Books

[Maedhros]

Three Kingdoms...

 

CURSE YOU DYNASTY WARRIORS FOR BEING BASED ON SUCH A GOOD BOOK!

 

>.>

 

 

Great book that. Insanely hard to remember all the names, but every time I read it I discover some new amazing dude who I'd forgotten about. Zhuge Liang ftw.

[Shryke]

Fools Errand - by Robin Hobb

 

first book in the Tawny Man series, which continues on from the Royal Assassin series

 

the Fool always intrigued me as a character

[Tigranes]

Oh my god, Westerners who have read the Three Kingdoms?! LETS TALK, MY FRIENDS

 

*ahem*

 

Yeah, living in New Zealand it's so hard to find anyone who knows about it, it's pretty amazing. I read a 10-book version compiled and commented on by a Korean professor, very nice work. Obviously that means all the names are transliterated to Korean, but yeah. Its a fantastic story and really, there is absolutely no equivalent in Western history - never has a single scholar who studied books all day been able to so easily fit into the intrigues of the court and dictate the fates of nations. Also, some delightful tactical warfare, even if much of it is historically debatable. What versions have you folks read?

 

Currently I'm getting a 3-book version of Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. Liu Bang is the first emperor of the Han dynasty, and thus is a distant (diiiistant) ancestor of Three Kingdoms' Liu Bei; this occurs ~400 years before the Three Kingdoms, when Qin Shi Huangdi, the unifier of China (Qin Dynasty, the one who burnt all those books) died and his empire fell apart. There's lot of the same things going on like Xianyang, the super-smart advisor. Liu Bang is very similar to Liu Bei in that they start off from low social positions, are absolutely useless at things like administration or warfare, but persevere through their charisma and leadership - though, of course, in this one Liu Bang actually wins. But then, Cao Cao was a bloody genius.

[samm]

Qin Shi Huangdi, the unifier of China (Qin Dynasty, the one who burnt all those books) died and his empire fell apart.

Is that the one from "Hero"?

[Sereyna]

I also read the Twilight books about two weeks ago. Didn't think that I would like them, but was pleasantly surprised . Read all 3 in a week though -- pretty quick reads. Last night I finished The Briar King by Greg Keyes, which was very good. Its a series of I believe 4 which is even completed! Now I picked up Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley, only about 50 pages in at the moment.

 

I've read every book I own (some more than once) and I need to hit Amazon tonight. I'm in the mood for something similar to WoT or GRRM's Ice and Fre series. Anyone ever read Raymond Feists work? He has a few series that I gather are interconnected. Or Stephen Eriksons "Mazlan" series? I usually steer away from fantasy because so much of it is just crap. Any good ones out there?

 

I like the Malazan series very much. That said -- Book 1 ( Gardens of the Moon ) is easily the weakest one in the series. Give it at least through Deadhouse Gates ( book 2), which kicks much ass. Oh -- I've only read through book 5 by the way, so I cant give opinions on the last 2 ( or 3 ? ) books that have come out.

 

Some of my other favorite fantasy -- Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing Series ( recommended to me here!! ), Scott Lynch The Gentlemen Bastards, and Joe Abercrombie's the First Law Series. None will disappoint, though I find the First Law series the strongest of the three.

[Tigranes]

Is that the one from "Hero"?

 

I think it might have been, but I don't remember the movie clearly enough.

[LadyCrimson]

I was reading The Princess Bride last night. I'd forgotten how different it is from the movie.

It's funny, but the movie is still better.

[Shryke]

i prefer the book to be honest

 

now reading the Golden Fool - second book in the Tawny Man trilogy by Robin Hobb

[Musopticon?]

Necronomicon - The Best Weird Tales of H.P Lovecraft, Commemorative Edition

 

My gf gave me this as n early birthday present. It's incredible!

[Xard]

books suck

 

That said "Seitsem

Edited April 22, 2008 by Xard

[Shryke]

almost finished Fool's Fate, the final book in the Tawny Man trilogy

 

seems like an okay series, but in some sense it seems too... cliched i guess

 

i prefer things like George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, where characters aren't so clear-cut good and evil, and "good" guys can be killed off

[Guard Dog]

@Shryke, the moral ambiguity of Song of Ice and Fire do give it a real world feel that is absent in fantasy. Maybe that is why it appeals to me and the work of Goodkin, Salvatore, and Brooks (and others) do not.

 

Now reading Merles Door by Ted Kerasote. I LOVE this book.

Edited May 2, 2008 by Guard Dog

[Musopticon?]

I don't know if I have read the same books, but Hobb is known for multi-leveled characters in all her series. I can't remember anyone who had a purely good or evil persona. Those who were initially perceived as good people could turn out to be prejudiced racists later on and you'd still have a ton of sympathy for them, evil characters had a smattering of twists to them and often good reasons, or at least ones justifiable to themselves to do their deeds.

 

I agree that Hobb is hesitant to kill her characters, but I think that is an asset for the stories. The Martin comparison isn't quite right, since he writes on such a large scale, while Hobb is often concentrating on one or three main characters. I don't constant culling would serve the stories all that well.

