number three comes out this year but the series is already insanely good. Elantris, his debut, is remarkable. I don't even know how to describe how incredible his writing is. He's amazing at world building and character development. He writes a lot of books at once, so even when you're caught up, the next one is never more than a few months out. Not to mention that he's a master of plot twists and intricate plot lines, but he never makes it confusing. It's great.
One of the most impressive parts of Sanderson's writing is that, although there are many series and books in different universes with different magic systems, they're all connected somehow, in a "universe" called the Cosmere. We don't know how it's all connected yet, but there are some things that show up in all the books (such as a mysterious character named "Hoid" that has minor appearances in each series). My guess is this will result in one epic, culminating, immense book/series to connect them all. There's a lot of theories as to what this might entail but no one really knows.
[/rant]
Basically, read all the books!
Post by: Tr on June 16, 2016, 04:37:52 PM
Basically, read all the books!*takes notes* I WILL! As soon as I have Proper Library Access again! Or maybe I can convince one of my parents to buy me one... *schemes quietly*
I absolutely love books, though I haven't really read enough to be able to suggest some. Anyone know any good fantasy/mystery novels?As for recommendations, hmmm...
- Right now I am reading Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman, if you like awesome modern fantasy you should read it.
- The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers~ evil Egyptian sorcerers, a body-switching werewolf, time travel, psychotic clowns (how can you not like psychotic clowns? :P)
- Anything by Diana Wynne Jones. It is my personal belief that if you have not read Howl's Moving Castle or Dark Lord of Derkholm, you are missing out. ^-^
- I think Mélusine mentioned Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children? Also a good book. However, I feel like the rest of the series weren't quite as good as the first one.
Post by: smol on June 16, 2016, 09:37:33 PM
Post by: Mélusine on June 21, 2016, 11:43:54 AM
Right now I am reading Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman, if you like awesome modern fantasy you should read it.One of the rare books I re-read every several years <3
Post by: IKEA on June 21, 2016, 02:31:20 PM
Post by: Tr on June 21, 2016, 02:58:45 PM
Finally someone else has heard of Dark Lord of Derkholm :emil:! I love it to death, but am pretty sure it's been out of print for awhile.You've heard of it too? :reynir:
Hmmm, you're probably right about that~ I'm pretty sure my copy is secondhand. My local library also has one. ^-^ It also has a sequel, which is called Year of the Griffin and isn't nearly as good, though I think it's still worth a read! (If you can find it.)
Post by: Pupunen on June 21, 2016, 03:17:03 PM
You've heard of it too? :reynir:Ooh, I loved both of those! I've only read the Finnish translations, though.
Hmmm, you're probably right about that~ I'm pretty sure my copy is secondhand. My local library also has one. ^-^ It also has a sequel, which is called Year of the Griffin and isn't nearly as good, though I think it's still worth a read! (If you can find it.)
Post by: Tr on June 21, 2016, 04:27:35 PM
Ooh, I loved both of those! I've only read the Finnish translations, though.I can't believe other people have read them! This is awesome! (Normally when I say "Dark Lord of Derkholm" I just get a blank stare.)
Post by: Kiraly on June 22, 2016, 03:07:58 PM
Finally someone else has heard of Dark Lord of Derkholm :emil:! I love it to death, but am pretty sure it's been out of print for awhile.
I love those books! And anything by Diana Wynne Jones, honestly, her writing is magical. I actually own Year of the Griffin because my library growing up didn't have it, but now I kind of want to own Dark Lord of Derkholm too.
Post by: urbicande on June 22, 2016, 03:14:02 PM
I wonder if I can use my Amazon.co.uk account to buy Kindle editions?
Post by: IKEA on June 23, 2016, 10:27:09 PM
You've heard of it too? :reynir:I've read Year of the Griffin (also from my library) and thought it was decent. But yeah, nowhere near the level of the original. My favorite character would have to be Kit.
Hmmm, you're probably right about that~ I'm pretty sure my copy is secondhand. My local library also has one. ^-^ It also has a sequel, which is called Year of the Griffin and isn't nearly as good, though I think it's still worth a read! (If you can find it.)
Post by: Juniper on June 24, 2016, 12:22:04 AM
Post by: Pupunen on June 24, 2016, 12:26:55 AM
I didn't even know The Moomins existed until a few months ago, I know it's for children but I've been really enjoying watching the show, and now I'm tempted to read the booksThe books are not at all as clearly aimed at children as the show, especially not the last ones.at 24 years oldespecially because I have a LOT of questions about the story, like first of all how come Snufkin doesn't even know Joxter and why wasn't Joxter around to raise Snufkin and what not ?!? I'm judging you Joxter
Post by: Juniper on June 24, 2016, 12:30:51 AM
The books are not at all as clearly aimed at children as the show, especially not the last ones.
Yeah, I heard the last book is pretty heavy because it was written after Tove Jansson lost her mother so the whole story is an allegory for her grief apparently. I've also heard that even though it's a bit bleak it actually has some good commentary on grieving, so I think it would definitely be a worthwhile read.
Post by: Róisín on June 24, 2016, 01:07:40 AM
Post by: Laufey on June 24, 2016, 02:40:46 AM
I didn't even know The Moomins existed until a few months ago, I know it's for children but I've been really enjoying watching the show, and now I'm tempted to read the booksat 24 years oldespecially because I have a LOT of questions about the story, like first of all how come Snufkin doesn't even know Joxter and why wasn't Joxter around to raise Snufkin and what not ?!? I'm judging you Joxter
Joxter is the type that never stays in one place for long, but thankfully the Mymble who's Snufkin's mother (a different Mymble from the one we see later on living near the Moomins) always had so many lovers that some of them must have helped with the child rearing! Besides when we meet her she's quite an apt mother of... um... well I think she also forgot how many children she already had by then, and when she and Snufkin are reunited she's made even more.
(Fun fact time, in that same book - Moominpappa's Memoirs - it's made clear that Little My is Snufkin's older sister.)
Post by: Sunflower on June 24, 2016, 03:12:27 AM
I didn't even know The Moomins existed until a few months ago, I know it's for children but I've been really enjoying watching the show, and now I'm tempted to read the booksat 24 years oldespecially because I have a LOT of questions about the story, like first of all how come Snufkin doesn't even know Joxter and why wasn't Joxter around to raise Snufkin and what not ?!? I'm judging you Joxter
Don't let the idea "it's for children" throw you off. I'm a generation older than you and I just re-read several of the Moomin books. They are profound and thoughtful, like many of the best "children's" books ("The Wind in the Willows," the Pippi Longstocking stories, "The Little Prince") as well as funny, clever, and touching without being sentimental.
My favorites are "Tales from Moominvalley" ("The Hemulen Who Loved Silence" taught me, a talkative extrovert, a lot about introverts) and "Moominland Midwinter," which has a lot to say about adversity, resilience, and self-discovery. But you probably want to start with the earlier ones, like "Finn Family Moomintroll."
Happy reading!
Post by: Purple Wyrm on June 24, 2016, 05:54:59 AM
Waaaaah. The latest PC Grant novel (Ben Aaronovitch) has been delayed AGAIN. It was supposed to be out this month, and it won't come out until October in the UK and *January* here in the US.
What!? No!! :( It's like every book I've been waiting on for the last two years has been delayed.
Post by: urbicande on June 24, 2016, 03:28:21 PM
I didn't even know The Moomins existed until a few months ago, I know it's for children but I've been really enjoying watching the show, and now I'm tempted to read the booksat 24 years oldespecially because I have a LOT of questions about the story, like first of all how come Snufkin doesn't even know Joxter and why wasn't Joxter around to raise Snufkin and what not ?!? I'm judging you Joxter
My personal favorite is "Moominland Midwinter"
What!? No!! :( It's like every book I've been waiting on for the last two years has been delayed.
Tell me about it!
Post by: Juniper on June 26, 2016, 03:00:20 PM
Don't let the idea "it's for children" throw you off. I'm a generation older than you and I just re-read several of the Moomin books. They are profound and thoughtful, like many of the best "children's" books ("The Wind in the Willows," the Pippi Longstocking stories, "The Little Prince") as well as funny, clever, and touching without being sentimental.
My favorites are "Tales from Moominvalley" ("The Hemulen Who Loved Silence" taught me, a talkative extrovert, a lot about introverts) and "Moominland Midwinter," which has a lot to say about adversity, resilience, and self-discovery. But you probably want to start with the earlier ones, like "Finn Family Moomintroll."
Happy reading!
Awe man I keep on forgetting to respond to this. But yeah, I agree 100% that there's a lot of media out there that is touching and meaningful enough that you can still enjoy it when you're older. I definitely still enjoy 'The Little Prince' c:
Joxter is the type that never stays in one place for long, but thankfully the Mymble who's Snufkin's mother (a different Mymble from the one we see later on living near the Moomins) always had so many lovers that some of them must have helped with the child rearing! Besides when we meet her she's quite an apt mother of... um... well I think she also forgot how many children she already had by then, and when she and Snufkin are reunited she's made even more.Yeah, I read somewhere on the internet about the Mymble and how she's had dozens of children with many different lovers, I think if all of them were there actively helping with the child rearing things would be pretty over crowded.
(Fun fact time, in that same book - Moominpappa's Memoirs - it's made clear that Little My is Snufkin's older sister.)
Post by: Antillanka on June 28, 2016, 07:05:40 PM
Post by: Tr on June 28, 2016, 08:01:20 PM
I can't put down Good Omens... I even fell in that same vice that got me in so many troubles when I was a kid.... reading under the desk during classes!!! Or rather, reading under the desk at the office, which is worse.... I should be able to control myself!!!! Gaaaah, can you end already, blasted book!?!!??!Hehehe. I love that one! I just reread it!
Post by: Yuuago on June 28, 2016, 08:12:52 PM
I can't put down Good Omens... I even fell in that same vice that got me in so many troubles when I was a kid.... reading under the desk during classes!!! Or rather, reading under the desk at the office, which is worse.... I should be able to control myself!!!! Gaaaah, can you end already, blasted book!?!!??!
Hmmm I've been meaning to re-read that ever since I heard there would be a television series. Thanks for reminding me.
Post by: Shine on June 29, 2016, 01:00:41 AM
Hmmm I've been meaning to re-read that ever since I heard there would be a television series. Thanks for reminding me.Oh yeah, it's been a while since I re-read that. Like, a few months, but that's enough to forget a few details. To the bookshelf!
Post by: Athena on June 29, 2016, 05:05:32 PM
So I bought some Noragami manga (which I have been looking for for ages) and also this cool viking one called Vinland Saga.
And while I was there I picked up a Terry Pratchet book, Raising Steam, and a random book that looked cool and seems to involve some necromancy and stuff in a fantasy world? idk, haven't read it yet.
My mom was very confused when she saw me poking around the manga area because my parents don't really know about my anime/manga obsession yet? but yeah she seemed fine with it and I was paying anyway so yeah.
Anyway, a trip to the bookstore is always good!
Post by: Yuuago on June 29, 2016, 05:07:45 PM
So I went to the bookstore yesterday and found out that they have a manga shelf!!
So I bought some Noragami manga (which I have been looking for for ages) and also this cool viking one called Vinland Saga.
And while I was there I picked up a Terry Pratchet book, Raising Steam, and a random book that looked cool and seems to involve some necromancy and stuff in a fantasy world? idk, haven't read it yet.
My mom was very confused when she saw me poking around the manga area because my parents don't really know about my anime/manga obsession yet? but yeah she seemed fine with it and I was paying anyway so yeah.
Anyway, a trip to the bookstore is always good!
AHHH VINLAND SAGA IS SO GOOD. And totally warreants the capslock. You won't regret choosing that one, I think.
...and this reminds me that I am way behind on it, I really should fix that. *_*
Post by: Laufey on June 29, 2016, 05:16:54 PM
Did someone say Vinland Saga because I'm almost sure someone said Vinland Saga!
Post by: Yuuago on June 29, 2016, 05:19:47 PM
(http://i.imgur.com/Rdxq6Sa.jpg)
Did someone say Vinland Saga because I'm almost sure someone said Vinland Saga!
I am terribly jelly right now.
Post by: Tr on June 29, 2016, 05:20:24 PM
AHHH VINLAND SAGA IS SO GOOD. And totally warreants the capslock. You won't regret choosing that one, I think.I had been meaning to read Vínland Saga! Except, crap, I just got back from my dad's house and my mom doesn't let me buy comics/manga! (Looong story. -__-) Ugh!
...and this reminds me that I am way behind on it, I really should fix that. *_*
(http://i.imgur.com/Rdxq6Sa.jpg)*sulks quietly in a corner* :'(
Did someone say Vinland Saga because I'm almost sure someone said Vinland Saga!
Post by: moonamaija on June 29, 2016, 05:38:54 PM
(http://i.imgur.com/Rdxq6Sa.jpg)
Did someone say Vinland Saga because I'm almost sure someone said Vinland Saga!
Omg, the envy! And that's Bride's Story back there, right? I only have the three first volumes :(
Spoiler: show
Post by: Laufey on June 29, 2016, 05:48:12 PM
Omg, the envy! And that's Bride's Story back there, right? I only have the three first volumes :(Spoiler: show
HhhhhOW DID YOU RECOGNIZE IT BY THE TOPS OF THE BOOKS ONLY? Anyway yes that's Otoyomegatari/Bride's Story! Btw your cosplays are amazing and made of gold, Laufey seal of approval all the way. <3
Post by: Kiraly on June 29, 2016, 06:05:22 PM
And while I was there I picked up a Terry Pratchet book, Raising Steam, and a random book that looked cool and seems to involve some necromancy and stuff in a fantasy world? idk, haven't read it yet.
Ooh, enjoy the Pratchett! (I can't remember, have you read his others? Raising Steam is one that benefits from having read some earlier books, if I remember correctly).
Also, I'm curious to know what the random book that looked cool and seems to involve necromancy. (If it's The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells you're in for a treat.)
Post by: Tr on June 29, 2016, 06:12:58 PM
Also, I'm curious to know what the random book that looked cool and seems to involve necromancy. (If it's The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells you're in for a treat.)I'm always curious about cool books that involve necromancy.
*writes "The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells" on a nearby piece of paper*
Post by: Kiraly on June 29, 2016, 06:33:10 PM
I'm always curious about cool books that involve necromancy.
*writes "The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells" on a nearby piece of paper*
Oooh yes, do look it up! And honestly, you could add "anything at all by Martha Wells" to your list, because I love her writing but it seems like a lot of people haven't heard of her. If you end up enjoying The Death of the Necromancer, her Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy that comes after it is also brilliant.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on June 29, 2016, 07:13:56 PM
Post by: Yuuago on June 29, 2016, 07:20:08 PM
I almost bought a volume of Vinland Saga on Monday - there was a stocktake sale at a local bookstore and it was going out cheap. But... my funds were limited and I decided to buy some other stuff rather than jump into a series halfway through.
Good call. Best to start from the start. ;p Maybe the library will have it?
Post by: Basse on June 29, 2016, 07:29:34 PM
Not much of a book reader but I got myself Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley, it's really good but it helps if you know the story of the game it's based on. The book is about when they built the underwater city 'Rapture' till the chaos we know started.
Post by: Tr on June 29, 2016, 08:24:33 PM
I do like Vinland saga, although I read it online. you can buy comics in paperform? There's always the online option TrI found an online version and OHMYGOSH IT IS AWESOME
Oooh yes, do look it up! And honestly, you could add "anything at all by Martha Wells" to your list, because I love her writing but it seems like a lot of people haven't heard of her. If you end up enjoying The Death of the Necromancer, her Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy that comes after it is also brilliant.Mrrrh, forgot to look this up at the library! Next time!
Post by: Juniper on June 29, 2016, 09:32:18 PM
(http://i.imgur.com/Rdxq6Sa.jpg)
Did someone say Vinland Saga because I'm almost sure someone said Vinland Saga!
A manga about vikings, why have I heard of this sooner ? *drools*
Also, I thought for some reason for a moment that this was a picture taken at a book store and it didn't register that this was your personal book shelf so I was very confused when I saw the SSSS book to the left there . .
Post by: Athena on June 29, 2016, 09:38:03 PM
AHHH VINLAND SAGA IS SO GOOD. And totally warreants the capslock. You won't regret choosing that one, I think.
...and this reminds me that I am way behind on it, I really should fix that. *_*
No regrets here! I LOVE IT! I stayed up until about 2 last night and now I'm halfway through the first volume!
(http://i.imgur.com/Rdxq6Sa.jpg)
Did someone say Vinland Saga because I'm almost sure someone said Vinland Saga!
Ooh can I just come to your house and
Ooh, enjoy the Pratchett! (I can't remember, have you read his others? Raising Steam is one that benefits from having read some earlier books, if I remember correctly).
Also, I'm curious to know what the random book that looked cool and seems to involve necromancy. (If it's The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells you're in for a treat.)
I haven't read much Pratchett, but I did see the movie for Going Postal, and Raising Steam seems to be a sequel to that? it has the same characters and seems like a continuation of story.
The random book that looked cool is called Shadow Magic (which sounds like a kinda uninventive name?) But it looks interesting.
Post by: Tr on June 29, 2016, 10:03:14 PM
The random book that looked cool is called Shadow Magic (which sounds like a kinda uninventive name?) But it looks interesting.OH! I think I may have read about half of that book once, but then my mom was forced to drag me out of the bookstore. I did like the part I read, though. ^-^
Post by: Purple Wyrm on June 30, 2016, 12:45:35 AM
I haven't read much Pratchett, but I did see the movie for Going Postal, and Raising Steam seems to be a sequel to that? it has the same characters and seems like a continuation of story.
Raising Steam is actually the second sequel to Going Postal. The one in between is Making Money. And of course all three tie into the rest of the Discworld novels - particularly the City Watch ones.
There are actually some pretty good reading guides for the series out there, such as this one...
(http://www.au.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)
It's actually a few years out of date. Off the top of my head add Snuff after Where's My Cow?, Raising Steam after Making Money and I Shall Wear Midnight after Wintersmith.
Post by: Athena on June 30, 2016, 12:59:23 AM
Raising Steam is actually the second sequel to Going Postal. The one in between is Making Money. And of course all three tie into the rest of the Discworld novels - particularly the City Watch ones.
There are actually some pretty good reading guides for the series out there, such as this one...
(http://www.au.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)
It's actually a few years out of date. Off the top of my head add Snuff after Where's My Cow?, Raising Steam after Making Money and I Shall Wear Midnight after Wintersmith.
Wow, that's about as complex as expected but still! Thanks, I should probably get that book before I dive into Raising Steam, I prefer to read things in the correct order.
Post by: Tr on June 30, 2016, 01:06:05 AM
There are actually some pretty good reading guides for the series out there, such as this one...I've been doing it all wrong! D:
(http://www.au.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)
Post by: Mélusine on June 30, 2016, 06:01:20 AM
I've been doing it all wrong! D:Nttt, that's not possible. The first Pratchett I've read was a short novel with the witches. I've began with the two first Discworld, and then I was taking the books my library had or which had my preference (So the ones with the witches, and/or the Death if possible ^^)
Post by: Shine on June 30, 2016, 06:59:08 AM
Raising Steam is actually the second sequel to Going Postal. The one in between is Making Money. And of course all three tie into the rest of the Discworld novels - particularly the City Watch ones.Yeah...I just read them in publication order, it seems to have worked fine.
There are actually some pretty good reading guides for the series out there, such as this one...
(http://www.au.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)
It's actually a few years out of date. Off the top of my head add Snuff after Where's My Cow?, Raising Steam after Making Money and I Shall Wear Midnight after Wintersmith.
Post by: Yuuago on June 30, 2016, 07:48:34 AM
Nttt, that's not possible. The first Pratchett I've read was a short novel with the witches. I've began with the two first Discworld, and then I was taking the books my library had or which had my preference (So the ones with the witches, and/or the Death if possible ^^)
Yeah, this! I mean, sure, there is technically a story order, and some of the later books are more tied to the previous than is the case in the earlier parts of the series, but... I started with the first novel, then jumped around according to whatever the library had at the time, and it worked out okay.
Most of them can stand enough by themselves; you just have to be willing to roll with anything that seems confusing. ;p
Post by: Kiraly on June 30, 2016, 08:20:54 AM
That said, I think with some of the later books (especially the Tiffany books, which are marked on there as "young adult novels" in the Witches chain, and the last few books in the Industrial Revolution chain, starting with Going Postal) benefit from having read earlier books. For the Tiffany books, that's because they follow one main character through her growing up, and they often reference events in previous books. For the Industrial Revolution books, it's because they show advances in technology that have world-changing consequences, which I find interesting to see as it goes along. But, that said, it probably isn't crucial to read Making Money before you read Raising Steam, especially if you're already familiar with Going Postal. (Also, there's a movie of that? What?)
Post by: Purple Wyrm on June 30, 2016, 08:45:08 AM
The first I ever read was Pyramids. I was 13 and it completely blew my mind that anyone could think like that :D
Post by: Auxivele on June 30, 2016, 11:23:18 AM
Also, a nearby library was getting rid of all the books they no longer wanted for free, so I ended up getting four bags of them. Which for some reason is mostly biographies, which I rarely read, but I guess not many other people wanted those. XD
Post by: Athena on June 30, 2016, 11:59:09 AM
(Also, there's a movie of that? What?)
Yes! and it's very good too! Everybody should watch it! :D
Post by: Talimee on June 30, 2016, 01:06:48 PM
Yes! and it's very good too! Everybody should watch it! :D
I second this wholeheartedly! Charles Danse as Lord Vetinary is spot on!
Post by: Purple Wyrm on June 30, 2016, 08:09:01 PM
(EDIT: Looks like the link I found for The Colour of Magic only has the first ten minutes and the rest isn't on YouTube. Boo!)
Post by: Mélusine on July 01, 2016, 09:24:21 AM
There's actually three live action adaptions, Hogfather (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaOHaBaKq-8), The Colour of Magic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwmLgjw3lGs&list=PL4hSPjbeaE6YF0anIsLnovZms18kpb1rb) and Going Postal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYYl3I1YKBE&index=1&list=PLB6U86TbV7A9baQOVHa_rE71WhTeIJ6pQ). I haven't seen The Colour of Magic but the other two are pretty good.A few years ago, we had Hogfather on tv during Christmas' vacations :) It was a nice surprise.
(EDIT: Looks like the link I found for The Colour of Magic only has the first ten minutes and the rest isn't on YouTube. Boo!)
Post by: Kiraly on July 01, 2016, 11:33:04 AM
There's actually three live action adaptions, Hogfather (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaOHaBaKq-8), The Colour of Magic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwmLgjw3lGs&list=PL4hSPjbeaE6YF0anIsLnovZms18kpb1rb) and Going Postal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYYl3I1YKBE&index=1&list=PLB6U86TbV7A9baQOVHa_rE71WhTeIJ6pQ). I haven't seen The Colour of Magic but the other two are pretty good.
(EDIT: Looks like the link I found for The Colour of Magic only has the first ten minutes and the rest isn't on YouTube. Boo!)
Ooh, yeah. Hogfather used to be on Netflix (I don't think it is anymore, alas) and I watched the first half but never got around to finishing it. I'll have to do that one of these days.
Post by: Tr on July 03, 2016, 10:44:44 PM
I want to recommend Brandon Sanderson to EVERYONE. :) He's a fantasy/science fiction/sorta-mystery writer. His books are incredible. He's my favorite author ever.Thank you, you wonderful human being! I finished reading The Alloy of Law a few days ago and now I really miss reading it. I am regretting my decision to leave the rest of the Sanderson books I got from the library at home.
The world was so marvelously thought out, and the plot twists were unpredictable and each one made the story more complex... [/rambles incoherently]
10/10 will read again!
Post by: microFerret on July 04, 2016, 09:49:39 AM
Anyways, I also have my own book recommendation to post here: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. It originally came recommended to me by Melusine, I think, and I picked it up last week, and didn't put it down once until I was done. It really appealed to me for a lot of the same reasons that SSSS did. Of course, it doesn't have visual art like SSSS but the prose is amazingly well-written. Also, it has one character who writes a graphic novel and then later an apocalypse hits. The character's name even shares the first two letters with Minna (Almost seems like the author got some ideas from SSSS :D ).
Anyways, I'd highly recommend it to all Minnions.
Wow, this is my first post in a long, long time. I hope all of you have been well, and sorry for just being a sneaky vaettur for so long.
Post by: ginger on July 04, 2016, 09:56:34 PM
Recommendation: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak has been my favorite book for the past two years or so (call me clichéd, but I really really do love it). Understand, if you don't already, that it is set in 1930's/40's Germany, and that this greatly affects the content. It is truly the first book I've read that I felt sat in my brain and read my thoughts. The first read is great, but the second read is the best, in my opinion. It is longer, though, and I always need to reread it despite rarely making the time to do so.
Another recommendation: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson--born a webcomic and now a graphic novel! It is a serious delight from start to finish, and I have read it many times (once twice in a row, immediately going back after the first read to start over). Incredibly charming style, beautiful characters, suspense, action, dumb jokes, and a fairly quick read!
Currently reading: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I expect that Hamilton will take me considerably longer to finish, seeing as it's roughly 800 pages. But I SHALL DO IT!
This reminds me how very dreadfully I need to reorganize my books; bye for now!
I believe I've briefly heard Discworld mentioned elsewhere? Is it really that mandatory of a read? The volume of the canon seems a bit intimidating...
Post by: Tr on July 04, 2016, 10:14:14 PM
I also love how it has Death as the narrator, and the way it turns Death into a three-dimensional character.
And Nimona! I love that one!
If the sheer size of Discworld seems daunting, it's okay to read one (each book is fairly short), forget about the series for a year, and come back later. There's no pressure to read all of them like there is for Harry Potter. Most of them work fairly well as stand-alones. But even if you just read one, it will be worth it! I promise! :))
Post by: Róisín on July 04, 2016, 10:49:14 PM
Post by: Tr on July 04, 2016, 10:58:14 PM
Though events make more sense if you know who everybody is. Starting at the beginning is a good idea.Hmm... this is probably very true. I started somewhere in the middle, in retrospect taking the time to find the beginning first would have been quite helpful. ;D
Post by: ChazHoosier on July 05, 2016, 10:47:59 AM
Author: James J. O'Donnell
Genre: Non-fiction.
(https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404412039l/22638154.jpg)
I finished this book a few weeks ago, and since paganism is one of the major themes of SSSS, I thought it would be interesting to people here. O'Donnell takes a very close look at what pre-Christian paganism was like and then moves on to a warts-and-all exploration of the rise of Christianity. His thesis is that "Paganism" as a coherent identity and world-encompassing perspective simply didn't exist until "traditional religion" was challenged by Christianity, which did claim to provide a coherent identity and world-encompassing persective. Our understanding of paganism today, even for non-Christians, is essentially a tidy, self-serving Christian reflection on paganism after the fact. He's easy to read, and he develops his ideas with first-rate prose.
Post by: SugaAndSpice on July 05, 2016, 05:31:03 PM
Post by: Auxivele on July 10, 2016, 06:50:22 PM
Another recommendation: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson--born a webcomic and now a graphic novel! It is a serious delight from start to finish, and I have read it many times (once twice in a row, immediately going back after the first read to start over). Incredibly charming style, beautiful characters, suspense, action, dumb jokes, and a fairly quick read!Nimona is amazing, and I second this recommendation.
Post by: Athena on July 17, 2016, 01:54:11 AM
Post by: urbicande on July 18, 2016, 12:04:02 PM
The Fifth Season (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H25FCSQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#navbar) by N.K. Jemisin. Very good, up for a Hugo this year. The story is a bit convoluted at first, but it becomes clear what's happening (at least to me) partway through. Warning that Jemisin isn't shy about writing about her characters sex lives.
The Nightmare Stacks (https://www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Stacks-Laundry-Files-Novel-ebook/dp/B016JPTNZW/#navbar) by Charles Stross. Latest book in the Laundry series, and the first that doesn't focus on Bob or Mo. This is a plus, because they're somewhat removed from the streets by this point in their story arcs (although I'm sure that will change). The Laundryverse has been diverging from our world by quite a bit over the past few books, and this continues. You don't have to have read the other books in the series, but I recommend it.
Mouse and Dragon (https://www.amazon.com/Mouse-Dragon-Liaden-Universe-Sharon/dp/1451637594) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Liaden Universe book 7, and the continuing story of Aelliana Caylon & Daav yos'Phelium. Good, although I didn't find it as emotionally engaging as Scout's Progress, the book preceding it in internal chronology. You should really read Scout's Progress before you read this one.
Post by: Juniper on July 18, 2016, 12:45:51 PM
Post by: urbicande on July 18, 2016, 12:57:36 PM
Sooo anyone else on here read The Dresden Files ? If not, they're pretty great (most of the time, there's some apsects to them that's also kind of "eh" to me) it's about a wizard who's a detective in Chicago who solves paranormal cases :3
I've read some of them. Not that much of a fan, although they're certainly OK.
Post by: Tr on July 18, 2016, 01:12:32 PM
Sooo anyone else on here read The Dresden Files ? If not, they're pretty great (most of the time, there's some apsects to them that's also kind of "eh" to me) it's about a wizard who's a detective in Chicago who solves paranormal cases :3Ahahah I'm pretty sure I read the comic version of one, which is weird, because I usually read the Original Book Version of things. But I remember thinking it was pretty cool. ^-^
Post by: Juniper on July 18, 2016, 02:40:32 PM
I've read some of them. Not that much of a fan, although they're certainly OK.
I didn't like the first two and didn't think the writing or world building was as good. I think I only kept at it because I have a friend who's a HUGE fan and kept giving me the books and insisting I read them. I did start to like them more when I got to the one that was about fairies and the different fairy courts, which I believe was the fourth one.
Although not gonna lie I've still almost quit reading multiple times, mostly over the fact that literally every single female character is sexualized, including female characters who are incredibly underage or even the dead bodies of female characters found at crime scenes frequently get described in a sexual way. The only female characters who don't get described sexually are the ones who are very elderly, but even then one of the important older women in the series by chance got her body switched with an attractive younger woman.
But I still keep at the series because mysteries about fairies and wizards and vampires in downtown Chicago just appeals to me too much . .
Ahahah I'm pretty sure I read the comic version of one, which is weird, because I usually read the Original Book Version of things. But I remember thinking it was pretty cool. ^-^
I have yet to read the comics, I've seen some of the art from them and it seemed interesting. Maybe I should give them a go !
Post by: Róisín on July 18, 2016, 05:54:31 PM
Post by: Mélusine on July 19, 2016, 05:22:49 PM
Sooo anyone else on here read The Dresden Files ? If not, they're pretty great (most of the time, there's some apsects to them that's also kind of "eh" to me) it's about a wizard who's a detective in Chicago who solves paranormal cases :3I've read two or three of them lent by a friend, a few years ago. Not bad, for what I remember :)
I'm nearly at the end of The Nation by Terry Pratchett and no, I'm not crying sometimes, what are you meaning ?
Post by: Tr on July 19, 2016, 06:15:57 PM
I'm nearly at the end of The Nation by Terry Pratchett and no, I'm not crying sometimes, what are you meaning ?Oh, I remember how that one ended. *hugs Mélusine* I probably cried too.
