Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion
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Mysteries based in Mythology, Religion, & the Occult
Eliot Pattison has a crime/mystery series, the Inspector Shan series, that may be of interest as they deal with Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibet/China issues. The first novel in the series is The Skull Mantra.
Dharmakirti, I absolutely LOVE your 'about me' blurb, and your penchant for 'an element of wonder and mystery'. That is absolutely the perfect way to describe that little frisson of a thrill that I get from so much of the stuff we're chatting about in here. I'm also dying to know if you could possibly point us to a solid source for a brief explanation of 'Madhymaka philosophy' that you mention, as that is not a term I'm familiar with in the slightest. (sheepish!)I was just thinking about 'The Ninth Gate' recently, actually, and it occurred to me to see if it were based on a book. I just stuck The Club Dumas in my 'short stack read asap' shelf a few days ago. ;) Have you read it, by chance? I understand that The Ninth Gate is based kinda loosely on it? The Historian is also new to my 'to be reads'... but bumping both titles up to the top of the pile now. I'll also add them to my shelf that I'm keeping (just with recommendations from this thread) for all of our ease of browsing. Thanks so much for suggestions!
"Mythology Fairy Tales Historical Occult" Shelf
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
btw, did you notice... The Historian has been rated 160,000 times! Wow. That surprised me, for sure.
Eliot Patison's series looks like it'll be one of those that ends up really affecting you in a big way. I can't, offhand, think of the last time I read something in fiction that dealt with Buddhism other than as a random aside. Looking forward to those! I just encountered this one that looks rather amazing. Its going straight to tippy top of my 'short stack' tbr, for sure. The blurb alone hits on so many of the things we're discussing here...sounds wild, indeed. Antiquities and relics, esoteric intrigue, cabalistic clues, crypts, secret societies, and End Times... Oh, yes, please! lol
The Virgin of the Wind Rose: A Mystery-Thriller of the End Times by Glen Craney
THREE of my GR friends had this on their shelves, and noone thought to tell me about it? rofl For shame!
Dharmakirti wrote: "OddModicum Rachel wrote: "...Brings to mind the Johnny Depp movie 'The Ninth Gate' which I absolutely adored. "Have you read The Club Dumas, the novel that inspired the film?"
The book is a bit better than the movie, but also a bit different, too. The story was really rewritten for the movie, just barely based on the book. And if you do like this work by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, I also recommend his other books The Flanders Panel and The Fencing Master.
Dharmakirti wrote: "Have you read Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian?"I haven't read that one yet, but I really like another of her works: The Swan Thieves
Oh thanks, guys! Will add those to shelf as well. The Swan Thieves looks lush, indeed, as I'm huge fan of art in general, Impressionists specifically. I'm 99% sure I read and loved The Fencing Master, but I want to say its been a good 10ish years or so. Lovely to have a few others by that author that you liked, Joseph. I kind of thought Ninth Gate was loosely based on book, but sounds amazing in its own right.
Concept of rare book dealings is always so cool. I just read a very elaborate twisty wild self published novel dealing with reincarnation (of some epically bad historical monsters, I might add), a snazzy book store, a haunted house, and a rare book dealer called The Bookseller by C. Robert Cales
OddModicum Rachel wrote: "Oh thanks, guys! Will add those to shelf as well. The Swan Thieves looks lush, indeed, as I'm huge fan of art in general, Impressionists specifically."I like art-themed fiction, too. You might like to have a look at my Goodreads shelf by that name for some good reads ;-) https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
lol... Joseph, I'm such a dorfus, I JUST realized you're the same person as my GR buddy Joseph. (facepalm!) You'd think the very distinctive blue icon would have clued me in, but noooo. Not I. ;) I'll absolutely pour over your Art related shelf... my gosh... all those covers are a bit of a visual feast when all seen together like that, huh? I'm an aspiring Cover Artist, so the well done ones really thrill me to bits. I just got all excited when I realized The Flanders Panel is art related, as well. There's also a lovely looking Dancing for Degas by Kathryn Wagner that was featured in the 'readers also enjoyed' of The Swan Thieves.
btw,random question... is it possible to 'link' a shelf of someone else's to your GR profile? For instance, if I want to make sure I don't lose track of Joseph's shelf, is there a way to do that? Or if any of you want to track the shelf for this thread?
OddModicum Rachel wrote: "Dharmakirti, I absolutely LOVE your 'about me' blurb, and your penchant for 'an element of wonder and mystery'. That is absolutely the perfect way to describe that little frisson of a thrill that I..."Thank you!
