cteresa Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Side note about Garner: he gets a sigil in the Roll of Arms at the back of the Hedge Knight comic, three owls on three dinner plates. If ever I meet GRRM, I'm gonna ask why. Oh, that sounds very possible! Hope you get to meet GRRM to ask him that and mroe of course Owl Service needs a reread, I was really impressed with it - not sure it was wholehearted love, it was different, but the great dialogue and story twists which made perfect sense. The only other Garner I have read was Red Shift which was amazing but also felt very cold to me, desperate. I am curious about more Garner, but chances are it will take me years to read, I got a serious TBR problem. Reading right now, am in the middle of 4 books, I guess the one I am furthest in is Palahniuk´s Diary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
childe roland Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 reading the bone hunters and lovin it. i almost want to take a day off just to read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angalin Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Archduke B, how is The Big Over Easy? I liked Fforde's Thursday Next books, but wasn't sold on TBOE from reading the blurb. It read as if he were trying too hard. Cteresa, I too hope to ask GRRM that question in person one day. As for Garner, Red Shift was very difficult for me too. It made better sense after reading his book of essays, The Voice that Thunders, a book I cannot say enough good things about. It stretched my brain in all sorts of directions at the same time, in a good way; but again, it took several tries to start really mining the gold from it. The other books of his that I mentioned are much easier going while still being entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croweye Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Guy Kay's "Lions of Al-Rassan", Coelho's "The Alchemist", McManus's "I Fish; Therefore I Am", Ruiz's "The Four Agreements" and JRRT's "Fellowship". Ok, Fellowship is what i expected, including the grandiose descriptions of the land and such, McManus kills me, since I grew up in the South (of the USA), Coelho is expectantly fablesque, but MAN!!!! Kay is killing me. Granted, I'm only 89 pages in (and I usually give a book 100 pages before I toss it into the Bin of Doom), but it's just not hitting a chord with me. Has anyone read this? Should I stick with it or toss it as I hit my limit? I've read that part of his appeal is that he leaves the reader to fill in a lot of the blanks, espically regarding the environment. Anyone else read some Kay? Maybe I should start another thread, or search some old ones.... To quote Harvey Birdman, "Sigh". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mauvka Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Finished Armageddon Rag yesterday. Well, the ending was properly climatic, but... Not my favorite GRRM. I do like his endings, though. Windhaven was another novel where I thought the ending was the best part of the nove. *Bodes well for ASOIAF* I started Darkness that Comes Before. I've only read a few pages, so I don't have a sense of the novel yet, but I am pretty excited about this one. The jacket says it's Bakker's first novel, so that should be interesting. Has he published anything before this, I wonder? Kay is killing me. Granted, I'm only 89 pages in (and I usually give a book 100 pages before I toss it into the Bin of Doom), but it's just not hitting a chord with me. Has anyone read this? I picked up Lions of Al-Rassan because of a reccomendation 2 months ago. The book never clicked with me. It was just...All right. I never got emotionally invested in the drama. The religious aspects felt forced. And I was annoyed by how everyone thought how wonderfull and famous ... Ammar and Rodgigo were. A few scenes stood out- the cold violence of the slaughter of the Day of the Moat at Fezana. But for the most part, it was forgettable. Not bad, just not memorable. I know there are people who love Kay's work, and I guess I'm just not one of them. It seems there is going to be a movie based on Lions of Al-Rassan. That could be interesting, especially since there aren't enought movies made from fantasy novels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat5150 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Hi guys! I have just finished reading Naomi Novik's Temeraire/His Majesty's Dragon. In this very auspicious debut, Naomi Novik has found a new twist to the eternal dragon story. And she did it with style! Although expectations were high, His Majesty's Dragon was a terrific joyride! Honestly, I was impressed with the author and her creation. In a market where dark and gritty fantasy epics are the norm, Novik has brought some fun back into the genre. Weighing in at 342 pages, His Majesty's Dragon is a relatively short novel. Novik sets a brisk pace, and you may find yourself going through this book in just a few sittings. But don't let its size deter you. There is not a dull moment in this book, which makes for a very pleasant read. His Majesty's Dragon is fun and unmistakably original. Moreover, the fact that it's accessible to readers of all ages -- newcomers to the genre and aficionados alike -- makes this book a little gem worth discovering. Don't expect this novel to challenge you the way works by R. Scott Bakker, Steven Erikson or Kim Stanley Robinson would. This is pure, unadulterated fun! And as such, I think that Naomi Novik provides a much-needed breath of fresh air in a genre which has grown rather dark and violent. Not that I don't enjoy such books/series, but His Majesty's Dragon is a welcome change from that trend. Give it a shot! You can read the full review on the blog. . . Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Just finished Beholder's Eye, the first book in Julie Czerneda's Web Shifters series. It had a few spots where I thought the story didn't follow its own logic very well, but I found the different sorts of aliens she created for this far-future science fiction tale to be rather interesting. Before that I read The Best of Crank!, an anthology from a defunct science fiction and fantasy magazine. Some of the stories were too weird and experimental for me, but there were two really great ones by Ursula LeGuin and Michael Bishop. And before that I read The Unquiet Earth by Denise Giardina, a "mainstream" novel about the coal fields of West Virginia. Since at lot of my ancestors were West Virginia coal miners, I found it a very interesting and informative read. Giardina can write sympathetic characters while pointing out their flaws rather well. And now -- I just started Robert Silverberg's Majipoor Chronicles, itself a set of short stories set on the giant planet of Majipoor, and on the borderline between fantasy and science fiction. I've only read the first one so far, but it was quite interesting, presenting a human woman's encounter with an alien settler in a way that seemed rather insightful to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gildor Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Nearing the end of Iain M Banks' Feersun Endjinn, this really didn't work for me at the start, but thankfully it's picked up, and is reaching a what looks to be a very good end. Typical Banks as it's completely off the walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slurktan Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I've recently read Ian Fleming's Casino Royale and Live and Let Die. Casino Royale I thought was actually really, really good (besides Bond inexplicably wanting to marry). That torture scene is just brutal and the baccarat scene is very well done. Live and Let Die.... well to put it bluntly it's a very racist book. It still has it's enjoyable scenes (Mr. Big's end is particularly greusome) but mostly not very good. Still I enjoyed seeing where they got the plot for License to Kill from and I was surprised a fairly major character got put on the backburner so early in the series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubby Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Currently reading The Bonehunters. On the backburner until that is concluded is Ralph M Peters' The War in 2020. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcelo Rebelo Firqoralas Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I just finished reading The Beast Trilogy by Enki Bilal. Bilal is in my opinion one of the world's greatest comic book artist, and here he shows that he's a pretty good writer as well. Mixing influences like Blade Runner, the war in his homeland Yugoslavia (he moved to France when he was still a kid though) and post 9/11 style terrorism paranoia he manages to contruct an original and fairly intriguing story of a man with perfect memory who is drawn into dealings of a powerful terrorist organization in a decaying future. The star of the show though, is still the art. This might very well be the most beautiful comic book/graphical novel I have ever read; Bilal's sense of colour and texture is absolutely amazing and his vision of a decayed future earth shows both great imagination and a fine tuned sense of composition. You can see a excerpt of the book here. The Beast Trilogy actually only contains the first two parts of the trilogy, and while the second part is not quite as good as the first, I'm still waiting eagerly for the final chapter of this story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Ent Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Just finished The Thousandfold Thought by R Scott Bakker. Very, very good. It has its own thread, so need not be praised here. Just started Anansi boys by Gaiman. A few weeks ago, I read his perfect little Coraline and was very impressed. I am glad its not translated, so I am not tempted the scare the living shit out of my children by reading it to them as a bed-time story. Wide as Waters: the story of the English Bible and the revolution it inspired by Benson Bobrick. Neat stuff, reasonably well researched, but he is not a gifted writer. None of the periods he describes really comes alive. Still, as a book about interesting aspects of English history it is ok. There is much about heretics and priests and religious persecution. Being in by 4th reread of FfC I cannot but see the similarities with the sparrows and the rise of the Faith (and the Seven-Pointed Star) in Martinworld, which comes off as pretty civilized compared to what happened in England. And Anne Boleyn (Henry the VIII's wife) takes centre stage, and finds herself the victim of pretty much the same conspiracy that Cersei plans for Queen Marge. (GRRM has said that she is indeed the inspiration for the Cersei/Marge plot.) From a theological perspective, this