It was a great book, though. ^-^
Post by: Mélusine on July 19, 2016, 06:20:11 PM
Oh, I remember how that one ended. *hugs Mélusine* I probably cried too.Every three or four pages, I stop, thinking "It's so well written ! That's exactly how to describe (...)" and I feel as small in writing and amazed as the first time I read it... *Sighs and smiles* I'm not meaning the story is sad. It's just... wow <3 Again.
It was a great book, though. ^-^
Post by: Tr on July 19, 2016, 06:24:17 PM
Every three or four pages, I stop, thinking "It's so well written ! That's exactly how to describe (...)" and I feel as small in writing and amazed as the first time I read it... *Sighs and smiles* I'm not meaning the story is sad. It's just... wow <3 Again.Now I need to read it again...
Post by: Kiraly on July 19, 2016, 08:43:44 PM
I'm nearly at the end of The Nation by Terry Pratchett and no, I'm not crying sometimes, what are you meaning ?
Ooh, I really need to read that again one of these days. I read it in college during a pretty low point (when I was raiding the school library's "curriculum" section for children's/teen books to help me cope with life) and I remember enjoying it, but not much of the detail.
Post by: urbicande on July 20, 2016, 11:19:29 AM
I'm sure there's a good book hidden somewhere in the infodumps.
Post by: Yuuago on July 20, 2016, 09:36:23 PM
Post by: Kiraly on July 20, 2016, 10:06:48 PM
Today I started reading the English translation of The Life of Elves by Muriel Barbery... The subject isn't usually my kind of thing (it's the "two forces struggling to take over the world" kind of fantasy) but the language of the translation is so beautiful, it has me hooked anyway. I can only imagine that it's even more lovely in French.
Hmm...I think I've read one of hers, she wrote The Elegance of the Hedgehog, right? I remember the language being very beautiful, even though I despised the ending.
Post by: Yuuago on July 20, 2016, 11:06:19 PM
Hmm...I think I've read one of hers, she wrote The Elegance of the Hedgehog, right? I remember the language being very beautiful, even though I despised the ending.
Ah, yes, she wrote that one too, though I haven't read it. (If I do read it, I suppose I'll prepare myself for whatever the end might be ;V )
Post by: Bobriha on July 22, 2016, 09:42:08 AM
Another book I am reading now as a part of my Finnish studies is Through Greenland by Skies by Fridtjof Nansen. I beleive there should also be English translation of this book? It is written about century and a half ago and it is still interesting nowdays. I wonder if Nansen was also a poet up to his many talents? The way he pictures nature is a pure poetry.
Post by: Róisín on July 22, 2016, 11:06:18 AM
Post by: Bobriha on July 22, 2016, 01:05:31 PM
He certainly writes like a poet! Have you read Jean-Henri Fabre or John Muir? If you like Nansen you would probably like them.
No I haven't and I feel I'll totally have to. Thanks for introducing them!
Right now, though, ahead of me is aformentioned Through Greenland... and a huge, huuge tome of ancient Near and Far East Literatures - this is what one may get for thinking one day "What if I learn one or two things about Shijing?" :)
Post by: kjeks on July 23, 2016, 01:19:04 PM
Jon Ronson - So you've been publicly shamed
I highly recommend the book to those using twitter and tumblr on high frequency while being interested in mechanisms of online societies or psychology. It follows the trail of public shaming. Several cases get analyzed. I got especially intrigued by the portrait of people who did by good intensions destroy other people's live and how these could barely recover because the internet society does neither forget nor forgive. Some mistakes judged as unforgiveable by online society get put in comparison to court judgements as well as areas of life we tend to hide in the dark (such as socialy inaccepted life styles, or interests).
It really is worth a shot, though I would recommend highly to gain some knowledge on how people's motives and beneath lying emotions and needs steer their actions.
Post by: Róisín on July 23, 2016, 08:23:24 PM
Post by: Athena on August 02, 2016, 01:36:30 AM
Post by: Tr on August 02, 2016, 08:05:42 AM
I found a copy of the little prince (in English) in my basement while doing spring cleaning and I just finished reading it. I never thought such a short book could be so meaningful and thought provoking. That ending... :sad_smile:I remember finding a copy in my stepmom's bookshelf and feeling the exact same way. It's a beautiful story.
Post by: urbicande on August 02, 2016, 09:27:44 AM
I found a copy of the little prince (in English) in my basement while doing spring cleaning and I just finished reading it. I never thought such a short book could be so meaningful and thought provoking. That ending... :sad_smile:
It's my favorite book ever, and I actually collect them in different languages. (And, bonus, it was mostly written here on Long Island!) I've got...err...let's see English, French, and German which are the ones I can actually read and have read. In addition, I have (in no particular order) Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin. I think I have another one or two that I'm not remembering right now (anyone who's willing to take Paypal and willing to add a few more languages from Your Local Country, please contact me! I can get them here but I try to get them printed in and from a country where the language is spoken. The exceptions in my collection are the Latin edition and one of my two French ones -- that was bought here, but my other was bought in Paris :) )
On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
Post by: kjeks on August 02, 2016, 09:31:50 AM
It's my favorite book ever, and I actually collect them in different languages. (And, bonus, it was mostly written here on Long Island!) I've got...err...let's see English, French, and German which are the ones I can actually read and have read. In addition, I have (in no particular order) Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin. I think I have another one or two that I'm not remembering right now (anyone who's willing to take Paypal and willing to add a few more languages from Your Local Country, please contact me! I can get them here but I try to get them printed in and from a country where the language is spoken. The exceptions in my collection are the Latin edition and one of my two French ones -- that was bought here, but my other was bought in Paris :) )
On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
Ohhh what a beautiful collection!!!
Post by: Athena on August 02, 2016, 11:04:36 AM
It's my favorite book ever, and I actually collect them in different languages. (And, bonus, it was mostly written here on Long Island!) I've got...err...let's see English, French, and German which are the ones I can actually read and have read. In addition, I have (in no particular order) Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin. I think I have another one or two that I'm not remembering right now (anyone who's willing to take Paypal and willing to add a few more languages from Your Local Country, please contact me! I can get them here but I try to get them printed in and from a country where the language is spoken. The exceptions in my collection are the Latin edition and one of my two French ones -- that was bought here, but my other was bought in Paris :) )
On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
Wow, that's quite the collection! What an interesting thing to collect as well!
I remember finding a copy in my stepmom's bookshelf and feeling the exact same way. It's a beautiful story.
Yeah, I've fallen in love with this book. I sense many re-reads in the future.
Post by: JoB on August 02, 2016, 11:27:05 AM
anyone who's willing to take Paypal and willing to add a few more languages from Your Local Country, please contact me!That might get expensive (http://www.petit-prince.at/) ...
Post by: urbicande on August 02, 2016, 11:50:50 AM
That might get expensive (http://www.petit-prince.at/) ...
Not as expensive as going all those places to buy them myself! (Mind, I should have checked for a bookstore when I changed planes at Schilpol a few weeks back. I don't have a Dutch copy yet).
Oh, Italian. I have Italian.
Post by: Mélusine on August 02, 2016, 01:46:07 PM
Post by: kjeks on August 02, 2016, 03:31:02 PM
End of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Not my favorite of him *Still wants to buy the new illustrated edition of Neverwherewhen she'll have money... later...* but it was good to re-read it, in English this time :)No, I hadn't tears in my eyes at some moments like with Nation, what are you thiking ? *Cries maybe too much on books these last weeks*Hmmm, what will I read now ?
If jorge bucay is published in french - I bet he is - one of his books!!! any of the older ones!
Post by: Mélusine on August 02, 2016, 03:43:45 PM
If jorge bucay is published in french - I bet he is - one of his books!!! any of the older ones!*Makes a research* Three books published in French. Mmmh. I'll have a look later. I'm sorry, I should have written "what will I read now in my books waiting to be read" :) *Buys as less as possible for now*
Post by: kjeks on August 03, 2016, 12:40:27 PM
*Makes a research* Three books published in French. Mmmh. I'll have a look later. I'm sorry, I should have written "what will I read now in my books waiting to be read" :) *Buys as less as possible for now*
*looksatbooksnotreadpilingupontheshelf*
Uhuh... I go and learn languages instead XD
Post by: Jerzy_S on August 13, 2016, 08:11:37 AM
Post by: JacobThomsen on August 21, 2016, 05:59:43 AM
I doubt it's been already mentioned here so I'd really like to recommend you books of polish fantasy author Jacek Dukaj. I know that Extensa, Other songs, An ideal imperfectiom, The crow, Cathedral and something else have been translated, but not into english, apparently. But perhaps it's the language you know? Anyway, all those books are great, especially my favourite, Other songs and enormous, over thousand pages long Ice. It's a pity that they are not available in english. Anyway, I really recommend you reading those, if possible, or at least trying to find some fan translation. Or learning polish, of course :D
Just goggled him and he sound pretty interesting, I think I'll take a look at him as soon as his books get translated to English (which according to the internet is in the making). But while I wait may I recommend the books of Alex Scarrow, and especially his “Time riders” series.
Post by: urbicande on August 24, 2016, 09:47:41 AM
Post by: Lazy8 on August 29, 2016, 03:50:55 PM
- An Ember in the Ashes by new author Sabaa Tahir, a (sort-of dystopian) fantasy based on the Roman Empire, that tells the story of a peasant girl who starts working for The Resistance to save her brother, and an unwilling soldier of The Empire. Not a big fan of the multiple love triangles, but I liked most of the characters, the worldbuilding was refreshing, and there was a truly chilling villain. Also liked the subtle portrayal of the toxic society itself being the main "villain" of the story.
- A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle (better known for one of his other books, The Last Unicorn). This one tells the stories of an older man and woman and two recently dead ghosts, and really appealed to me for its very low-key, understated fantasy, the relaxing day-in-the life narrative style, the focus on interpersonal interactions, and the subtle romance. This might not be the book for everyone, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed when I picked it out of the library exchange bin.
- I've also been on an extended Ursula K. Le Guin kick; her characters don't always click with me but I love love love her worldbuilding. Personal favorites are The Left Hand of Darkness (a world without gender), Four Ways to Forgiveness (an extended exploration of a culture that's in the process of ending its system of slavery), and one of her earlier works, Rocannon's World, which is more romantic/high fantasy in tone and takes place on a planet I'm disappointed she never returned to. The Birthday of the World, a collection of short stories (mostly) of the Hainish Cycle, is also quite wonderful.
I'm also on the prowl for more recommendations (so greedy of me, I know). Some of my favorite genres:
- Dystopias. On my have-read list are The Giver, 1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, A Handmaid's Tale, The Lathe of Heaven, Fahrenheit 451, and... I'm pretty sure there are also plenty of others that I've missed. But yeah, technological dystopias, cultural dystopias, failed utopias, I eat them up.
- Post-apocalypses. Though funnily enough, I've discovered that while I like dystopias and I like post-apocalypses, I'm not a big fan of most post-apocalyptic dystopias that I've encountered. Rather, I prefer post-apocalypses like SSSS where society has started to recover and work toward a new equilibrium without being awful about it.
- Fantasy that draws on non-Western mythology (in other words, that doesn't just rip off Middle Earth). I've already seen a few recommendations for Japanese-mythology-based fantasy, which I'll have to check out. I also have to ask whether anyone knows of good stories that draw from Native American/First Nations, ancient Egyptian, or Middle Eastern cultures, to name only a very, very few of the many that interest me? *looks around hopefully*
- Recent authors who stick close to the original, non-Disneyfied portrayal of fairies (or "fey", as I say when I want to distinguish the two).
Post by: Kiraly on August 29, 2016, 04:50:53 PM
Post by: Lazy8 on August 29, 2016, 05:01:33 PM
Ooh! I've been meaning to read An Ember in the Ashes, I'll have to move it higher up my TBR list. I do have a couple of other suggestions for fantasy that draws on non-Western mythology: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston and The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. (I should write actual descriptions for them but I'm at work and it got crazy busy, so let me know if you want more info and I'll get it to you later!)
Those both look in intriguing - especially the second one, since one thing I'd like to read more of for whatever reason is the arranged marriage that worked. The first... it also looks interesting, but I have to ask: is this a relationship of the "I can change him!" variety? Because the trope of a woman turning a monster into a better person by staying with him is one that I really do not like.
Post by: Helia on August 29, 2016, 05:37:43 PM
These are closer to historical fantasy, so they're more enjoyable if you have a bit of a history-nerd side.
Post by: Mélusine on August 29, 2016, 05:45:38 PM
In high school, we had a project to prepare during the year, two years on the three, and it had to combine two classes. When I was there, the subjects were more vast than what they are now. (For example, I remember my subject for the second year was "Memory".) The first one, I've worked with The Giver, Farenheit 451, 1984 and Brave New World (which was the more chilling for me). Probably one of my best memories from high school :)
- Dystopias. On my have-read list are The Giver, 1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, A Handmaid's Tale, The Lathe of Heaven, Fahrenheit 451, and... I'm pretty sure there are also plenty of others that I've missed. But yeah, technological dystopias, cultural dystopias, failed utopias, I eat them up.
BUT I don't know the two other titles (I've read Animal Farm too.) you're mentioning. Hmmm... interesting :)
Post by: Kiraly on August 29, 2016, 07:29:46 PM
Those both look in intriguing - especially the second one, since one thing I'd like to read more of for whatever reason is the arranged marriage that worked. The first... it also looks interesting, but I have to ask: is this a relationship of the "I can change him!" variety? Because the trope of a woman turning a monster into a better person by staying with him is one that I really do not like.Oh, that's a good question! That first story is not really a romance, actually. The man in question is literally a monster (as in, something not-human which has taken over a human's body... not much of a spoiler, since it's revealed near the beginning) so the story does not go the "redeem the villain" route at all.
Post by: Róisín on August 29, 2016, 08:54:41 PM
Post by: Lazy8 on August 29, 2016, 09:30:16 PM
These are closer to historical fantasy, so they're more enjoyable if you have a bit of a history-nerd side.
*remembers how much I enjoyed the Temeraire series*
Sure, I'll check it out!
In high school, we had a project to prepare during the year, two years on the three, and it had to combine two classes. When I was there, the subjects were more vast than what they are now. (For example, I remember my subject for the second year was "Memory".) The first one, I've worked with The Giver, Farenheit 451, 1984 and Brave New World (which was the more chilling for me). Probably one of my best memories from high school :)
BUT I don't know the two other titles (I've read Animal Farm too.) you're mentioning. Hmmm... interesting :)
The Handmaid's Tale is a Christian extremist dystopia that explores things like rigid gender and class roles, enforced religious principles, and control over women's reproduction. The Lathe of Heaven is another Le Guin novel, with a theme somewhere along the lines of "How many different ways can we mess up the world by trying to fix it?"
Oh, that's a good question! That first story is not really a romance, actually. The man in question is literally a monster (as in, something not-human which has taken over a human's body... not much of a spoiler, since it's revealed near the beginning) so the story does not go the "redeem the villain" route at all.
Okay, perfect! Thanks for elaborating.
If you like dystopias, have you read Le Guin's novella 'The World for World is Forest'? Part of the Hainish cycle, dark but good, despite being what she called a 'preachment' on the subject of war.
It is on my shelf. I have not yet read it, but I finished the book I was reading earlier tonight and that just happens to be the one that got slipped into my backpack in its place...
Post by: Fen Shen on August 30, 2016, 05:40:45 AM
It is a very complex and long story (and since the German translation stopped mid-series, I haven't gotten to read all books yet), with a complex worldbuilding of a society that has one had a very high technological level - robots, airplanes etc. - but receded into a more simple society centuries (ages?) ago, and part of the plot is the rediscovery of what happened and why. But I mostly liked the series for the characters and the ongoing sense of mysteries all around.
Post by: urbicande on August 30, 2016, 09:05:31 AM
- Dystopias. On my have-read list are The Giver, 1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, A Handmaid's Tale, The Lathe of Heaven, Fahrenheit 451, and... I'm pretty sure there are also plenty of others that I've missed. But yeah, technological dystopias, cultural dystopias, failed utopias, I eat them up.
- Post-apocalypses. Though funnily enough, I've discovered that while I like dystopias and I like post-apocalypses, I'm not a big fan of most post-apocalyptic dystopias that I've encountered. Rather, I prefer post-apocalypses like SSSS where society has started to recover and work toward a new equilibrium without being awful about it.
- Fantasy that draws on non-Western mythology (in other words, that doesn't just rip off Middle Earth). I've already seen a few recommendations for Japanese-mythology-based fantasy, which I'll have to check out. I also have to ask whether anyone knows of good stories that draw from Native American/First Nations, ancient Egyptian, or Middle Eastern cultures, to name only a very, very few of the many that interest me? *looks around hopefully*
- Recent authors who stick close to the original, non-Disneyfied portrayal of fairies (or "fey", as I say when I want to distinguish the two).
I'd add "The Handmaid's Tale" as quite dystopian. I also recall "Colossus" being that way, but it's been ages since I read it.
For post-apocalypse, hmm... "A Canticle for Liebowitz" and "On the Beach" should be there. "Marooned in Realtime" is sort of post-apocalyptic. And "Logan's Run" (almost entirely unrelated to the movie)
Post by: Lazy8 on August 30, 2016, 09:41:15 AM
I'd add "The Handmaid's Tale" as quite dystopian. I also recall "Colossus" being that way, but it's been ages since I read it.
For post-apocalypse, hmm... "A Canticle for Liebowitz" and "On the Beach" should be there. "Marooned in Realtime" is sort of post-apocalyptic. And "Logan's Run" (almost entirely unrelated to the movie)
You might have missed that Handmaid's Tale is already on my list of have-reads. ;)
Marooned in Realtime definitely caught my interest. And I've seen the cheesy Logan's Run movie, but never read the book - I'll have to check it out.
Post by: Róisín on August 30, 2016, 09:52:33 AM
Post by: urbicande on August 30, 2016, 11:17:14 AM
You might have missed that Handmaid's Tale is already on my list of have-reads. ;)
Marooned in Realtime definitely caught my interest. And I've seen the cheesy Logan's Run movie, but never read the book - I'll have to check it out.
Ah, yes, I missed that!
Post by: Yuuago on September 02, 2016, 12:26:13 AM
...Aaand it made me want to read The Iliad for the Nth time. MAYBE I WILL.
Post by: Vafhudr on September 02, 2016, 12:27:03 AM
Soooo I just read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and I must say, I love it. Sure, it basically amounts to Iliad fanfiction with an emphasis on the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. The responses I've read have been mixed, but eh, it hit the right spot with me.
...Aaand it made me want to read The Iliad for the Nth time. MAYBE I WILL.
Oh yeah. I read that. I never thought I would find yaoi fanfiction in the new release section of the library.
Post by: Yuuago on September 02, 2016, 12:29:32 AM
Oh yeah. I read that. I never thought I would find yaoi fanfiction in the new release section of the library.
Feels a little odd to use that term for something without a Japanese source, but I know what you mean. I was pleasantly surprised.
Post by: Lazy8 on September 02, 2016, 08:35:38 AM
Feels a little odd to use that term for something without a Japanese source, but I know what you mean. I was pleasantly surprised.
"Yaoi" is Japanese. The word you're looking for is "slash". ;)
Post by: Yuuago on September 02, 2016, 11:56:34 AM
"Yaoi" is Japanese. The word you're looking for is "slash". ;)
Never liked the term slash, either (unpleasant associations, to be honest. Makes me think of slasher films! xD). M/M romance is what I prefer to call it. xD
Buuuut anyway, back to the subject - I'm just glad something like this novel is so popular at the mainstream level.
Post by: Juniper on September 03, 2016, 02:23:53 AM
Post by: Mélusine on September 04, 2016, 05:01:19 AM
So, I just finished the last book I was working on so time to start on House of Leaves. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Leaves) It'll be my first horror novel I've read in a long time :D mostly I'm interested in it because of its experimental nature that most people I know who read it talked about in great length, including some very bizzare typography at certain points.I've read it several years ago. One of my strangest experiences as a reader...
Post by: Q on September 04, 2016, 07:50:02 AM
Post by: Yuuago on September 04, 2016, 10:14:21 AM
I've just started Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland and I'm really liking it despite expecting not to! It was a last-minute-whim library shelf grab and I'm reaaally picky with personal travel memoirs, but the writing is actually quite evocative and touching, so I'm digging it.
:o I might need to check it out. Definitely picky about travel narratives too, but I do like a good one now and then.
Post by: Q on September 05, 2016, 03:58:11 PM
:o I might need to check it out. Definitely picky about travel narratives too, but I do like a good one now and then.
Finished it this morning and I do think you'd like it! Though I found a couple sections (the bits about the economy and the bits about elves) to be fairly skippable (but YMMV), I'm glad I read it.
Post by: urbicande on September 06, 2016, 02:55:46 PM
I've read it several years ago. One of my strangest experiences as a reader...
I highly recommend the Poe album Haunted (https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Poe/dp/B00004Y6J1) as a companion piece to the book.
Post by: Juniper on September 06, 2016, 10:16:12 PM
I highly recommend the Poe album Haunted (https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Poe/dp/B00004Y6J1) as a companion piece to the book.
Ohhh, considering I'm still not very far into it I'll keep this in mind while I'm reading it, thank you !
Post by: Lazy8 on September 12, 2016, 09:39:36 PM
...
This book might have hit just a little bit too close to home, yes. Reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik next.
Post by: Kiraly on September 12, 2016, 10:35:42 PM
This book might have hit just a little bit too close to home, yes. Reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik next.
Oooh, I remember enjoying that one, let me know what you think!
Post by: Róisín on September 12, 2016, 10:58:49 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on September 13, 2016, 01:09:13 AM
Of course I've got 3,000+ *other* books cluttering up my rather small apartment, so there's still work to be done ;D
Post by: Mélusine on September 13, 2016, 05:33:49 AM
And I really want to read the last Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir translated in French, but I'm poor this month so it will have to wait until the next one...
Post by: Yuuago on September 13, 2016, 07:55:29 AM
Kitchen was the book that really made me fall in love with her work, though. It smacked me upside the head with feelings, and I still haven't recovered. ;p
Post by: urbicande on September 13, 2016, 12:25:14 PM
I sold 35 books to a second hand bookstore on the weekend as part of an ongoing attempt to declutter. I got $60 in store credit, which isn't too shabby.
Of course I've got 3,000+ *other* books cluttering up my rather small apartment, so there's still work to be done ;D
Yay, more books!
Post by: Purple Wyrm on September 13, 2016, 07:15:28 PM
Yay, more books!
Yes, but less books!
Post by: urbicande on September 14, 2016, 09:08:13 AM
Yes, but less books!
Sort of. What are you going to use that store credit for?
Post by: Purple Wyrm on September 14, 2016, 09:40:01 AM
Sort of. What are you going to use that store credit for?
Well I turned in 35 books, and I now have credit for maybe 3 nice books. So it's a net loss.
And I might save it for Christmas presents anyway.
Post by: Lazy8 on September 19, 2016, 09:40:01 PM
Spoiler: Actual Spoilers • show
Post by: Fen Shen on September 21, 2016, 08:34:04 AM
Spoiler: responding to some of your spoilers • show
Post by: Lazy8 on September 22, 2016, 07:52:06 PM
Okay, so this one comes with the necessary disclaimer that it was an instance of me deciding to give a fair trial to a book that I normally would have passed over because it got a good review. (Hint: it's a romance. A romance with a science fiction setting, but still very much a romance.)
The plot in a nutshell is that of an alien (but humanoid, and distantly related to humans) race who survived an attempted genocide that also wiped out their home world, and the efforts of the survivors and their human allies to preserve both their bloodlines and their culture - which, since the survivors were overwhelmingly male, necessitated arranging marriages with the natives who were best able to help them do that.
As a romance, I'd say that it was... not amazing, but decent. Then again, when it comes to romance my "decent" might as well be another person's glowing endorsement. The most refreshing aspect of the romance between the mains was the complete lack of melodrama; yes, they had their disagreements and culture clashes, but on the whole resolved them respectfully and with a minimum of angst, and the narrative managed to avoid most of your typical unhealthy relationship tropes between the main couple. No controlling behavior passed off as romance, no slap-slap-kiss, just two characters who got along well from the beginning and gradually realized they liked each other more. There's nothing wrong with that, and I wish more writers would realize that bucketloads of interpersonal angst does not an interesting romance make. Yes, there was some legitimate angst - but it felt real, and with good reason, and not overdone.
If I had one complaint about this book, it was that I found the various side plots to be more interesting than the main event - but then, this is me, so take that with a grain of salt. Still, I wish more time had been spent on the political aftermath of the genocide, on the heroine's troubles with her family, and on some of the cultures they encountered along the way. This book could have stood to be longer - it could even have stood to be a whole series. Of course, a series would also leave room for a lot of obnoxious "Will they or won't they", so maybe it's just as well.
Overall? Not exactly my cup of tea, but if you're someone who likes romance more than I you might very well enjoy it.
Post by: Róisín on September 29, 2016, 09:05:31 PM
Post by: Lazy8 on September 29, 2016, 10:06:14 PM
This one takes place in a post-apocalyptic Las Angeles (or Las Anclas, as it's now called). What exactly caused said apocalypse isn't specified, at least not in this book, but the ways in which it's altered the landscape and the various animal and plant life are refreshing, unique, and manage to be simultaneously genuinely menacing and fascinatingly beautiful.
The characters are well-written and diverse in temperament (even if one of them does remind me a bit too much of Prince Zuko for his own good ::) ), and even though they're mostly teenagers with varying degrees of teenage angst, for the most part they're likable and even the unlikable ones are decently well-rounded. Just off the top of my head, we've got one character with severe PTSD, another living in permanent exile, one who reads as demisexual to me, and one who's struggling with internalized racism. Speaking of which...
Take it or leave it, according to the individual reader's taste
Yes, there is a large degree of racism portrayed in this book. It's of the Fantastic Racism variety, directed against a group of people that doesn't exist in real life, but it's still there. I thought it was well done, portraying the negatives without resorting to strawmen, but I also understand that that's not going to appeal to everyone.
Another thing that's not going to appeal to everyone is how they resolved the love triangle that eventually cropped up. To me, it felt really refreshing and was a nice twist to a plotline that had me dreading "Okay, is this going to get to bad fanfic levels of awfulness or will it stop at Legend of Korra Season 2?", buuuuuut I also understand that not everyone will approve. I could put up further detail under a spoiler if anyone wants to know more.
In short: Good worldbuilding, good characters, highly recommended. I've ordered the next book in the series and will read it. Sometime. Once I get through the multiple other books that have already been sitting in my queue for far too long.
Post by: Athena on October 05, 2016, 09:07:31 PM
Post by: Agrasshopper on October 05, 2016, 10:42:49 PM
If anyone on here is interested in YA fiction I highly recommend Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows series. I just finished the second and last (sadly) book and it was amazing! It follows a gang of young criminals in a fictional world as they attempt to pull of a heist from the most secure facility in their world. It's sort of victorian feeling era, but with some magic. I can't really do the book justice with my descriptions, but the various schemes the characters create to achieve their goals are incredibly complex and the characters themselves are funny and interesting. But I just really highly recommend the Six of Crows and I'm having a hard time stoping gushing about it, so I'm just going to cut myself off now.
Also, if anyone has any YA fiction recommendations I'm nearly always looking for something new to read so they would be greatly appreciated!
Post by: Athena on October 05, 2016, 11:23:22 PM
So... I just finished a book and feel the need to recommend it now to everyone I can, so here we go.
If anyone on here is interested in YA fiction I highly recommend Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows series. I just finished the second and last (sadly) book and it was amazing! It follows a gang of young criminals in a fictional world as they attempt to pull of a heist from the most secure facility in their world. It's sort of victorian feeling era, but with some magic. I can't really do the book justice with my descriptions, but the various schemes the characters create to achieve their goals are incredibly complex and the characters themselves are funny and interesting. But I just really highly recommend the Six of Crows and I'm having a hard time stoping gushing about it, so I'm just going to cut myself off now.
Also, if anyone has any YA fiction recommendations I'm nearly always looking for something new to read so they would be greatly appreciated!
I would recommend Stormdancer, the first book in The Lotus War series (Th either two being Kinslayer and Endsinger), but it isn't really YA its kinda really adult - be warned. It's a really good book though, set in a steampunk-style feudal Japan, with lots of awesome technologies and mythological creatures and magic. (griffons and psychic bonds with animals, yay!) I don't want to give much of the story away but its a really good series.
Post by: Kiraly on October 06, 2016, 10:03:58 PM
So... I just finished a book and feel the need to recommend it now to everyone I can, so here we go.
If anyone on here is interested in YA fiction I highly recommend Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows series. I just finished the second and last (sadly) book and it was amazing! It follows a gang of young criminals in a fictional world as they attempt to pull of a heist from the most secure facility in their world. It's sort of victorian feeling era, but with some magic. I can't really do the book justice with my descriptions, but the various schemes the characters create to achieve their goals are incredibly complex and the characters themselves are funny and interesting. But I just really highly recommend the Six of Crows and I'm having a hard time stoping gushing about it, so I'm just going to cut myself off now.
Also, if anyone has any YA fiction recommendations I'm nearly always looking for something new to read so they would be greatly appreciated!
HECK YEAH Six of Crows! I'm impatiently waiting for my copy of Crooked Kingdom to come in at the library, it's such a good series!
If you like that one...hmm, let's see. I don't know what you've already read, but I can recommend pretty much anything by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle series is amazing, but I also really love The Scorpio Races which is a stand-alone.) You might also like the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor (though I haven't read the third book yet so I can't make any promises about the ending). It gets pretty dark, but Six of Crows does too I suppose. And if you enjoy sci-fi, These Broken Stars (and sequels) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is AMAZING. Kaufman also co-wrote a book called Illuminae with Jay Kristoff, and I highly recommend that as well (as long as you like books about outer space). I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel to that, too...I think it either just came out or comes out this month.
I'm sure there are more, these are just the first things that sprang to mind, so if you're looking for more suggestions let me know!
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on October 06, 2016, 10:51:30 PM
Also, if anyone has any YA fiction recommendations I'm nearly always looking for something new to read so they would be greatly appreciated!A number of books by Ellen Raskin come to mind:
The Westing Game is the obvious and most easily obtained,
Figgs and Phantoms was also quite good, and
The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) is fun, but
The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues is my favorite of hers.
Post by: Kelpie on October 06, 2016, 11:38:55 PM
Quote from: Agrasshopper
Also, if anyone has any YA fiction recommendations I'm nearly always looking for something new to read so they would be greatly appreciated!*rubs hands together* My time has come...