Madhyamaka is the school of Buddhist philosophy founded by Nagarjuna, a key figure in buddhism. For some background on Madhyamaka, I would suggest Wikipedia for a brief overview. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhya...
For something a bit more in depth and scholarly, but not book length, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a great resource. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mad...
If you would like something book length, I would recommend The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way by Jay L. Garfield. It is an excellent English translation, with commentary, of one of Nagarjuna's key texts, Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. I would also recommend Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka by Jan Westerhoff which presents a systematic overview of Nagarjuna's philosophy.
Regarding The Club Dumas, when I first purchased it, I was not aware of its connection to the film, it was just a book I came across at my local book store. I realized pretty quickly that it was the source material for the film but I would not consider the film an adaptation of the novel, only inspired by the novel. The book is excellent. I will check other works by the author.
I started The Historian, and I was enjoying it; however, as so frequently happens with me, I got distracted by another book and set the Historian aside. I will get back to it someday. I would also like to check out the Swan Thieves.
OddModicum Rachel wrote: "btw,random question... is it possible to 'link' a shelf of someone else's to your GR profile? For instance, if I want to make sure I don't lose track of Joseph's shelf, is there a way to do that? Or if any of you want to track the shelf for this thread?"Rachel, I don't know if there is an official way to do it, but one way I've done just that is to copy the web address and paste it on my profile page under my "Friends Comments." Hope that helps.
OddModicum Rachel wrote: "Eliot Patison's series looks like it'll be one of those that ends up really affecting you in a big way. I can't, offhand, think of the last time I read something in fiction that dealt with Buddhism..."The only Pattison novel I've read so far was his great (IMHO) historical mystery novel, Bone Rattler, about a Scottish prisoner who is sent to the American colonies and, because of medical training, he is asked to investigate some ship board deaths which leads him to getting involved with both sides of the French and Indian War.
Joseph... Perfect, thanks! Esp cool that I can also type name of the shelf and which GR buddy it belongs to, and also reference any thread/challenge involved. I'm forever losing links, and it drives me round the bend.Dharmakirti... Thanks so much for putting that together. I am horribly under-educated on anything other than the basic tenants of Buddhism and virtually none on specific traditions or schools of thought. Have a bit more understanding of Hindu religion, but that's primarily because my father (sort of a religious seeker) was a swami in India for a while. I'm really looking forward to peeking at all of your sourcing and trying to learn a bit more. And thank you SO much for offering brief overview and not just gigantic academic works... not always the time or brain power for those! lol Nice to know I'm not the only person who struggles with wanting to drop novels (even great ones!) because their interests are suddenly otherwise occupied. I'm arguing with myself against doing that right now. Somehow I think i'll lose the struggle.
Joseph wrote: "Dharmakirti wrote: "OddModicum Rachel wrote: "...Brings to mind the Johnny Depp movie 'The Ninth Gate' which I absolutely adored. "Have you read The Club Dumas, the novel that inspire..."
The Fencing Master and The Club Dumas were sitting next to each other at the bookstore and I picked up The Club Dumas during that visit. I keep meaning to go back and pick up The Fencing Master but haven't gotten around to it. Thanks for giving me encouragement. :-)
Witches:Elizabeth L. Eisenstein suggests that it was only in the 1700s when the effects of the shift from manuscript, copyist, and scribe-based learning to a religious-based education based on printing presses, did accusations of witchcraft in European society lessen.
Prior to that, any wrongdoing in the public sphere was likely to be ascribed to the devil, or to demons. Afterwards, the Bible itself came under suspicion, and clergymen fought between themselves as to how themselves as to how to properly interpret Christian faith (Protestant vs Catholic).
[With one exception: a counter-phenomenon brought about by religious factions battling-it-out-in-print was that it was suddenly very easy to ascribe the 'other camp' as being supported by The Enemy].
There was a general 'push' on to instill Christianity in all the barbarous pockets of the continent at the time; what often happened was that the clergy wandered into isolated pockets of agrarian communities which still practiced fertility rites (and they stubbornly clung to them) thus bringing down upon their heads, the repression of suspected witchery.
Nevertheless, something else which helped lessen the outrageous witch-trials was that witchcraft-lore began to be 'handed down' differently. Up to a certain point in time, it had always been transmitted orally--once it became codified into printed laws it then came under scrutiny, revision, and doubt.
