What books are you reading now?

Meikle641 · Post by **Meikle641** » Sun May 02, 2010 11:50 pm

Nah, it's more that he fixed some contradictions and added references to later stuff, mainly Wizard and Glass. Basically, you should be able to spot most differences just by reading the revised book. It's still the same story, just tweaked a bit.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Thu May 06, 2010 3:19 pm

I just saw a weird interview that made something slide into focus.

The lead actress (can't think of her name at the moment) in the Twilight movie hates it.

Both of the lead actors in the Twilight movies hate it. That rabid fanbase makes it impossible for them to be normal in a crowd. Hell, the guy who plays Sir Sparkly says girls have scratched their necks until they bleed and said 'We're bleeding for you, Edward!' (I thought one of the 'virtues' of the character is that he abstains from human blood? Quite apart from not being able to tell the actor from the character...)

And I was thinking about the contrast between that, and other big-time, close-released movie series like, say, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Fri May 07, 2010 7:57 pm

Kristen Stewart.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 6:28 am

I special-ordered Ursula Vernon's Black Dogs Part One: The House of Diamond from a local bookstore a short while ago and finished it today. Overall, it was a fairly pleasant novel. Much easier reading than a lot of the books I've gone through lately. A couple concepts were new and gave me some ideas for a later campaign, and I definitely enjoyed it enough to want to pick up the next one.

The blood mage who the protagonist and her guardian spend around three quarters of the book escorting and his angsty, angsty, backstory were mildly annoying, but Vernon did some interesting things with the character. The central romance was more tolerable than most. Some intriguing takes on magically-created animal people predisposed towards behavior patterns that made them more socially useful. In general, I found the named characters in the story to be believably and sometimes quite insightfully written.

The most memorable scenes for me right now were the interactions between the semi-nefarious mage in charge of an island library-nation and his considerably more honorable lieutenant. They gave me some interesting thoughts on humanizing villains and bringing in themes of gradual corruption in future games.

cthulhu · Post by **cthulhu** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 8:36 am

Just finished Under Enemy colours - a hornblower esque book except a bit more action packed. If you liked hornblower and dudley pope's efforts, you'll probably like this.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, read the hornblower novels.

Post by **fbmf** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:21 pm

With The Old Breed.

Game On,
fbmf

mean_liar · Post by **mean_liar** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:32 pm

Has anyone here read "The Road"?

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 6:56 pm

"The Road" -- the Cormac Mccarthy novel? or is this something else? I tried getting into it once and but never got past 40 pages and had to turn it back into the library.

--

I recently read pretty much every Guy Gavriel Kay book out there. A very urban tolkien in ways but really that's all he is. It's good to read and get lost in but I don't think I'd do a reread.

"Aya" "Aya of yop city" and "Aya: the secrets come out." a series of graphic novels by Margerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie. A very teen girlish set of comics. It also gives a great look at what life in Cote D'ivoire was like 20-30 years ago.

"The New York four" by Brian wood & Ryan Kelly -- another teen gn. I love Brian wood's characterization of people and he does an awesome job writing about a reclusive girl going to college.

Blicero · Post by **Blicero** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:22 pm

Mean Liar wrote: Has anyone here read "The Road"?

I read it a couple of years ago, probably around when it first came out. It's an interesting take on the typical post-apocalyptic scenario that really focuses on the human element. (For example, I don't think you ever actually learn what causes the End of the World.)

It doesn't really have any overarching plot that plays a big more in the story; it's more a series of vignettes about the various encounters the Boy and his Father have while on The Road. And Cormac McCarthy has an excellent writing style, if you like Hemingway-esque sentences that are very stripped down and simple.

It's main flaw, if it has one, is the one common to McCarthy's novels in that they tend to be about Men doing their thing while being very taciturn and Strong and shit. I'd say he suffers from this problem even more than Hemingway did, because Hemingway at least had jokes, satire, and puns in his novels. McCarthy's books tend to be rather dark places.

I think that Blood Meridian is a better book, but The Road is still far from bad. I found All The Pretty Horses pretty horrible, though.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 5:27 am

Well, in the few hours since I made my last post, I went on a reading rampage. I read two more graphic novels and a novel.