My book that I automatically recommend to anyone who asks is Foundling by D.M. Cornish. It has alternative titles depending on where you live but his name should be enough. It's fantasy in a 1700's-ish non cookie cutter kinda setting (think frock coats and flintlocks). It has incredible world building, detailed, interesting characters, and did I mention there are people who can shoot lightning because there are people who can shoot lightning. It's actually a trilogy too, and since every book doubles as a brick you'll have material for weeks.Also there are pictures
If steampunk floats your boat (or your giant whale airship hahahaha I'm sorry, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld is a book about a girl who poses as a boy to join the Royal Navy at the start of World War I, the twist being that the Allied powers fight with genetically engineered war machines, while the Central powers have things that are basically mechs. This also happens to be a trilogy...*cough*and there are pictures
For funnier fare, I recommend Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud. It's set in a world where suddenly ghosts started popping up everywhere. They can touch anyone and send them into a comatose state, but only children can see them. So their brilliant solution was to form companies and train children to hunt and trap ghosts. The book follows Lucy, a girl who gets a job at one such establishment, run by one guy named Lockwood and his friend George. Hilarity ensues. So far there are three. I'm sensing a theme.
Quote from: Kiraly
I don't know what you've already read, but I can recommend pretty much anything by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle series is amazing, but I also really love The Scorpio Races which is a stand-alone.)I wholeheartedly support this as I was actually going to recommend these too, but you beat me to it!
Post by: Kiraly on October 06, 2016, 11:43:14 PM
For funnier fare, I recommend Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud. It's set in a world where suddenly ghosts started popping up everywhere. They can touch anyone and send them into a comatose state, but only children can see them. So their brilliant solution was to form companies and train children to hunt and trap ghosts. The book follows Lucy, a girl who gets a job at one such establishment, run by one guy named Lockwood and his friend George. Hilarity ensues. So far there are three. I'm sensing a theme.
I wholeheartedly support this as I was actually going to recommend these too, but you beat me to it!
Oooh yeah, I love the Lockwood & Co. books too! I'm also waiting for the most recent one of those to come in at the library too. *fidgets impatiently*
*high-fives you about Maggie Stiefvater* Good taste. :)
Post by: Kelpie on October 06, 2016, 11:47:01 PM
Quote from: Kiraly
Oooh yeah, I love the Lockwood & Co. books too! I'm also waiting for the most recent one of those to come in at the library too. *fidgets impatiently**hive fives back*
*high-fives you about Maggie Stiefvater* Good taste. :)
I'm very lucky in that one of my volunteering perks is that the staff will ask for requests when they're about to order a new book shipment, so I pretty much begged when the new one came out.
Post by: Tr on October 07, 2016, 08:40:37 AM
A number of books by Ellen Raskin come to mind:Yessss Ellen Raskin. I had to read The Westing Game for school, and it is easily one of my favorite assigned books ever.
The Westing Game is the obvious and most easily obtained,
Figgs and Phantoms was also quite good, and
The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) is fun, but
The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues is my favorite of hers.
Post by: Lazy8 on October 14, 2016, 02:07:00 PM
This one is a fantasy western, and most of the plot involves a deal with the devil - except that in this narrative, the devil is not necessarily the villain. (It's even left ambiguous whether he even is the literal devil, or if that's just the label the Spanish Catholics have given him.) The main character, Isobel, is training to take on her role as the Devil's Left Hand, a sort of guardian of the land, with the aid of another mentor who's teaching her the ways of living on the road.
I'm not sure what exactly prompted me to pick up a book of a genre (Western) I normally detest, but in this case, I'm really glad that I did. The story resonated with me - I was reading this at a point where I'm getting ready to take the next step in my life, leaving the place I've lived in and the master I've trained with for six years in favor of running off into the great unknown, so Isobel's journey really struck a chord.
Also, for anyone who remembers my primary complaint about Uprooted, Silver on the Road gave me exactly what I wanted in terms of the relationship between Isobel and her mentor, Gabriel. I really enjoyed watching their relationship play out, and with no hint of romance - because romance wasn't needed in this story. The place they were left off at by the time the story ended was well and truly heartwarming, and I look forward to seeing where their relationship goes in the next book.
Your Mileage May Vary
For reasons that ought to be blatantly obvious, this book might not appeal to devout Christians and especially not to devout Catholics.
Post by: Yuuago on November 07, 2016, 10:35:06 PM
First, The Snow Walker by Farley Mowat. It's a collection of short stories centred around Inuit characters living in Canada's north. Some of the stories are set during pre-colonial times; others are set during colonization. Some deal with the supernatural; others are focused around relations (between families, between different groups of Inuit, between the Inuit and the Europeans...) It's a really well-rounded collection, I think. (I would like to note, however, that the author is not Inuit himself, though he has lived in the arctic.)
Secondly, Lady Franklin's Revenge by Ken McGoogan. It's a biography of Jane Franklin, the wife of polar explorer Sir John Franklin, and it puts a lot of emphasis on her efforts to send people out to look for him (or evidence of what happened to him) after he disappeared during his search for the northwest passage. To be honest, I'm not even halfway through it, so maybe reccing it is premature, but I'm enjoying it so much so far. *_*
Post by: Róisín on November 08, 2016, 02:24:58 AM
Post by: Yuuago on November 08, 2016, 07:48:03 AM
The Mowat book sounds fascinating. And I quite approved of Lady Franklin - there are a number of songs about her and her quest to find her husband, some of which I sing. It's a tragic and fascinating story, some of the ramifications of which are still going on.
Apparently Mowat's a pretty big figure in CanLit, but I never came across his stuff until now. Anyway, that one's definitely worth a read if you can get your hands on it.
: O I had no idea there were songs about Lady Franklin! I'll have to see if I can track some of them down.
Post by: Róisín on November 08, 2016, 12:03:16 PM
'Last night as the sun sank into the west
I fell asleep for to take my rest.
I dreamed a dream, and I thought it true
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew...'
The tune is 'The Croppy Boy'. It's a very dark and beautiful song.
Post by: Lazy8 on November 22, 2016, 12:26:00 AM
Spoiler: Book Review: Written in Red by Anne Bishop • show
Post by: urbicande on November 22, 2016, 09:19:44 AM
Post by: urbicande on November 29, 2016, 03:35:08 PM
I can't believe I never read it before that.
Post by: Athena on December 07, 2016, 10:15:44 PM
Post by: urbicande on December 08, 2016, 10:05:55 AM
Magical and weird and so worth reading.
Post by: pillowcat on December 09, 2016, 04:21:03 PM
And, now Sherri S. Tepper's "Grass"
I can't believe I never read it before that.
*perks up*
Someone mentioned Sheri S Tepper.
Read The Companions, too. I've read most of her stuff now but those are the best two. Maybe The Margarets.
I actually came here to squeal about "The Girl With all the Gifts". But stop talking Pillow.
Post by: urbicande on December 09, 2016, 05:16:59 PM
*perks up*
Someone mentioned Sheri S Tepper.
Read The Companions, too. I've read most of her stuff now but those are the best two. Maybe The Margarets.
I actually came here to squeal about "The Girl With all the Gifts". But stop talking Pillow.
I'd only read some of the True Game books and they didn't do much for me.
Latest book finished, Kij Johnson's truly excellent "The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe"
Post by: thorny on December 10, 2016, 09:42:01 AM
And, now Sherri S. Tepper's "Grass"
I can't believe I never read it before that.
I also just read Grass. I'd been under the mistaken impression that I'd read it years ago, but it turned out that this was due to a confusion with a work by another author entirely that also had the word Grass in the title.
Portions of this were fascinating. But (spoiler I think so vague I'm not going to bother whiting it ahead):
While I don't object to love interests in general, and think that this very common human motivation does fit properly into many tales, I was annoyed by what seemed to me an entirely implausible and unnecessary sexual/romantic situation thrown into this particular story; which did also seem to me to carry strong implications of potential coercion which did not seem to be addressed.
Post by: IKEA on December 18, 2016, 10:11:07 PM
The adventures of a rich idiot (Bertie Wooster) and his brilliant butler (Jeeves). Wodehouse has the best turns of phrase in the English language, bar none.
Link to read online (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8164)
Post by: Róisín on December 18, 2016, 10:31:49 PM
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on December 18, 2016, 10:58:10 PM
If anyone's looking for humor, I highly recommend the Jeeves and Wooster series by P.G. Wodehouse.I always preferred his Blandings Castle novels, myself.
The adventures of a rich idiot (Bertie Wooster) and his brilliant butler (Jeeves). Wodehouse has the best turns of phrase in the English language, bar none.
Link to read online (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8164)
Post by: Róisín on December 19, 2016, 01:08:16 AM
Post by: Lazy8 on December 19, 2016, 06:00:07 AM
Post by: thorny on December 19, 2016, 12:58:26 PM
They've also in the meantime become historical novels, which adds another touch. I often enjoy that in old mystery stories, also. The Dorothy Sayers and Ellery Queen books, for instance; none of these were historicals when they were written, but they are now -- and having been written from inside their times gives them a different feel than modern books written as historicals about their time periods. (With Wodehouse, of course, one has to allow for their being satires.)
Post by: urbicande on February 02, 2017, 11:18:54 AM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on February 02, 2017, 05:45:23 PM
The 6th book in Ben Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" series came out in the US on 31 Jan. I bought in on 01 Feb and finished it this morning (02 Feb). The series in general is fun -- good, solid urban fantasy crossed with police procedural.
Best quote - "It's getting needlessly metaphysical out here" :D
Post by: Kelpie on February 02, 2017, 10:26:22 PM
The 6th book in Ben Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" series came out in the US on 31 Jan. I bought in on 01 Feb and finished it this morning (02 Feb). The series in general is fun -- good, solid urban fantasy crossed with police procedural.
Best quote - "It's getting needlessly metaphysical out here" :D
I am incredibly excited that this series has been brought to my attention for I have just begun running a urban fantasy D&D/Pathfinder campaign where all of the PCs work for the police, and I was bemoaning the lack of literature in such a department for inspiration.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on February 02, 2017, 11:18:42 PM
I am incredibly excited that this series has been brought to my attention for I have just begun running a urban fantasy D&D/Pathfinder campaign where all of the PCs work for the police, and I was bemoaning the lack of literature in such a department for inspiration.
Rivers of London is your go to then. Also, are you familiar the Dresden Files? Harry Dresden is a Private Investigator rather than a cop, but he has to deal with the cops a fair bit.
Post by: Kelpie on February 03, 2017, 12:08:46 AM
Rivers of London is your go to then. Also, are you familiar the Dresden Files? Harry Dresden is a Private Investigator rather than a cop, but he has to deal with the cops a fair bit.
I am very aware! I haven't gotten to read them yet but I am working on their acquisition!
Post by: urbicande on February 15, 2017, 03:53:52 PM
I am incredibly excited that this series has been brought to my attention for I have just begun running a urban fantasy D&D/Pathfinder campaign where all of the PCs work for the police, and I was bemoaning the lack of literature in such a department for inspiration.
You might also want to look up Charles De Lint's Newford books.
Post by: Shine on February 15, 2017, 04:26:54 PM
Rivers of London is your go to then. Also, are you familiar the Dresden Files? Harry Dresden is a Private Investigator rather than a cop, but he has to deal with the cops a fair bit.Speaking of Butcher, I just finished re-re-re-...-reading Codex Alera and ohmygod why is it so good, how does he do it?! I usually have to wait months or at least weeks before I can reread something without getting annoyed because I know exactly what's going to happen, but I just read the series three times back-to-back.
I am not kidding, I have them on Kindle and I'd finish one book and immediately go to the next, and when I finished the sixth I just jumped back to the first and I had to force myself not to do it a third time because I had stuff to read for school.
Post by: Lazy8 on February 15, 2017, 08:44:01 PM
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on February 28, 2017, 12:19:14 PM
Charlie Jane Anders, "All the Birds in the Sky"
Magical and weird and so worth reading.
Hey! I'm sorry to burst into the conversation. I heard about this book. Where I live, it is still not translated, but the description is perfect.
I can only recommend the book of Patrick Ness " A Monster Calls". The book is short, but it causes strong emotions.
Post by: urbicande on February 28, 2017, 01:36:58 PM
Hey! I'm sorry to burst into the conversation. I heard about this book. Where I live, it is still not translated, but the description is perfect.
I can only recommend the book of Patrick Ness " A Monster Calls". The book is short, but it causes strong emotions.
That's OK. We're all talking about books :)
Latest new book finished, Kameron Hurley's "The Stars are Legion" Again, it's...weird. SF, but very organic and very squishy (literally).
Post by: Vafhudr on February 28, 2017, 02:12:37 PM
Hey! I'm sorry to burst into the conversation. I heard about this book. Where I live, it is still not translated, but the description is perfect.
I can only recommend the book of Patrick Ness " A Monster Calls". The book is short, but it causes strong emotions.
Was the book the base for the movie of the same name?
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on March 01, 2017, 12:32:14 AM
Was the book the base for the movie of the same name?
yes, this is true! I have not seen a movie in full, only the beginning with titles, but what I saw was enough to understand that it is also beautiful.
In Russia, one publishing house is now publishes a series of books. All books written young writers who are known on the Internet more than in life. Those books that I read, very interesting, but the chance that they will be translated into other languages do not. I can tell a plot but you can read them only if you know Russian, and it's sad.
And in general, I like to talk about Russian literature, because I know more about it than about the foreign, although foreign read more often.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 01, 2017, 07:52:40 PM
Post by: Athena on March 01, 2017, 08:03:40 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 02, 2017, 12:04:26 AM
I signed out "Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft" (basically just a collection of a bunch of his stories) from the school library the other day. So far I've read Dagon and am about 2/3 through The Call Of Cthulhu, and I love it! dark, horrible, and intriguing! :)
Mwahahaha! Another disciple for the Old Ones! Iä Subb Niggurath! Iä! Iä Nyarlath.... Uh, I mean, yes! Lovecraft is great! O:-)
Post by: Lazy8 on March 02, 2017, 04:18:14 AM
Though I have to admit that Lovecraft and I have a rather severe clash of values. While his dull-as-a-brick and blander-than-Mikkel's-cooking completely clueless protagonist is going on and on and on about how horrible and unnatural something is, I'm thinking "OMG this is fascinating I want to know more about this alien society tell me more because I want to study them so much!" *drool* *drool* *drool*
('Twas definitely the case in "The Shadow Out of Time" and "At the Mountains of Madness", at any rate... O:-) )
Post by: Róisín on March 02, 2017, 05:39:54 AM
Post by: Lazy8 on March 02, 2017, 06:58:30 AM
I also find it fascinating to think about how "Shadow out of Time" would have gone if the body-swapping program had been voluntary rather than coerced (and can you believe I totally would have been jumping out of my seat to volunteer for it?), and part of a larger cultural exchange program between such different cultures and time periods... I really, really, really want to see this story written.
Post by: urbicande on March 02, 2017, 09:46:41 AM
I just finished The Atrocity Archives, the first book in Charles Stross's Laundry series, which is a combination of espionage, physics and H.P.Lovecraft. I loved the setting, the ideas and the plot, but the writing style just didn't grab me. It came across as sort of bland and monochrome. I'll likely read the rest of the series, but I won't be hurrying to do so (I'll stick to the Dresden Files for the time being).
Each of the first set of books is somewhat different in tone -- that one, for example, is more based on Len Deighton's spy books rather than, say, Ian Fleming's. They get a little less interesting as time goes on, though.
Yeah, Lovecraft sometimes has the same problem as Sax Rohmer - the stories are good, but their protagonists are so ditchwater dull and Victorian era gentleman conventional that it makes me sympathetic to the villains.
I just read through the complete Conan the Barbarian stories. The sexism, racism, and anti-semitism was...painful. Good stories, though. (Unlike some David Drake book I recently read, where the only thing that stopped me from flinging the book across the room in disgust at the misogyny was the fact that I was reading it on my phone)
Post by: DaemonDan on March 02, 2017, 09:49:18 AM
And there's even someone making a very good comic adaptation of the first book, The Book of Three (http://thebookofthree.thecomicseries.com/)!
Post by: thorny on March 02, 2017, 09:54:15 AM
I really, really, really want to see this story written.
Write it!
-- I never could get into Lovecraft; but that modification sounds fascinating.
Urbicande, I loved the Conan books -- back when I was around twelve. And it was the early 1960's, which were not quite the 1960's yet. And at that point I just plain didn't see anything but the stories.
They're now classed in my head as "things I may be happier if I don't go back and re-read."
Post by: urbicande on March 02, 2017, 09:58:09 AM
They're now classed in my head as "things I may be happier if I don't go back and re-read."
There's a strong chance that the Suck Fairy will have come to visit them.
Post by: Róisín on March 02, 2017, 11:30:27 AM
Post by: DaemonDan on March 02, 2017, 01:15:12 PM
Dan, that was interesting! I had no idea hat tale had been made into a comic.
Yeah the creator is playing it pretty close to the original books, which is both good and bad, I suppose. Faithful retelling vs interpretation, etc.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 02, 2017, 06:10:39 PM
Each of the first set of books is somewhat different in tone -- that one, for example, is more based on Len Deighton's spy books rather than, say, Ian Fleming's. They get a little less interesting as time goes on, though.
I'll bear that in mind. I have a habit of buying books I want to read, but maybe I'll renew my library card for the rest of Stross's work.
I got into Lovecraft at possibly the best time - as an angsty teenager. Funnily enough the first story I read was Wizard's Hollow which is one of the Derleth "collaborations", but I liked it so much I tracked down the real stuff. I'm one of those strange folk who love Lovecraft's overwrought use of language, which is probably why I programmed this (http://www.wyrmworld.com/interactive/lovecraft/lovecraft.html) many years back :'D
My favourites of his works are The Hound, The Lurking Fear and The Festival. I think I can still quote the Necronomicon quote from the latter by heart.
I was just thinking about the Chronicles of Pyrdain the other day. I can see my box-set from where I'm sitting, maybe time for re-read :)
Post by: Lazy8 on March 02, 2017, 06:35:09 PM
Write it!
-- I never could get into Lovecraft; but that modification sounds fascinating.
Maybe if I ever get a plot or characters I'll do it. Right now all I have is the seed of an idea. :(
Post by: Róisín on March 02, 2017, 08:07:24 PM
Post by: Lazy8 on March 02, 2017, 08:51:48 PM
Wonders about a Lovecraft/SSSS crossover.
I actually want to do a Lovecraft crossover with another fandom entirely. Buuuuuuut, if anyone else got the idea of writing it I certainly wouldn't complain. ::)
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 03, 2017, 12:02:30 AM
"According to this, sea trolls took over an entire town and no one noticed!"
Post by: Vafhudr on March 03, 2017, 12:59:05 AM
I was wondering what would happen if Tuuri found one of Lovecraft's stories and misinterpreted it as an account of an early troll encounter.
"According to this, sea trolls took over an entire town and no one noticed!"
And then Tuuri realizes that her family has in fact troll ancestry (???) and accepts the infection and the attendant transformation happily (though in dubious sanity).
Post by: Lazy8 on March 03, 2017, 01:12:23 AM
And then Tuuri realizes that her family has in fact troll ancestry (???) and accepts the infection and the attendant transformation happily (though in dubious sanity).
...I tend to think of Lovecraft crossovers as a recipe for creepy. This, though, would make a delightful piece of crack.
...hm, I wonder if I could possibly find a suitable song...
Post by: Vafhudr on March 03, 2017, 02:30:02 PM
...I tend to think of Lovecraft crossovers as a recipe for creepy. This, though, would make a delightful piece of crack.
...hm, I wonder if I could possibly find a suitable song...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daxLZ6IgLzg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daxLZ6IgLzg)
Post by: Athena on March 22, 2017, 10:51:36 AM
Spoiler: Kinda Long and Spoilers • show
Next I think I'll read The Dunwich Horror.
Mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagl'nagl fhatgn! Iä! Iä!
Post by: Lazy8 on March 22, 2017, 07:28:59 PM
...the character seemed a tad naive. Honestly it took him away too long to clue in a that really annoyed me.
You're going to read Lovecraft, you'd better get used to that. Lovecraft's protagonists are cardboard-cutout boring.
Quote
If yog-sothoth can't be in the light, then what about moonlight?? It would never be able to go anywhere, really. Although I suppose it was raining when the story took place so the moon would have been hidden. You win this time, Yog-Sothoth!
If I remember correctly, the story did mention multiple times that it was raining and that the clouds were blocking out the Moon. And that the people then tried to surround the church with candles, but they all got blown out...
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 22, 2017, 07:53:44 PM
The first version of it I was exposed to was a book on tape read by David McCallum (bets known these days as Ducky from NCIS). His reading of the description of the landscape around Dunwich at the start of the story still gives me chills!
Post by: Athena on March 23, 2017, 12:59:23 PM
You're going to read Lovecraft, you'd better get used to that. Lovecraft's protagonists are cardboard-cutout boring.
I've noticed. :mikkel: Well, I'm reading it for the story, not for the characters. After all, I usually expect the character to die or go mad at the end of the story anyway! :V
The Dunwich Horror is great!
The first version of it I was exposed to was a book on tape read by David McCallum (bets known these days as Ducky from NCIS). His reading of the description of the landscape around Dunwich at the start of the story still gives me chills!
Good to hear! I've heard a lot about it, and am looking forward to reading it. I started reading it last night.
Post by: Solokov on March 23, 2017, 01:18:09 PM
interesting.
Post by: Hrollo on March 23, 2017, 06:45:32 PM
Post by: Róisín on March 23, 2017, 06:58:19 PM
Post by: Lazy8 on March 23, 2017, 07:42:00 PM
It's probably a response to the state of world politics!
(https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.108955566.3010/flat,800x800,075,f.u6.jpg)
Post by: Róisín on March 23, 2017, 08:31:08 PM
Post by: Athena on March 23, 2017, 10:27:45 PM
Lovecraft seems to be "in the air" right now, I see tons of discussions about how Lovecraft influenced this or that, there seems to be like *dozens* of Cthulhu-themed board games coming out, etc.
/me may or may not have a cthulhu card game in his bag
Lazy8:"No lives matter?" :'D Iä! This is amazing!
Post by: Hrollo on March 24, 2017, 06:25:19 AM
Post by: urbicande on March 24, 2017, 10:04:24 AM
Post by: Mélusine on March 26, 2017, 03:49:29 PM
Wonders about a Lovecraft/SSSS crossover.*Still wants to create SSSS character's sheets to play Arkham Horror, just because it would be so perfect*
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 26, 2017, 07:20:29 PM
*Still wants to create SSSS character's sheets to play Arkham Horror, just because it would be so perfect*
Oh wow! Now that's an idea!
Post by: IKEA on March 27, 2017, 01:36:03 AM
Post by: urbicande on March 27, 2017, 07:52:19 PM
Currently reading Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson. So far it's interesting but extremely slow, and I say that as a Wheel of Time fan so I know what slow is!
Is it the standard Stephenson "look! I have a HUGE book, most of which is expository lumps" book?
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on March 28, 2017, 12:36:45 AM
urbicande, I don't read book HUGE, but saw a film. It's beautiful!
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on March 28, 2017, 12:48:57 AM
(http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/American-Gods-Poster-4-03272017-333x500.jpg)
Post by: Sunflower on March 28, 2017, 01:25:38 AM
and look! Odin on American Gods by Neil Gaiman
(http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/American-Gods-Poster-4-03272017-333x500.jpg)
Hey, I just saw that on Twitter! It's actually part of a series of 10 posters: http://ew.com/tv/american-gods-character-posters/american-gods
I loved "American Gods" and I can hardly wait for it to air. I even got my book club to read it! (But few of the members share my enthusiasm for sci-fi and fantasy. And most of us felt the "new gods" were far underdeveloped. Maybe that aspect will be fixed in the TV version...)
Post by: Róisín on March 28, 2017, 03:04:07 AM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 28, 2017, 07:58:13 AM
*Still wants to create SSSS character's sheets to play Arkham Horror, just because it would be so perfect*
Spoiler: Hidden because *big* images • show
Post by: viola on March 28, 2017, 10:20:25 AM
(https://www.arkabahcecizgiroman.com/image/cache/data/fasikul/51C7IGsOYHL._SX329_BO1-204-203-200_-221x340.jpg)
Post by: Róisín on March 28, 2017, 11:10:20 AM
Post by: viola on March 28, 2017, 11:14:22 AM
Eeeeeee! When did that come out?
Last month I think? I found it yesterday and it is beautiful.
Post by: Mélusine on March 28, 2017, 03:49:14 PM
Oh dear ! ... Who wants to play ? :DSpoiler: Hidden because *big* images • show
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on March 29, 2017, 03:56:58 AM
And "Norse Mythology" he submitted in January,I think. Really looking forward to when it is transferred. I'm also currently reading his collection of articles and reviews that he wrote more and more in love with him.
The collection is called "The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction"
Spoiler: Hidden because *big* images • show
This is Arkham Horror! AAAAAAAA! This is very cool, guys! and map be?
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 29, 2017, 04:43:12 AM
This is Arkham Horror! AAAAAAAA! This is very cool, guys! and map be?
I don't think I'm quite up to creating a custom SSSS map, cool though it would be...
I think for now just pretend the crew have been magically transported to Arkham in the 1920s and ignore all the issues this raises ;D
Post by: Athena on March 29, 2017, 09:52:54 AM
I don't think I'm quite up to creating a custom SSSS map, cool though it would be...
I think for now just pretend the crew have been magically transported to Arkham in the 1920s and ignore all the issues this raises ;D
I forget who started it (Kiraly?), but there is a roaring 20s AU, isn't there? The versions of the characters from that could work - then it would be logical to have it set in Arkham.
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 29, 2017, 10:31:34 AM
I forget who started it (Kiraly?), but there is a roaring 20s AU, isn't there? The versions of the characters from that could work - then it would be logical to have it set in Arkham.SectoBoss (http://archiveofourown.org/works/4964401/chapters/11400241).
Post by: Róisín on March 29, 2017, 11:54:08 AM
Maybe you should float this idea to SectoBoss and see whether he has any interest in writing the background story?
*Edit: maybe you could interest Shoop in adding her excellent art to the project? She illustrated SectoBoss's original tale.
Post by: Lazy8 on March 29, 2017, 07:16:33 PM
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on March 30, 2017, 06:25:47 AM
Yeah, that was a clever story. They could have gone to spend a vacation in Arkham because Chicago had become too hot for them after their recent adventures there, which would also account for Sigrun being there as well, since she is already on a 'most wanted' list. Perhaps Mikkel has decided to take a break from his speakeasy for similar reasons, and has gone along with Sigrun in a probably doomed attempt to keep her out of yet more trouble. Reynir....maybe a local kid who in his naïvete and heroworship has run away from home to attach himself to these daring criminals from the big city? Which would give the advantage that he would know the ground.
Maybe you should float this idea to SectoBoss and see whether he has any interest in writing the background story?
*Edit: maybe you could interest Shoop in adding her excellent art to the project? She illustrated SectoBoss's original tale.
And Tuuri with Lalli are smugglers of spare parts for cars. May be. Emil is professional arsonist. But what brought them together?
Post by: Purple Wyrm on March 30, 2017, 06:28:14 AM
I forget who started it (Kiraly?), but there is a roaring 20s AU, isn't there? The versions of the characters from that could work - then it would be logical to have it set in Arkham.
That makes a lot of sense. Guess I'd better read them now! :D
Post by: Lazy8 on April 06, 2017, 09:47:18 AM
And then Tuuri realizes that her family has in fact troll ancestry (???) and accepts the infection and the attendant transformation happily (though in dubious sanity).
You. Asked. For. It. (http://archiveofourown.org/works/9308429/chapters/23313470)
Post by: Athena on April 15, 2017, 06:21:21 PM
Post by: Mélusine on April 15, 2017, 06:33:53 PM
Post by: Róisín on April 15, 2017, 07:20:14 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on April 15, 2017, 08:33:46 PM
Gaiman is good *Nods* But I think that I still prefer Neverwhere :)
I found American Gods to be somewhat heavy going. Fantastic ideas and amazing set pieces, but the overall grimness was a bit too oppressive for me.
But yes, Neverwhere is amazing!
Post by: urbicande on April 17, 2017, 10:47:55 AM
I found American Gods to be somewhat heavy going. Fantastic ideas and amazing set pieces, but the overall grimness was a bit too oppressive for me.
But yes, Neverwhere is amazing!
I even wrote a song about Neverwhere!
Post by: Róisín on April 17, 2017, 07:57:45 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on April 17, 2017, 10:12:28 PM
Post by: urbicande on April 18, 2017, 08:47:20 AM
Do tell!
Indeed! We need to hear this song.
Hrm. I may have a recording of it somewhere from years back. If not, I can try and do another one but it probably won't happen until after FilkONtario (http://filkontario.ca/).
Post by: Róisín on April 18, 2017, 06:57:03 PM
Post by: Athena on April 18, 2017, 07:03:12 PM
I found American Gods to be somewhat heavy going. Fantastic ideas and amazing set pieces, but the overall grimness was a bit too oppressive for me.
But yes, Neverwhere is amazing!
Yeah, it does feel quite dark and heavy. I am really enjoying it so far though, all the little jokes about mythology every now and then are awesome. I especially like Mr. Ibis and Jacquel, they're great.
Post by: urbicande on April 19, 2017, 10:07:05 AM
You are going to FilkOntario? So much envy!
It's only an hour's flight to Toronto from here :) (I could, in theory, drive it in about 8 hours but the cost would probably be about the same with gas and tolls.)
Post by: faea on April 21, 2017, 01:17:48 PM
I PUBLISHED MY FIRST BOOK!
I'd cosplay it but its urban fantasy (real world iwth magic), so I'll just have to continue contemplating a duct tape ssss uniform. :P
Its called Sleepy Wolf Inn on amazon and smashword. heeeeeeeee *goes flailing around the room releasing balloons*
Post by: Kelpie on April 21, 2017, 01:39:40 PM
I hope this is acceptable...I'm just so excited.That's very much acceptable!! Congratulations!
I PUBLISHED MY FIRST BOOK!
I'd cosplay it but its urban fantasy (real world iwth magic), so I'll just have to continue contemplating a duct tape ssss uniform. :P
Its called Sleepy Wolf Inn on amazon and smashword. heeeeeeeee *goes flailing around the room releasing balloons*
Post by: Shine on April 21, 2017, 03:36:24 PM
I hope this is acceptable...I'm just so excited.Congratulations!!
I PUBLISHED MY FIRST BOOK!
I'd cosplay it but its urban fantasy (real world iwth magic), so I'll just have to continue contemplating a duct tape ssss uniform. :P
Its called Sleepy Wolf Inn on amazon and smashword. heeeeeeeee *goes flailing around the room releasing balloons*
Post by: JacobThomsen on May 05, 2017, 07:17:00 PM
Post by: urbicande on May 09, 2017, 09:51:51 AM
I hope this is acceptable...I'm just so excited.
I PUBLISHED MY FIRST BOOK!
I'd cosplay it but its urban fantasy (real world iwth magic), so I'll just have to continue contemplating a duct tape ssss uniform. :P
Its called Sleepy Wolf Inn on amazon and smashword. heeeeeeeee *goes flailing around the room releasing balloons*
Woot!
Post by: Athena on May 09, 2017, 02:59:11 PM
American Gods by Neil Gaiman (really dark but I loved it, overall a great book!)
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor (based on the podcast of the same name, but it was a stand-alone story. A very good weird mystery story! Lots of twists and turns along the way, if you like the podcast you'll love the book.)
Dust by Arthur Slade (again, kinda a weird mystery story, pretty short but very interesting and an unexpected ending. Great book!)
