The Sword and Laser discussion
What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading - February 2011 Edition
Reading a few right now since the current book on the list is not on kindle I am sorry to say I will not be reading it but I did start The Game of Thrones. I am also working on the last book in the millennium trilogy and going to start Erik Larson's Thunderstruck.
Jlawrence wrote: "The Name of the Wind (I'm really starting to get sucked into it) and Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas."Just started The Name of the Wind as well and I couldn't agree more. I just can't put it down.
I am so back logged as far as reading goes right now, but I am about to catch up on the 40-issue The Walking Dead Volume 1 I received for the holidays as well as catch up on more graphic novelly goodness with Fables. I'm about three collections behind on that. Who knows? I may even get to reading a book too!
Just finished Bitter Seeds (thanks booklending.com), which I really enjoyed. Started on another borrowed book: Old Man's War. Looking forward to finishing Peter F Hamilton's Void trilogy with The Evolutionary Void sometime soon now that the Kindle price has dropped some.
Mike wrote: "Jlawrence wrote: "The Name of the Wind (I'm really starting to get sucked into it) and Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas."Just started The Name of the Wind as well..."
Glad you don't hate me for hate the book.
No one has ever said they hated you for hating the book, Kevin.
Listening to Johannes Cabal the Necromancer then re-listening to the The Name of the Windin preparation for The Wise Man's Fear.
Just started Clive Barker's Imajica. Has anyone else read this? I had never heard of it until a friend gifted it to me yesterday! One hundred pages in and it is really good.
What's your view on Daemon, Tina?
Rick wrote: "Just started Clive Barker's Imajica. Has anyone else read this? I had never heard of it until a friend gifted it to me yesterday! One hundred pages in and it is really good."Is it like the Hellraiser movies?
Rick wrote: "Just started Clive Barker's Imajica. Has anyone else read this? I had never heard of it until a friend gifted it to me yesterday! One hundred pages in and it is really good."Barker's generally classified as a horror writer -- which may be why you haven't heard of him -- though he got that rep from his first few books like The Damnation Game and Books of Blood. Most of his works are bizarre fantasies that make you realize how mundane most fantasy novels are.
Tamahome wrote: "Is it like the Hellraiser movies?"Nothing like them. It is as Sean says, a bizare fantasy with elements of magical realism, surrealism, and urban fantasy so far.
Sean, I had heard of Clive Barker before but as you say, I thought he was strictly horror. What a pleasant surprise to find otherwise.
Imagica was good, but I prefered Weaveworld. Both of them are unlike anything else I've ever read, wonderful and creative and dark and disturbing.
I just finished the Forever War. I had heard it was a must read book and at first I was kind of skeptical about it as the beginning of the book just didn't pull me in like some books. But by the end of the book I really enjoyed it. It was very different from what I expected and a bit sexist in some ways but an excellent book overall.
Tamahome wrote: "Is it like the Hellraiser movies? ."Other than Barker's penchant for perverse sensuality and bizarre monsters, not especially. If you want something like Hellraiser, try the novella it was based upon, The Hellbound Heart and the collection Cabal (which contains the short stories that Lord of Illusions and Nightbreed were based upon).
Books like Imajica, Weaveworld, and The Great and Secret Show are excellent dark fantasies, but they aren't necessarily meant to be scary. They'd be good choices for future S&L books.
I am so into the Old Man's War books, that I am dying to read Forever War when I finish Zoe's Tale. I am so into far-reaching galaxy romps right now. Thanks Mr Scalzi.
Mlybrand wrote: "I am so into the Old Man's War books, that I am dying to read Forever War when I finish Zoe's Tale. I am so into far-reaching galaxy romps right now. Thanks Mr Scalzi."I'm about half way through Old Man's War and am enjoying it so much I'm already looking forward to the next three books in the series. Anyone know if John Scalzi is planning on continuing the series?
Just finished two of Sean's recommendation. Japanese authors both:Harmony
The Lord of the Sands of Time
Both were quite good and I add my recommendation to Seans. Harmony works with ideas that are rare if not unique in SF.
In my opinion, they get better each time. There is a short story on the kindle that was pretty good. And I will eventually ILL the Sagan Diary.
I finished Soon I Will Be Invincible this week and started reading The Hunger Games. I finished Doctor Who: Prisoner Of The Daleks and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter earlier this month.
Just re-read and listened to Day by Day Armageddon and Beyond Exile: Day by Day Armageddonby J.L. BourneHe is a fellow active duty military member by day and kick butt zombie writer by night! I suggest both audio and traditional versions!! ENJOY ALL :) Also, just started A Game of Thrones...GREAT!!!
I just finished Sleepless (still mulling over the ending) and am about to read Palimpsest again for a different book club. Also got Decoded by Jay-Z to mix it up a little. :)
Just finished Philip K Dick's The Man in the High Castle. This is the third time in my life that I've read this and tried really hard to like it. I don't. I like most of his other stuff though, I just don't like this and assume that it's because it's a Alternate History which I've never really enjoyed.
Just started reading Scalzi's Old Man's War. Only three chapters in and it seems mildly entertaining but it has yet to "knock my socks off" which was the impression I was getting from others. Hoping for the best.
Joe wrote: "Just started reading Scalzi's Old Man's War. Only three chapters in and it seems mildly entertaining but it has yet to "knock my socks off" which was the impression I was getting from others. Hopin..."Might be another "chocolate and vanilla" situation. I couldn't stand the Dark Tower series. And I don't like Pratchett or Gaiman. So, to each his own. Sorry if I led you astray :)
Joe wrote: "Just started reading Scalzi's Old Man's War. Only three chapters in and it seems mildly entertaining but it has yet to "knock my socks off" which was the impression I was getting from others. Hopin..."It gets better as the book goes along.