The key country for change was France, and in that country's courts, an edict of 1682 decisively linked witches to 'crooks and charlatans' rather than with 'demons'.
Authors who cover this episode in Europe are as follows: Pierre Chaunu, Hugh Trevor-Roper,
Lucien Febvre, Robert Mandrou. Robert Graves also has his 'The White Goddess' speculative history; and Simone deBeauvoir probably also has something to say on the matter. Each of these latter take it upon themselves to describe the role of women throughout literature and society.
More to follow.
Feliks, so very interesting! And love the authors/sources at the bottom... I've read deBeauvoir, of course, but just the standard love letters and such that are common re: Sartre (when I was studying existentialism).. nothing re witches. Tête-à-Tête: The Tumultuous Lives and Loves of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre is the closest I can find to what I've read in the past in case anyone is interested.Your specific idea...
"There was a general 'push' on to instill Christianity in all the barbarous pockets of the continent at the time; what often happened was that the clergy wandered into isolated pockets of agrarian communities which still practiced fertility rites (and they stubbornly clung to them) thus bringing down upon their heads, the repression of suspected witchery."
* MORE WITCHY/PAGAN FILMS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT... RECENT DEPICTIONS OF FERTILITY RITES ETC IN FILM (ISOLATED/CLOSED PAGAN ENCLAVE COMMUNITIES)
* Black Death 2010 - Feliks' idea above brings to mind a film I've recently seen... hmmm.. will look it up and come up with a title, but offhand I want to say Sean Bean starred in it? VERY much a depiction of exactly Feliks' idea above... tiny village and their rites still being followed long after Christianity was the accepted norm. Really well done, from what I remember. IMDB came through for me.. film is the 2010 Black Death, starring Sean Bean & Eddie Redmayne. This film is interesting in that its told from the perspective of the clergymen/monks/witch-finders tasked with wiping out witchcraft... Killer quote from the film...
"The fumes of the dead are in the air like poison. The plague, more cruel and more pitiless than war, descended upon us. A pestilence, that would leave half of our kingdom dead. Where did it come from? What carried its germ. The priests told us it was God's punishment. For what sin? What commandment must we break that could earn this? No, we knew the truth. This was not God's work, but devilry. Or witchcraft. But our task, to hunt down a demon, was God's cure."
* The Wicker Man 2006 & 1973 - In the last 10 years, they also remade the 1970s rather iconic version of The Wicker Man into a relatively interesting and certainly uniquely entertaining movie starring Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, & the wildly talented Frances Conroy. This one is SO bizarre. If you like unique visuals, and little startling paranormal/creepy/ritualistic/cult/pagan revelations, the newer version of The Wicker Man is excellent. Sort of a modern day depiction of an isolated pacific northwest (if I remember right) matriarchal island enclave that fits the idea that Feliks mentioned above exactly. Kind of creepy neo-druidism influences, if memory serves. Wretched reviews, but visually stunning, and I found it entertaining, if not exactly a feat of fabulous filmmaking. If you've not seen the original 1973 Christopher Lee The Wicker Man, I highly recommend it. Plays as a bit cheesy to modern eyes, but so very worthwhile.
Tomorrow, I'll double check just to make sure neither of those happen to be based on books that we might find worthwhile... one never knows.
Thanks so much, Feliks! Really lovely to have your input/knowledge offered here... certainly helps my understanding of things, anyway.
... and because IMDB is such a handy dandy resource, I was reminded of a few interesting paranormal fare films that play nicely with the ideas we've been exploring, while looking up the films above. * PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPERNATURAL THRILLER: VOODOO/POSSESSION/EXORCISM/REINCARNATION
* 6 Souls 2010 - Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Myers. I loved this one. Its half psychological thriller/half Voodoo Supernatural fare with a snazzy (.. bear with me if I remember this wrong...) Appalachian mountain enclave community that has some intriguing 'rites' of their own. This sort of works well with the idea Feliks explored, and the films listed above. Possession/ Exorcism/Voodoo/Reincarnation/DID (aka Multiple-Personalities)/Spirituality/Nature of the Soul are all themes explored by a great female psychologist character who is herself experiencing a crisis of faith. Not a perfect film, but likely to be enjoyed if you're into the occult/supernatural, and more insidious fare like 'The Ring' has done it for you in the past. Has a rather fascinating historical back story, I thought. Pretty sure this title is available on Netflix 'streaming'.