And right now I'm re-reading 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. (Jules Verne)
Post by: Athena on May 10, 2017, 02:47:28 PM
Post by: urbicande on May 11, 2017, 08:26:23 AM
Ok, I had to put down 20,000 Leagues for a moment, because I found a copy of DUNE, and its great!!
Wow, haven't ready that in years! (Mind, I've only read the first 3 originally books. Never got into the others like God Emperor of Dune or Lorna Dune.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on May 11, 2017, 09:25:22 AM
Lorna Dune
O_O
:o
>:(
;D
Post by: Mélusine on May 11, 2017, 03:54:41 PM
Ok, I had to put down 20,000 Leagues for a moment, because I found a copy of DUNE, and its great!!You're reminding me how I was around your age, discovering cycles as The Belgariad or The Death Gate Cycle or PRATCHETT'S BOOKS ^^
Post by: Mélusine on May 20, 2017, 03:01:32 PM
Post by: Sunflower on May 21, 2017, 12:47:15 AM
What would obviously happen after a long time without reading had happened : I read The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood) in less than 24h during the week and I'm at half of The long way to a small, angry planet (Becky Chambers), having began this one this morning. Ahem... ::)
I'm curious what you thought of "The Handmaid's Tale," given that so much of it is based on specifically American social and political trends (though you only have to look at places like Afghanistan and Iran to see how quickly any society can go backwards on women's rights). Also, have you seen any of the new TV series based on it? I haven't, but I'm tempted to subscribe to the streaming service Hulu just to watch it.
Post by: Mélusine on May 21, 2017, 08:59:36 AM
I'm curious what you thought of "The Handmaid's Tale," given that so much of it is based on specifically American social and political trends (though you only have to look at places like Afghanistan and Iran to see how quickly any society can go backwards on women's rights). Also, have you seen any of the new TV series based on it? I haven't, but I'm tempted to subscribe to the streaming service Hulu just to watch it.Back to high school, we had a project to prepare during the year, in group or not. It had to be in one of the four themes given for the year, and to involve two of our classes. I'll always remember the look of the other students when they learnt on what I was working ^^ ("Totalitarian societies in science-fiction literature")
So The Handmaid's Tale could have been one of the books I would have used to prepare this project if I've known it before :) That's probably why I read it so fast (That, and maybe a serious lack of reading recently.) I haven't felt it "so american", it... it's clearly a story that could take place in a lot of various countries. We have politicians (and simple persons too) here who still think that a woman's place is at home, and if you listen to Le Pen's niece women rights aren't clearly a priority (Her talking about abortion was... huuu... -__-) This book is powerful. Nothing is as horrible as Brave New World, to date, for me. I chose to see a little light of hope in The Handmaid's Tale, as I've done reading The Giver when I was a teenager. And I'll probably try to read an other Margaret Atwood's book because I enjoyed her writing.
And for the serie, it's because one person of fb talked about it that I decided that I had to read the book ;) I'll maybe try to watch it.
I'm still in The long way to a small, angry planet, and think to the forum sometimes because the characters are very different and there are questions about gender/species (It's SF) well written, to my mind. If it's good until the end it will definitively be a book I'll recommend to friends :)
Post by: urbicande on May 22, 2017, 02:14:23 PM
What would obviously happen after a long time without reading had happened : I read The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood) in less than 24h during the week and I'm at half of The long way to a small, angry planet (Becky Chambers), having began this one this morning. Ahem... ::)
I found the sequel to the Chambers to be a much better book.
The Handmaid's Tale...sigh...we're getting too close to that.
Post by: Mélusine on May 22, 2017, 04:19:25 PM
I found the sequel to the Chambers to be a much better book.I can't read it right now I've cried on the last chapters this afternoon.
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on May 29, 2017, 10:51:58 PM
I won't give more spoilers, except to say that it's characteristically witty, so if you enjoy that kind of writing, you'll like it.
Post by: Róisín on May 30, 2017, 12:53:47 AM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on May 30, 2017, 01:01:32 AM
One of my favorite authors is Charlotte MacLeod, who wrote (primarily) four series of so-called "cozy" mysteries. For some odd reason, I recently started thinking about one called "The Curse of the Giant Hogweed", written in the early-/mid-eighties. Instead of a mystery, though, it's a parody/pastiche of Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court".
I won't give more spoilers, except to say that it's characteristically witty, so if you enjoy that kind of writing, you'll like it.
I think I've read that! Was there an interrogation scene involving a... shall we say "medical appliance"?
Post by: urbicande on May 30, 2017, 10:19:45 AM
Ben Aaronovitch, "The Furthest Station" -- the appears to be a novella rather than a full novel. Release date June 30th
Charles Stross, "The Delerium Brief" -- next book in the Laundry series. Release date July 11th
N.K. Jemisin, "The Stone Sky" -- final book in the Broken Earth trilogy and the one I'm most looking forward to of these three. Release date August 15th.
Post by: Lazy8 on May 30, 2017, 06:18:34 PM
N.K. Jemisin, "The Stone Sky" -- final book in the Broken Earth trilogy and the one I'm most looking forward to of these three. Release date August 15th.
Ooh, I'm currently working my way through The Fifth Season, and really liking it so far.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on May 30, 2017, 08:13:59 PM
Ben Aaronovitch, "The Furthest Station" -- the appears to be a novella rather than a full novel. Release date June 30th
Yes yes yes! *marks calendar*
Post by: urbicande on May 31, 2017, 10:54:09 AM
Ooh, I'm currently working my way through The Fifth Season, and really liking it so far.
The Fifth Season was utterly brilliant and The Obelisk Gate is pretty damned good too.
Post by: Athena on June 06, 2017, 10:52:49 PM
Post by: PickleChip on June 06, 2017, 11:54:01 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on June 07, 2017, 12:47:24 AM
Highly recommended!
Post by: urbicande on June 07, 2017, 09:27:56 AM
Yay! New Torin!
Post by: Tr on June 08, 2017, 09:49:23 PM
I just started "Wildwood" by Colin Meloy. It takes place in Portland, OR, Forest Park, near St. Johns, specifically, but the forest is a magical land, kinda Narnia-ish, and two teens(?) adventure into them. It's really fun for me to read, since whenever we go to Portland, we go to St. Johns and Forest Park, so I already know these places, but now they are magical. Strongly recomend this book to anyone who likes magic and maybe a few talking animals! ;DSeconding this recommendation! Wildwood is really good. It ended up being a little darker than I expected. The writing is also really gorgeous... lots of vivid imagery.
Colin Meloy is also the singer/songwriter of the Decemberists! If you like his lyrics, you'll probably like his books, and vice versa. :))
Post by: urbicande on June 09, 2017, 10:00:47 AM
I just started "Wildwood" by Colin Meloy. It takes place in Portland, OR, Forest Park, near St. Johns, specifically, but the forest is a magical land, kinda Narnia-ish, and two teens(?) adventure into them. It's really fun for me to read, since whenever we go to Portland, we go to St. Johns and Forest Park, so I already know these places, but now they are magical. Strongly recomend this book to anyone who likes magic and maybe a few talking animals! ;D
That's probably why I fell in love with the Rivers of London books. I've been to so many places that are mentioned.
Post by: Athena on June 09, 2017, 10:39:04 AM
Post by: Mélusine on June 10, 2017, 09:57:19 AM
I'm reading Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. After a few pages I already wanted to go back to Amsterdam.
Post by: Róisín on June 10, 2017, 12:11:33 PM
Post by: urbicande on June 15, 2017, 11:29:03 AM
I could tell you about how discovering the 3rd book of La passe-miroir by Christelle Dabos was great and that I read all in two days this week, but it's not translated in English :/
I'm reading Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. After a few pages I already wanted to go back to Amsterdam.
Je pense que ce n'est pas un problème trop grand. Comme Róisín a dit, il y'a un peu de gens ici qui parle français !
Post by: Mélusine on June 17, 2017, 12:31:43 PM
Welcome to a world in which a catastrophe happened, splitting up the world in arches (territories like island floating in the sky). All of them are governed by a "spirit of the family", an immortal being with some special powers. After the catastrophe, these immortal beings have given birth to the new civilization by an alliance with the human's survivors. In arches, people are like a big family, with a "gift".
We're following Ophélie, who's a "liseuse" (She can "read" the objects, their pasts, by touching them) but also a "passe-miroir" (She can travel between too places by mirrors, but can't do that if the distance is too important). She's shy, clumsy, and prefer to live taking care of a little museum. Some day, after having refused several wedding's proposals, she learns that the Deans have decided to marry her to a stranger from an other arch, in a diplomatic alliance : this time, if she says no, she'll dishonor her family and will be banned. The said stranger, Thorn, is tall, cold, and at least as much happy as her. Following him because she has no choice, and staying half-hidden because her new position is dangerous, she discovers a complete different world at the capital, with clans fighting against each others, a new "spirit of the family" and some mysteries...
It's a "youth" book but French people put The Golden Compass in young adult sections *Shrugs* The vocabulary is rich, the universe doesn't look like "common" books published these last years, and it's surprisingly addictive.
It's a success here, and would deserve a translation to English, to my mind :)
Post by: Vafhudr on June 17, 2017, 02:01:43 PM
Post by: Mélusine on June 17, 2017, 02:30:23 PM
To be fair, The Golden Compass is pretty much a youth novel. The later novels a bit less, but only because they become strange and somewhat convoluted. I read it around the age of 11-12 with little problem.I read them around the same age, but I'm one of the "early" readers and I know that a lot of teenagers around me, at the same moment, were finding it too difficult.
Post by: urbicande on June 17, 2017, 03:05:58 PM
Hmmm, how to explain, then ? La Passe-miroir is a fantasy novel in four books.
Welcome to a world in which a catastrophe happened, splitting up the world in arches (territories like island floating in the sky). All of them are governed by a "spirit of the family", an immortal being with some special powers. After the catastrophe, these immortal beings have given birth to the new civilization by an alliance with the human's survivors. In arches, people are like a big family, with a "gift".
We're following Ophélie, who's a "liseuse" (She can "read" the objects, their pasts, by touching them) but also a "passe-miroir" (She can travel between too places by mirrors, but can't do that if the distance is too important). She's shy, clumsy, and prefer to live taking care of a little museum. Some day, after having refused several wedding's proposals, she learns that the Deans have decided to marry her to a stranger from an other arch, in a diplomatic alliance : this time, if she says no, she'll dishonor her family and will be banned. The said stranger, Thorn, is tall, cold, and at least as much happy as her. Following him because she has no choice, and staying half-hidden because her new position is dangerous, she discovers a complete different world at the capital, with clans fighting against each others, a new "spirit of the family" and some mysteries...
It's a "youth" book but French people put The Golden Compass in young adult sections *Shrugs* The vocabulary is rich, the universe doesn't look like "common" books published these last years, and it's surprisingly addictive.
It's a success here, and would deserve a translation to English, to my mind :)
It sounds pretty cool!
Hrm... looks like there are only 3 volumes on the Amazon.fr Kindle store?
Post by: GunmanRex on June 17, 2017, 04:46:06 PM
Hmmm, how to explain, then ? La Passe-miroir is a fantasy novel in four books.If it ever gets an English translation, or I repair my French and get it to a serviceable point, I would love to read that. That premise sounds neat.
Welcome to a world in which a catastrophe happened, splitting up the world in arches (territories like island floating in the sky). All of them are governed by a "spirit of the family", an immortal being with some special powers. After the catastrophe, these immortal beings have given birth to the new civilization by an alliance with the human's survivors. In arches, people are like a big family, with a "gift".
We're following Ophélie, who's a "liseuse" (She can "read" the objects, their pasts, by touching them) but also a "passe-miroir" (She can travel between too places by mirrors, but can't do that if the distance is too important). She's shy, clumsy, and prefer to live taking care of a little museum. Some day, after having refused several wedding's proposals, she learns that the Deans have decided to marry her to a stranger from an other arch, in a diplomatic alliance : this time, if she says no, she'll dishonor her family and will be banned. The said stranger, Thorn, is tall, cold, and at least as much happy as her. Following him because she has no choice, and staying half-hidden because her new position is dangerous, she discovers a complete different world at the capital, with clans fighting against each others, a new "spirit of the family" and some mysteries...
It's a "youth" book but French people put The Golden Compass in young adult sections *Shrugs* The vocabulary is rich, the universe doesn't look like "common" books published these last years, and it's surprisingly addictive.
It's a success here, and would deserve a translation to English, to my mind :)
Post by: Athena on June 21, 2017, 10:27:36 PM
Post by: Abprallen on June 22, 2017, 07:06:26 AM
Post by: Mélusine on June 22, 2017, 07:24:55 AM
Went to the bookstore to get gifts for friends who are leaving my school next year, and ended up getting a few books for myself while I was there. More specifically, Gaiman's Stardust, which I'm really looking forward to reading - but it may have to wait, because I also got Orwell's 1984, which I've started already, and its quite interesting.1984 is one of the books I used for a project in high school. Maybe try Farneheit 451 by Ray Bradbury if you like this kind of books ? :)
Post by: urbicande on June 22, 2017, 09:44:27 AM
Post by: Mélusine on June 22, 2017, 06:05:37 PM
Ah, 1984. A world I never wanted to live in :(To my mind, Brave New World is even worst, but I know that some persons disagree with this personal point of view.
Post by: Athena on June 22, 2017, 09:18:04 PM
Ah, 1984. A world I never wanted to live in :(
Indeed, it does seem a little too real, looking at the world today. :-\
Luth, good investment with Stardust!! It's one of my favourites :D the movie it spawned isn't bad, either.
Certainly a good investment, I think! On top of being an awesome story so far (I read some today), it's hardcover, and has some nice illustrations too. ^-^ I'll have to check out the movie.
1984 is one of the books I used for a project in high school. Maybe try Farneheit 451 by Ray Bradbury if you like this kind of books ? :)
Actually when I picked it out my mom asked if it was for a school project! :) I've heard of that book - we might have a copy downstairs actually, my mom has a few Bradbury books. I'll certainly check it out!
Post by: urbicande on June 23, 2017, 01:10:54 PM
To my mind, Brave New World is even worst, but I know that some persons disagree with this personal point of view.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.
Post by: Iceea on June 26, 2017, 11:45:54 AM
Went to the bookstore to get gifts for friends who are leaving my school next year, and ended up getting a few books for myself while I was there. More specifically, Gaiman's Stardust, which I'm really looking forward to reading - but it may have to wait, because I also got Orwell's 1984, which I've started already, and its quite interesting.
If you want to see how much Orwell "borrowed" for 1984 read Zamyatin's "We".
Regarding Huxley and "Brave New World" it's interesting to note that the last novel he wrote, "Island" 1962, describes a utopian society. But his cynicism is still present. At the end of the story the society is about to be upended/ruined by new rulers corrupted by greed, hubris, and vanity.
Post by: Lazy8 on June 26, 2017, 06:26:51 PM
If you want to see how much Orwell "borrowed" for 1984 read Zamyatin's "We".
Maybe I just got a bad translation, but I tried reading "We" and couldn't even get past the first few chapters. The writing was just so abstract I couldn't picture what was going on and the descriptions all fell flat, which was a real turn-off. Is there only one official translation or are there better ones out there?
Quote
Regarding Huxley and "Brave New World" it's interesting to note that the last novel he wrote, "Island" 1962, describes a utopian society. But his cynicism is still present. At the end of the story the society is about to be upended/ruined by new rulers corrupted by greed, hubris, and vanity.
Huh. I might have to put that one on my to-read list.
Post by: Iceea on June 29, 2017, 09:28:11 PM
Maybe I just got a bad translation, but I tried reading "We" and couldn't even get past the first few chapters. The writing was just so abstract I couldn't picture what was going on and the descriptions all fell flat, which was a real turn-off. Is there only one official translation or are there better ones out there?
Lazy8, I read it back in 87 - 88 for a paper I was doing on "The Technology of Utopia". I read well over 2 doz books and stories at that time. I have a copy of the paper around somewhere, I should see if I can find it and look at the bibliography. If I do find it I'll let you know which version/translation I read. I would assume there's more than 1.
Post by: urbicande on June 30, 2017, 10:42:16 AM
Post by: Athena on July 05, 2017, 12:00:55 AM
I was talking to a friend elsewhere online who recommended Franz Kafka's stories to me, so I recently read The Metamorphosis. That was.... quite the story. The ending seemed a little anticlimactic to me, but it's an interesting story.
Now, back into 1984. I'm only on chapter 4 and its already messed me up. It's terrifying how much of that could be or is already real now.
I've had a weird week as far as literature goes O_o
Post by: Purple Wyrm on July 05, 2017, 12:29:22 AM
At least for those of us in the USA, there's a new Ben Aaronovitch PC Grant novella out today.
MUST HAVE!!... September!? *starts looking into American purchasing options*
Post by: Sunflower on July 05, 2017, 02:38:17 AM
Last week I finished Stardust and it was awesome! And just the ending I was looking forward to, it was quite satisfying.
I was talking to a friend elsewhere online who recommended Franz Kafka's stories to me, so I recently read The Metamorphosis. That was.... quite the story. The ending seemed a little anticlimactic to me, but it's an interesting story.
Now, back into 1984. I'm only on chapter 4 and its already messed me up. It's terrifying how much of that could be or is already real now.
I've had a weird week as far as literature goes O_o
I first read "1984" when I was about your age -- and I was also knocked for a loop by it. The totalitarian brutality and deprivation weren't even the most bothersome aspect for me -- it was the idea that reality and truth had no permanent basis and could be revised at will for oppressive ends. It really disturbed me. (Since then, I've worked in journalism and marketing, and while nothing I ever saw was remotely as bad as the Ministry of Truth, I could see how Orwell's experience working at the BBC informed his world-building in 1984.) Given the rise of politicians who thrive on "alternative facts" and claims of "fake news," it's even more relevant now.
Once you finish the novel, I recommend Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language," which definitely sheds more light on his thinking about language and how control of it can steer control over at least *perception* of reality. It also provides valuable guidance on how to write more clearly and truthfully. I bought a copy about 10 years ago and it's always on my desk at work.
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on July 14, 2017, 07:37:33 AM
Post by: urbicande on July 14, 2017, 10:17:10 AM
Post by: Antillanka on July 29, 2017, 12:01:54 AM
Post by: Athena on July 29, 2017, 12:24:35 AM
Just finished American Gods... freakin' good!!! Dark, but gooood!!!
Oooh, American Gods is great! They have a tv show now too, its even more gory and dark and grim, but good too!
Post by: Róisín on July 29, 2017, 01:04:43 AM
Post by: Mélusine on July 29, 2017, 06:02:00 AM
- Ender's game, Orson Scott Card
- Love in time of cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- The holy terrors, Jean Cocteau
- I am legend, Richard Matheson
- Le grand méchant renard, a French comic strip, a funny one. There is a movie, I should try to see it before meetups...
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- Soul music, Terry Pratchett
- Coraline, Neil Gaiman
And I'm now reading The long earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. I think that I was in lack of reading...
Post by: Antillanka on July 29, 2017, 08:02:15 PM
Oooh, American Gods is great! They have a tv show now too, its even more gory and dark and grim, but good too!
I wanted to finish he book before watching it, I've heard it's great!
Post by: October Sky on July 29, 2017, 08:18:01 PM
Post by: Mélusine on July 30, 2017, 05:16:54 AM
Well this is a bit late but A few weeks ago I finished House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewinski.Ooooooh, this one was weird.
Post by: October Sky on July 30, 2017, 02:15:35 PM
Ooooooh, this one was weird.Yeah it really was. I wound up having to keep notes, at least at the start. I have some photography/filmmaking experience, which I think was really helpful. I'm hoping to get a chance to write about it for school this year
Post by: urbicande on July 31, 2017, 10:46:36 AM
Currently reading Yoon Ha Lee's Raven Stratagem, the sequel to Ninefox Gambit.
Post by: Athena on August 23, 2017, 01:32:24 AM
It teaches a great message - it's never too late to do what you love and follow your dreams. Life will go on without you, so don't be afraid to change and do something new.
I like that. With all the fear-mongering and stress in most people's day-to-day life, it's good to have such a positive, hopeful message. :)
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on August 24, 2017, 12:12:55 PM
William Deresiewicz and this book is very, very interesting! The other four books were Russian authors, and most likely their names will not tell you anything. But these were wonderful books. Over one of them I laughed so much that my tears began to flow.
Post by: Mélusine on August 24, 2017, 05:10:19 PM
Five of them were written by Terry Pratchett - this is a series of books about Tiffany Aching. Love witches!Aaaaaaah, these ones... :) *Cried in the Thalys reading the last one*
If you appreciated them and hadn't read the Discworld's books, you can spend more time with the witches ^^
Post by: Iceea on August 24, 2017, 08:30:25 PM
/>
That was way beyond my French comprehension but looked very humorous.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on August 31, 2017, 12:29:58 AM
The only downside is knowing how it all ends.
Post by: urbicande on August 31, 2017, 10:53:54 AM
Post by: Lazy8 on August 31, 2017, 06:54:46 PM
Now reading "The Stone Sky" by N. K. Jemisin. This is the third and final Broken Earth book, following the brilliant "The Fifth Season" and the equally brilliant "The Obelisk Gate"
I recently finished that one. It was soooo good.
Post by: urbicande on September 01, 2017, 10:15:22 AM
I recently finished that one. It was soooo good.
Indeed. I finished it on the plane last night coming home. I'm fully expecting Jemisin to get a Hugo Award threepeat for this.
Post by: GunmanRex on September 02, 2017, 12:57:59 PM
Read this month :I know I might be a slow on the draw here, but are you intending to read the other books in the Ender's Game series?
- Ender's game, Orson Scott Card
They're..... interesting.
Post by: Mélusine on September 02, 2017, 05:02:48 PM
I know I might be a slow on the draw here, but are you intending to read the other books in the Ender's Game series?My reader friends are to date all telling me to stop there because it's "bad" after. I don't know. I might try someday. Do you recommend them ?
They're..... interesting.
Post by: Mentha_spicata on September 02, 2017, 05:20:46 PM
My reader friends are to date all telling me to stop there because it's "bad" after. I don't know. I might try someday. Do you recommend them ?Sorry for speaking when not asked, but coincidentally last month I decided to give Xenocide amd The Children of the Mind a try, after hugely enjoying the first two books and re-reading them for many times. I have been warned that it gets "curiouser and curiouser", but no warnings could prepare me for what a drag it turned out to be. I liked certain things, like The World of Path, or Jane's character development, but it was all around exhausting. The two main problems I saw were a) the weird, weird plot twists and b) Card's philosophical worldview starts showing through in quite irritating manner. It's no even that I disagree with him (though yes, I do many times), but the charm of the writing style must have somehow worn off by book 3.
I'd still strongly recommend trying Speaker of the Dead, I found it a very touching and engaging read.
I'm currently experiencing a reading equivalent of violent mood swings, going all the way from polish satire from the 60., through some pretty bad crime novels, all the way to Yeates or memoirs of concentration camp survivors.
The "pretty bad crime novels" in question are by a Slovakian author Dominik Dan, and I believe they haven't been translated into English. They are supposedly based on the author's experiences as a real-life detective, but well. The most known of the many, many books he's published includes the Conspiracy of the Templars. Also, the dialogues sound forced and overwitted, and the plots are concerned mostly with the scandalous lifes of the Slovakian upper-class, or Catholic priests.
And still, still, I've read four of the books already, it's so bad you are unable to stop. I desperately need to set my eyes on something actually enjoyable.
Post by: Mélusine on September 02, 2017, 05:28:07 PM
Sorry for speaking when not askedFeel free to do it :) It's a forum, and having opinions of other persons is always interesting.
Post by: GunmanRex on September 02, 2017, 11:15:37 PM
My reader friends are to date all telling me to stop there because it's "bad" after. I don't know. I might try someday. Do you recommend them ?Mentha_spicata captured it very well. They have their moments, but they aren't as good as Ender's Game.
Post by: SecludedMan on September 03, 2017, 08:44:40 AM
Post by: Abprallen on September 03, 2017, 04:06:45 PM
Recently started reading a few China Mieville books, started with the City and the City and quickly found myself halfway through his most recent book, This Census Taker. Something so bewilderingly strange but also haunting about both of them, wondering whether it's worth the plunge into the rest of his works.Definitely is! I really enjoyed UnLunDun in particular.
Post by: Iceea on September 04, 2017, 03:48:01 PM
I've finally got around to reading The Great Escape and it's absolutely enthralling. I've seen the movie (of course) and am familiar with the basic historical facts, but the determination and ingenuity of the prisoners was just amazing! It's also very funny in parts with the way that they continually outfox the guards.
The only downside is knowing how it all ends.
Wyrm, if you liked that one be sure to check out "The Colditz Story", another tale of WWII allied prisoners and their escape efforts. There was a movie made of it and a couple of years ago PBS's NOVA did a show about a planned aerial escape. Talk about ingenuity, these folks had it. They never got as many out but they never suffered the terrible loss that occurred as part of the The Great Escape. I only found reference to the 1 Colditz book but my teenage memory says there was more than one. Enjoy!
Ha, a little more searching brings up "Men of Colditz" and A newer edition combing both books and other material, "Colditz: The Full Story". As a teenager these were just great.
Post by: Auxivele on September 09, 2017, 02:27:22 PM
Recently started reading a few China Mieville books, started with the City and the City and quickly found myself halfway through his most recent book, This Census Taker. Something so bewilderingly strange but also haunting about both of them, wondering whether it's worth the plunge into the rest of his works.
Definitely is! I really enjoyed UnLunDun in particular.I have no idea who y'all are talking about but now I'm really curious. Those books sound really interesting.
Post by: urbicande on September 13, 2017, 01:52:22 PM
Recently started reading a few China Mieville books, started with the City and the City and quickly found myself halfway through his most recent book, This Census Taker. Something so bewilderingly strange but also haunting about both of them, wondering whether it's worth the plunge into the rest of his works.
I thought Perdido Street Station and The Scar were brilliant. I was less taken with Iron Council. I also really liked Emassytown.
Post by: viola on September 26, 2017, 10:14:06 AM
Post by: Athena on September 26, 2017, 10:40:10 AM
Post by: GunmanRex on September 28, 2017, 09:16:41 PM
I finished reading Dune Messiah a little while ago, and it lived up to my expectations, it was about as good as the original Dune. :DThe first three in the Dune series are nice, then they just get weird.
Bonus points if you were able to pick out pieces that Warhammer borrows from the Dune series.
Post by: Athena on September 28, 2017, 09:44:33 PM
The first three in the Dune series are nice, then they just get weird.
Bonus points if you were able to pick out pieces that Warhammer borrows from the Dune series.
They’re already pretty weird already, I’m interested what it will turn into in that case. I don’t know anything about Warhammer so I doubt I will, but ok.
And I just finished Dune Messiah the other day, it was good indeed.
Also, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (Neil Gaiman) just came in the mail! (I ordered it from a used book store online, “thriftbooks.com”, they’re great.) and I started it and it is good so far. (And weird. Weird is what Gaiman does best)
Post by: Iceea on September 29, 2017, 07:55:58 PM
Also, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (Neil Gaiman) just came in the mail! (I ordered it from a used book store online, “thriftbooks.com”, they’re great.) and I started it and it is good so far. (And weird. Weird is what Gaiman does best)
Oh yea! You're in for quite a ride, do enjoy. I can recommend another Neil Gaiman, "Sandman: The Dream Hunters". Not part of his main Sandman series despite the title. It's a take on the fox spirit - human interaction from Japanese tales. In this case the fox is the female and the human, a monk, is male. Illustrated by Yoshi-taka Amano. I had to split the first name to get it past auto 4 letter word sensor :o
Post by: Lazy8 on October 01, 2017, 02:47:30 AM
(I've actually heard the story of what the real Vlad the Impaler was like... we'll see how well this goes over...)
Post by: Purple Wyrm on October 01, 2017, 10:25:44 AM
In honor of the season, I've decided it's time to finally read Dracula!
Make sure not to miss Dracula's Guest (http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/DracGues.shtml). It's the original first chapter which was cut before publication and later published as a stand alone short story.
Post by: Athena on October 02, 2017, 04:27:10 PM
Oh yea! You're in for quite a ride, do enjoy. I can recommend another Neil Gaiman, "Sandman: The Dream Hunters". Not part of his main Sandman series despite the title. It's a take on the fox spirit - human interaction from Japanese tales. In this case the fox is the female and the human, a monk, is male. Illustrated by Yoshi-taka Amano. I had to split the first name to get it past auto 4 letter word sensor :o
It was quite a ride indeed! (so much so that i read it in about 4 days ::))
I'll have to check that out, it sounds interesting!
Post by: Mélusine on October 04, 2017, 05:35:10 PM
Post by: urbicande on October 06, 2017, 04:27:18 PM
When someone says "Saint-Exupéry" I immediately thought "The Little Prince", but he wrote other things, and oh dear it's beautiful.
He wrote many, many things!
Fun fact: Le Petit Prince was mostly written here on Long Island!
Post by: Iceea on October 08, 2017, 08:23:08 PM
Post by: urbicande on October 12, 2017, 09:36:46 AM
Post by: Sunflower on October 13, 2017, 04:56:08 PM
There's a new John Crowley novel coming out in 2 weeks!
*Instantly runs to join the queue outside John Crowley's publisher*
I was not a huge fan of his Aegypt series -- a little too long and diffuse for me -- but I adored "Little, Big" and think his short stories are wonderful. So full of nostalgia and melancholy.
Post by: heiteru on October 14, 2017, 05:14:14 AM
Post by: GunmanRex on October 14, 2017, 06:26:53 PM
Post by: October Sky on October 14, 2017, 07:27:03 PM
Oh yea! You're in for quite a ride, do enjoy. I can recommend another Neil Gaiman, "Sandman: The Dream Hunters". Not part of his main Sandman series despite the title. It's a take on the fox spirit - human interaction from Japanese tales. In this case the fox is the female and the human, a monk, is male. Illustrated by Yoshi-taka Amano. I had to split the first name to get it past auto 4 letter word sensor :o
I'm assuming its some sort of spinoff? I'll have to check it out at some point, I'm really enjoying the main series.
Speaking of Sandman spinoffs, Death: The High Cost of Living is also really good and can be read by itself if youd like. There are a few shoutouts to things from the main series but with the obvious exception of everyone's favorite perky goth none of the characters show up
Post by: Purple Wyrm on October 14, 2017, 09:09:25 PM
I'm assuming its some sort of spinoff? I'll have to check it out at some point, I'm really enjoying the main series.
Speaking of Sandman spinoffs, Death: The High Cost of Living is also really good and can be read by itself if youd like. There are a few shoutouts to things from the main series but with the obvious exception of everyone's favorite perky goth none of the characters show up
Yes, that's a great one! (the sequel "The Time of your Life" sadly isn't as good)
A movie version has been in development hell for years, which is perhaps a good thing.
Post by: Iceea on October 14, 2017, 11:17:11 PM
I'm assuming its some sort of spinoff? I'll have to check it out at some point, I'm really enjoying the main series.
