Books

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel

 

Great book!

 

EDIT: I actauly bought extra copies when I found it on sale so I could give them to freinds, that's how much I liked it.

Edited July 17, 2009 by Deadly_Nightshade

[Theseus]

Stranger In A Strange Land by R. Heinlein

 

I'm digging it, The main character is a bit dull in his actions but his eccentric poet steals the book for me!

[Walsingham]

Dashiell Hammett -- The Big Knockover (collection of short stories)

 

The detective story kick goes on. Hammett's prose isn't quite as satisfying as Chandler's, but it's really the source of the essential 'hardboiled' character that Chandler took and worked with. (Yes, I am reading these in the wrong order.) Still quite satisfying, though.

 

Agreed.

[l'Incendiario]

Pagans and Christians, Robert Lane Fox. Very dry, but seemingly scrupulously researched. Much better than John Mann's Atilla the Hun, which should have been called "My Whimsical Theory", not Historical Investigation.

[Aristes]

I'm rereading Paradise Lost. Alas, I always forget how boring the heavenly parts are. Now, while I don't agree with folks who say that Satan is the hero of the piece, I have to admit that he does keep the story moving! haha Seriously, though, the devils do come across as heroic even if they are clearly the bad guys. The same is true of the Divine Comedy. Hell is the most interesting place in the piece. However, you've got to remember that the primary purpose of both works is didactic. Sure, they're entertainment, but the essential goal of both authors is to teach.

[l'Incendiario]

Just finished that a few weeks ago. We think Milton has his tongue firmly in his cheek ... seriously, talk about making a farse of religion, with the ENDLESS pages of hymn-singing banality of the heavenly host!

 

Still very good, though, regardless of your religious politics. Picked some verses to keep. Lovely prose.

[Aristes]

Hey, I love it and I'm Catholic. Talk about a group he pretty much mangles in the poem!

[Walsingham]

I'm reading Eastern Approaches by Nicholas MacClean. Diplomat to Soviet Russia during the purges, and SAS man in the war. Riveting stuff. Great insights into the mindset of the Imperial ruling classes.

[Guard Dog]

Now reading The Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong. A little slow going because it was translated from Chinese (which makes the prose a little clumsy at times) but the story is great. I highly reccomend this one.

[Blarghagh]

Slowly working my way through the Discworld series. Now on "Mort". Like it so far. I loved the first two books and Equal Rites was great up until the end which I felt was something of an anticlimax.

[Walsingham]

Armageddon Max Hastings

 

A big fat book about the fall of the Reich. Rather apposite considering the fuhrer-bunker feel of the house at the moment.

 

Hastings is a good guy all round, and while getting political in his old age it's hard to undermine his scholarship.

[Darth InSidious]

Armageddon Max Hastings

 

A big fat book about the fall of the Reich. Rather apposite considering the fuhrer-bunker feel of the house at the moment.

 

Hastings is a good guy all round, and while getting political in his old age it's hard to undermine his scholarship.

I don't think he's exactly getting political now - he was editor-in-chief of the Telegraph, after all - but he may be becoming more vociferous now. And like a lot of ex-DT journos, of course, he's gone over to the Mail (and vice-versa, leading to the ghastly Mailograph now sold).

[Walsingham]

Armageddon Max Hastings

 

A big fat book about the fall of the Reich. Rather apposite considering the fuhrer-bunker feel of the house at the moment.

 

Hastings is a good guy all round, and while getting political in his old age it's hard to undermine his scholarship.

I don't think he's exactly getting political now - he was editor-in-chief of the Telegraph, after all - but he may be becoming more vociferous now. And like a lot of ex-DT journos, of course, he's gone over to the Mail (and vice-versa, leading to the ghastly Mailograph now sold).

 

I'm comparing it with his earlier stuff about the Falklands. I must confess that I read the Telegraph, because it seems to be the only paper that feels it sensible to employ defence correspondents who have actually been in the Forces. Weirdly, i prefer the Guardian for political coverage.

[Purkake]

Has anyone read Kevin J. Anderson's Saga of Seven Suns? Is it any good?

[Bartimaeus]

Darkness Descending - Harry Turtledove

 

A World War 2 alternate reality where technology is replaced by magic and fictional creatures.