* VAMPIRES
* Let the Right One In (Swedish) 2008 & the American remake Let Me In 2010 - Both incredibly subtle & unique takes on a Vampire movie. I've heard these described as 'Vampire movies for people who hate vampire movies' in the past, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. Kind of art-house take on vampires, if you will. Themes of childhood friendship/isolation/bullying/parental neglect/the nature of devotion are really uniquely dealt with. I don't hate the American remake... pretty unique for me since US remakes of brilliant foreign language films (horror in particular) usually irk me to no end. I recommend both movies, as they've each got their strengths and are visually and emotionally compelling. Both films are based on the Swedish book Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist which I'm looking forward to reading in a big way as its lauded as being pretty darn fantastic, and is rated at 4+ stars. Plus... vampires. ;) One or both films is on Netflix, I'm pretty confident.
* HAUNTING / GHOSTS MURDER MYSTERY + MIND-OPENING HYPNOTISM / EXPANSION OF CONSCIOUSNESS* Stir of Echoes 1999 - Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas & a rather haunting young Jennifer Morrison star in this one... really a fascinating Ghost story, and plays back to Leigh's idea (messages 7-10 of this thread) that consciousness is 'expandable' in some way. Really amazing imagery depicting Hypnotism visually (movie theatre), and the idea of spirits needing to resolve unfinished business before moving on to the after-life. I just discovered a few days ago that this is based on the book A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson.
Incidentally, I also realized recently that Matheson also penned these other books that were adapted into some lovely paranormal/supernatural/science fiction films.... Matheson is truly a master of fantasy, and wouldn't it be fun to grab some friends and all indulge in a 'fest' cramming all his lovely books and the films they've been adapted into into a month or so?
*REINCARNATION / DEATH & LOSS / AFTER-LIFE / LOVE STORY TRANSCENDS DEATH
*What Dreams May Come, a rather lovely exploration of loss/guilt/afterlife/reincarnation and the nature of love and devotion surviving after death. 1998 film of same name starring Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr. Truly one of the most thought provoking and visually astounding films I've ever seen. Apparently the book is that good as well. I cannot wait. ;)
* VAMPIRES/ZOMBIES / POST-APOCALYPTIC / LAST MAN ON EARTH / 'OUTBREAK' DISEASE
* I Am Legend, a rather amazing post apocalyptic Vampire book (though lovers of Zombies will enjoy it also) book which deals nicely with isolation. 2007 Will Smith movie based on book, though they are rather different. Book was written some time ago, so there's been significant 'updates' for modern audiences. Both worthwhile, though, esp if you like Vampires or Zombies/Post-Apocalyptic stories.
* TIME TRAVEL SCI-FI / LOVE STORY THAT TRANSCENDS TIME & SPACE / CULT FAVORITES
* Somewhere in Time, and the 1980 film based on it starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Both hauntingly beautiful speculative historical love stories dealing with Time Travel; (from GR blurb) " A powerful story of a love that transcends time and space". Interestingly enough... both book and movie have SUCH a cult following that there are 'Somewhere in Time' conventions with devoted fans in period garb. Fun!
* PRECOGNITION/FORETELLING OF TRAGEDY & DEATH-OMENS; THE 'MOTH MAN' PHENOMENON IN FACT/FICTION & THE CONCEPT OF TIME-TRAVEL BACKWARD OR SUPERNATURAL WARNINGS FROM THE FUTURE MEANT IN AN EFFORT TO FORESTALL TRAGEDYThis is a subject that I find absolutely amazing... and I'm continually blown away when I see info that lends actual credence to the phenomenon. I'd LOVE to get my hands on some non-fiction, or historically accurate fiction that deals with these phenomenon, as there's significant evidence that whatever the 'Moth Man' phenomenon (tends to appear repeatedly before large disasters; sort of a death omen) actually is, it has (likely) been occurring for hundreds of years, and has been seen all across the world by some very credible sources.
I'm trying to recall books I've read in this vein, because I know I have... but none are coming to me at this moment. Films are pretty common in this area... ones I can recall offhand (and I'll ad a bit of info on em later)
*The Mothman Prophecies 2002 - Richard Gere, Laura Linney
* Twelve Monkeys 1995 starring Bruce Willis, Madelyn Stowe, and the upcoming 2014 remake Twelve Monkeys starring Kirk Acevedo, Amanda Schull. Novelization of the 1995 version (rated quite good... 3.6stars) Twelve Monkeys by Elizabeth Hand.