Speaking of Sandman spinoffs, Death: The High Cost of Living is also really good and can be read by itself if youd like. There are a few shoutouts to things from the main series but with the obvious exception of everyone's favorite perky goth none of the characters show up
Hmm, I'm not sure it's a spinoff per se, just more inspired Gaiman, "Weird is what Gaiman does best", As Luth noted. I've also been reading the Kamisama Kiss manga another fox spirit human interaction. But in the style of most manga a bit much over done. Gaiman's is much more sparse and and pointed.
Post by: Lazy8 on October 15, 2017, 08:54:56 AM
(...I might've read a few Really Bad Things lately. My bar is kinda low right now.)
Now, on to working my way through The Turn of the Screw!
Post by: Róisín on October 15, 2017, 06:32:16 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on October 15, 2017, 07:44:59 PM
Post by: Sunflower on October 16, 2017, 03:07:48 AM
This may not be a nice cultured, fiction novel that set the genre, but I've been reading "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot. It is a non-fiction novel about the life of Henrietta Lacks and the immortal cell line which has become a bedrock for the medical advances since WWII. The novel raises important questions about class and race ethics in science and medicine.
I liked that too! (My book club read it a couple of years back.) It was made into a TV movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5686132/)earlier this year; I missed it, but if it's out on DVD I'll try to track it down.
Post by: Sunflower on October 16, 2017, 03:15:04 AM
Finished Dracula . Nothing particularly unexpected, but I'm making this book the bare minimum standard that I expect modern-day writers to live up to when it comes to the treatment of the female characters. Dated or not, if a nineteenth-century Victorian horror novel manages to 1) have better female-female friendships than your "progressive feminist" story, and 2) gives its Designated Victim a more active role in the plot than your "strong female character", you are doing it wrong and need to go back to Writing Female Characters 101.
(...I might've read a few Really Bad Things lately. My bar is kinda low right now.)
Now, on to working my way through The Turn of the Screw!
I loved Dracula I first read it as a teenager visiting relatives in Europe (which is a great setting to read a story like that, sitting up late in a 19th-century sleigh bed) and found it madly gripping.
Are you familiar with the cartoonist Kate Beaton? She had some hot takes on Dracula:
http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=285
And here's her spin on Strong Female Characters. (http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=311) [Warning for mildly inappropriate art and vulgar language.]
Post by: Lazy8 on October 16, 2017, 05:32:10 AM
I loved Dracula I first read it as a teenager visiting relatives in Europe (which is a great setting to read a story like that, sitting up late in a 19th-century sleigh bed) and found it madly gripping.
Are you familiar with the cartoonist Kate Beaton? She had some hot takes on Dracula:
http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=285
And here's her spin on Strong Female Characters. (http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=311) [Warning for mildly inappropriate art and vulgar language.]
...yeah. That.
Warning! Rant incoming! Rant incoming!
Spoiler: rant • show
Post by: Róisín on October 16, 2017, 06:19:28 AM
I've never seen quite how gender/sexuality/style of expression of femininity or masculinity and degree of badassery are even supposed to be related, possibly because I have broad experience of women being badass in all kinds of ways. Men also. I get heartily sick of the kinds of feminist-separatists and Dianics who rant at me about betraying my gender (which is female) by daring to want, and to have children, when they think I could be so much more if I just narrowed my life down to fit their ideals. Grrrr! They annoy me nearly as much as the men who think I've betrayed my gender (that seems to be a favourite phrase with obsessed fanatics, for some reason) by daring to do 'men's jobs', or practise heavy-duty martial arts, or be alone in wild dangerous places.... also grrrrr!
And as for the expectation that because I am a tough and competent woman I will of course be rude, abrasive and discourteous, that's if I am not meek, quiet and submissive just because I am female...I don't have the words.
I just try not to worry about what people expect. If I want to work alone in the desert I'll do so, and wear the consequences. If I want to cook an exotic dinner for my husband, and wear perfume and take my hair down and write sonnets for him then I'll do that too. END OF RANT.
I don't know the character of Korra, but totally agree with you about Sigrun.
Post by: Athena on October 17, 2017, 10:19:01 AM
the whole article (http://www.openculture.com/2013/12/see-a-beautifully-hand-painted-animation-of-ernest-hemingways-the-old-man-and-the-sea-1999.html)
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on November 23, 2017, 12:27:33 PM
I found an absolutely beautiful hand-painted animation of The Old Man And The Sea, which you guys might like.Оооооh, this is Alexander Petrov! His films are very, very beautiful! In addition to "The Old Man and the Sea" he has a few more, they are also wonderful. I really like "My Love" and "Mermaid"
the whole article (http://www.openculture.com/2013/12/see-a-beautifully-hand-painted-animation-of-ernest-hemingways-the-old-man-and-the-sea-1999.html)
Post by: Athena on December 03, 2017, 11:44:47 PM
Оооооh, this is Alexander Petrov! His films are very, very beautiful! In addition to "The Old Man and the Sea" he has a few more, they are also wonderful. I really like "My Love" and "Mermaid"
Ooh, that’s very nice!! The way he paints water, especially in movement, is mesmerizing.
I finished Children of Dune a few days ago, and because I’m still waiting on the other Dune books to come in the mail, I started War and Peace. I must say, the Kuragins sure know how to party. :haw:
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on December 10, 2017, 10:27:23 AM
Ooh, that’s very nice!! The way he paints water, especially in movement, is mesmerizing.
I finished Children of Dune a few days ago, and because I’m still waiting on the other Dune books to come in the mail, I started War and Peace. I must say, the Kuragins sure know how to party. :haw:
And not only Kuragins, mind you! I read War and Peace in school, but we studied it only 5 lessons, which is very small, and I want to read it somehow some day.
I recently finished reading a trilogy of three novels by Ukrainian writers Marina and Sergey Dyachenko. The series was called Metamorphosis and, briefly, all the books were about the fear and victory of the heroes over it. I do not know if there are authors in English, but if they are, then I strongly advise you to read.
I also took yesterday the book of the Swedish author Fredrik Backman - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, who recently published in Russia. I really liked his previous one A Man called Ove, and I'm already looking forward to the pleasure.
For a long time I want to read the Children of Dunya, but everyone does not reach the hands. How is your opinion about it?
Post by: Lazy8 on December 31, 2017, 11:01:36 PM
Standalone Novels
1984 by George Orwell
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A Fine & Private Place by Peter S. Beagle
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
The Lambing Flat by Nerida Newton
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin
Series
The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin
Dreamblood by N. K. Jemisin
Nonfiction
Death from the Skies! by Philip Plait
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Anthologies
The Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula K. LeGuin
A Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula K. LeGuin
Forbidden Planets (various authors)
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
One Million A.D. (various authors)
Essays
Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex by Larry Niven
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels
Antique Bakery by Fumi Yoshinaga
Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino
Sunstone by Stjepan Šejić (NSFW!)
Post by: Róisín on December 31, 2017, 11:52:10 PM
Post by: Lazy8 on January 01, 2018, 12:21:44 AM
Sounds like an excellent selection of books! What did you think of Swift's essay?
Incredibly morbid. Also hilarious.
Post by: Róisín on January 01, 2018, 12:26:55 AM
Post by: Iceea on January 06, 2018, 07:00:39 PM
I also took yesterday the book of the Swedish author Fredrik Backman - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, who recently published in Russia. I really liked his previous one A Man called Ove, and I'm already looking forward to the pleasure.
I read My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, on the strength of your recommendation. Actually finishing it up this morning around 3:00, so I could take it back to the library, it was due today. But I probably would have done that anyway as it was a "page turner" and I was nearing the end. A real life fairy tale - fantasy about the interaction of a young girl with some rather odd adults. And it had a very interesting mystery deeply embedded in it. To say any more would get into spoiler territory and I don't want do that. I can say it is an excellent book and worthy of consideration by all minnions.
Thank you Prizrachniy_Gek.
Post by: Mélusine on January 07, 2018, 08:16:30 PM
So with the year ending I figured I'd make a list of all the books and series I've finished in 2017 (or before, that I can remember) that I've ended up giving 5 stars.The Giver <3 And all the books I used for my work on totalitarianism in science-fiction in high school ! Oho, I see that I'm not the only one loving Bradbury... :)
Standalone Novels
1984 by George Orwell
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A Fine & Private Place by Peter S. Beagle
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
The Lambing Flat by Nerida Newton
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin
Anthologies
The Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula K. LeGuin
A Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula K. LeGuin
Forbidden Planets (various authors)
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
One Million A.D. (various authors)
Post by: Róisín on January 07, 2018, 09:07:13 PM
Post by: Prizrachniy_Gek on January 15, 2018, 01:29:35 PM
I usually use my holidays to immerse myself in the world of books, but this time I had other plans, so I read only three. On the train, I read a very nice study about the music by Tim Raybone. In the book, he easily and cheerfully tells how the musicians died and in some cases what happened to them after that. He also tells a little about musical directions and how they changed in time. All this is extremely interesting. I hope that in Russia his other books will be translated.
This year I made a promise to start reading in English, so now I read an easy version of the legends about King Arthur and the knights of the round table. Perhaps it's because of the retelling, but as a child, King Arthur seemed to me more ... smart ... a character. But anyway, it's very interesting! There are not more than a hundred pages in this book, and I will soon finish it. But a more complete collection is already coming to me. Seriously, I'm very happy, because before that I tried to read in English, but it was the Little Princess, and frankly, she was putting me into a longing. And here I can swear which characters are narrow. Sometimes.
Post by: Mr_Plinkett on February 15, 2018, 06:19:25 PM
Post by: viola on February 15, 2018, 06:47:29 PM
Right now I am addicted to anything and everything by Octavia Butler. I haven't read anything by her yet, I'm in the middle of fledgling right now. My favourite so far has been Lilith's Brood. I find it such an interesting collection of stories and the culture of the alien race in it is fascinating. I highly highly recommend her books to everyone. Also if anyone wants to fangirl over her books pm me.
Post by: Antillanka on February 24, 2018, 08:40:17 PM
Of anyone wants a great book. The Brothers Karamazov is simply amazing. 10/10
I thought you might enjoy this jewel by shitposter maestro Loulogio:
If you don't speak spanish, Plinkett, I'll translate it for you, just ask.
Post by: Iceea on February 24, 2018, 10:54:00 PM
Post by: Antillanka on February 26, 2018, 10:46:50 AM
Antillanka, I take it the whole thing was dubbed in. The speaking parts are from other sources synced to the video clips? I'd be interested in a translation of the section from 0:51 to 1:45 if it's not too much trouble.
Hahaha, absolutely dubbed of course!
Popular pretty girl (let's call her Nina), spots her friend and approaches joyfully: Hello, Chufi! Will you come with me for drinks?
Chufi (snarky): What do you pretend? Cause' I know what you've been saying about Dostoievski... That he's self-complacent, that his structure is redundant... FUA!
(awkward pause)
Nina: I didn't say that. I just said that The Brothers Karamazov is a piece a bit...
Chufi cuts in: Yeah, yeah, cold and lacking narrative rhythm... ugh, you disgust me. (stands to leave)
Nina: Well, you know what I tell you?! That Dostoievski is-is- grandiloquent!
Chufi: DON'T YOU DARE TO TALK LIKE THAT ABOUT FYODOR!!! He's the author to the best overture for existentialism ever written!!! The best connoisseur of the human soul of all times!!! And one of the pinnacles of universal literature! (turns and exits, dramatic music)
XD XD XD I just love Loulogio and his talent to take shallow shows and dub them with deep cultural gibberish
Post by: Iceea on February 27, 2018, 11:08:45 PM
Just so it's "perfectly clear" that's said very much tongue-in-cheek with much sarcasm and dark humor :'D
Post by: Mélusine on March 06, 2018, 05:48:43 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on April 09, 2018, 02:02:54 AM
Here are a couple of illustrations I found online...
(http://the-knowledge.org/en-gb/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Henrys_Quest-1024x742.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/67/99/15/679915864298937a7258d111b9b236fb.jpg)
Post by: thorny on April 09, 2018, 11:33:35 AM
Now I really want to get ahold of that. -- hey, while it's not in either of the libraries I usually go to, it is in the library system! I could order it.
But am I going to be driven crazy by the fact that
Spoiler: show
Post by: urbicande on April 09, 2018, 03:40:53 PM
I just paid out probably a bit too much money for a copy of Henry's Quest by the great Graham Oakley. This is the book that got me into post-apocalyptic fiction in the first place - without it I probably wouldn't be in the SSSS fandom at all!
Here are a couple of illustrations I found online...
(http://the-knowledge.org/en-gb/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Henrys_Quest-1024x742.jpg)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/67/99/15/679915864298937a7258d111b9b236fb.jpg)
I've never even heard of it. it looks cool!
I somehow missed that Max Gladstone had a new book in the Craft Sequence, The Ruin of Angels, out in September.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on April 09, 2018, 10:48:56 PM
gasoline doesn't store in usable condition for all that long, some of the components volatize too easily?
*Hands on ears* Not listening! Not listening! :'D
Post by: Athena on April 09, 2018, 11:35:28 PM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on April 10, 2018, 12:52:44 AM
Those are some wonderful illustrations, Wyrm!
Graham Oakley is one of my favourite illustrators. His pictures are incredibly full of detail and he seems to be able to summon up a really enjoyable shabbiness, particularly in his Church Mice series.
(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7a/68/ff/7a68fff0a12665d96103b142ef78add6--margaret-sherry-falling-apart.jpg)
Post by: thorny on April 10, 2018, 09:15:29 AM
*Hands on ears* Not listening! Not listening! :'D
I don't suppose the characters would know that, of course. And without reading the book (which I will do if I get the chance, those illustrations are compelling) I don't know whether the author knows that, and winds up allowing for it.
Post by: Iceea on April 10, 2018, 01:07:09 PM
Here in the states even with the wings removed you have to register it with the FAA so other pilots don't report it as a "downed" aircraft.
Post by: Auxivele on July 11, 2018, 12:53:02 PM
Post by: Glory on August 19, 2018, 09:33:39 PM
Post by: Róisín on August 20, 2018, 01:31:24 AM
Post by: Quetanto on April 08, 2019, 08:15:10 PM
Post by: Róisín on April 08, 2019, 10:28:23 PM
Post by: Nellie McEnt on April 08, 2019, 10:41:45 PM
Small Gods is an Excellent book. I like Pratchett, also Neil Gaiman.
And their collaboration book Good Omens is MOST BEST!
Post by: Róisín on April 09, 2019, 03:59:09 AM
And while on the subject of amazing collaborations, a book I highly recommend is the science-fact collaboration between Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine: 'Last Chance to See'. It is a tour around the near-extinct animal species of our world. And on a personal note, I was much amused by their interaction with one of my old bosses from the CSIRO: his wry sense of humour seemed intact, Not to mention the habit of keeping fairy cakes in the venom fridge....
Post by: Lenny on April 09, 2019, 05:07:35 AM
Also it's probably been mentioned earlier in this thread, but she wrote Howl's Moving Castle. And we all know what Ghibli did with that<3
Post by: urbicande on April 09, 2019, 10:35:44 AM
Post by: RanVor on April 09, 2019, 02:33:52 PM
On an unrelated note, I'm about to start delving into Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Am I making a mistake?
Post by: Mélusine on April 09, 2019, 04:02:23 PM
Post by: Ragnarok on April 09, 2019, 04:47:58 PM
My sister refused to finish Good Omens because it was too good.
On an unrelated note, I'm about to start delving into Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Am I making a mistake?
Depends. How much time can you devote to reading, and how angry does plot sprawl make you?
Post by: Nellie McEnt on April 09, 2019, 06:41:00 PM
Also it's probably been mentioned earlier in this thread, but she wrote Howl's Moving Castle. And we all know what Ghibli did with that<3
I love Howl's Moving Castle (the book and the film)!
My sister refused to finish Good Omens because it was too good.
On an unrelated note, I'm about to start delving into Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Am I making a mistake?
Ha! Yeah, it's seriously amazing. She's missing out on a great ending, though!
As for Wheel of Time, I wouldn't know, I've not read it.
Only vaguely related to books, but I'm so psyched for the TV version of Good Omens
I am SO PSYCHED!!!
And while on the subject of amazing collaborations, a book I highly recommend is the science-fact collaboration between Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine: 'Last Chance to See'.
That sounds awesome, I'll look for it!
Post by: Oripoke on April 10, 2019, 12:16:09 AM
I just bought Artemis, the newest novel by the guy who wrote The Martian. I haven't read it yet, but I'm really excited.I've read both The Martian and Artemis (actually, listened to the latter as an Audiobook) and I cannot recommend them both enough. It's science fiction that's borderline science fact; the level of scientific details in both stories is staggering, but it doesn't bog down the pacing of the story at all. It's just thoroughly well-researched and a fantastic page-turner besides. Exactly what you'd expect from an author who's also a literal rocket scientist!
Big fan of Jaz, the protagonist in Artemis, too. Now that's a smart, resourceful heroine who knows what she wants!
Going from Pratchett to Gaiman, I have to mention Diana Wynne Jones<3 Her Deep Secret has a most amusing section where Nick, one of the main characters, is half-asleep at a convention, waking up at breakfast, which is based entirely on how Gaiman handled mornings X3 (It's also one of my favourite books ever for other reasons - it merges reality and fantasy nicely, and has all the stuff I love about children's books in one meant for adults \o/)Deep Secret is one of my faves by DWJ. I think I read my copy so many times its covers fell off. It's been a long time since I read it though, so I don't remember much, but I recall it having these wonderful fever-dream-like qualities, being an interdimensional adventure that takes place at a fantasy convention. All the universe-hopping and quest to save all of existence does get kinda confusing, but the characters are strong and their stories are powerful. I'd nearly forgotten until your post reminded me how much I enjoyed it.
...All this to say, I love sci-fi & fantasy mostly. A book I read last year that I really enjoyed was All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. It's about the end of the world, and it's also a love story between a magical girl who talks to birds and a genius boy who programmed the world's first sentient AI. It has talking trees, silicon valley startups, magic witch schools, a war for the fate of humanity, and a miracle dating app that tells the future. And it all somehow makes sense in the end! Definitely recommend.
Post by: RanVor on April 10, 2019, 03:22:15 AM
Depends. How much time can you devote to reading, and how angry does plot sprawl make you?
Time? Not as much as I'd like to, but I'm a quick reader, so it's not that bad.
How angry? Well, I've tackled some pretty long series (one that comes to my mind is The Black Company cycle by Glen Cook), but I'm not sure how they compare.
Post by: Ragnarok on April 11, 2019, 08:55:59 AM
Time? Not as much as I'd like to, but I'm a quick reader, so it's not that bad.
How angry? Well, I've tackled some pretty long series (one that comes to my mind is The Black Company cycle by Glen Cook), but I'm not sure how they compare.
Okay, go right on ahead and read.
Post by: Hi on April 11, 2019, 11:40:46 PM
I've been reading the same, relatively short book for weeks.
Post by: Mélusine on April 14, 2019, 12:25:07 PM
I love reading, but I really haven't had much time lately...I love books, and usually set a goal of 60 books/other supports read per year, partially because I always have a lot of book "in advance". I'm at 8/60 right now -__- but I don't despair to find more time in a way or an other.
I've been reading the same, relatively short book for weeks.
Post by: urbicande on May 07, 2019, 01:38:05 PM
Spoiler: show
Post by: Purple Wyrm on May 09, 2019, 07:42:37 AM
Post by: Róisín on May 09, 2019, 08:53:27 AM
Indeed, in the refuge valley not far from my place, the remnants of those stone houses can still be seen.
May I also recommend the work of Robin Coles, most notably 'The Ochre Warriors'. I have been on some of the trips Coles guided around here, and it was so worth doing.
Post by: Purple Wyrm on May 09, 2019, 09:59:41 AM
if you read the accounts of many early explorers they mention things like being taken to a well-built stone house and being fed on roast duck and cake.
That's the amazing thing - all that evidence freely available yet the vast majority of Australians (including myself until recently) have never heard of any of it!
Post by: Lenny on May 31, 2019, 02:47:53 AM
Post by: urbicande on June 25, 2019, 04:46:52 PM
Post by: Krillian on June 26, 2019, 02:42:42 PM
Post by: Róisín on June 26, 2019, 10:45:00 PM
Post by: Lenny on June 27, 2019, 06:25:57 AM
Post by: Purple Wyrm on July 09, 2019, 09:43:00 AM
A new Rivers of London novella just came out and Peter Grant apparently has a fanboy
Just finished it today after picking it up on Sunday. A very enjoyable read!
Post by: viola on July 13, 2019, 07:03:02 PM
Also I'm a sucker for angsty characters.
Post by: Mebediel on July 16, 2019, 05:28:03 AM
If any of you know the podcast the Bright Sessions, it really reminded me of it just more for adults and a lot darker.Omg yes I love the Bright Sessions. I haven’t read any VE Schwab yet but was planning to so maybe I’ll start with Vengeful
Post by: viola on November 09, 2019, 04:11:40 PM
Omg yes I love the Bright Sessions. I haven’t read any VE Schwab yet but was planning to so maybe I’ll start with Vengeful
I've been reading a lot of her other books and I am addicted. I just finished the Shades of Magic series and I cried and I never cry from things like books or movies with a couple of very specific exceptions.
I've actually been reading a lot lately. I've read close to a book a day for the last month. The latest one I finished was rereading the Night Circus. I read it when it first came out, but I had to reread it because Erin Morgenstern just had a new book come out: The Starless Sea. I'm set to read that one next. I'm very much looking forward to it.
I was also wondering if anyone here has read anything by Sarah J Maas. Last week I also finished reading all of her books (I know. I've been reading a lot), and I have some thoughts I wanted to discuss and I was curious to hear if anyone else had some thoughts and wanted to discuss them with me. I've read some reader reviews and people either tend to really hate or love her books but I haven't had a chance to really talk with anyone about it except ranting to my partner (who hasn't read any of them XD). So if someone is interested I don't mind if you love or hate them I just wanted to hear what you have to say.
Post by: Mélusine on November 23, 2019, 11:44:38 AM
Post by: steadfastjewel on November 23, 2019, 01:18:17 PM
This week, I finished reading The Tombs of Atuan (LeGuin, not sci-fi). It's really refreshing to read a novel that's less than 150 pages! Short and sweet. I had to pace myself so as not to chew right through it. I've known of Earthsea by hearsay from childhood, and I must say reading as an adult has been delightful. I will certainly be continuing the series, even if they're 'for kids' :P
You know a book has put you in a proper dreamy headspace when you find yourself fumbling through the halls of your house in total darkness, feeling for the gaps in the walls like Tenar in her Labyrinth.
[This is my sixth(seventh?) LeGuin book this year, someone please hand me another author to break the spell]
Post by: Róisín on November 23, 2019, 05:27:47 PM
First, ‘Spotted Dog’ by Kerry Greenwood, who writes detective stories. Very good ones. She has several series, one set in the 1920s, one in the present day. Spotted Dog is one of the latter. Both her detectives are female, eccentric in different and original ways, and the tales are set in Melbourne, a city I know and love, and often feature both real locations and scattered through the stories a few real people whom I know, sometimes as themselves, sometimes lightly fictionalised. I enjoy both of her detective characters, but especially the one in this book, Corinna, who is a baker in inner-city Melbourne. Most of the stories revolve around food, as you may gather from the titles (spotted dog is a bread pudding dish, though this tale also involves an actual dog), and include easy and delicious recipes. The mysteries are good puzzle stories and play fair with the reader, which is another thing I enjoy. I just finished that one, and it was well worth the reading time.
Presently reading Charles de Lint’s ‘Spirits in the Wires’, which is SF/fantasy/what the hell is going on here puzzle story. Involving magic, computers, folklore, music, AI and a delightful group of ongoing characters who are creative people who also want to understand what is going on. De Lint’s stories often include music, both his original compositions and traditional music. Some of his books, especially ‘The Little Country’, include the written music the way Greenwood’s books include recipes.
Both writers appeal to me, since many of their tales follow my particular interests: food, folklore, magic, music and puzzles.
And le Guin is also a delight!
Post by: Keep Looking on November 23, 2019, 09:26:43 PM
I just finished Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. Her SF books are, oh, so deeply human. It's a... luminous writing, full of... I don't even know how to explain it. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, her first one, made me cry at the end because it was absolutely touching. She writes humans, aliens, different genders, and there is something very positive in her stories. If you like SF, a well written one focused on characters and not so much on science, go for it, you shouldn't regret <3I agree, they’re amazing. The characters are just so damn good, and I also really appreciate how they’re not on some big quest or trying to save the world or anything, they’re just... people. I feel like you often don’t get enough of that in sci-fi or fantasy these days. They’re the kind of books that make you feel warm inside.
Post by: Mélusine on November 24, 2019, 07:01:26 AM
I feel like you often don’t get enough of that in sci-fi or fantasy these days.I like my SF or fantasy books like that, but I agree, it's rare to find some really out of the stereotypes of their kinds... often it doesn't "work" enough to continue being published when they're not "as the common readers want their stories". (Like Steph Swainston's The year of our war never being translated after the first book in France to my despair as a teenager...)
I was really glad to have discovered Becky Chambers and happy that her books are recognized as good :)
Post by: thorny on November 24, 2019, 02:04:57 PM
One of my usual libraries does have several Kerry Greenwood, though not Spotted Dog. Have made a note on the errands list, which has that library on it already as the current pile, read or not, is out of renewals and about to come due shortly.
Post by: Oripoke on November 25, 2019, 11:48:56 AM
You can tell that Rowell has grown up in fandom spaces (and not just because she wrote the book Fangirl), because her latest book is a fresh take on one of my favorite genres of fic; that is to say, the Road Trip Fic. Carry On mostly took place in a Hogwarts-esque magic school in Great Britain, but Wayward Son is a meandering journey across the United States, and is appropriately much larger in terms of tone and scale. While Carry On provided some pretty solid worldbuilding, managing to cram in magic, vampires, dragons, and all the rest, it also felt on some level like the story was being made up as it went along. Not so with Wayward Son. The magic system is unchanged, but the fresh perspective of America really serves to highlight just how weird and kind of messed-up these characters are due to their insular magickal upbringing. They're older now, more than a little traumatized from the events of the previous book, and to my surprise that trauma is represented realistically, in their struggles with mental health, relationships and early adulthood.
Also there's magic, vampires and dragons in this one too. So, y'know. That's kind of right up my alley.
(The other book I bought this year was This Is How You Lose The Time War, Epistolary F/F Enemies to Lovers with lyrical prose that reads almost like poetry.)
The holidays are coming up, so I'm looking for more book recommendations, if anyone has them!
Post by: viola on November 25, 2019, 07:19:29 PM
I bought a new physical book for the first time (well, second time) all year. It's Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell, the sequel to Carry On. Before I could read it though, I realized it had been too long since I read the prequel, so I binge-read all of Carry On in less than 2 days, because I have way too much free time and it's a page-turner. Then I dove into Wayward Son.
You can tell that Rowell has grown up in fandom spaces (and not just because she wrote the book Fangirl), because her latest book is a fresh take on one of my favorite genres of fic; that is to say, the Road Trip Fic. Carry On mostly took place in a Hogwarts-esque magic school in Great Britain, but Wayward Son is a meandering journey across the United States, and is appropriately much larger in terms of tone and scale. While Carry On provided some pretty solid worldbuilding, managing to cram in magic, vampires, dragons, and all the rest, it also felt on some level like the story was being made up as it went along. Not so with Wayward Son. The magic system is unchanged, but the fresh perspective of America really serves to highlight just how weird and kind of messed-up these characters are due to their insular magickal upbringing. They're older now, more than a little traumatized from the events of the previous book, and to my surprise that trauma is represented realistically, in their struggles with mental health, relationships and early adulthood.
Also there's magic, vampires and dragons in this one too. So, y'know. That's kind of right up my alley.
(The other book I bought this year was This Is How You Lose The Time War, Epistolary F/F Enemies to Lovers with lyrical prose that reads almost like poetry.)
The holidays are coming up, so I'm looking for more book recommendations, if anyone has them!
I loved Eleanore and Park also by Rainbow Rowell. It was such a nice love story, and I'm not usually one for books where the centre focus is romance but this book was really good. If you haven't read it I recommend it, and also maybe going through and reading some of her other books. Attachments is pretty good as well.
I recently just finished reading the newest fablehaven dragonwatch book. I know fablehaven is for 10 year olds. But it's sooooooo gooooooooood. I met the author when his first book came out and went through the rest of my elementary school and middle school days staying up all night to read the new one as soon as it came out. Last year I learned that the author is writing a new series in the same world with some of the same characters and the third book of that series came out last month. The series is basically about these kids who go to stay with their grandparents who run a preserve for magical creatures, and then they learn about all these other hidden preserves of magical creatures and they go on these crazy adventures to protect the preserves from the modern world and vice versa. In the latest series there is a dragon rebellion and aahhh they're just so gooddddddd.
I'm currently rereading The Ocean at the End of the Lane because I've sold my soul to Neil Gaiman <3 <3 <3
Post by: Lenny on December 26, 2019, 05:03:30 AM
I recommend them both as just fun and interesting books in general, and also as a way to give context to Welsh and Irish law in particular. It definitely helped me hook information more easily when I was studying those laws as an elective last year. They also both open a bit of a window onto the cultural, political, and church conflicts of the time. It's by no means a perfect picture, or even necessarily an accurate picture, seeing as there's only so much material that's survived from those times, but it does make them more alive and human, something that history always needs, and in both cases the authors did their very best with the material available to them.
Post by: Róisín on December 26, 2019, 05:39:39 AM
The Cadfael books I have read most of, and like well. It helps that the author is a real-world historian, and that she started writing the books as a fundraiser for the restoration of the Monastery of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. I know less about the English law of the time than I do of the Irish, Manx and Cornish codes, so can’t speak to that, but what I do know well is the herblore, culinary lore, brewing, gardening, farming and medicine of that period. And that is all spot-on. The Monastery has been very thoroughly restored, since the books proved to be an excellent fundraiser, and even includes a herb garden and apothecary such as Cadfael would have had. The books are also good puzzle stories, with just enough clues that an intelligent and observant reader can work out the answer at about the same time the in-story detective does. Always a good thing in a detective story.
Post by: Jitter on December 26, 2019, 04:47:31 PM
Have you guys read C J Sansom? He is another writer with a historian background (PhD). The protagonist of his main series, Matthew Shardlake, is a lawyer in Tudorian England (based in London he travels in various business). Some of the books are brilliant, the rest merely good. Definitely recommended if you haven’t tried.
Post by: Róisín on December 26, 2019, 06:14:12 PM
Post by: Alkia on December 26, 2019, 10:14:44 PM
Post by: Mélusine on December 27, 2019, 05:34:29 PM
ooh, so many interesting looking recommendations!! I just finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman and am very sad because I don’t know what to do with myself now that such an engrossing story is over :(.Read another Gaiman's book ? *Innocent look and smile*
Post by: Eriaror on December 28, 2019, 10:56:04 AM
I mean, it's a fantasy series that can actually be read as sci-fi, if you really look; it's the coming of age story of two children from two literally different worlds; set in the eternal struggle between curiosity and ignorance, science and zealotry, love and oppression. But above all of that it has such a heart and such a strong message that I cannot compare it to anything, my soul resonated with it to its deepest.