Edited May 2, 2008 by Musopticon?

[Shryke]

@Shryke, the moral ambiguity of Song of Ice and Fire do give it a real world feel that is absent in fantasy. Maybe that is why it appeals to me and the work of Goodkin, Salvatore, and Brooks (and others) do not.

 

Now reading Merles Door by Ted Kerasote. I LOVE this book.

 

most definitely agree with you GD, that's what i like about the series

 

and Mus, you are right to a point. there are certainly multi-level characters in the series (ie the Fool), but there were a few major characters that only really had one aspect to them

 

the ones i can think of that had a bit more to them were ones like Chade and Burrich

[Istima Loke]

I finally (some weeks ago actually) found the time and mood to finish "Tales from Earthsea". The first story I considered the weakest mostly because the story and writing felt disjointed. All the other stories, though, were great. I think Le Guin's short stories (30-40 pages long) are more focused and really capture the atmosphere of Earthsea. I actually got interested in reading "The Other Wind".

 

Now I'm starting "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell". It's a pseudo-historic fantasy novel taking place in the 19th century England. Seems fun up until now.

[Guard Dog]

Now I'm starting "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell". It's a pseudo-historic fantasy novel taking place in the 19th century England. Seems fun up until now.

That book is the literary equivalent of eating a really tough steak. At the end you are full and it was good at times but on the whole the experience was a little unplesant.

[Laozi]

I'm reading this:

http://www.amazon.com/Areas-My-Expertise-J...n/dp/0525949089

 

Its definitely light reading, sometimes its seems to be insanely funny while other times it falls flat. I was reluctant to embrace "PC" on his own merits since those apple commercials sometimes make me laugh and I'm in no way comfortable with that. I heard this podcast the other day where he was relating this story about how suddenly people would recognize him and basically act nuts and ask him insane questions and he would have to grope for replies to things he had no earthly idea why anyone would say. Finally it occurred to him that these people were a little starstruck and that it was them looking for approval and not vice versa. I guess it was the type of story only someone of minor celebrity can really pull off and sound in earnest.

[kirottu]

I read The Floating Girl(Rei Shimura ja tappava manga) by Sujata Massey.

 

This is actually first time I

[Spider]

Currently reading (and I'm almost ashamed to admit it) the Belgariad and the Malloreon by David Eddings. Almost through actually.

 

For some reason I decided to go through the entire series again. Before that I read the fantastic Cloud Atlas and very good Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, and the weird but entertaining Legends From the End of Time by Michael Moorcok. Going from those books to Eddings writing makes me wonder what I saw in his books all those years ago when I loved them. They are really, really awful.

 

And yet, I can't stop reading them...

*sigh*

 

Thankfully I'll soon be done and ready to give Black Sun Rising by Celia Friedman a whirl. A book that was recommended to me by CrashGirl.

 

I will definitely recommend David Mitchell's work though. He is bloody brilliant. He is very ambitious in his writing and isn't afraid to take risks. It doesn't always pay off, and some parts of his books don't really work (probably different parts for different people). But the ambition he has is so inspiring, and the parts that do work are so good it almost hurts.

 

Black Swan Green takes fewer risks and as such feels a little less brilliant than say Cloud Atlas or Ghostwritten. But it's a book I couldn't stop reading. And considering it's plot is a year in the life of an eleven year old boy living a fairly ordinary life in a small english town in the eighties, that's no mean feat.

[Shryke]

nothing new to read, so i'm idly skimming through the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin

 

quite surprised by all the things i'd never noticed before

(ie hints of John Snow not being Ned Stark's son at all)

 

 

*Edited by Walsingham for spoilergasm.

[Guard Dog]

nothing new to read, so i'm idly skimming through the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin

 

quite surprised by all the things i'd never noticed before (ie hints of John Snow not being Ned Stark's son at all)

 

Heck Shryke I thought that was obvious. I think he is the son of

Rheagar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

 

[Moatilliatta]

Didn't everyone get that? And I agree with you GD.

[Shryke]

heh yeah i was never really a fan of John Snow as a character, so i didn't pay too much attention

[Laozi]

Yeah, unfortunately my friend Sherman pretty well hinted at that before I even finished A Game of Thrones so I didn't get a chance to ponder it myself, its just who's the other head of the dragon.

 

 

 

Oh yeah, and I'm reading Red Earth and Pouring Rain by Vickrum Chundra. Its totally awesomtaculiarx2.

Edited May 8, 2008 by Laozi

[Matthew Rorie]

I started reading The House of Leaves yesterday on the recommendation of a friend of mine. It's about a guy who finds a book written by another guy, who was writing about a film made by another guy, which is itself about a house that the third guy was living in which is bigger on the inside than it is outside. It's pretty crazy, but mostly for the way it's presented; it's a full-color book. The new edition is 45 dollars and actually has a bit of braille in it. If you're ever in a bookstore, track it down and check it out.