"Daisy Kutter: The last train" by Kazu Kibushi - Is a pretty cool old west story about a retired gunslinger girl who used to be a train robber and goes back for one last job. Also throw in a few mild sci-fi elements like robots. His art is very clean and I couldn't find a single picture that was busy. Each picture has a definite focus and he does action very well.

"The New York four" by Brian Wood - a teen girl graphic novel. A story about a girl who just has gotten into college and how she copes with her authoritarian parents, her estranged sister, love, and texting. Brian Wood does some really awesome young people characterization. The art is also very cool with nice black and white line art.

"The Old Man and the sea" by Ernest Hemingway -- man, I don't know how I have been on earth for 25 years and also earning an English degree and not have read any Hemingway. This book blew me away. I mean this was some awesome stuff. Anytime a book can have a man lean over from his boat and punch a shark without having it be silly is awesome. But that's just extra. Icing on the cake.

Jilocasin · Post by **Jilocasin** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 5:43 am

Kazu Kibuishi is an excellent graphic novelist. I read the first installment of Amulet, but I haven't picked up the second or third yet. If you liked his work I'd definitely recommend checking out this series too.

Blicero · Post by **Blicero** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:02 pm

Cynic wrote: "The Old Man and the sea" by Ernest Hemingway -- man, I don't know how I have been on earth for 25 years and also earning an English degree and not have read any Hemingway. This book blew me away. I mean this was some awesome stuff. Anytime a book can have a man lean over from his boat and punch a shark without having it be silly is awesome. But that's just extra. Icing on the cake.

You should read the Sun Also Rises, then. It's even better than the Old Man and the Sea. It's basically "Existentialism 101." And it's hilarious.

Clutch9800 · Post by **Clutch9800** » Mon Jun 21, 2010 4:47 pm

Has anyone here read "The Road"?

I read The Road and in a word I found it relentless. It was one of the few books I've ever read where there simply was no "down-time".

Clutch

RiotGearEpsilon · Post by **RiotGearEpsilon** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 3:00 pm

I just finished reading the League Of Peoples series and I'm very sad that there probably won't ever be any more in it.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:47 pm

Not reading it, but I'm tempted to page through it and B&N:
Twilight and Philosophy

unfortunately it's all too possible that it all goes in favour of twilight...

Blasted · Post by **Blasted** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 1:25 am

Clutch9800 wrote:
Has anyone here read "The Road"?
I read The Road and in a word I found it relentless. It was one of the few books I've ever read where there simply was no "down-time".

Clutch

Is it worth reading?

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:14 am

Prak_Anima wrote:Not reading it, but I'm tempted to page through it and B&N:
Twilight and Philosophy

unfortunately it's all too possible that it all goes in favour of twilight...

Here's the philosophy you need to know.

http://stoney321.livejournal.com/317176.html

Psychic Robot · Post by **Psychic Robot** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:18 am

The Godfather. One of the characters has a horsedick, some old guy fucked a 12-year-old, and there's $600,000 horse missing its head. And I'm only 100 pages in.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:24 am

I forgot how much fun the first Godfather novel was. Thanks, P_R. I'll have to pick it up again.
--

Read the first two books of Lois McMaster Bujold's "Sharing KNife" series.

It's a great read in how it shows the uncomfortable racism between two different people. The two main characters form an interracial couple and the amount of grief they get is palpable. The series doesn't have an over-arcing plot similar to other fantasy novels. Really aside from havign their relationship grow over the novels, the plot doesn't seems to go in any typical fantasy novel fashion.

All in all, I'm really pleased with Bujold.I read the chalion series and now this one. I might just have to take a deep breath and dive into her space opera series? I've heard some of you say wonderful things about that. But you should tell me again if I should read it.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 1:46 pm

I grabbed a Greyhawk book by Gygax for about two dollars at a used bookstore. I'm going to read it, and snark it on here. I'm sort of hoping it'll be horrible enough to inspire Rage in me.

So, to that end...

GREYHAWK ADVENTURES

SAGA OF OLD CITY

by Gary Gygax

-----------------------------
GREYHAWK...

a beautful, wondrous city.

a cruel city.

a harsh, pitiless city for a young orphan boy with no money and no friends--but plenty of enemies!

Enter the Old City of Greyhawk, that marvelous place where dreams--and nightmares--come true. Travel through the world of Oerth along with Gord, the boy who becomes a man as he fights for his survival in a world of mysterious wizards, fearsome monsters, dour dwarves, and beautiful women. For Oerth is a world where a man's eyes must always watch the shadows...and a man's hand must always be on the hilt of his dagger.