No book before has had such a profound effect on me as the third one, I was literally crying tears of joy in my bedroom, astonished by the worldly miracle of what being alive really is. The feeling might fade and wear off in some days, but frankly I don't want it to. These books may have made me a different person.
Post by: viola on December 28, 2019, 08:58:39 PM
ooh, so many interesting looking recommendations!! I just finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman and am very sad because I don’t know what to do with myself now that such an engrossing story is over :(. But I did encounter a TON of new deities and folk legends to research (as if I’m not enough of a mythology nerd :))), so YAY! Anyway, yeah, said book has probably already been mentioned on here, but it’s a really good one! Had a lot of plot twists I actually wasn’t expecting
whispers there is a sequel called Anansi Boys. It deals with different characters but it's the same universe with gods and stuff and it's also pretty great! Plus all the mythology stuff. Read all the Neil Gaiman. He does so much with mythology and it's absolutely wonderful and amazing and beautiful and lovely.
Okay so I may very well be preaching to the choir here as I have not read the whole thread, but I have just finished Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy yesterday and I... I have all the words and no words.
I mean, it's a fantasy series that can actually be read as sci-fi, if you really look; it's the coming of age story of two children from two literally different worlds; set in the eternal struggle between curiosity and ignorance, science and zealotry, love and oppression. But above all of that it has such a heart and such a strong message that I cannot compare it to anything, my soul resonated with it to its deepest.
No book before has had such a profound effect on me as the third one, I was literally crying tears of joy in my bedroom, astonished by the worldly miracle of what being alive really is. The feeling might fade and wear off in some days, but frankly I don't want it to. These books may have made me a different person.
I love this series! And also there is a sequel trilogy (The Book of Dust) that he's writing right now! I just read the second book which is about grown up Lyra. It's super interesting to see where it's going especially since in this one they end up travelling to the middle east. Alsoooo BBC is doing a tv show which I haven't seen but it looks like it will be better than the movie from a few years ago so fingers crossed :D
I've been reading a lot of mythology stuff myself, specifically arthurian legends and judeo christian mythology that didn't make it into the bible, and I just started Stranger in a Strange Land which I've heard great things about but never actually picked up before.
Post by: Róisín on December 28, 2019, 09:37:02 PM
Post by: Jitter on December 29, 2019, 06:46:49 AM
As the books tend to gather some very devout fans as witnessed by Eriaor here, not everyone is happy with the Series of course, as nothing can live up to all of one’s specific images, but all in all it seems to be well made and represent the “look and feel” of the books’ world to many people’s liking.
I have read the books ages ago, and the more I read people’s comments on them the more I think I should read them again. I remember the main plot surprisingly well (testament to how impressed I was) but I’m sure there’s loads and loads of forgotten and previously unnoticed treasure there as well.
Post by: Eriaror on December 29, 2019, 04:19:34 PM
Alsoooo BBC is doing a tv show which I haven't seen but it looks like it will be better than the movie from a few years ago so fingers crossed :D
Do watch the series, they just finished the first season (covers the first book) like a week ago, and it's awesome! I got into the world via the series and read book one's chapters while it was airing after watching the episode corresponding to them, and only then continued to books two and three. :))
As the books tend to gather some very devout fans as witnessed by Eriaror here, not everyone is happy with the Series of course, as nothing can live up to all of one’s specific images, but all in all it seems to be well made and represent the “look and feel” of the books’ world to many people’s liking.I'm kind of an interesting kind of fan here, 'cause I was more than happy that my imagination could lean on the show's amazing production design (these people imagine stuff as their jobs, after all) and that I could tie the actors' faces to characters, I felt that it actually enhanced the reading experience for books two and three, too.
Spoiler: not very specific but just in case • show
Also the soundtrack (https://open.spotify.com/album/6iK2DLWboaTddgvgVgxWai?si=sHYH8O0ORii4e7cWYeeODw) is stellar, and it makes a great companion for reading as well! :D
Post by: Jitter on December 30, 2019, 11:09:13 AM
For me at least it’s impossible to hold on to my own image of a character if I see live action on it, unless maybe if it’s really really bad. Like, I wanted to read the Lord of the Rings again before the films came out to hold on to what I think the hobbits and others look like. But they are gone beyond recovery. The characters in the film are great (in terms of appearance) nut it would be nice ro remember how I thought them to be.
Post by: RanVor on December 30, 2019, 12:53:31 PM
I've recently started reading books again, after a few months of not doing it, and I've finished an anthology of short stories under the title of Więzy krwi (Blood Ties) by one of my favorite authors, Maja Lidia Kossakowska. Overall it was quite dark, with three out of nine stories firmly in the horror territory, but I enjoyed it a lot and I'd love to share my experience with you. Except I can't. Because it's not available in English. And it's unlikely to ever be translated.
Outside of the Witcher series and the works of Stanisław Lem, Polish fantasy books are rarely translated to English. And that mighty sucks, because many of them are fantastic. Reading original versions is, of course, not an option, because nobody learns Polish (as is reasonable, because it's super hard and kinda useless otherwise). It's great that we all live in different cultures and learning about different traditions and backgrounds is very fun, but boy, do I despise the language barrier.
Post by: Róisín on December 30, 2019, 01:38:56 PM
Post by: RanVor on December 31, 2019, 08:34:47 AM
Ever thought of making a translation?
You mean like, unofficially? I did think of it a few times in the grip of frustration-induced madness, but it's a helluva lot of work (I know, I've done it before), requires time I don't really have and honestly, I'm just not comfortable enough with my English to consider translating in that direction, especially since my inept attempts at writing made me aware of some of my shortcomings in that regard.
Post by: Róisín on December 31, 2019, 10:13:44 AM
And RanVor, your own writing is far from inept.
Post by: viola on January 04, 2020, 03:52:43 PM
Outside of the Witcher series and the works of Stanisław Lem, Polish fantasy books are rarely translated to English. And that mighty sucks, because many of them are fantastic. Reading original versions is, of course, not an option, because nobody learns Polish (as is reasonable, because it's super hard and kinda useless otherwise). It's great that we all live in different cultures and learning about different traditions and backgrounds is very fun, but boy, do I despise the language barrier.
Maybe with the netflix show there will be more demand for translations. I know a lot of scandinavian crime fiction took forever to get translated to english, but they've been getting a lot better about it since books and tv shows based on them got a lot more popular. Hopefully the tv will bring the whole genre out into the mainstream. It frustrates me to no end how nonenglish literature gets written off and is pretty much at the whim of whether or not publishers feel like translating it.
Post by: Mebediel on January 06, 2020, 07:03:53 PM
Post by: Róisín on January 06, 2020, 07:47:26 PM
Post by: viola on January 07, 2020, 02:48:35 PM
Post by: Mebediel on January 08, 2020, 08:54:43 PM
Post by: Jitter on January 09, 2020, 08:28:22 AM
Post by: Mebediel on January 10, 2020, 05:14:21 PM
Are you going to "report" when you start or when you are finished? May I suggest both, as someone already said, maybe you'll get more company reading with you if you mention the book when starting!I personally won't because most of my books are probably going to be really academic ones for school, but if others want to then they're free to do so!
Post by: Róisín on January 11, 2020, 12:39:30 AM
Post by: Jitter on January 11, 2020, 08:06:03 AM
Although I don’t really read that much Finnish books as books in Finnish, so many likely will have also an English version available. I can promise to make the effort to find out and mention it!
Post by: Mariiii on January 11, 2020, 09:01:06 AM
I found the first book very hard to read at the beginning because the author doesn't help you to understand what is happening, but it didn't bother me because I like when I have to think when I am reading, it is a bit like a puzzle to solve. Plus, as the story goes on, there are revelations which give you a new point of view and a new way of interpreting the previous events, and it is something that I really like about this serie !!
Another book serie that I recently finished is The Mirror Visitor by Christelle Dabos, which is a very nice and original fantasy story that I really appreciated until the end ! The story is about Ophélie, a young woman who lives on Anima, an ark ruled by the family spirit Artémis, where people can animate the objects and "read" their stories. She runs a history museum, but one day, she is told that she will be married to a man from another ark and that she has to go live with him. This is how she will have to leave her home and get mingled in the political shenanigans of her future husband's ark...
Finally, I also really liked the Land of the lustrous by Haruko Ichikawa, which is a post-apocalyptic manga, the story takes place in a world where humans disappeared centuries ago and now the only conscious beings are cristals beings who fight against the Selenians, inhabitants of the moon who want to kidnap them. It is a very poetical and contemplative story I would say, but it is also heartbreaking as the story goes on, and I really like it !
I think that the idea of talk about what you read during the month is a very good idea ! And I can't wait to see your recommendations :)
Post by: Jitter on January 11, 2020, 09:33:17 AM
One such refreshing starts is in Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. It’s hard science fiction and probably requires the reader to have quite a high level of interest, as it opens right in the middle of a scene of a fight (if I recall correctly, an action scene anyways) between spaceships and goes on to mention use of various technologies and fields that are (as far as I know) created for the story. I have read loads of SciFi and thus it was merely a little confusing but also interesting for me, but I don’t think it’s a god book to start reading SciFi.
The Malazan books seem very interesting! We seem to have some of them available in the library (in English, no translation into Finnish has been done). What is the first oart, or are they separate tales?
I would like to read fantasy and scifi at least mostly, but usually I read detective stories because they are easier, both to come by and to read. I enjoy them a lot, but it would be nice to also get the mind boggles effect a good SpeFi gives :)
Post by: Ragnarok on January 11, 2020, 10:13:35 AM
The first is A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson. Normally I like Bryson's books, but this one pissed me off. It seems more devoted to manufacturing the appearance of scientific uncertainty regarding the origins and early history of humanity (all aimed at implying a cosmological solution of special creation) rather than being devoted to any kind of actual research or facts. The fact that it was written in the 90s and hasn't been updated probably doesn't help in that regard.
The second, Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, has been much more interesting and backed up by copious research and footnotes. It leans a little too hard into the 'Humans are Bastards' camp at times, but given that that's entirely deserved I can't really dispute it. It posits some interesting theories about what makes humans special (hint, it ain't tool use) and I quite like it.
Post by: Mariiii on January 11, 2020, 10:32:54 AM
SSSS is kinda like that actually, there is the prologue which establishes the apocalypse, but there is no explanation of the trolls, or the magic, in the very beginning. On the other hand I love the info pages. It’s a balancing act, it’s good that the reader gets to work things out, but it has to be possible to do so.
That's true ! And I really like the fact that the info page add depth to the universe and to the story.
Quantum Thief seems interesting as well ! I already read some Sci-Fi books and I saw that it is translated in French, so I think I will try it !
The Malazan books seem very interesting! We seem to have some of them available in the library (in English, no translation into Finnish has been done). What is the first oart, or are they separate tales?
The first volume is named Gardens of the Moon. They are not separate tales, but for example you can read the second book before the first, since we don't follow the same characters. But even so I would recommand you to begin with the first one :)
Post by: RanVor on January 11, 2020, 01:13:43 PM
Post by: Mariiii on January 11, 2020, 01:57:41 PM
Post by: Jitter on January 11, 2020, 05:15:24 PM
Another interesting Finnish SciFi book is Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta, which I believe is also available in French. Yes, according to the French Wikipedia it’s titled Fille de l’eau in French. It’s a fascinating dystopian book and again one where you get to puzzle together what’s going on. That one I definitely recommend for you and any dystopia fans!
Post by: steadfastjewel on January 12, 2020, 12:00:22 AM
Two days ago I finished The Hero of Ages, the last book in the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. It took me a little less than a year to get through all three. I have... a lot of feelings about it, I guess? They were a fun read, and as always his hard magic systems are thoughtfully constructed and fun to think about. I read Elantris by him as a middle schooler, and it rocked my world back in the day? So I had very high hopes for this series as it's more frequently hyped up than Elantris. Allomancy, the magic system, was cool as heck. (Same to Feruchemy and Hemalurgy). I liked the bleak post-volcanic landscape and some of the fantasy creatures. I'm going to stuff some petty complaints under a spoiler tag, so please go no further if you don't want parts of the book spoiled.
If you like very action-adventure style fantasy with lots of twists and characters, you'll probably enjoy it! Has a cool-teenage-girl lead, and there's plenty of explaining so I never got lost in the plot. (There were points where I thought things a bit overexplained, but they were probably to help refresh readers who didn't read the books in rapid-fire succession, haha)
Petty Complaining Below Spoils
Mistborn Spoilers, vague LotR and Narnia talk
Spoiler: show
Here's to many books being read in 2020!
:sparkle:
Post by: wavewright62 on January 12, 2020, 12:14:49 AM
Post by: Jitter on January 12, 2020, 10:56:00 AM
Most lately I have been reading a lot of fanfics of course. And happily there is still much to go! Coming in the fandom late means that there is loads upon loads of material already at hand :) This is both a good and a not so good thing, as sometimes I feel overwhelmed although there really isn’t any reason why I<i> should</i> read all or any of it, just that I want to :)
Post by: viola on January 14, 2020, 11:20:44 AM
As for book books I've just started reading Dune because it's about time I read it.
Post by: Jitter on January 14, 2020, 04:07:31 PM
Well, except Elfquest. But I don’t want to go there, fanfic-wise!
Post by: Róisín on January 14, 2020, 06:13:08 PM
Post by: Keep Looking on January 16, 2020, 03:52:40 AM
The second book I read was an Australian crime novel called ‘The Dry’. The topic of the book at times cut a little close to home for me, as the central crime at the beginning of the story was quite similar to something that happened in my own old town, and a friend of mine was a casualty. But it was really well-written and definitely hard to put down.
Post by: Róisín on January 16, 2020, 03:56:52 AM
Post by: Keep Looking on January 16, 2020, 04:00:15 AM
Post by: Keep Looking on January 16, 2020, 04:34:34 AM
Post by: Jitter on January 16, 2020, 11:22:45 AM
It’s unfortunate the writer is a controversial person to say the least (very vocally homophobic and anti-gay, among other things) but the theme doesn’t come up on Ender. I would be wary of his later work, at least from 2000 onwards.
Post by: Keep Looking on January 16, 2020, 07:52:27 PM
Post by: Windfighter on January 17, 2020, 11:12:27 AM
The book is from 2008 so some of the information is outdated and some things have probably changed from back then, meaning it's not very high on my recommendations list. There are probably other books looking closer at invasive species and the potential dangers the pose to ecosystems, wih more up to date information, but this book was easy to digest and understand.
I say that as someone with a brief history into the world of marine biologists, so it might be a little more confusing to laymen.
I also read "Lycka!" (Happiness) by Rickard Fuchs last week. It's not as funny as some of his other books and while he does hit all points about the constant chasing of happiness it feels like he's lacking faith in happiness. I enjoyed it while reading, had some giggles at some of the chapters, but after I had put it down I spent a few days in a haze of sadness. The book ended on a very bleak note and maybe it was the lack of a bang at the end that made it feel like an exercise in depression, I don't know. Read it if you enjoy other books of the author, otherwise find something else to spend your time on ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Post by: Hrollo on January 29, 2020, 05:30:42 PM
I've started working on a fantasy novel (still at the pre-writing stage for now, doing research and brainstorming in preparation for an outline). While I have a pretty strong vision of what I want to do, I realise that I don't have much of an idea of what modern fantasy novels are like. I've read a fair amount of fantasy novels in the past, but that was years ago; nowadays most of my fiction consuming is in movie and comic forms, and when I do read novel it tends to be old literary fiction.
So I'm asking here if anyone has recommendations for good, recent and original fantasy novels.
By good, I mean that have been widely praised among the fantasy reading audience. By recent, I mean published ideally within the last 5 years, at most within the last 10 years.
And by original, I mean something significantly different from urban fantasy set in the modern world (or close to it) and from tolkien/dungeon-&-dragon-ish fantasy with elves, dwarves, orks, dragons, and a world and society that look like medieval western Europe… My "reference" for an original fantasy universe is The Dark Crystal, where every single person and creature that appears onscreen is a completely original creation, ressembling nothing from either our world or classical fantasy.
Bonus: the above are my minimal requirements. In addition, I would prefer (but won't make that an absolute criteria) if the recommendations were for self-contained novels rather than series, and if they contained little to no focus on romance or sex.
Thanks in advance for any suggestion.
Post by: Jitter on February 01, 2020, 11:27:23 AM
Another writer that could be worth looking into is Catherynne M Valente. I absolutely love her The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. It is a fairytale fantasy suitable for children, but completely works for adults too (to be exact, this adult). The Girl... is from 2011 but she has several books since. Ia haven’t read the new ones unfortunately, but again maybe a hint on something you can check to see if it is worth a try.
Post by: Mélusine on February 01, 2020, 06:07:19 PM
1. Calvin et Hobbes - Debout, tas de nouilles !, Bill Watterson
2. Les Cinq Terres - Quelqu’un de vivant, Lewelyn & Lereculey
3. Calvin et Hobbes - Chou bi dou wouah !, Bill Watterson
4. Calvin et Hobbes - Enfin seuls !, Bill Watterson
5. Un zoo en hiver, Jirô Taniguchi
6. Le journal de mon père, Jirô Taniguchi
7. Stand Still. Stay Silent - Chapter 7 - Minna Sundberg
8. Petites éclipses, Fane & Jim
I feel lazy for looking for titles in English after midnight, sorry for this time.
As you can see, no novel for me in January. All of these titles, except the webcomic's chapter, have been read during babysitting, directly from the shelves of the house. I enjoyed Calvin & Hobbes, less the Taniguchi mangas even if it's well made, and not at all the last comic. The second title is very special, because a friend is one of the scenarists of this comic :)
Let's see what February will bring to me !
Post by: Hrollo on February 01, 2020, 08:58:52 PM
Post by: Alkia on March 04, 2020, 05:42:55 PM
Looking for book recommendations!
I've started working on a fantasy novel (still at the pre-writing stage for now, doing research and brainstorming in preparation for an outline). While I have a pretty strong vision of what I want to do, I realise that I don't have much of an idea of what modern fantasy novels are like. I've read a fair amount of fantasy novels in the past, but that was years ago; nowadays most of my fiction consuming is in movie and comic forms, and when I do read novel it tends to be old literary fiction.
So I'm asking here if anyone has recommendations for good, recent and original fantasy novels.
A two-part book series (it is a series) I enjoyed immensely was Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch and Akata Warrior. They're. based on African mythology/magic, which is incredibly refreshing, seeing as there are so many tolkien-y fantasy worlds. They're both childrens/YA books (don't remember which), and I'm not sure how widely praised they are, but I really recommend them!!
Post by: Mebediel on March 04, 2020, 07:59:00 PM
January
- Between Earth and Heaven: Liminality and the Ascension of Christ in Anglo-Saxon Literature by Johanna Kramer: This one ended up being much more focused on early English theology than on physical liminal spaces, but it was still interesting!
- Maps and Monsters in Medieval England by Asa Simon Mittman: Cool book and a good way to start learning about medieval English maps. Mittman later revoked his usage of the term "monstrous races," but the book is still a really interesting and insightful way to learn more about how monsters and spaces worked together in (late) medieval England.
- Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston: This one is an easy read in terms of language, but it deals with some heavy content--namely Japanese internment in the United States during World War II. It's essentially Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's autobiography, narrating her childhood memories of the internment camp (Manzanar) and her family's adjustment back into American society after the war.
February
- Medievalisms in the Postcolonial World: The Idea of "the Middle Ages" Outside Europe, edited by Kathleen Davis and Nadia Altschul: This is an anthology of academic essays about the ways that people interact with the Middle Ages outside of Europe. As with all anthologies, the essays vary in terms of convincing-ness and accessibility, but it allows the book to cover a wide range of subjects and regions of the world. They do a good job of covering the entire world, and there are essays that touch on Australia, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and North America. The book is divided into four parts, and each part concludes with an essay that responds to each of the chapters in that part, which is interesting because sometimes the respondents disagree with some of the chapters.
- Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm: This one's a dystopian scifi novel about how humanity is able to survive after the apocalypse. I had a lot of conflicting feelings about this one, which probably means it was succeeding in what it set out to do. The novel tackles individuality, what it means to be human, and the classic "has science gone too far?" question.
- Oroonoko by Aphra Behn: This was my second time reading Oroonoko (both times for classes!). It's a novel written in 1688 about an African prince who is sold into slavery in Surinam. It's especially interesting to read if you keep in mind that the book became a large part of the Abolitionist movement in England because it contains a lot of things that would be considered racist by today's standards. It's worth reading if that's an area of history you're interested in!
- Oroonoko by Thomas Southerne: The play adaptation of the book above! Southerne inserts a comic B plot that, honestly, I had a hard time wrapping my head around. It's pretty short, so it's worth reading if you've read Behn's novel before.
- How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi: This is a pretty good book (although the chapters on gender and sexuality were kind of weak, as was the concluding chapter). It is a bit specific to race in the United States, though, although I'm sure there are portions of it that could be extracted and applied to other countries. The language and the concepts are presented very clearly, and Kendi's argument is easy to follow.
- Captain Singletonby Daniel Defoe: I had a hard time finishing this. There are no chapters in this novel. It's a band of pirates meandering aimlessly across the world. Also, there's no real plot. Run and hide.
- Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why We Don't Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture by Michael L. Brown, Craig S. Keener: This one I listened to as an audiobook while on a long drive, and, full disclosure, I only listened because my uncle is one of the co-authors, so I'm very biased. It's basically a Biblical analysis that argues (respectfully!) why the Left Behind series isn't really based on anything in the Bible.
Post by: Hrollo on March 05, 2020, 07:32:21 AM
A two-part book series (it is a series) I enjoyed immensely was Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch and Akata Warrior. They're. based on African mythology/magic, which is incredibly refreshing, seeing as there are so many tolkien-y fantasy worlds. They're both childrens/YA books (don't remember which), and I'm not sure how widely praised they are, but I really recommend them!!
Noted, thank you for the recommendation.
Post by: thorny on March 05, 2020, 12:49:32 PM
(Arachnophobe warning. But if you can stand to, you might want to read it anyway.)
Post by: thegreyarea on March 06, 2020, 04:28:41 AM
I don't remember where I originally picked up this recommend, and it may even have been here, but let me drop (possibly again) a strong recommend for Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Science fiction, post-Earth-apocalypse, surviving would-be human colony ship meets -- well, read the book. It's very well done. And apparently there's by now a sequel, which I'm going to have to get my hands on.One more to the List! Thanks!
It's my first time in this thread on the Forum. Why did I came here? Why? I already have a looong list of books to read, and I keep searching for more!
On recommendations right now I'm re-reading* Frank Herbert's Dune, and also David Brin's Startide Rising. Dune most will already know, not so many on Brin's Uplift Universe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uplift_Universe (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uplift_Universe), that is a great set of stories, although a bit confusing sometimes because there are so many characters and races and technologies and... You see what I mean. But it's great anyway!
(It's all SF, but I also read Fantasy, and other genres)
* And why re-reading, you ask, if I just complained about my long list of books to read? Dune because I've read it around 30 years ago, borrowed from a cousin, and now I got my hands on a paperback including the original trilogy. :) Startide Rising because... the other day I was waiting something and meanwhile wanted to read, and I have the books on my phone so...
Post by: Róisín on March 06, 2020, 05:18:51 AM
Post by: thegreyarea on March 06, 2020, 06:52:25 AM
Oh good, someone else who appreciates David Brin!Oh yes! Among many things there's the brilliant imagination, including Sentient dolphins that are full characters and not just "the strange being that interacts with the human characters"!
Post by: thorny on March 06, 2020, 11:28:19 AM
'What do you miss?'
'shark shark'
(not exact quote, I don't think)
Post by: thegreyarea on March 18, 2020, 02:07:02 PM
I just thought that you would like to know that Tor.com, the site of Tor publishers (focused on Science Fiction and Fantasy), have this nice feature that gives away a free e-book every month. It's completely free and has no annoying DRM, so you can just read it anywhere. You just have to sign up with an e-mail account and indicate your country. (I don't know if there are country restrictions. It works for Portugal - see EDIT bellow). Of course they give "older" books to promote their authors and new books, and I even bought 2 thanks to that, but you have no obligation to buy anything. I've been a member for more than a year and had no problem. You can even choose to get, or not, their newsletter.
Usually they give good quality stuff. This month they are giving John Scalzi's Redshirts. ;) The site is: https://ebookclub.tor.com/
EDIT: I tried to register with another e-mail. they have 3 options for Country: US, Canada and Other. If you choose other you get a message stating that their offer is valid only for US and Canada. However if someone accidentally selects US the system allow to sign in. (I don't recall, back when I first signed, that this restriction existed. And no, I'm not masking my IP with a VPN).
Post by: thegreyarea on April 06, 2020, 03:55:51 PM
As before, I found that there's some unknown company (Marvel, I think) that's giving digital comics for free because they want us to cope with social distancing and of course to promote their other titles... I saw no country restriction. You have to create a comixology account https://www.comixology.com (https://www.comixology.com) before, and then go to this link https://www.comixology.com/Marvel-Free-Comics/page/23611 (https://www.comixology.com/Marvel-Free-Comics/page/23611) to "buy" the comics for zero euros, or dollars, or whatever. I tried, bought all the free Marvel comics and had zero problems.
Then they go to your library in the site, and you just have to click in read. Seems that it's the only way to read them, but since it's free...
Good reading and stay safe.
EDIT: That offer is valid until May 4, 2020, I believe. Also, that site has a ton of other (non-marvel) free comics (check the "free" tab), tough they usually let just the intro (#0 or #1) free, hoping that you will later buy the following numbers, which is fair.
Post by: Fluffyfinance on April 07, 2020, 09:20:26 PM
I'm pretty sure the book is a mix of fiction and nonfiction but I'm not entirely sure... So I'll just say realistic fiction?
Anyways it's about a 14-year-old boy named Dave and a newly born marten (called Martin) and how their stories intertwine throughout the book as they both grow up in a small town tucked in Mount Hood in Oregon along the Zigzag River. It is told through a mixture of all the personal stories of the people (and various but important wildlife) that live in and around the small town so that by the end of the book you feel like part of the strange and beautiful community. I can hardly begin to tell you what a great storyteller Brian Doyle is. He really draws you in, makes you think deeply, and skillfully encapsulates human emotion while making it a little poetic all at the same time.
Post by: Lenny on April 12, 2020, 04:27:31 AM
Only today did it click.
Scotland, and now the UK, has the Stone of Scone (actually made out of stone, limestone, and kept in a place called Scone before it got sacked). The authenticity of which has been contested for about 200 years. And since it got stolen and then returned in the 1950s it's been rumoured to be a copy.
I knew about the Stone of Scone years ago, I can't believe I didn't make the connection until now. I GREW UP playing the William Wallace campaign on Age of Empires II a billion times and looked into the historical stuff yeeeeears ago. Reading The Fifth Elephant again is going to be trip.
Post by: Róisín on April 12, 2020, 05:04:15 AM
Post by: RanVor on May 06, 2020, 08:09:24 AM
Post by: mchristiana on July 08, 2020, 02:04:04 PM
Do you know any good collections translated into English?
I found this one at target that looks pretty, but I might want something more authentic?
https://www.target.com/p/nordic-tales-tales-of-hardcover/-/A-76503295
Post by: Alkia on July 08, 2020, 04:08:20 PM
I am by no means an expert in this field, and this next recommendation isn't a book, but here goes anyways. I found this:
http://folkeeventyr.no/
great website of Norwegian fairytales, which I've been mostly using to practice my Norwegian reading, but I think it's possible to translate into English using the little Google Translate button (although I'm not sure of the quality of that translation 😅).
Other than that, I have this exact book but in German, but a little googling revealed it is also available in English:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/A-Time-for-Trolls-Fairy-Tales-from-Norway-by-Asbjornsen-and-Moe/302423841497
Either way, the website and the book both have the same sources, namely the authors named Asbjørnsen and Moe, so if you look those two up there's probably other good results as well :)
Good luck!! and also, since i see this is your first post, WELCOME to the Forum!!!
Post by: thegreyarea on July 09, 2020, 06:46:45 PM
I just wanted to second Alkia in welcoming you in the Forum, and would suggest taking a little time to add an introduction for yourself on the... introduction thread: https://ssssforum.com/index.php?topic=131.0 It's a great way to make yourself known to the other Minnions.
So, welcome! :D
Post by: RanVor on July 15, 2020, 07:07:27 AM
I've just reread one series of Polish fantasy books that I've read a few years ago because a new volume came out in the meantime that I didn't get the chance to read until now and I thought I'd refresh my memories of the previous books as well. It turns out that it is, in fact, better than I remembered. It tells the story of a new recruit in a secret unit of vampires within the Polish Internal Security Agency and includes themes like blind obedience, divided loyalties and sacrificing lives to a cause. It's a pretty good read overall. And why am I telling you this? Because I found out that the first three books (which are the ones I've originally read, and form a self-contained story on their own) have actually been released in English under the titles of Nighter (I don't like the translation of this one, btw, but whatever), Renegade and Nobody (apparently there's also a compilation volume titled Vesper). So if you'd like to check out some Polish fantasy, they may not be the best of the best, but at least they're available without learning another language just for this purpose, so...
A warning, though: the series is about vampires, so there's a lot of blood in it and a couple of sex scenes as well. It's also Polish, so there's a realistic (read: significant) amount of swearing. If you're strongly averse to any of those things, these books are not for you. Otherwise, well, go ahead.
For those of you who may be interested, the author's name is Magdalena Kozak, and you will need it because searching for "nighter" in Google doesn't give any relevant results. Trust me, I tried.
EDIT: I've read the official English description of the first book. It's a bit misleading, but it does get across the gist of what is generally going on in the series: there are good vampires and bad vampires, and the main character joins the former to fight the latter. And then it turns out not everything is as black-and-white as it seems...
Post by: Róisín on July 15, 2020, 08:45:03 AM
Post by: Yastreb on July 15, 2020, 10:27:17 AM
So, I've read a lot of Terry Pratchett. And I have read The Fifth Elephant many, many times. The Scone of Stone features heavily in it as the coronation seat of the king of the dwarfs, and its authenticity is a plot point (established since the start, so if spoiler, extremely minor). It's not actual stone, it's dwarf bread (very little difference).
Only today did it click.
Scotland, and now the UK, has the Stone of Scone (actually made out of stone, limestone, and kept in a place called Scone before it got sacked). The authenticity of which has been contested for about 200 years. And since it got stolen and then returned in the 1950s it's been rumoured to be a copy.
When I read The Fifth Elephant, I'd already had a good laugh at the title (The Fifth Element, ha ha) and when I saw the "Scone of Stone" I recall grinning and then doing a double-take and wondering, how far ahead did Pratchett plan his stories? Had he been working towards this moment all these years?
Speaking of jokes not understood for years... I read Homage to Catalonia in school, and there was a reference to a comrade of Orwell's being wounded in the thigh and remarking to Orwell that it was the closest he'd been to a DSO. I wondered why the Distinguished Service Order was mentioned here. It wasn't until many years later that i found the other meaning of DSO as Great War slang; Dick Shot Off.