* Knowing 2009 starring Nicholas Cage.
* The Last Mimzy 2007 Joely Richardson, Timothy Hutton & Rainn Wilson. Dystopian dying future reaches into the past, and has a magical affect on two children; the last chance of survival for mankind. Mandalas / mind expansion / advanced intelligence / portals through time and space ie: Einstein-Rosen bridge. Based on the lovely story 'Mimsy Were the Borogoves' by Henry Kuttner, found in the anthology of short stories The Last Mimzy: Stories written by a under-appreciated science fiction master. A novelization of the film is also available The Last Mimzy by Bob Shaye.
* Minority Report 2002 - Starring Tom Cruise & Colin Ferrell. Dystopian future justice system revolves around three 'pre-cogs' whose ability to predict violent crimes before they happen have all but eliminated them from possibility. Premise definitely leads to thought provoking questions, as the people arrested for crimes haven't actually committed them yet... so are they truly guilty?
* Next 2007 - starring Nicholas Cage. A few moments of precognition has the ability to save a city.
* Prince of Darkness 1987 John Carpenter horror film starring Donald Pleasance and Victor Wong. A uniquely scientific study of the nature of an insidiously evil Antichrist force, slumbering in the basement of an urban cathedral. Cryptic portents and warnings arrive in the form of shared dreams via dreams from some otherworldly force. Possession/Demonic Spawn/Epic battle between good & Evil leading to End of Days.
Leigh, can't believe we forgot to mention these when we were mentioning Indiana Jones 'History's Mysteries' type movies, and other archaeologist action-ers with rich history and relics of historical and or mythological significance. I really enjoyed these ones, especially with all the historical mystery stuff they included as back story... Have you seen these guys? Not sure they hold up to Indiana Jones series, though, but they're entertaining and thought provoking, I think.* ARCHAEOLOGIST / HISTORIAN HERO SEARCHING FOR RELIC OF HISTORICAL / MYTHOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
* National Treasure 2002 and National Treasure: Book of Secrets 2007 - Starring Nicholas Cage and Diane Kruger. Each of these is a very entertaining gigantic budget action film with an action filled adventure hunt for a famed mythological or historically rumored 'mystery' of American History w unique and little known historical facts/clues. Great academic characters and their conspiracy theorist sidekick. And they're supposed to be making a 3rd film!
National Treasure: Book of Secrets by Ann Lloyd is a rather well reviewed novelization of the second film. Designed for YA readers, it seems to be well enjoyed by adults, as well.
This 'archaeologist', 'anthropologist', or 'historian' hero or detective using secrets of history to fuel their hunt for some big relic is such an amazing plot line. Can anyone else think of any other samples of this sort of thing in books and movies? I'm not sure what it is that Leigh finds compelling about them, but I love the very obscure historical clues. It seems like there must be series of archaeologist detectives out there somewhere, right?
What Dreams May Come is one of my favorite books on reincarnation and one of my favorite movies period.Also, talking about Indian Jones-style movies, forgive me if it was already mentioned, but Noah Wyle's The Librarian trilogy is great! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1146438/?...
I LUUURVE The Librarian! So funny you said that, because that was the first thing I thought of when Leigh mentioned loving Dr. Jones. ;) I don't get 'fangirl' kinda crushes on movie stars and what not.. I'm almost 40, and that's just not really my sort of thing anyway. But there is something incredibly sexy about the kind of academic Wylie portrays in those. Such fun entertaining fare! And HARD to find! TNT makes these awesome movies with pretty high budgets, plays em for few mos, then poof! all gone? lol I wish they were on Netflix or something. BTW, a friend of mine I know from my art circles grew up with Wylie and they're good family friends. Apparently he's a very nice guy, and quite intelligent. Adds to the appeal of the character, I think. As to What Dreams May Come film... woof. Gorgeous. I'm a self taught digital altered artist and trying to get into cover art for independent authors... I have been trying to track down the artist or set designer who created that amazing paper diorama/theatre thing of the heaven plane (that we then see brought to life in the heaven sequences) for YEARS. Noone seems to know the artist who created that gorgeous theatre, or have any idea where he/she might be credited. Same goes for the truly incredible altered book of fantasy botanica in the 2005 film Neverwas (which you would also likely enjoy, if you've not seen it)...Starring Ian McKellan and Aaron Eckhart. I'm astounded how often I see amazing works of art created specifically for films, and yet its impossible, it seems, to track down the artist! lol