My favorite part is where he gets his new body.
Bob wrote: "I finished Soon I Will Be Invincible this week and started reading The Hunger Games. I finished Doctor Who: Prisoner Of The Daleks and Abraham Lin..."</i>I really enjoyed [book:Soon I Will Be Invincible. Have you read Ex-Heroes? Takes the superhero thing and adds zombies, which is always a plus.
I read Ex-Heroes before I read Soon I will be Invincible. I plan on reading some of the Wild Cards book later one. I really enjoy the super-hero novels, but there is simply just not enough of them.
Just started reading The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom. Quantum Mechanics is at least a little bit laser right?
Michael wrote: "Joe wrote: "Tom wrote: "I'm still on The Dark Tower trek, book IV Wizard and Glass but I'm told before going to book V I should veer off and read The Stand and a few other..."Michael, you are my hero. Thank you so much for posting that graphic here. I'd often thought about looking for a key to tell me the best stuff to read before the Dark Tower series but had never actually done it ;-)
I am currently reading The Talisman and Dark Road to Darjeeling. I will pretty much read everything and anything.
Melissa wrote: "Michael wrote: "Joe wrote: "Tom wrote: "I'm still on The Dark Tower trek, book IV Wizard and Glass but I'm told before going to book V I should veer off and read The Stand..."Yeah as the series progresses it ties into many of the other books King has written. Salems Lot, The Stand, Eyes of The Dragon are a few that come to mind. Characters and places from these books appear in the Dark Tower series as well as King himself becoming a character. Reading these other books are not really needed, but are good reads.
Just finished Pandora's Star it was really good. So I had to go right into Judas Unchained. These are so long though 900 or so pages each.
Mlybrand wrote: "Joe wrote: "Just started reading Scalzi's Old Man's War. Only three chapters in and it seems mildly entertaining but it has yet to "knock my socks off" which was the impression I was getting from o..."Not at all. I read alot more last night and I'm really enjoying it. Just seemed to start a little slowly. Thanks for the reco.
Tamahome wrote: "My favorite part is where he gets his new body."Agreed. I was premature in my dismissal yesterday. It's really getting good.
Bob wrote: "Joe wrote: "Just started reading Scalzi's Old Man's War. Only three chapters in and it seems mildly entertaining but it has yet to "knock my socks off" which was the impression I was getting from o..."I found that out last night. :)
Bob wrote: "I really enjoy the super-hero novels, but there is simply just not enough of them."I haven't read them, but I've heard good things about Van Allen Plexico's Sentinels books, if you're looking for more in the super-hero vein. He literally wrote the book on The Avengers, so he knows his super-hero stories.
I've been meaning to read Soon I Will Be Invincible for the longest time.
I'm currently reading Gene Wolfe's Home Fires, and I'll be starting Katherine Dunn's Geek Love soon.
Ed wrote: "I'm currently reading Gene Wolfe's Home Fires,..."How is that? Nobody is stocking it.
I'm only halfway through it, so my definitive review will have to wait until I've finished, but, so far, I'm liking it a little less than The Sorcerer's House and Pirate Freedom (both of which I feel are very underrated), but more than An Evil Guest. If you're a Wolfe fan, it's a must-read, of course.
Reading the first book in the Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker, The Darkness That Comes Before because of the Bankrupt Nihilism controversy. Teach the controversy!
Ed wrote: "Bob wrote: "I really enjoy the super-hero novels, but there is simply just not enough of them."I haven't read them, but I've heard good things about Van Allen Plexico's [book:Sent..."
Ill check them out! Thanks :)
Finished up Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest today, Stephen E. Ambrose's best WWII book in my opinion. Started Lamentation by Ken Scholes after hearing Julie D. recommend it a while back, I'm digging it so far.
Finished Room about a week ago. I liked it quite a bit more than I expected to. The narration from the child drove me crazy for about the first 30 minutes, but I got used to it after that.Read The Shadow of the Torturer, but I don't think I'll be finishing the second part of our "homework" by reading Claw. I really liked the mix of fantasy (for lack of a better term) and sf, but the writing style just didn't work for me.
Knocked out True Grit tonight, and started Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Josh wrote: "After hearing it mentioned so many times in here, I've started The Eye of the World, but am prepared to either abandon it or read the whole series, as I've heard very polarized opinio..."About half way through the Wheel of Time books I stopped. It felt like it was being dragged out. The Eye of the World is great though. I seem to recall originally it was just supposed to be that one book. That is why I think, at least to me, it feels like a complete story in and of itself versus the others which are definitely a series.
Regarding the Gunslinger, I used to own a copy of the original before he re-edited it. I think I like the original story better. It felt, I dunno, harder?
Neil wrote: "Just finished Pandora's Star it was really good. So I had to go right into Judas Unchained. These are so long though 900 or so pages each."Pandora's start is where I'm heading next - Can't Wait.
Regards, Jim
Jim wrote: "Neil wrote: "Just finished Pandora's Star it was really good. So I had to go right into Judas Unchained. These are so long though 900 or so pages each."Pandora's start i..."
I found some stretches a little difficult to get through, but overall the story is amazing. I plan on reading it again some day.
Currently readying Foundation by Isaac Asimov. About half way through and really enjoying it. You can tell that it was written in the 60's because everything is Nuclear power this, Nuclear power that, no Dilithium. But for a book over forty years old it holds up amazingly.
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
Judas Unchained (other topics)Pandora's Star (other topics)
The Dreaming Void (other topics)
Judas Unchained (other topics)
Pandora's Star (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Brian Jacques (other topics)Alastair Reynolds (other topics)
Gail Z. Martin (other topics)
Alastair Reynolds (other topics)
Stephen E. Ambrose (other topics)
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I can't believe how everyone loves the book.