Post by: Mebediel on July 17, 2020, 10:00:50 PM
Spoiler: show
Post by: Auxivele on July 18, 2020, 02:58:17 AM
I recently started reading The Raven Tower, which I'm liking so far but I'm only a handful of pages in. I've been reading Beloved for class, which is why I haven't gotten much further in. Beloved is a good book albeit a bit intense at times (which is understandable, considering it's about slavery).
Post by: RanVor on July 18, 2020, 08:15:22 AM
BTW, it's good to know that manga counts as books for the purposes of this thread.
Post by: Mebediel on July 19, 2020, 01:40:08 AM
Mebediel, I've never read Noragami, but I watched (most of) the anime a few years ago. Are they very similar, or is it one of those cases where they start diverging greatly about halfway through?
Oh, right, the question I've been meaning to ask for years but never got an opportunity to - is the Noragami manga actually good? Because I watched some of the anime and it, well, wasn't. I mean, it wasn't terrible, just nowhere near what it's apparent popularity would suggest.I did really like the anime when I first watched it, but upon rewatching after reading the manga, I would definitely say that the manga is better (imo it is good). They're mostly similar, but there are a few notable differences. With regards to plot, Rabo was added into the anime to provide an ending to season 1 when the anime caught up to the manga, so that whole arc doesn't exist in the manga. The anime picks up the manga plot again in season 2, but leaves out a few key character/plot moments during the finale, so who knows how closely season 3 would stick to the manga (if season 3 ever happens). With regards to characters, characters get much more fleshed out in the manga, and there are fewer creepy moments/the female characters are treated better...Noragami is written by two women mangaka, which I know doesn't necessarily mean that the female characters are well-written, but in this case it definitely shows, especially in comparison to the anime.
BTW, it's good to know that manga counts as books for the purposes of this thread.If it's a physical object that communicates recorded information, then that counts
Post by: RanVor on July 19, 2020, 07:16:36 AM
If it's a physical object that communicates recorded information, then that counts...So I guess ebooks don't count... :(in my bookin my opinion!
Post by: Jitter on July 19, 2020, 09:23:36 AM
I’ve been reading a great book I’d love to recommend to you all, but unfortunately it’s only available in Finnish! It’s historical fiction / (low-ish) fantasy, set in the 1400’s Finland. Christianity has been around for a few hundred years but the common folk, especially the families who live in the homesteads out in along the lakes (near Toivosaari btw!) keep the ancient faith and traditions. And it’s true, the Näkki attacks people, the kotitonttu (keeper spirit of the home) defends the family, the wise man can heal wounds etc. I hope it will be translated at some point. The writer Mikko Kamula is a folklorist and historian so it’s based on what is actually known of the traditions at the time.
Post by: viola on July 19, 2020, 09:49:35 AM
Right now I'm reading VE Schwab's comic book series Prince of Steel (I could rant all day about how much I love Schwab) and after that I plan on reading Boy's Life and if I don't get distracted by the frankly, unhealthy amount of fanfic I've been reading I've got all 15 books of the Wheel of Time series on my kindle.
Post by: RanVor on July 19, 2020, 09:54:59 AM
In the last month or so I've been reading some scifi classics: 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Left Hand of Darkness (which I really loved) and Neuromancer.Neuromancer is good.
Right now I'm reading VE Schwab's comic book series Prince of Steel (I could rant all day about how much I love Schwab) and after that I plan on reading Boy's Life and if I don't get distracted by the frankly, unhealthy amount of fanfic I've been reading I've got all 15 books of the Wheel of Time series on my kindle.
I've tried to read through the Wheel of Time some time ago, but I got stuck at book 3. I'll get back to it...eventually.
Post by: Alkia on July 19, 2020, 12:42:25 PM
In the last month or so I've been reading some scifi classics: 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Left Hand of Darkness (which I really loved) and Neuromancer.oo i read The Left Hand of Darkness last summer (its so good!!! i also love!!!), and am currently consuming whatever other Ursula Le Guin books I can get my hands on. A few weeks ago i finally finished the second volume of Hainish stories, and I am currently reading Lavinia (which is historical fiction, not fantasy or science fiction, but I'm loving it. Reminds me of a book I read a while ago called "Circe", by Madeline Miller, which is also a fantastic read that I highly recommend).
Right now I'm reading VE Schwab's comic book series Prince of Steel (I could rant all day about how much I love Schwab) and after that I plan on reading Boy's Life and if I don't get distracted by the frankly, unhealthy amount of fanfic I've been reading I've got all 15 books of the Wheel of Time series on my kindle.
I did really like the anime when I first watched it, but upon rewatching after reading the manga, I would definitely say that the manga is better (imo it is good). They're mostly similar, but there are a few notable differences. With regards to plot, Rabo was added into the anime to provide an ending to season 1 when the anime caught up to the manga, so that whole arc doesn't exist in the manga. The anime picks up the manga plot again in season 2, but leaves out a few key character/plot moments during the finale, so who knows how closely season 3 would stick to the manga (if season 3 ever happens). With regards to characters, characters get much more fleshed out in the manga, and there are fewer creepy moments/the female characters are treated better...Noragami is written by two women mangaka, which I know doesn't necessarily mean that the female characters are well-written, but in this case it definitely shows, especially in comparison to the anime.oh man, memories! i read the Noragami manga years ago and remember almost nothing, but I know I liked it! You have prompted me to want to reread it. But speaking of mangas and female mangaka, I recently rewatched Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and am in the process of reading the manga. It's very close to the anime, so so far not too much new or exciting stuff has come up, but I LOVE it so much.
If it's a physical object that communicates recorded information, then that countsin my bookin my opinion!
also, i kinda forgot this thread existed, so it's very pleasant discovering what everyone else is reading!
Post by: Jitter on July 19, 2020, 01:53:59 PM
I’ve been planning to reread some le Guin, first and foremost the Left Hand of Darkness (Earthsea I have read many times already). There was also another scifi one by her I loved very much but I don’t remember the name (I’ve read it in Finnish only).
Post by: Mebediel on July 19, 2020, 03:01:58 PM
Reminds me of a book I read a while ago called "Circe", by Madeline Miller, which is also a fantastic read that I highly recommendOo I just picked that one up! I've only heard good things about it, so I'm really looking forward to it.
oh man, memories! i read the Noragami manga years ago and remember almost nothing, but I know I liked it! You have prompted me to want to reread it. But speaking of mangas and female mangaka, I recently rewatched Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and am in the process of reading the manga. It's very close to the anime, so so far not too much new or exciting stuff has come up, but I LOVE it so much.The FMA manga is *chef's kiss*
...So I guess ebooks don't count... :(
Of course they do! They “communicate recorded information”, now don’t they?Aha yeah woops...ebooks and audiobooks should totally count as books. Definitions are hard lol
Post by: Hrollo on July 19, 2020, 09:17:51 PM
The Way of Kings (volume 1 of The Stormlight Archive), by Brandon Sanderson: didn't dislike it, I think I'll keep reading the series, but I was extremely underwhelmed compared to all the praise it had gotten before I got to it. It's supposed to be this groundbreaking, revolutionary fantasy, brilliant on many respects, and to me that was just... more of the same things I was reading in the 90s or 2000s. Oh sure, it deals with themes that weren't touched upon two or three decades ago (like a lot of focus on mental health and systems of discrimination), it's not behind the times, but passed these actualized themes it really felt like just more epic fantasy. The prose was also nothing remarkable, like, just well crafted enough to make itself forget, which to me is a huge drawback as prose is how I get into a story. I wanted to like this a lot more and I'm really disappointed that I don't, because this book means a lot to a lot of people, including people I would want to be able to connect with on an emotional level.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga series originally published from 1982 to 1994, of which the 1984 movie is a compressed and simplified adaptation), by Hayao Miyazaki: I had started reading this years ago but somehow failed to ever finish it. I finally got back to it, rereading from the start then continuing to the end, and I am so glad I did. Miyazaki has said he had two main inspirations when writing this series: The Lord of the Rings, and Dune, and it shows, as this is by far the most epic, the most complex, the most deeply layered, and the darkest of all of his creations. It's incredibly modern, dealing with themes such as the impact of war on civilians, trauma, discrimination. There are multiple central and fully realised female characters. There is a scene where Nausicaä is taking a bath, her nudity not hidden, and yet Miyazaki, who was 50 year old man at time, managed to draw this scene with the uttermost respect, with not a hint of leecherous or voyeuristic intent. I honnestly think this is Miyazaki's hidden masterpiece, and I need to reread it again, but as it goes it's on par to become by favorite fantasy story ever, on all media. If you have only seen the animated movie, I urge you to seek this — the movie is but a pale shadow of this series.
The Poppy War, by R.F. Kuang: this another highly praised book, but this one I wasn't just underwhelmed — I actively hated it. It actually shared many themes and elements with Nausicaä above, but basically, everything Nausicaä did right, I thought this did wrong. The pacing was all over the placed, with rushed timelines and underdevelopped scenes. The writing style in general was very mediocre, with lot of telling, clumsy similes and whatnot. The tone was not consistent at all, with 2/3rd of the story feeling like Naruto (that is, a fun martial art adventure with some edgy humor and some dark moments) and then the last third suddenly switching to over the top super serious grimdark with genocide, gruesome torture, sexual violence… The worldbuilding felt lazy and inconsistent, with elements from real Chinese history transposed 1:1 with just a name change, without any concern of whether they fit together in this universe, no attempt to establish a consistent technology level, character names that seem picked randomly from various East Asian ethnicities with no concern for how these characters are supposed to be related to one another or their actual geographic origin within that world. And if you add to that the uneasy feeling that this felt a lot like an anti-japanese revenge fic made under the cover of fantastical allegory… So yeah, this series, I won't give a second chance.
The Quest for The Time Bird (graphic novel; just first four books that deal with the main story; there's more stuff after that but it's a prequel story), by Serge Letendre and Regis Loisel: so this I had actually read years ago, but for some reason I only owned the first book in the series and so hadn't been able to reread for quite a while. It's start with a fairly basic fantasy premise — an evil God trapped years ago in a magical prison, a sorcerer-princess has figured a way to renew the spell but needs the help of an aging knight who is sent on one last quest in order to save the world — except that all of this unfolds in a dark, diseased and twisted world, progressively unfolding a very cruel and cynical story, to the point that as the end of the quest draws near, the reader wonders if this world is even worth saving. So this series has problems — redundant and not very good narration, and more problematic, it indulges in a number of sexist tropes that were unfortunately pretty common in French fantasy from the late 80s, even if to their credits, the authors do try to be clever and play with the tropes a bit and subvert some expectations; but still, it's there and can't be ignored. Despite this, I really like this series for what it does, for the kind of decaying and corrupted world it constructs, and for its dark storyline.
Post by: lumilaulu on July 20, 2020, 10:15:49 AM
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga series originally published from 1982 to 1994, of which the 1984 movie is a compressed and simplified adaptation), by Hayao Miyazaki: I had started reading this years ago but somehow failed to ever finish it. I finally got back to it, rereading from the start then continuing to the end, and I am so glad I did. Miyazaki has said he had two main inspirations when writing this series: The Lord of the Rings, and Dune, and it shows, as this is by far the most epic, the most complex, the most deeply layered, and the darkest of all of his creations. It's incredibly modern, dealing with themes such as the impact of war on civilians, trauma, discrimination. There are multiple central and fully realised female characters. There is a scene where Nausicaä is taking a bath, her nudity not hidden, and yet Miyazaki, who was 50 year old man at time, managed to draw this scene with the uttermost respect, with not a hint of lecherous or voyeuristic intent. I honestly think this is Miyazaki's hidden masterpiece, and I need to reread it again, but as it goes it's on par to become by favorite fantasy story ever, on all media. If you have only seen the animated movie, I urge you to seek this — the movie is but a pale shadow of this series.Seconding this recommendation. I've been meaning to reread it, but I haven't got round to it yet. The fully-fleshed female characters are one of the reasons I love Miyazaki's films. They are characters that just happen to be female, with good sides, bad sides, strength and doubts; but they all exist in their own right and aren't defined by the male characters around them, as so often happens in fantasy, unfortunately.
I love the Wheel of Time! I know it’s somewhat considered to be fantasy of the bubblegum variety, but I really don’t know why. There is lots and lots (and lots!) of description, which apparently is boring to some readers but I liked it. For example I like the way that the fact there are different magics for men and women also has repercussions in the roles of the genders. Too many fantasy books have important female characters such as adventurers and queens, but all other women are in the roles medieval women had. (Perhaps partially resulting from this the gender dichotomy is very stark. But then it almost always is in fantasy.)Stark gender dichotomy is something that easily puts me off. I haven't read the Wheel of Time, so I can't say anything about it specifically, and there is absolutely good fantasy with very different roles for men and women, but in my opinion more often than not it's lazy writing, not bothering to look beyond stereotypes and properly imagine a fantasy world that is different from ours in more ways than just "magical & medieval".
Post by: Alkia on July 20, 2020, 11:26:45 AM
Some fantasy I've been reading recently:
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga series originally published from 1982 to 1994, of which the 1984 movie is a compressed and simplified adaptation), by Hayao Miyazaki: I had started reading this years ago but somehow failed to ever finish it. I finally got back to it, rereading from the start then continuing to the end, and I am so glad I did. Miyazaki has said he had two main inspirations when writing this series: The Lord of the Rings, and Dune, and it shows, as this is by far the most epic, the most complex, the most deeply layered, and the darkest of all of his creations. It's incredibly modern, dealing with themes such as the impact of war on civilians, trauma, discrimination. There are multiple central and fully realised female characters. There is a scene where Nausicaä is taking a bath, her nudity not hidden, and yet Miyazaki, who was 50 year old man at time, managed to draw this scene with the uttermost respect, with not a hint of leecherous or voyeuristic intent. I honnestly think this is Miyazaki's hidden masterpiece, and I need to reread it again, but as it goes it's on par to become by favorite fantasy story ever, on all media. If you have only seen the animated movie, I urge you to seek this — the movie is but a pale shadow of this series.
oh yes, totally second you and lumilaulu here. I might warn for any kids or people who are sensitive to this sort of thing that the manga is definitely more adult and sad compared to the movie (i was surprised and may or may not have had some nightmares. worth it tho), but it's so so good. I agree, too, that this is really underrated-- I hadn't even heard of it till I saw it at the Library!!! and with the female protagonists, that is one of my very favorite things about Ghibli: having female characters in the hero roles, but without any sexualization or dependance on outer male characters.
Post by: viola on July 20, 2020, 11:43:50 AM
oo i read The Left Hand of Darkness last summer (its so good!!! i also love!!!), and am currently consuming whatever other Ursula Le Guin books I can get my hands on. A few weeks ago i finally finished the second volume of Hainish stories, and I am currently reading Lavinia (which is historical fiction, not fantasy or science fiction, but I'm loving it. Reminds me of a book I read a while ago called "Circe", by Madeline Miller, which is also a fantastic read that I highly recommend).
Have you read Ursula's short story The Flyers of Gy? I am addicted to it and I want to write stories set in that world god I love it so much. It's sooooooooooo goooood please read it. It should only take you a few minutes. I need to share this joy with everyone. The amount of world building and culture she conjures up in just a few pages is !!!!!
Post by: RanVor on July 20, 2020, 12:05:00 PM
Seconding this recommendation. I've been meaning to reread it, but I haven't got round to it yet. The fully-fleshed female characters are one of the reasons I love Miyazaki's films. They are characters that just happen to be female, with good sides, bad sides, strength and doubts; but they all exist in their own right and aren't defined by the male characters around them, as so often happens in fantasy, unfortunately.To me, characters are fundamentally characters first and foremost. Their gender matters only so far as it serves the story. Otherwise, why dwell on it? A poorly written female character is just a poorly written character, exactly like a poorly written male character, and the same applies to well-written characters.
Stark gender dichotomy is something that easily puts me off. I haven't read the Wheel of Time, so I can't say anything about it specifically, and there is absolutely good fantasy with very different roles for men and women, but in my opinion more often than not it's lazy writing, not bothering to look beyond stereotypes and properly imagine a fantasy world that is different from ours in more ways than just "magical & medieval".
The thing about the Wheel of Time is that the characters' gender is actually crucial to the story because of the division of magic. The magic of men is cursed and drives anyone using it insane. So while women capable of channeling (that's how it's called in the series) wield great political influence due to their abilities, men doing the same are hunted down and stripped of their powers or killed. The problem is, the prophesied chosen one is both male and a powerful channeler, so the entire world is potentially mighty screwed.
Post by: ftmshepard on July 20, 2020, 01:28:05 PM
The author is Ursula Vernon, the book is Summer In Orcus.
A very frightened 11 year old girl ends up in a world called Orcus thanks to Baba Yaga. She meets animal friends, and helps out the Frog Tree.
Remember:
-Don't worry about things you can't control.
-Don't trust antelope women.
Post by: lumilaulu on July 20, 2020, 01:33:38 PM
To me, characters are fundamentally characters first and foremost. Their gender matters only so far as it serves the story. Otherwise, why dwell on it? A poorly written female character is just a poorly written character, exactly like a poorly written male character, and the same applies to well-written characters.Absolutely. In an ideal world, I wouldn't care less. It's just that it's far easier to find well-written male characters than well-written female characters. As much as I like fantasy, there are plenty of examples of this in the genre. Stories with decently-written male characters and poorly-written female characters that only serve as accessories to the male characters. Which is why I'm wary of any fantasy story with a sharp gender divide.
The thing about the Wheel of Time is that the characters' gender is actually crucial to the story because of the division of magic. The magic of men is cursed and drives anyone using it insane. So while women capable of channeling (that's how it's called in the series) wield great political influence due to their abilities, men doing the same are hunted down and stripped of their powers or killed. The problem is, the prophesied chosen one is both male and a powerful channeler, so the entire world is potentially mighty screwed.Gender-based magic can certainly be a reason for having a clear gender divide. But there's too much of that in the real world already; I prefer fantasy to be proper fantasy instead of a carbon-copy of the real world (or any of its historical time period). Your gender is still considered so important in this world, I like when that is not the case in a fantasy world, when gender is wholly irrelevant; and when gender being irrelevant doesn't somehow translate to an (almost exclusively) all-male cast.
Post by: Jitter on July 20, 2020, 02:00:10 PM
To me, characters are fundamentally characters first and foremost. Their gender matters only so far as it serves the story. Otherwise, why dwell on it? A poorly written female character is just a poorly written character, exactly like a poorly written male character, and the same applies to well-written characters.
The thing about the Wheel of Time is that the characters' gender is actually crucial to the story because of the division of magic. The magic of men is cursed and drives anyone using it insane. So while women capable of channeling (that's how it's called in the series) wield great political influence due to their abilities, men doing the same are hunted down and stripped of their powers or killed. The problem is, the prophesied chosen one is both male and a powerful channeler, so the entire world is potentially mighty screwed.
Exactly! This is my point! It’s opposite to how it too often is. Men and women have different roles, but they are not the same roles as in our world / our history.
Lumilaulu, what you describe is something I also hate. It’s common in fantasy, but unfortunately in many other genres too. The most grievous example I have encountered is a Finnish series of children, where the narrator character is a girl, and STILL there are boys who are smart, stupid, belligerent and sensitive, and girls who are just girls with no other characteristics.
But, like Ran explains, this is not the case with Wheel of Time. The female characters are not at all “medieval mums who happen to have magic”. Also there are female minor characters (which is too often missing), that are traders, bodyguards, innkeepers, spies, artificers, elders, political superpowers... it’s been years since I read it but the point is it’s not one of those where the key cast includes women and that’s it. This is all the more surprising as it’s so often written off as “another megalong entertainment series”, most of which tend to have a very different situation regarding females.
Mostly I wanted to point out that it has merits, in my mind more than often acknowledged. Ran, as you already noticed, I recommend for you to continue with it :)
Post by: RanVor on July 20, 2020, 02:14:13 PM
Absolutely. In an ideal world, I wouldn't care less. It's just that it's far easier to find well-written male characters than well-written female characters. As much as I like fantasy, there are plenty of examples of this in the genre. Stories with decently-written male characters and poorly-written female characters that only serve as accessories to the male characters. Which is why I'm wary of any fantasy story with a sharp gender divide.That's down to the competence of the author. Historically, the fantasy genre has been dominated by male authors for decades, so there aren't that many good examples for new writers to imitate. Who knows, maybe it'll change somewhere down the line. I'm cautiously optimistic about it.
Gender-based magic can certainly be a reason for having a clear gender divide. But there's too much of that in the real world already; I prefer fantasy to be proper fantasy instead of a carbon-copy of the real world (or any of its historical time period). Your gender is still considered so important in this world, I like when that is not the case in a fantasy world, when gender is wholly irrelevant; and when gender being irrelevant doesn't somehow translate to an (almost exclusively) all-male cast.Fantasy has to be based on something, lest it stops being believable. Drawing inspiration from the real world is natural because that's what we all know. It's also natural for readers to assume things work the same way in a fictional world as they do in the real one unless specified otherwise. In this context, reality becomes a common ground for the author and the audience to stand on - something that can be understood without being explained in detail. And with worldbuilding being as difficult and time-consuming as it is, it's hard to imagine writing anything without such foundation.
Of course, everyone's choice of literature is a matter of personal preference, but I believe the problem is more complex than just "go write some good female characters, dammit!". Moreover, while I understand your point and agree to an extent, I also think the gender divide and stereotypes are worthy themes to explore in literature. If handled with respect and caution, of course.
Post by: lumilaulu on July 20, 2020, 02:50:26 PM
Fantasy has to be based on something, lest it stops being believable. Drawing inspiration from the real world is natural because that's what we all know. It's also natural for readers to assume things work the same way in a fictional world as they do in the real one unless specified otherwise. In this context, reality becomes a common ground for the author and the audience to stand on - something that can be understood without being explained in detail. And with worldbuilding being as difficult and time-consuming as it is, it's hard to imagine writing anything without such foundation.But that's the thing. Surely, if you're a halfway competent writer who has enough imagination to come up with a fantasy world, it shouldn't be that hard to not use the same old tired gender divides and stereotypes? Writing fantasy gives you a chance to change certain aspects of our world, to take the direction we're already going in (away from rigid gender roles) and go further with it, rather than regressing and going back to how things were in the past.
Ah well, I get the impression we all broadly agree, just not about specifics or how-to-get-there or stuff.
Post by: RanVor on July 20, 2020, 03:08:27 PM
But that's the thing. Surely, if you're a halfway competent writer who has enough imagination to come up with a fantasy world, it shouldn't be that hard to not use the same old tired gender divides and stereotypes? Writing fantasy gives you a chance to change certain aspects of our world, to take the direction we're already going in (away from rigid gender roles) and go further with it, rather than regressing and going back to how things were in the past.Theoretically, yes. In practice, I don't think I would know how to do that. The further you stray from what you know from your life experience, the more you have to consider in order to remain consistent in your writing and the level of complication rises until you can't handle it anymore and just give up on writing. Now, I don't claim to be a halfway competent writer, but I've struggled with it, no, scratch that, I still struggle with it and thus I am not so quick to underestimate the challenge.
Ah well, I get the impression we all broadly agree, just not about specifics or how-to-get-there or stuff.O_o I think you're the first person in a very long time to get that impression from arguing with me. I can't count how many times my words have been misinterpreted and twisted to mean something very different than what I intended to say. I must say, though, it's nice to be understood. ^-^
Post by: lumilaulu on July 20, 2020, 03:55:41 PM
The further you stray from what you know from your life experienceOf course there are many places where women are still oppressed and considered inferior to men, culturally and/or legally, but it's 2020 and if we're talking about Western fantasy, I don't know where these writers are coming from that women are mostly wives/mothers/lovers—i.e. defined in their relation to others (read: men) rather than people with their own work, their own lives, their own agency.
I applaud you for realising what you're struggling with, though! That can only make you better as a writer.
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O_o I think you're the first person in a very long time to get that impression from arguing with me. I can't count how many times my words have been misinterpreted and twisted to mean something very different than what I intended to say. I must say, though, it's nice to be understood. ^-^Hmm, I think it was the "I'm cautiously optimistic about it" that did it. That implies that what I'm arguing for is also something you'd want, and that we're not there yet. That sets you apart from all those straight white cis men (no idea how many of those you are or aren't, I don't mean to imply anything) who can't/don't want to understand why many women are still unhappy with many things, a lack of accurate representation in fiction being one of them.
Post by: RanVor on July 20, 2020, 04:38:58 PM
Of course there are many places where women are still oppressed and considered inferior to men, culturally and/or legally, but it's 2020 and if we're talking about Western fantasy, I don't know where these writers are coming from that women are mostly wives/mothers/lovers—i.e. defined in their relation to others (read: men) rather than people with their own work, their own lives, their own agency.You know, most male writers have never been women. Not sure if you realize that, but there's a very pervasive stereotype among men, that women think and perceive the world in a completely different way than men. With no way to verify that, most writers write from their own, often limited experience with women and often end up reaching for stereotypes to cover the gaps.
Or at least I hope that's what they do, I don't want to believe that most male novelists are misogynistic scumbags. That would suck.
Hmm, I think it was the "I'm cautiously optimistic about it" that did it. That implies that what I'm arguing for is also something you'd want, and that we're not there yet. That sets you apart from all those straight white cis men (no idea how many of those you are or aren't, I don't mean to imply anything) who can't/don't want to understand why many women are still unhappy with many things, a lack of accurate representation in fiction being one of them.Honestly, I don't really need to understand. Just the fact that women are unhappy about it shows there are things to improve in that regard, and that's enough for me. Besides, more good female characters helps the variety. ;)
Post by: lumilaulu on July 20, 2020, 05:59:44 PM
You know, most male writers have never been women. Not sure if you realize that, but there's a very pervasive stereotype among men, that women think and perceive the world in a completely different way than men. With no way to verify that, most writers write from their own, often limited experience with women and often end up reaching for stereotypes to cover the gaps.Years ago I went to a talk by an author whose books I loved as a child. He'd only ever written about boys, but for his newest book he'd chosen to make the main character a girl. (Paraphrased from memory:) He said that he'd never written about women/girls because he'd never been a girl, and he didn't know how to write a credible girl. But then he realised women/girls aren't some kind of strange species and that writing a credible teenage girl isn't all that different from writing a credible teenage boy. And that there are enough women around, and fiction by, with, about women to check your own ideas and writings against.
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Honestly, I don't really need to understand. Just the fact that women are unhappy about it shows there are things to improve in that regard, and that's enough for me.That's a lovely thing to say. Thank you!
Post by: thegreyarea on July 20, 2020, 07:07:27 PM
And I agree with you, Ran, lumilaulu and, of course, Jitter (I'm yet to see myself disagreeing with you, my friend): I love to see an author creating great female characters (and also exploring other gender options). I would be very disappointed to find a book populated with strong man and stereotypical females. Luckily that seldom happens with me. Maybe I'm lucky, or just very cautious before diving in a book. :)
This conversation brought to mind the book(s) I'm currently (re)reading, Frank Herbert's "Dune" trilogy. There we have strong female characters, with their own agenda, even if the main character is a male. There's also an all-female "power-player", the Bene Gesserit.
It also made me think on Ian M Bank's "Culture" (who would imagine that from me? ;) ), where we have several genderless characters but, most relevant, where gender fluidity is a reality. For those that don't know, Culture's humans have the ability to switch their own gender at will, in a purely biological process that takes more or less an year to complete. (although during each story the main characters usually retain their genders). It's referred several times that during their long lives (hundreds of years) it's normal for a person to switch genders a few times. There's also a "neuter" character, someone that decided to stop the change midway, living without any sexual characteristic. I remember to be fascinated by that on my first contact with those stories.
To finish this long post I'd add another trilogy, this time in the Fantasy field, from a recent author: Brian Staveley's "Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne". It's not at the same level of Herbert or Banks, but it's quite good, and also features strong and autonomous female characters.
Oh, there's also Annalee Newitiz's "Autonomous" and Charlie Jane Anders' "All the Birds in the Sky", both SF, quite good and featuring well written female characters.
Post by: Róisín on July 20, 2020, 07:11:08 PM
Post by: RanVor on July 21, 2020, 05:47:04 AM
That's a lovely thing to say. Thank you!Is that so?
I would be very disappointed to find a book populated with strong man and stereotypical females. Luckily that seldom happens with me. Maybe I'm lucky, or just very cautious before diving in a book. :)I would not because, as I said at the beginning, characters are characters. It doesn't matter what gender they are, only if they're well-written. It could be better, of course, but I prefer to see things for what they are instead of what they have the potential to be. Good female characters are good, but their lack does not make good male characters any less good.
This conversation brought to mind the book(s) I'm currently (re)reading, Frank Herbert's "Dune" trilogy. There we have strong female characters, with their own agenda, even if the main character is a male. There's also an all-female "power-player", the Bene Gesserit.My cousin has been reading Dune lately. He said it's boring and confusing. A matter of taste, I guess.
If a story has male/female characters with very different styles of magic, it may also be because the story is based in a culture where magic actually is gendered. In the Australian native traditions, for example, there is a strong division between ‘men’s business’ and ‘women’s business’, With each gender having sacred places and working sites where the other gender simply does not go. There are also some areas where the magic is ungendered and answers everyone.I doubt that's what Robert Jordan had in mind for his world, but it sounds very interesting!
Post by: lumilaulu on July 21, 2020, 08:45:40 AM
I would not because, as I said at the beginning, characters are characters. It doesn't matter what gender they are, only if they're well-written. It could be better, of course, but I prefer to see things for what they are instead of what they have the potential to be. Good female characters are good, but their lack does not make good male characters any less good.A lack of good female characters doesn't make good male characters any less good, but good male characters and stereotypical female characters does make a book less good. As would good female characters and stereotypical male characters, but that's far less common. I can't think of any I've encountered with that combination; if the male characters are badly-written, you can be sure the female characters are as well (if there even are any of note).
Is that so?This is not the first discussion I've had about this and similar topics, and I've had reactions like "I don't get it, you are exaggerating" or "I don't see the problem, so you have no right to complain". So what you said was far nicer!
It also made me think on Ian M Bank's "Culture" (who would imagine that from me? ;) ), where we have several genderless characters but, most relevant, where gender fluidity is a reality. For those that don't know, Culture's humans have the ability to switch their own gender at will, in a purely biological process that takes more or less an year to complete. (although during each story the main characters usually retain their genders). It's referred several times that during their long lives (hundreds of years) it's normal for a person to switch genders a few times. There's also a "neuter" character, someone that decided to stop the change midway, living without any sexual characteristic. I remember to be fascinated by that on my first contact with those stories.That sounds like an interesting book.
Post by: thorny on July 21, 2020, 09:04:24 AM
In the Australian native traditions, for example, there is a strong division between ‘men’s business’ and ‘women’s business’, With each gender having sacred places and working sites where the other gender simply does not go. There are also some areas where the magic is ungendered and answers everyone.
Róisín, do you know whether there's a sense in that culture that 'men's business' is more important than 'women's business'? (Or the other way around, for that matter.)