by the by, I am officially coveting your job! How amazing it must be to work as an actual librarian.. esp focusing on young readers. That's one of my end all be all fantasy career type things. ;)
Book Recommendations + Reincarnation If reincarnation fiction is your thing, have you ever read The Price by Mark Douglas Holborn? The author is a buddy of mine on GR, but I've not yet been able to pick up his book, just cause of itty bitty book budget. Its at the tippy top of my amazon wish list, though! Mark and I started having these wild 'babble fest' conversations about all manner of esoterica and arcane lore because I asked him about reincarnation... he's got a really intriguing personal insight on the subject. I keep hoping he'll drop in, but he's finishing up a book, so likely crazy town busy for the time being. He's also the one who told me about the 'headless horseman' myth in Sleepy Hollow Tale actually tracing back to sources in Celtic and Scottish mythology... so interesting. Anyway, those crazy stream of consciousness chats of ours sharing our reads/entertainment loves is what prompted me to start this thread. ;)
OddModicum Rachel wrote: "If reincarnation fiction is your thing, have you ever read The Price by Mark Douglas Holborn? The author is a buddy of mine on GR, but I've not yet been able to pic..."Rachel, I just took a look at The Price and it turns out at the moment the author is offering it as a giveaway! Enter and you might get lucky. :-)
Then again, you could always see if it is available at the library. ;-)
Oh you betcha, I entered! lol But I entered before I got chatting with him... now, honestly, I'd feel a little funny about accepting if I did happen to win. ;) Yeah, hoping library will pan out. I'm definitely picking it up in uber near future.. its just one of those things that has to wait a week or two... No biggie as I've loads of other stuff to read. But I AM dying to tuck into it, as the subject is fascinating, for sure. Not sure if I'll be able to review it, though. I'm a new reviewer, and I'm not quite sure how one goes about reviewing a friend, other than thoughtfully and honestly. Awkward, though! ;)
Rachel, can you re-assemble all these *ALL CAPS entries into perhaps a new and clean, easy-to-read, bulleted list? In the above posts there's an entry and then a whole bunch of paragraphs (thoughts, opinions, musings, questions) immediately following. I can no longer tell what I'm readin'! Its quickly become too difficult to digest.:\
Book Recommendations + Film Recommendations + Reincarnation I'm following a thread about reincarnation fiction over here..
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
There are tons of titles we've not mentioned here that have been suggested, many that are on the lighter side... more YA content. One of the adult titles in particular looks interesting, Kinksrock suggested a much older title... The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. Looks particularly interesting because its set amongst the backdrop of the 60s and everything psychedelic that entails. Apparently they made it into a movie in the 1970's?
Feliks wrote: "Rachel, can you re-assemble all these *ALL CAPS entries into perhaps a new and clean, easy-to-read, bulleted list? In the above posts there's an entry and then a whole bunch of paragraphs (thought..."I'm with you 100%, but haven't quite figured out the easiest way to present it. The all caps thing was strictly to make it stand out if anyone was scanning for any particular topic, but its not making it much easier, I agree. Let me see if I can figure out a better method, but might take me a day or two. I'm likely going to have to step away that long, as I've got some reviews that need doing, anyway. But I'll definitely tackle organizing/cleaning it up somehow. ;)
Feliks wrote: "The very well-respected book Hawksmoor. Mixture of crime/supernatural; also based on real history/religion/architecture."Felixs you seem to have a good sense for what is good so I will try Hawksmoor. I read the synopsis on Amazon and it sounds interesting
You're very welcome. It will challenge you ...and it will stick with you long afterwards. A real 'window into the past'. This was the kind of book which I used to read all the time before the internet came along. I can't explain but authors like Ackroyd seemed 'all in' with their writing careers back then. They really, really, really seemed to strive with their craftsmanship to make some kind of permanent mark on their field. They didn't just scrabble around for some gimmick to get sales; and they didn't let their writing 'go to the simplest level'. Ackroyd--I'm sure--could have written a bunch of easy-reads. Instead, he chose to explore the most arcane and esoteric themes I've ever seen in a mystery.
Book Recommendations + Indiana Jones + Archaeology + Historical Mythology Leigh, good buddy of mine, who is amazing source of all matters geeky, just got back to me. There ARE Indiana Jones books written for adults. They're novelizations, but apparently great!