book is a disappointment. There is soooo much theology (instead of history, linguistics, or politics) than could have been told here, but it is only haphazardly presented. That's a real shame. Also re-reading lots of Thomas Mann: The Magic Mountain, the best book I have ever read. And some choice chapters from Buddenbrooks, possibly an even better book (but less abstract than MM). The best chapters in Buddenbrooks, like Hanno's piano lessons, simply leave me speechless with awe. Nothing I have ever read comes close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Fantasy stuff - Archangel by Sharon Shinn, The Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins, both nicely done books with good female protagonists. Also finally read a Laurel K Hamilton book, Seduced by Moonlight. It was bizarre. 90% of the book takes place on a hotel bed with the characters having to lick, suck and fuck each other repeatedly, in various inhuman forms, to further their supernatural ends. It's not even sexy at all. Proper stuff - On a Haruki Murukami kick, mostly rereads. Murukami actually has a lot in common with Thomas Mann since they both deal with the theme of decline in the real world vs aspirations in some artificial world (although Murukami is more concerned with the contemporary). And both use music motifs. But I must read Buddenbrooks after seeing Ent's praise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merentha Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Coraline. I mean, I knew Gaiman could be creepy and twisted (see "24 hours from the first Sandman book), but seriously, Coraline was like a kids' book! Still reading the Gormenghast trilogy, really liking it now. Nearing the end of the second, and am a little nervous because everyone keeps telling me the third one is pointless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cteresa Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 The Beast Trilogy actually only contains the first two parts of the trilogy, and while the second part is not quite as good as the first, I'm still waiting eagerly for the final chapter of this story. Geesh, thanks for the warning, you sent me into paranoia "what is it out already, how came I had no clue" I like Bilal very much indeed, and this series promises to be even better than the Nikopol trilogy, am looking forward for it to get completed. And good point about Mann and Murakami, yes totally right and I had never spotted that! Need to read more Mann, never read The Magic Mountain for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maid Sansa Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Sarantine mosaic by Guy Gavriel Kay. Loving it. I'm going through a history buff phase, so it's hitting the exact chord I wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Ent Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 But I must read Buddenbrooks after seeing Ent's praise. It doesn't come with a universal recommendation from me. I happen to enjoy it very much, but there may be reasons that do not apply to others: I read it in the native tongue, which is my first language. In German, Mann is side-splittingly hilarious because his books have a delicious veneer of irony, all the time. I don't know how that translates. Get it slightly wrong, and the endless descriptions could become dull. A contemporary critic described Mann as a "describer of good dinners" (Schilderer guter Mittagessen). I guess Buddenbrooks is to bourgeois dinners what the Silmarillion is to an Elvish telephone catalogue: Without the author's masterful command of language, the whole thing might collapse into dullness. But I honestly don't know. The translations may be brilliant. I also was born and raised in Northern Germany, so the mindset of the Lübecker upper middle class is very present. Not everybody might share that. Similarly, I actually hold Mann's Dr. Faustus above all other books. But that's personal. I love classical music, hate romanticism, am endlessly enamored with the Faustian myth, and an ardent student of German philosophy, history and concepts of the national character. So Mann wrote the perfect book for me. Well, sans sentient trees. In contrast, the appeal of Magic Mountain is more universal, which is why I would recommend it as The Perfect Book. Personally, I liked the two others more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupigis Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Just started Anansi boys by Gaiman. A few weeks ago, I read his perfect little Coraline and was very impressed. I am glad its not translated, so I am not tempted the scare the living shit out of my children by reading it to them as a bed-time story. You can always scare them in Swedish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Well, the english translation certainly seems poular enough. I did think that Buddenbrooks might not have the general appeal of Magic Mountain, but if there's a chance of finding something exceptional in it, I'll give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Ent Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I will retaliate by reading this Murakami fellow. Where to start? Anything with sentient trees in it? You can always scare them in Swedish! Tempting.. tempting. Did you read it to yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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