Post by: Jitter on July 21, 2020, 05:54:15 PM
Honestly, I don't really need to understand. Just the fact that women are unhappy about it shows there are things to improve in that regard, and that's enough for me. Besides, more good female characters helps the variety. ;)
I also applaud you Ran for this! Far too many people go for the “I’ve never noticed this problem (because it never happens to me), hence, it’s not a problem. This happens in regard to many things, but the issue at hand is a common one.
I love this conversation and have so much to say, but now it’s bedtime for me. I hope to be able to come back to it later!
Ps The Bene Gesserit WoT has a similar all-female power centre, the Aes Sedai are the mostly powerful faction / group / nation etc in the world
Post by: Róisín on July 21, 2020, 06:40:21 PM
Post by: RanVor on July 21, 2020, 06:57:55 PM
I also applaud you Ran for this! Far too many people go for the “I’ve never noticed this problem (because it never happens to me), hence, it’s not a problem. This happens in regard to many things, but the issue at hand is a common one.I would say it's just because my perspective on the world extends somewhat further than my immediate vicinity. It's really absurd and sad that you feel the need to praise me for something that should be a norm. This kind of thinking is sort of like saying that flu doesn't exist because I've never had it.
I wouldn't say I don't see the issue at all, but it affects me in a very different way, for rather obvious reasons. It's definitely a great deal less personal to me. However, since I don't consider myself the only relevant person in the world (quite the opposite, in fact), I'm not going to claim anybody else's concerns are less legitimate than mine (quite the opposite, in fact).
Post by: Yastreb on July 22, 2020, 03:39:04 AM
On one occasion, I described to my sister one of the features of the setting; that while there are monsters in the world, for the most part they're the outcome of tainted magic causing life-forms to become distorted or merged in some way, as described by a character in Earthfire.
"A monster like the forebody and head of a wolf somehow merged with a boar. It had the heads of both and made the noise of both and had six legs and it moved… I can’t describe how it moved. It wasn’t like any animal or a snake… it was, well, flowing. Like it seemed to have no bones… and it was biting and gouging with both heads, and seeing with both heads, so we could not blind-side the beast…"
But she asked a valid question; why must that change always be for the worst? Can't there be beneficial outcomes? And I heeded that question.
It had huge hands, with three broad fingers and a thumb, and its legs ended in hooves. Thick brown fur cascaded down from its heavy neck like a cape, and its massive shoulders were broader than anyone Yastreb had ever seen, Human or Targrath.
<The Little One said, don’t be afraid,> it said in a deep, rumbling whisper. It seemed to take considerable effort in uttering the words. <But you are still afraid.>
Yastreb glanced at Haaki. She was struggling to speak. Fortitude was looking up at her, his eyes showing anxiety.
<You are not afraid.> It gestured at Dorian. <But... you’re confused.>
Myrallea said, <In our lands, it was said that... when animal and Human flesh was forced into one body by Tainted magic... the result was always an... an abomination.>
Yastreb felt a surge of horror at Myrallea’s words, and runes of defensive magic surged into his mind, but the creature made a calming gesture.
<Not always, Myrallea Moondown. Not for the Tsulath, the Marath, the Davutath.>
At those words, other shapes were emerging from the trees; a dozen or more; and Yastreb’s jaw went slack at the sight of Humans whose torsos arose from the forebodies of horses.
<So often there was only pain and terror, but sometimes... life is not denied.> Huge dark eyes were fixed on Yastreb. <As you know very well, Yastreb Stormblade. We lived and we survived. That is our story.>
There is another plot element that gave me some unease when I wrote it.
Early in book 2 (Stormblade) a mage sets in motion a plan of revenge against his half-sister and their clan, by leading her into a trap that imprisons her and lets him take her form. He's also imprisoned four others to give him the skills to impersonate her - one of them a courtesan, because his sister has a number of lovers and he needs to maintain that part of the pretence.
When I was putting that together, it caused me concern that it might be seen as a negative reference to transgenders.
Post by: RanVor on July 22, 2020, 06:39:56 AM
There is another plot element that gave me some unease when I wrote it.With a little malicious intent, almost anything can be seen as a negative reference to anything. It's another reason why worldbuilding is so hard - it requires a lot (and I mean A HELL OF A LOT) of thought to find the right balance between telling the story you want to tell and avoiding accidentally offending somebody. But you know what? If someone wants to be offended, they will be no matter what. Otherwise, sensible people should see that you had no ill will towards anybody while writing the relevant plot thread, provided you don't screw it up badly.
Early in book 2 (Stormblade) a mage sets in motion a plan of revenge against his half-sister and their clan, by leading her into a trap that imprisons her and lets him take her form. He's also imprisoned four others to give him the skills to impersonate her - one of them a courtesan, because his sister has a number of lovers and he needs to maintain that part of the pretence.
When I was putting that together, it caused me concern that it might be seen as a negative reference to transgenders.
Post by: lumilaulu on July 22, 2020, 04:45:54 PM
transgendersJust a heads-up, but you might want to avoid using transgender as a noun. ;) The preferred term nowadays is trans person, trans people. With a space. The explanation I've seen for this is that using trans (or transgender) as an adjective shows that they are people first and foremost, and that being trans is simply one aspect of them. It also avoids the more negative history and associations transgender as a noun has. It's pretty similar to how colored is not considered an acceptable term anymore and was replaced with person/people of color or PoC.
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on July 22, 2020, 06:04:36 PM
Post by: thegreyarea on July 23, 2020, 05:16:10 AM
I agree with Ran, and add that there are some people so sensitive to any word use that it's like walking in a minefield... and that, as a minefield would do, leads me to get some safety distance and makes any conversation quite difficult. Sometimes it seems that a person is intently searching for reasons to be offended, without thinking that not everybody knows everything about the current trends in the use of some words. On written communication it's easier to happen because we lack the body language to convey emotions...
lumilaulu, as for "transgender" I still hear it being widely used, even by LGBT activists, but I see your point and it makes sense (besides it's easier to write).
LooNEY_DAC, right now I don't have time, but I already read your question and promise to think about it, although I'm not sure that I'll be able to help. But I'll try :)
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on July 23, 2020, 05:20:55 AM
LooNEY_DAC, right now I don't have time, but I already read your question and promise to think about it, although I'm not sure that I'll be able to help. But I'll try :)Anything will help; thank you.
Post by: viola on July 23, 2020, 12:43:18 PM
Post by: lumilaulu on July 23, 2020, 02:01:02 PM
lumilaulu, as for "transgender" I still hear it being widely used, even by LGBT activists, but I see your point and it makes sense (besides it's easier to write).Oh, the word transgender itself is fine AFAIK! I didn't mean that the word should be avoided. "She is transgender", "a transgender man", "coming out as transgender", "transgender issues", etc. are usually considered fine, or you can shorten it to trans. "A transgender", "transgenders" are usually not considered fine.
I recently read a really interesting story online from the perspective of a deaf protagonist and it made me think about things differently and I loved it.Is it a publicly accessible story? Because that does sound interesting.
Post by: viola on July 25, 2020, 06:02:48 AM
Is it a publicly accessible story? Because that does sound interesting.
It is... It's a supernatural fanfic though ::)
I may or may not have spent the entire last month reading a rather embarassing amount of destiel...
If you're still interested I can link you
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on July 25, 2020, 06:46:11 AM
I recently read a really interesting story online from the perspective of a deaf protagonist and it made me think about things differently and I loved it. Does anyone have any recommendations of good stories (fics) or books that are written from the perspective of deaf or blind characters? I love the way this last one made me think and I want more of that.So, one of the panels I went to at the Helsinki WorldCon was about "the bland Protagonist"; right at the beginning, one of the panelists, Robert Silverberg, admitted that he'd misread the subject as "the BLIND protagonist" - he was interested because he'd written a book with a blind protagonist. Unfortunately, I can't remember the title.
Post by: scottishnottish on July 25, 2020, 12:56:30 PM
I second the recommendations for Ursula Le Guin (particularly The Left Hand of Darkness) and Becky Chambers (A Closed and Common Orbit made me feeeel so many things.)
If anybody has recommendations similar to Chambers' style of Science Fiction (not too hard, and with a rather optimistic outlook on the universe) I'd love to hear them!
I don't know if these have been recommended but here are some of my favorite books from the last few years:
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It's a sci-fi lesbian romance told mostly through letters between rival agents in a war across time and space. The writing style is very poetic, it's more about the feeling of the scene than concrete details, so that may be offputting for some. But it was a quick read and I found it very enjoyable. I'm not usually one for romance because I find a lot of it to be very cliche but this was anything but.
Edit: I should clarify, I don't mind romance subplots. I found Left Hand of Darkness to be romantic in a unique way and I'm a big Emilalli shipper--I'm just not typically drawn to stories that are more about the romance than anything else. I do not care for love-triangles, though.
A Boy And His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher. A story of people living in a quiet post-apocalypse, and a kid's quest to retrieve a stolen dog. It's written in first-person, but it pulls it off very well. The setting is darkly beautiful, the characters are great, and there are some really good surprises along the way. Also, lots of good dogs.
(Sidenote: I picked up the audiobook for it and really enjoyed the narrator. His inflection was great and fit the writing style well, and he didn't use distracting character voices.)
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. This is less of a novel and more of a journey through many possible worlds that bend the rules of time, but I found it an enjoyable leisurely read with many unique reflections on how people experience and interact with time.
Post by: Keep Looking on July 26, 2020, 02:55:47 AM
And it is! The characters and pacing are excellent (although Lucy Wenestra is a very damsel-in-distress innocent beauty kind of character, which can be annoying, but y'know, it's from the 1890s), it really keeps you reading, and there's something inherently human about the letters and diary entries and newspaper clippings that make up the story. I haven't actually finished reading yet (although I do have a vague idea of the overarching plot) but I do definitely recommend it if you want to dive more into that kind of genre - there's something very thrilling about watching the build-up of strange and terrible events in the lives of ordinary people.
Post by: Quetanto on July 26, 2020, 07:23:20 AM
Back on the Silmarillion track, and reading Hogfather to my dad.
(Anyone got any good fantasy books they might recommend in French, Turkish, or Finnish?)
Post by: Jitter on July 26, 2020, 08:10:45 AM
Post by: Quetanto on July 26, 2020, 08:24:49 AM
Finnish definitely, can you give specifics? Level of language ability?
I'm just going to go with "I just learned what the partitive case is two days ago" as my answer, but I have a tendency to be quick on my feet when I need to be. This is more for when I get to the point that I can understand more than the basics, so there's something to lock my head around and associate (in a positive manner) with the language.
Kanadalainen osaa parhua suomea, mutta vain vähän…
Post by: Jitter on July 26, 2020, 08:44:58 AM
We get a decent amount of comics translated too, maybe you could get some of your favorites in both Finnish and in a language you know. Comics are often good as the pictures help. Aobvious suggestion is A Redtail’s Dream which is available both in Finnish and in English. And actually the Tuliterä series is more interesting if you have some idea of Kalevala’s heroes etc so reading a little about the Finnish traditions first could help. Including ARtD.
Post by: Vulpes on July 26, 2020, 10:19:42 AM
A good series would be Tuliterä and it’s sequels by Timo Parvela.
<snip>
And actually the Tuliterä series is more interesting if you have some idea of Kalevala’s heroes etc so reading a little about the Finnish traditions first could help. Including ARtD.
Oh, sounds interesting! I hope I can find those online. I'm currently reading The Kalevala, translated by Keith Bosely (Oxford University Press) and enjoying it very much. I keep recognizing elements that Minna referenced in ARtD, and that appeared in Prague Race - too bad that one kind of fizzled out, it was interesting. I chose the Bosley version because several sources said that it comes closest to the spirit of the original. Definitely shows its origin as folk-tale recitation/song.
Post by: Quetanto on July 26, 2020, 12:16:25 PM
A good series would be Tuliterä and it’s sequels by Timo Parvela. It’s sort of the Kalevala myths turn out to be real and adventure ensues. It’s set in the present day. It’s written for young readers, not YA but kids who can read proper books so maybe 10+ years, but it’s interesting enough for the adult reader as well (I have read it aloud to my kids, now teenagers a few years ago an I liked it). It’s proper language but not particularly complicated as some fantasy tends to be. Each volume is a good-sized book but not huge, which again is something some fantasy tends to be :)
We get a decent amount of comics translated too, maybe you could get some of your favorites in both Finnish and in a language you know. Comics are often good as the pictures help. Aobvious suggestion is A Redtail’s Dream which is available both in Finnish and in English. And actually the Tuliterä series is more interesting if you have some idea of Kalevala’s heroes etc so reading a little about the Finnish traditions first could help. Including ARtD.
Many many thanks, Jitter!
Post by: Jitter on July 26, 2020, 01:08:58 PM
Post by: Vulpes on July 26, 2020, 07:04:56 PM
I suppose I should try the Kalevala in English because the Finnish in it is so old fashioned and difficult I never managed to read much if it (except that we have a Children’s Kalevala which tells the key stories in plainer Finnish and which we all read several times and studied when I was in school).
I get the impression that it's like reading The Canterbury Tales for an Anglophone - I read a bit of that, and the footnotes were nearly as long as the stories! I would have had little idea what was going on if it weren't for the notes.
Post by: Róisín on July 26, 2020, 08:41:32 PM
Post by: Hrollo on July 26, 2020, 09:17:50 PM
See also my recommendation on page 52 of this same thread for The Quest for the Time Bird (la Quête de l'oiseau du temps), another French dark fantasy graphic novel with similar theme and from the same time period (late 80s), though this one has been translated into English, and currently the French edition appears to be out of print (though I expect it will get a new printing at some point, that series is also pretty well liked).
Outside of graphic novels, I haven't read Alain Damasio's la Horde du contrevent (it's been sitting on my shelves unread for years, ahem), but I have several times heard it recommended as one of the best French fantasy books, with lots of innovative ideas and novel takes on the genre.
Post by: viola on July 26, 2020, 10:53:43 PM
Also idk if you guys saw but Sandman was made into an audiobook and I'm really looking forward to listening to it.
Post by: Grade E cat on July 27, 2020, 07:14:55 AM
Outside of graphic novels, I haven't read Alain Damasio's la Horde du contrevent (it's been sitting on my shelves unread for years, ahem), but I have several times heard it recommended as one of the best French fantasy books, with lots of innovative ideas and novel takes on the genre.
It is good ideed, even though I probably haven't read/watched anywhere near enough fantasy to see what's innovative in it (another possible explanation is that the limited time I dedicate to reading fantasy results in the stuff I do consume skewing "innovative"). An attempt at dating from a few years ago was reading it during that period. It's definitely a good idea to read a physical copy, as a gimmick in the book is going to make you check an early page a lot and makes it a chore to keep track of whose point of view you're currently reading on electronic readers. One thing that may interest you, if you don't know yet is that is has been made into a Franco-Belgian comic that already has two volumes out. It combines some characters from the fairly large cast to reduce the numbers a little, and changes the story just enough to surprise people who have read the book.
Post by: Vulpes on July 27, 2020, 07:44:05 PM
But the Canterbury tales is fun!! I love the humour and satire. And Alisoun, the feisty Wife of Bath.
It is indeed! But Middle English needs a lot of interpretation for a speaker of modern English, not to mention formerly commonplace items and activities that don't exist now
Post by: Róisín on July 27, 2020, 10:51:33 PM
What we did have was a whole room set aside as a library and music room, containing whatever books and instruments many generations of far-wandering ancestors had brought back from their travels. I was allowed to attempt to play anything my tiny hands could manage, provided my hands were clean and an adult had time to supervise, and to attempt to read anything I could reach, so long as my hands were clean and I did not damage the books. Despite having to work and study hard (the place was a working farm, everyone pitched in) I had a happy and most informative childhood, and when I grew up and started competing for university scholarships I discovered that having been homeschooled until my mid teens had not been a detriment.
The Canterbury Tales was far from the strangest book I read as a child.
Post by: Hrollo on July 28, 2020, 12:25:56 AM
For instance, the famous "methinks the lady doth protest too much" (not actually an exact quote from Hamlet, but it's the version of the quote everyone repeats) does not mean "I think the lady does protest too much", but rather "It seems to me the lady promises too much."
"Methinks" is a reduction of "it thinks to me", an impersonal verb, and when "think" is used that way it's equivalent to "seem". "Doth" while indeed equivalent to modern "does", has no emphatic value in this sentence, in fact it has no value at all, it's merely a different way to express the present tense. And finally "protest" really means "promise", especially in the original context of the scene; the character is not being accused of protesting her innocence so strongly that it becomes suspicious, but rather of making promises of faithfulness that seem unrealistic.
And that's Shakespeare. With Chaucer, you can easily multiply that problem by two (even with modernized spelling). Short of having actually studied the peculiarities of Middle English, having footnotes is invaluable to understand a lot of the Canterbury Tales correctly.
Just as a short overlook, here's a short lexicon of the 100 most common words in Middle English, with their translation in Modern English: https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/ENGLISH/Perrello/Chaucer_glossary4-30.pdf
Look how many of them do not actually mean what they seem to mean!
Post by: Yastreb on July 28, 2020, 09:10:02 AM
Post by: Róisín on July 28, 2020, 10:12:47 AM
Post by: AndrogynousAutarch on October 28, 2020, 08:15:22 AM
I'm trying to piece together what just happened in the original Hyperion from its sequel.
Post by: thegreyarea on October 28, 2020, 02:39:27 PM
I'm currently reading The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons. A fervent search for the original yielded nothing. I peruse a used bookstore that imports from the USA and oftentimes it's difficult to get the original entry in the series.
I'm trying to piece together what just happened in the original Hyperion from its sequel.
Hi! I've read Hyperion and I liked it a lot. I found that "Paperback Shop" has it, according to the portuguese FNAC online shop. Here's the address: https://paperbackshop.co.uk/shop-online/
Please note that I never bought anything from them so I have no idea how it works. So if you do buy from them please tell if everything was all right.
And good luck!
Post by: viola on October 28, 2020, 03:41:00 PM
Post by: AndrogynousAutarch on October 30, 2020, 10:52:00 PM
Set in the City of New Crobuzon, a technological wonder(waste)land, inhabitted by several unconventional sapient species, it is the story of Isaac Dan Der Grimnebulin and the fateful meeting between himself and a mysterious birdman, named Yahgarek.
It got me into weird fiction even more than I already am. Mieville's capacity for worldbuilding and giving his settings personality had me reading voraciously during my college's intramurals. and unlike a few books I've read it nicely balances its big ideas with the all important human element to SF.
i actually wrote a review of it for my school newspaper.
I'm currently reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue after weeks of not having time. It's soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo GOOD. You should alllll read it. VE Schwab is amazing. :))
I'll keep that one in mind.
Post by: viola on November 05, 2020, 12:57:01 PM
VE Schwab is just an amazing author and her books make me so happy. I can't wait to read more of her work. I still have a few of her books that I haven't read yet. As soon as the grad school gods permit me a break, I will get back to devouring them rapidly.
At this specific moment I'm reading the new Dragonwatch, Champion of the Titan Games by Brandon Mull. It's a continuation of a series called Fablehaven which came out when I was in elementary school. Brandon actually came to our school when his first book was released. It's for younger kids but the fantasy is so awesome and they're a lot of fun and engaging to read.
Post by: RanVor on December 29, 2020, 09:01:02 AM
Spoiler: show
And so, I have a question to people who have had the time and perseverance needed to get through the monumental citadel of text that is the Wheel of Time series: does it get better later on?
Post by: Jitter on December 29, 2020, 05:26:18 PM
There are so many arcs and subplots and characters that it’s impossible to guess whether you’ll find the future parts good or not. I agree with your irritation however, on both groups you mentioned. Why would they be allowed to exist?
Still, there are multilayered interactions between the various groups (and many more groups not yet introduced) so there’s likely going to be something more to your liking. It’s not white hats vs black hats later on!
Like I said, I loved it. And I didn’t find it to be just empty entertainment as it’s sometimes ridiculed for (not that there’s anything wrong with being “just” entertaining). I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, and has he stamina to read through it all! Then again, my husband also likes fantasy but he stopped before he was half way through, because he felt there is much MUCH more description than he can take. I love the way RJJ described all the various peoples and places, the sights and customs (although not all of them are very deep, which I find understandable), but hubby was immensely bored by it. Each to their own :)
Post by: Róisín on March 11, 2021, 07:01:52 AM
So we got a chance to look around the museum before listening to Rosanne speak, which was fascinating. She had been a teacher/ missionary in Afghanistan back before it became strategically important and had written some really interesting books about the culture and the cultural conflicts between our culture here and theirs, especially as regards arranged marriages.
She was also a descendant of early Cornish settlers in that Copper Triangle area, and knew that a lot of Cornish culture and folklore had been preserved there. I think I have mentioned the area before, including the Druid festival in the area, the Lowender Kernewek, and having myself done several jobs up there as a storyteller, including one where my mate Dusty and I did a gig at the North Kapunda hotel, which has a reputation as the most haunted hotel in Australia (if you want to see what we look like, there is a picture of us up on the Reenactment thread on the Fan Forum from a few years ago, at a Mediæval Fair. The tall whitehaired guy with the falconer and me is Dusty, I’m the short one).
I have also been able to translate the Cornish inscriptions on several tombstones in the Kapunda cemetery, and do other useful stuff up there, so I know a little about the Cornish folklore transplanted to the area along with the miners.
Anyway, the books I bought from Rosanne: one was a children’s/young adult’s short novel ‘Across the Creek’, which is a delightful fictional take on how modern kids might react if they found that some of the transplanted Cornish folklore was real. Funny, scary and sweet. I think my godsons, for whom I bought it, will absolutely love it.
The other book was ‘Riding the Wind’, which is about the art of writing for children and young adults. I think any author aspiring to write in those fields would find it extremely useful and informative!
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 11, 2021, 09:34:23 AM
Consider how in "the exception proves the rule" the meaning of "prove" has shifted so as to effectively reverse the original meaning of the phrase; from the exception putting the rule to the test, to the exception validating the rule, which doesn't quite make sense.I don’t know why I didn’t catch this earlier, but this is wrong because modern people confuse a rule with a law. A rule is a correlation or a guide, and thus can have exceptions; a law is absolute, and cannot. The exception proving the rule means that recognizing that an outlier or exception exists shows that the correlation also exists, aside from the exceptions.
Sorry; this kind of error really annoys me.
Post by: Róisín on March 11, 2021, 10:27:35 AM
‘There are thousands of laws legislators have spoken
A handful the Creator sent.
The former are being continually broken.
The latter can’t even be bent.’
I had thought ‘prove’ in this context signified something like ‘test’?
Post by: Maglor on March 11, 2021, 10:40:49 AM
Author: Strugatsky brothers
Genre: sci-fi
Description: ther's a place on Earth, heavily touched by allien activity. Alliens are long gone, but they left some artifacts behind, so "The Zone" became a Klondike for military, scientists and so called "Stalkers". This is a story of one of them.
If you ever wanted to know, what's the source of "S.T.A.L.K.E.R" game series, what Tarkovsky tried to say in on of his big movies, and why every wastelender is called Stalker over all the CIS, this book is for you)
Post by: Róisín on March 11, 2021, 10:56:31 AM
Post by: LooNEY_DAC on March 11, 2021, 11:09:02 AM
LooNEY, could you possibly elaborate more on that explanation? I don’t quite understand what you mean, unless it is something like Kipling’s:As a rule, humans have two ears.
‘There are thousands of laws legislators have spoken
A handful the Creator sent.
The former are being continually broken.
The latter can’t even be bent.’
I had thought ‘prove’ in this context signified something like ‘test’?
Exception that proves the rule: my grandpa had one ear after his cancer surgery; thus since it was removed, he had two to begin with.
If a law (as in the laws of physics) has exceptions, it isn’t a law.
Laws are prescriptive (or proscriptive); rules are descriptive (as a rule).
Post by: Róisín on March 11, 2021, 11:17:55 AM
Post by: thorny on March 11, 2021, 12:20:41 PM
If only some things are known about a time and place, it may be unclear what was the rule, that is, either what was the usual behavior or what was the (human) law.
If you then find a piece of info that's clearly making an exception, that tells you that the rule must have existed.
A sign that says 'everyone must leave their weapons at the door!' proves that it was common for people to be carrying weapons outside the door, and also proves that sometimes they brought them indoors. If nobody carried weapons, or if it was automatic that they were always left at the door, there would have been no need for such a sign. And so on.
So the saying still wouldn't mean 'exceptions prove that the rule was correct'. It means 'the existence of someone making an exception to a rule proves that the rule must have existed.'
And yes it only works with human rules; we're not going to find a sign reading 'warning! no gravity inside this establishment!' -- at least, not unless we find it in a space station. And if we did, it would prove that they'd had some means of providing effective up-and-down-ness in the rest of the station.
Post by: Róisín on March 15, 2021, 05:59:34 AM
Also, anent books, a friend has given me a copy of one of Rosanne Hawke’s other books: ‘Wolf Child’, which is a book for older children and young adults, an historical fantasy covering the inundation of Lyonnesse. It is a story about survivors of that flood, and one of the survivors is a child peripheral to the story of Tristan and Isolde. Good book if you like Cornish history and folklore, which I do, some of the Tasmanian and Bass Strait Islands branch of my family having come from there. She is a good and interesting writer whose work I will definitely share with the children I know!
Post by: Crumpite on March 29, 2021, 09:15:51 PM
A hard SiFi novel that's quite a challenge to read !
The protagonist of the story has a bit of brain damage or was just wired differently at birth and can only write phonetically, hence the title.
Most of the population of earth has left to voyage to other stars and in the meantime the solar system is drifting into a molecular cloud which will dim the sun enough to extinguish all life.
Big concepts everywhere and much isn't spelled out so a bit of thought is needed to piece together the story.
I'll be reading more of his SiFi as soon as I scrape up some time and cash !
I usually only read SiFi, fantasy and gothic horror.
I've been mining the old pulp magazines available in the internet archives for old gold lately...
Post by: Róisín on March 30, 2021, 06:19:43 AM
Post by: Jitter on March 30, 2021, 02:13:43 PM
Róisín, note that while Iain Banks and Iain M. Banks are in fact the same person, the former is the author of mainstream or contemporary fiction while the SciFi is written by the latter :)
Hard SciFi that doesn’t explain: the Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. May be worth a try!
Post by: Crumpite on March 30, 2021, 03:44:55 PM
I think the best jumping off point is:
http://.gwthomas.org/frank-belknap-long-part-one-1920-1939/
This lists a bunch of Long's fiction in the archives and from there you can jump to many other pages that link to even other sites. Yell if you need more detail...
If you are a Hodgeson fan this site has *many* derivative works by professional authors that have been published in book form:
https://nightland.website/index.php
Excellent stuff ! Creepy as all get out 😱
I've more if need be.
Enjoy, and I hope this entertains Star.
Post by: Maglor on March 30, 2021, 06:33:58 PM
But there's a thing about his books.
First of all: some ideologicaly sensitive readers might dislike Efremov for putting his stories in a decorations of a distant comunistic utopia.
Second is a thing I've had to realize in order to start actually like Efremov: his novels are only pretend to be fiction, while it's actually a philosophical treatises. His heroes are so well-speaking, so healthy and so much like antique statues (especially Fy Rodis) you just don't feel them as a living human-beings. Percept the as ideas is all that's left, and boy is he good at that!
Shortly: Ivan Efremov is like Ayn Rand, but for comunism.
Post by: Opaque on March 30, 2021, 07:21:09 PM
Post by: Crumpite on March 31, 2021, 12:01:33 PM
http://darkworldsquarterly.gwthomas.org/frank-belknap-long-part-one-1920-1939/
Aaand post it...
Post by: tzelly on March 31, 2021, 01:01:33 PM
Post by: Opaque on March 31, 2021, 06:52:38 PM
Post by: Jitter on April 01, 2021, 04:27:06 AM
Btw Opaque hello! If you want, pop by to the Introduction Thread! It’s not mandatory, but it’s nice to “properly” “meet” new people. Also, I want to say we are all nerds here, but of course I have no authority over anyone else or knowledge about how they self-identity. So I’ll settle for Many of us here are nerds!
Post by: Crumpite on April 01, 2021, 06:22:07 AM
https://archive.org/details/Weird_Tales_v20n04_1932-10_sas
There are many old pulps besides weird tales including many I've never heard of !
There are tags included for you to search on.
The Dark worlds quarterly site I listed before has quite a few great articles on various aspects of dark fiction and links to free copies to read.
Post by: Opaque on April 01, 2021, 09:03:53 AM
Post by: moredhel on April 01, 2021, 09:11:40 AM
Post by: thegreyarea on July 21, 2021, 10:08:33 AM
Yes, you have to sign for the club, but it's free and you will get free books from time to time. I've been part for years and had no problem.
Yes, it's a commercial site and their intention is to promote their books and authors, but you can sign, download and drop it tomorrow if you don't want to get their newsletters.
No, I didn't read it yet, but I've read other works from CJA and they are good.
I'll probably alter this post tomorrow after the offer ends, leaving just the club suggestion.
Post by: ohnosir on September 08, 2021, 10:17:51 PM
My absolute favourite thing about these, though, is a series of essays by Asimov over several mag issues that discuss how different aliens, based off of non-carbon elements (eg silicone-based lifeforms), could evolve and what types of environments and what kind of nutrients, air, "water", etc they would need. Super cool, last I checked they've only otherwise been published in an out-of-print Asimov science collection.
Sadly, being pulp mags, they crumble into dust if you handle them wrong. If I had the money, I'd take them to an archivist!
Post by: Róisín on September 09, 2021, 05:19:25 AM
Post by: ohnosir on October 29, 2021, 02:07:12 AM
Best 15 bucks I ever spent, if I can pay to keep them from falling apart..!
PS they also have what is probably the most direct inspiration for the Avatar movie aside from Fern Gully..."Call me Joe" by Poul Anderson
Post by: Róisín on October 25, 2022, 06:16:03 AM
Post by: Róisín on April 27, 2023, 10:11:34 PM
Post by: Turnstylus on April 28, 2023, 05:57:52 PM
Sometimes when an author makes what critics would call a "self-indulgent" work it can be really hilarious, if one is willing to laugh with the author. So I'm hoping I can make the time to read this one!
And thank you, @JoB , for linking to this review (https://www.blackgate.com/2018/02/21/the-silver-eggheads-by-fritz-leiber/) of the Silver Eggheads! This was a fun read in itself!
Post by: Róisín on April 29, 2023, 12:04:25 AM
Post by: Unremarkabillionaire on September 08, 2023, 05:53:52 PM
What's most interesting is that Percy offers little to no definite explanation of the solution to the problem, but he instead leaves it to the reader to "work out the problem." The questions asked throughout the book come after a facet of "the problem" is identified, named, and elucidated - but at the very point where most authors would begin to insert their "solution," Percy asks the solution of you, and leaves it at that!
All that, and I seem only dimly aware of the actual meaning of the book. It seems to belong to that class of "philosophical" works that I keep on my shelves, like The Republic, which I perennially misunderstand but keep around anyways, in the hope that I will grow to understand them one day.
If that seems interesting to you, I would recommend the book, with the qualification that you will probably not agree with everything written in it (nor are you meant to). It isn't very long (262 pages of fairly large text, in my edition), and it should not take much reading to tell whether you are the sort of person who would appreciate it.