Omnibus of first 3 books - The Adventures of Indiana Jones by Campbell Black, James Kahn, Rob MacGregor
4th book - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Rollins
yay! Those should be fun reading.
OddModicum Rachel wrote: "Indiana Jones + Archaeology + Historical MythologyLeigh, good buddy of mine, who is amazing source of all matters geeky, just got back to me. There ARE Indiana Jones books written for adults. The..."
If you ever read fantasy fiction, Martha Wells' novel City of Bones may be of interest; it has an Indiana Jones feel to it.
Book Recommendations + Archaeology + Historical Mythology + Religion + Ancient Mysteries + Cult + Ancient Evil Oh thank you, Dharmakirti! Have been looking for just that sort of archaeological 'Indiana Jones' feeling read. And yes... fantasy fic/historical fic are my fave genres.
GR buddy referred me to another series that has the same blend of archaeology, religion, ancient relics and mysteries. Looks fantastic.
The Blood Gospel, 1st book in the Order of the Sanguines series, by James Rollins, Rebecca Cantrell
A couple more recommendations:Alan Moore (writer) and J.H. Williams III (artist) created an excellent comic series called Promethea that would likely be of interest. In the series, the creators explores things like hermeticism, spirituality, Tree of Life and tarot. The story is very good and the artwork by J.H. Williams III is AMAZING. The series has been collected into 5 trade paperbacks and starts with Promethea, Vol.1.
John Crowley's series Aegypt may be of interest. I've read the first novel in the series, The Solitudes and I really liked it. I remember a lot of astrology in the first novel.
Chaos magic + gnosticism + belief + religionBoth of those sound seriously intriguing. I'm not a huge one for comics or graphic novels, but there are a few I'm dying to read, such as V for Vendetta.
My boyfriend and I love the show The Dead Files. Its one of those paranormal type reality shows. Anyway, there's this physical medium, Amy, who just blows me away. I'm kinda 'eh' skeptical about stuff like that. I have no doubt that people with those talents exist, but tend to doubt the ones who go on tv. Anyway, this girl... no doubt. She works with an ex homicide detective, and the process is fascinating. Was watching an episode last night... Season 6, episode 1. She was trying to resolve major scary issues with insidious haunting to make it safe for a family, and she recommended a 'Chaos Magician' in lieu of the Exorcism (Catholic rite) that she's normally recommend. That sounded particularly fascinating to me, so I did a bit of research. Basically... tenants are that Belief in and of itself is power. So these chaos magicians will use everything from neo shamanism to voodoo to Catholic rites to philosophy and science to resolve spiritual entanglements. And a basic concept of the Chaos Magician is attaining a gnostic state of consciousness. I stuck the few books I could find on subject in our shelf. Has anyone else heard anything about this? It appeals to me, primarily, because I'm a sort of mixed-bag spirituality person, myself. There are huge concepts with Catholicism, Judaism, Paganism that appeal to me. Would love to learn more about this, just as a general curiosity if anyone has any info.
Yeah, there's a few that are outstanding that I'm dying to check out... Vendetta, Sin City (esp since they're making another film), League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I'll likely never be a comic or graphic novel 'person' really, but I'd hate to miss any truly worthwhile fiction just because its in a format I'm not super familiar or comfortable with. ;) Time to be open minded, and branch out! lol And then would be a great time to check out Dharmakirti's suggestions above. ;)
You might want to consider the books of Andy McDermott, lots of use of different mythologies from Atlantis to Egypt to the Vikings. Good fun reads too. I am currently reading the latest which relates to Viking myths and it is as good as the first.I am definitely not going to suggest my own books, they are nowhere near the level of the things you are discussing here.
C. wrote: "You might want to consider the books of Andy McDermott, lots of use of different mythologies from Atlantis to Egypt to the Vikings. Good fun reads too. I am currently reading the latest which rela..."Mythology + Archaeology + Indiana Jones + Percy Jackson + Book Recommendations
Those Andy McDermott books look fantastic, C! The synopses remind me of a mashup of Indiana Jones and the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. What fun! Thanks so much for suggesting those. Going right on my TBR pile, and I've put the first few books in the
'Nina Wilde & Eddie Chase' series into the thread bookshelf.
