Antonius Pius Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I'm currently reading In the Name of Rome, by Adrian Goldsworthy. It's about "The Men Who Won the Roman Empire", i.e. the most famous generals. So far, so good. It's well researched, well written, and not too dry. So far I've read up until Scipio Aemilianus. I've also recently started "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner. I don't read much classical literature, but I thought I'd give it a go. Does anybody else have an opinion on Faulkner? Does anybody know who the auther of Malazan Empire is? Is it any good? How many books? Sologdin, I know Curtius Rufus and Arrian both wrote about Alexander the Great, so that's clear enough, but do you have a special purpose for reading Appian, Dio and Polybius? ETA: Bengali Menace: How old is the first edition of The Assassins by Lewis? It should be mentioned in fron of the book (the earliest copywright). IIRC, it's come out somewhere in the 1950's or 1960's. I hear it's a good study, but some aspects of Lewis' approach have become somewhat outdated. At least according to a friend of mine who specialized in the Muslim stance on the Crusades and Crusaders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Roses Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Isabella - She-Wolf of France is recommended, with the proviso that Dark Ages history tends to rely a lot on speculation based on skimpy evidence so is not as satisfying as it should be. yeah......as Edward II was my specialist subject at university and I have read most of the skimpy evidence in dimly lit basement libraries, I'm interested in what the author has dug up on the wife. Probably lots of wardrobe lists like 2 rolls of samite, 8 rolls of dyed wool, 2 pennies to someone for hearing confession etc. Not exactly a book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint777 Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Does anybody know who the auther of Malazan Empire is? Is it any good? How many books? Steven Erikson. The Series: Gardens of the Moon: Considered the weakest in the series. I love it. Essentially sword and sorcery with little exposition. Erikson just throws you into the middle of a world and conflict and you either sink or swim. On the negative side, characters are cutout and the writing is the weakest in the series. Deadhouse Gates: Mythic. The Chain of Dogs storyline is the best thing I've ever read in fantasy. The best novel in the series so far. You can start with this book without reading GOTM. Memories of Ice: Considered his best I think it is way too bloated. Has some amazing sequences but the bloat kills the book. Not available in USA but you can order the books through Amazon UK or Canada: House of Chains: Currently reading this and enjoying it a lot more the MOI. Midnight Tides The Bonehunters Upcoming Novels: Reaper's Gale Toll the Hounds Dust of Dreams The Chained God There are also two novellas set in the same world that are available(not in US yet but through Amazon CA or UK): Blood Follows The Healthy Dead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DecayingExponentials Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Is it advisable to skip GOTM? I've been reading it on-and-off again for about 2 months. The dialogue and the super-powerful characters really kill it for me. I just can't seem to enjoy reading about Paran, Tattersail, Whiskeyjack, etc. right now. It's starting to get a little bit better, but I hate forcing myself to read something. However, the series has seen so much praise, I feel like I may be missing something fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonius Pius Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Thank you, Saint777. I'll be looking into this series, I think. I did not know Erikson wrote them, but I do believe he is generally praised on this site. Is it advisable to skip GOTM? I second that question. What do the people who have read Erikson so far think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteQueen Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 yeah......as Edward II was my specialist subject at university and I have read most of the skimpy evidence in dimly lit basement libraries, I'm interested in what the author has dug up on the wife. Probably lots of wardrobe lists like 2 rolls of samite, 8 rolls of dyed wool, 2 pennies to someone for hearing confession etc. Not exactly a book! I read the book and liked it. I did not think wardrobe lists were over the top and I sort of like these little bits of reality life in Middle Ages. And if Edward II was your specialist subject, you would definitely find a lot of information on him in the book. Including his letters to Isabella, the heir, the French kings, the pope, etc. Good read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat5150 Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Guys, don't skit GARDENS OF THE MOON. It's a train wreck of a book, but you need to get through this chaotic novel in order to enjoy the rest of the series. Things will begin to make sense in the second and third volumes. . . As for me, I've just finished Paul S. Kemp's MIDNIGHT'S MASK. And in retrospect, this novel/series is a good effort by an author who will likely make a good name for himself in the genre. However, I feel that The Erevis Cale trilogy will appeal to a younger audience, or one that is more action-oriented. Check the blog for the full review. . . Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I really enjoyed Gardens of the Moon and consider it superior to both House of Chains and (after some thought) The Bonehunters. It has perhaps two central storyline sections (the Phoenix Inn Regulars' adventures in Darujhistan and the Bridgeburners' activites in the city) which the story hangs on very well. Unfortunately, neither starts until about a third of the way into the book. The first 150 pages or so are pretty confusing, with the reader bouncing from unexplained plot element to unexplained plot element to enigmatic character with no real chance to catch your breath. Some people enjoy this (I did) but many do not. Interestingly, in his recent interview, I believe with Locus, Steven Erikson said he now considers those opening 150 pages to be something of a mistake and would do it differently now, which was slightly disappointing. His previous interviews said he liked the sink-or-swim nature of the opening to the book, but I'm guessing his American publishers have not been so keen on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sologdin Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 special purpose for reading Appian, Dio and Polybius? antonius-- general roman fetish. it's like crack, actually. polybius, i guess, is valuable for being one of livy's sources, and likely a source of the roman generals book you're reading (polybius probably has lots to say about scipio aemilianus?). appian is useful, i think, to broaden one's reading of the civil wars (especially), because g. julius' account of them is schematic and fairly partisan. dio takes us through the severans, which is very valuable, IMHO, because that period is not well preserved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyman Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Dear lord. Looking at the title of this thread has reminded me that I haven't read a book in over a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceBannon42 Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Erikson's style just isnt really to my taste. I slogged through GotM and thought it was overall pretty average. I did enjoy it a bit more towards the end, so I decided to give read deadhouse gates a shot, as many claim this was much better. My feelings were maybe it was slightly better, which would make it barely better than average overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IheartTesla Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I just started the Blood Knight by Greg Keyes. Seems ok so far, more when i finally finish it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyIsabel28 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Okay...I'm moving Forever Amber from July to August Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 starting The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling. Yeah, I know that people bitched about the latest installment, but your enthusiasm for the first two books caught my eye. Damn you people! Also, gonna reread Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Just seems about time I did that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multaniette Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 Finished the Bordertown anthology edited by Terri Windling with Mark Alan Arnold. It was a very entertaining read. As expected, Emma Bull's story was the strongest, though that might have something to do with my liking for Orient, Ticker, Wolfboy and the Danceland bunch. Of the others, Ellen Kushner's and Windling's offering was sad, moving and contained a lot of cool info about the Farrell Din generation. The other stories were also good, Bordertown (and Borderland) is a very cool urban fantasy setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doppelganger Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Just finished The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon. Ugh.... painfully dull. What should I read next?; The Stand - King Carrie - King Dune - Herbert House of Chains - Erikson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multaniette Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 Dune, if it's your first read. Otherwise, House of Chain might be a nice change of pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multaniette Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 Finished two short books during the afternoon. Tithe by Holly Black started off (comparatively) well but turned into a complete trainwreck a quarter of the way through. I have a hard time believing the author wasn't sued for plagiarising War of the Oaks. Trite, lifeless, worthless waste of trees. The Cosmic Puppets by Philip K. Dick was a short, witty and delightful fantasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonius Pius Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 general roman fetish. it's like crack, actually. Quite understandable. polybius, i guess, is valuable for being one of livy's sources, and likely a source of the roman generals book you're reading (polybius probably has lots to say about scipio aemilianus?). Polybius' view is also relevant because he was an outsider in Rome, and got to see the Roman goings on firsthand. HE not only has a lot to say of Scipio Aemilianus (and was an eye-witness to the Third Punic War), he has also spoken to a lot of companions of Scipio Africanus, including his right-hand-man Laelius. So his info on the Second Punic War is also largely derived from eye-witnesses and participants. appian is useful, i think, to broaden one's reading of the civil wars (especially), because g. julius' account of them is schematic and fairly partisan. Appian is indeed a very useful source for the Civil War. Have you read Sallust's Conspiracy of Catiline? It also gives a good picture of Roman politics at the end of the Republic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterfella Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Alright, how come nobody told me that Catch-22 was like, the greatest effing book in the history of the world. This is a detail that someone should have shared with me before now. I had to find out on my own (still 100 pages to go, and if it isn't the greatest, it's at least the most fun). I'm dissapointed in all of you for this oversight. Please do better in the future, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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