 

For example, bombs are replaced by 'eggs' which are sorcerous energy compacted into a small ball. Dragons are the planes, albeit, they aren't the intelligent beings that are depicted in most series such as Anne McCaffrey's books, or Hell's Gate, or basically anything else. They're stupid creatures that are forced to work for humans by torture with iron rods that they beat with them in specific orders that give them instructions. Nuclear power is replaced by sorcerous energy that is created through multiple ways: Life force, which, by the average sorcerous can be extracted through their own life. You can, however, also steal it out of other creatures by killing them. An example is the Kaunians, which are the Jews in this series. Other ways aren't really explained, as I believe life force is the main way to power spells, as well as weapons, such as guns, (called 'sticks', which shoot energy beams). The Algarvians, (combination of Soviets & Germans, in my opnion), are hungry for war, and start a war with Unkerlant, (?), which is the biggest world power besides Algarve. Algarve has been slowly conquering the other states of the world, or forcing them to become vassals, but targeting Unkerlant is draining their resources. Algarve's climate is mild, and Unkerlant's is a freezing wastehole, so you can see some obvious problems in Algarve trying to conquer them. Also, Algarve's clothing is mere kilts, and that's their required uniform, so they're naturally freezing their butts of while the Unkerlant soldiers are wearing actual pants and generally heavier clothing.

 

The part I'd like to say most would be the Kaunians, but that would wreck most of the book, I think.

[Jaesun]

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

 

I just finished this (and NO I'm not going to read her stupid vampire books. I like my homo-erotic Anne Rice ones better). I honestly just wanted to get a feel for her writing style. I actually enjoyed it. Aliens invade (a small centipede like creature is implanted into humans). Once implanted, they take control of the host, have complete access to their memories etc... thus the invasion happens unexpectedly. Parts of it were kinda creepy, and some of the alien stuff was kind of cool.

 

It's more.... an emotional type of story, so most people would quite be turned off. I obviously, didn't have a problem with it. It was a decent read. Nothing phenomenal, but a fun read. And I had to read it, so my Aunt would be happy. As me and her are the 2 sci-fi geeks in the family.

[Shryke]

i got told about an awesome sounding book series tonight at a party

 

can't remember exactly, but it involved a floating city of pirates and cyborgs and sounded amazing

[Walsingham]

Darkness Descending - Harry Turtledove

They're stupid creatures that are forced to work for humans by torture with iron rods that they beat with them in specific orders that give them instructions. N

 

You mean like playing a xylophone?

[Guard Dog]

Now reading The Pharsalia, a two thousand year old account of the Roman civil war. Actually very poetic considering it's translated from Latin.

[Gorth]

Darkness Descending - Harry Turtledove

They're stupid creatures that are forced to work for humans by torture with iron rods that they beat with them in specific orders that give them instructions. N

 

You mean like playing a xylophone?

 

Now reading The Pharsalia, a two thousand year old account of the Roman civil war. Actually very poetic considering it's translated from Latin.

Sounds interesting (I'm a history addict). Is it personal stories (letters from xyz war) or a historians account of event, or something completely third?

 

Finishing my current batch of "junk food for the brain", paperback books in the Warhammer Fantasy and 40k setting.

[Calax]

Finishing my current batch of "junk food for the brain", paperback books in the Warhammer Fantasy and 40k setting.

I'm busting my way through "The Killing Ground" which is the most recent Ultramarines novel.

[Gorth]

Finishing my current batch of "junk food for the brain", paperback books in the Warhammer Fantasy and 40k setting.

I'm busting my way through "The Killing Ground" which is the most recent Ultramarines novel.

I've been eyeing that one, but I lost track of the Ultramarines novels after the first two. I wonder how hard it would be to pick up the thread again?

[Calax]

well... Killing Ground is a direct sequel to the third book. but they're both pretty good.

 

It should be said that the three last books are actually more of a trilogy, the second book in the series causes the events of the third book to start and the fourth book is what's happening AFTER what happened in the third book.

Edited August 9, 2009 by Calax

[Gorth]

I don't have the third book. Can't find the third book. The only way I can get the third book is go for the "Omnibus" which includes the two books I already have

[Calax]

well... amazon will give you three omnibusses (Ultramarines, Blood Angels, and Soul Drinkers) for 30 bucks plus free shipping (I think on the shipping).

 

THen you can give away the other two books to people who you want to seduce into the Warhammer cult!