Here, at last, is enough adventure to last a lifetime--perhaps a very short lifetime!

-----------------------

Golly bob howdy, I think I'm having fun already.

More to come. I'll scan the cover when I get around to it.

PoliteNewb · Post by **PoliteNewb** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 4:13 pm

Maxus wrote:I grabbed a Greyhawk book by Gygax for about two dollars at a used bookstore. I'm going to read it, and snark it on here. I'm sort of hoping it'll be horrible enough to inspire Rage in me.

Oh, dear god. I found one at my local library and tried reading it for kicks...I could not get more than a few chapters in. That shit was like pouring boiling acid on my brain.

I'm not even a real Gygax hater, like some around here are. But man could not write fiction for shit.

On a lighter note: I'm currently reading The King's Peace, by Jo Walton. So far, it reads like a retelling of the Arthur tale with some interesting twists...for instance, a female warrior protagonist.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 2:12 am

I have accidentally touched Ari Marmell's latest novel and will regret it for the rest of my life. It's most close in form and function to a Saturday morning cartoon fanfic written by a retarded kid. How could anyone with half a brain publish this vomit? There are in three jokes in total, repeated incessantly*, which become stale the first time around (impractical armor; "I'm a humanitarian"; "lol irony"), no concept of pacing, and no one has read the evil overlord list which is fucking mandatory in what aspires to be dark fantasy. Easily the worst book I've ever seen, counting Dragons of a Vanished Moon.

*and by that I mean the characters actually talk like this:
1: "That armor's heavy. I'd rather suck a barrel of cocks than wear it. That was sarcasm. I hope you noticed."
2: "It happens that I have a barrel of cocks right there. Sarcasm."
1: "Oh my, you're really smooth (sarcasm). Are you going to continue or can I do something more interesting like watching paint dry (sarcasm)?"
2: "Yes, I will shut up right now (sarcasm). In other news, your mom..."
3: *burp* "I invited a human for dinner. He was the dinner. Lol."
Every fucking page is like that. Crowning moment of retarded: killing a demon lord by transmuting atoms of iron in the blood to wood.

Aaaaand he's got a sequel deal. Looking at the testimonials... Scott Lynch - et tu, Brutus? Robin Hobb (okay, I don't like her books, but she doesn't seem to be easy to bribe)? WTF?

koz · Post by **koz** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:04 am

So, it seems Ari Marmell is not capable of writing anything. This doesn't really surprise me at all.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:24 pm

Mister_Sinister wrote:So, it seems Ari Marmell is not capable of writing anything. This doesn't really surprise me at all.

True, but that doesn't answer questions such as
[*] What was the publisher smoking?
[*] Why don't people value their reviewer's integrity?
[*] How does Ari Marmell manage to wipe his ass? on second thought, I don't want that answered.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 2:28 am

So, I'm more than a hundred pages into the Greyhawk book.

So far, it hasn't actually been -that- bad. But, however, some notes.

-Our Hero, one Gord, is a Rogue. Or maybe Thief. But he evidently also has the equivalent of full BAB. How? Lots of exercise and fighting lessons!

-He starts off a street kid, get arrested for thievery (Gygax just -loves- the word 'sodomized'. It keeps on popping up. "It was a good thing Gord was so small. If he was in the men's labor camp, he wouldn't survive the bullying and the sodomizing"). Then he gets sold to the Chief Beggar by a corrupt guard, gets taught to be a beggar, and oh noes, the beggars are planning a coup against the Thieves' Guild.

-Our Hero, by a hundred pages is, is no longer a hero. He's actually quite a douche. He met a girl when he was about thirteen. She was part of a tribe of rivermen. So, years later, he gets into the tribe, and accidentally ends up with a woman. Only, said woman is a bitch. So, he arranges to get her foisted on some unfortunate. Then, he meets the girl from when he was thirteen again. She's nice to him. What does he do? He uses her as a patsy. When your character is intentionally setting up well-meaning people to take the fall, they're not a hero then.

-The use of 'demi-human' also gets on my nerves. And so did the dwarf who was some kind of German or Jewish stereotype. The accent was really badly done. I expected him to pull out an axe and say "Oy vey, I know vhere you liff!" or something.