The Hunt for Atlantis
The Tomb of Hercules
lol I'd initially mistaken you for another GR author, who also goes by the first initial C. Sorry bout that! I just peeked at your works, and your book Sovereign Nation looks very intriguing! Love the combination of a married couple, one a spy type agent, and one a historian of little note, hunting for some mythological tomb of King. I'll definitely add it to my TBR. ;)
Shelf for all books recommended/mentioned in this thread can be found here...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
C.T. wrote: "You might want to consider the books of Andy McDermott, lots of use of different mythologies from Atlantis to Egypt to the Vikings. Good fun reads too. I am currently reading the latest which rela..."8-19: CT has the etiquette correct. We generally don't try to sell our own books on this site. If someone wants to check it out, then I am thrilled. For me, my favorites in this genre are those that are not religious, but instead use the mystery and mythology of certain sects as the background. Adds an element of the supernatural to the story. --Chris Malburg
That's one of my very fave aspects of these types of works, Chris... those tiny, little known, very mysterious 'pocket society' sects that operate in the shadows with deep mystical secrets. That's pretty much ideally what I'm hunting for, if you happen to have any that you particularly recommend. ;)
If you're looking for something a bit 'urban fantasy' but touching a lot on history and mythology, then check out Ben Aaronovitch's series about Peter Grant. They're a mix of Police procedural a, magic and the history, myths and legends of London. There's a solid dose of humour in there too. As I live in London I am always impressed by the stuff he digs up.
Oh wow, those Ben Aaronovich books look fantastic, C.T.! Author is totally new to me, and I'm seriously excited about that series, as it blends a few of my fave genres. The London aspect is fun, too, since I tend to enjoy 'dark London' content, and UK police procedurals more than US ones. Just read Birdman by Mo Hayder, and loved it. I've put Midnight Riot, #1 in Peter Grant series, at top of my TBR list, as well as on our group shelf. Thanks for killer rec! Really looking forward to that one! Tons of intriguing reads in the 'readers also enjoyed' section of that book description, also.
Hi Rachel. Our literary tastes run similar. I like seeing the dark side of controlling sects. I especially enjoy seeing dark London on a cold and foggy night. At the risk of discussing my latest book, God's Banker, that's just what I worked so hard at creating. Tho, on a global scale where $200 billion was at stake and the faith of 1.2 billion people worldwide. A bit larger in scale than you suggested. --Chris Malburg
rofl.. I've already checked out your 'God's Banker' on amazon. It's nestled happily into my wish list till I can snaggle it. I always peek at what an author I run into on GR has going on, and that one looked really intriguing to me on your blog post. Cracked up at your clever 'coming attraction' video about it on youtube. I was a mortgage broker in the past, and I'm always agog at the underpinnings of huge financial conglomerates and how they influence world events, often in shady and underhanded ways. And there's no conglomerate bigger than the Catholic church. ;) The combination of faith and profit is so wild, to me. Was going to pm you about it but got tied up with other doings. I'll catch up with you in next few days or so, though, for sure. ;)
Thanks for your reply. What fun this is. --Chris
Oh those look wild, Neil! Gotta love a book description that combines 'bushveld' with 'religious phenomenologist'. rofl Those are two concepts you hardly ever run into singularly, let alone together. ;) Right up my alley. I've added Summoner, The, #1 in the Dominic Grey series, to the thread suggestion shelf. And Chris... It is fun, right? I've gotten more suggestions for books I flat out can't wait to get my paws on in this thread than anywhere else, ever. That's saying a lot since I was an English major, and used to hang around in a huge gaggle of book snobs in my youth. ;) I definitely think this sort of esoteric, mysterious subject matter makes for amazing fiction, and they're all so unique because there's such fodder to choose from in the genre. Don't know if you call this hodge podge we're chatting about a genre, but I'm doing it anyway.
C.T. I recently came across this when hunting for some vintage public domain images for a book cover I'm working on. You might well get a kick out of it.1819 page by page scanned recreation of "The London Guide and Stranger’s Safeguard against the Cheats, Swindlers, and Pickpockets"... I read the first few pages and was cracking up. Might be more fun for a Londoner, though. ;)
http://publicdomainreview.org/collect...
Great find, I'm definitely going to give that a proper read! Hilarious in the way it is written and very interesting for a Londoner. Thanks for the link.
Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers
Books mentioned in this topic
Falling Angel (other topics)The Summoner (other topics)
Midnight Riot (other topics)
Birdman (other topics)
Sovereign Nation (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Layton Green (other topics)Rick Riordan (other topics)
Andy McDermott (other topics)
Mark Douglas Holborn (other topics)
Mark Douglas Holborn (other topics)
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Have you read The Club Dumas, the novel that inspired the film?