WarlordGhrom Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 Just finished the third book int he Takeshi Kovacs series by Richard K Morgan. Fun sci-fi series that are gritty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 The Great Hunt. By Robert Jordan. Second time reading, Good book. Gotta go buy the next one. Reading sure is expensive.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfestedKerrigan Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 8 hours ago, paxmiles said: The Great Hunt. By Robert Jordan. Second time reading, Good book. Gotta go buy the next one. Reading sure is expensive.... Sheeeiiit, if you think reading is an expensive hobby, you should check out war gaming! 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 Just now, InfestedKerrigan said: Sheeeiiit, if you think reading is an expensive hobby, you should check out war gaming! Takes about a week to read a book like The Great Hunt. 8-20 bucks to buy one new. 32-80 bucks per month, that's what I already spend on 40k. Granted, there's the library and much more cheap used book selling than there is cheap 40k. Still, as hobbies go, reading is comparable to 40k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarlordGhrom Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 On 12/7/2017 at 5:13 AM, paxmiles said: The Great Hunt. By Robert Jordan. Second time reading, Good book. Gotta go buy the next one. Reading sure is expensive.... Have you tried this thing called a library? You can reserve online even with most of them and if you turn the books back in on time it doesn't even cost a dime. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 1 minute ago, WarlordGhrom said: Have you tried this thing called a library? You can reserve online even with most of them and if you turn the books back in on time it doesn't even cost a dime. I have had bad luck with librarys in the past, but you are correct, as I mentioned before, that is a method to make reading cheaper (or free). Though reminds me of a thought from the other day, regarding creating a Wargaming library. It's not like we don't have more models and games than we really use....I can certainly see people looking into some sort of Model/rulebook library. Doubt you could do it for-profit, but you never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justjokin Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 I vote with my dollars. Good SciFi is hard to fund FIND! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 2 minutes ago, Justjokin said: I vote with my dollars. Good SciFi is hard to fund FIND! That is another good point. Definitely want to encourage authors to continue writing good books and for prospective authors to believe that there is money in releasing a good book (as opposed to keeping for personal use only...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 9, 2017 Report Share Posted December 9, 2017 The Dragon Reborn. By Robert Jordan. Just finished. The "flow" was much quicker for this book, though not sure if the book was actually any shorter. Maybe 12 hours to read. I really liked it. Though, more than the other two, this one has lots of moments where a recently mentioned "ancient legend" is mentioned and then encountered a little too conviently - only real flaw. I enjoyed it and will continue reading the series. Went to Powell's the other day and bought up to book 6. I'll probably burn out before then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckman Posted December 10, 2017 Report Share Posted December 10, 2017 My problem with Jordan is that I think he was writing the standard (for the time) 5-book arc and his publisher said "Oh gawd, don't wrap it up because you will lose readers!" I felt like the 5th book had a solid story and they tacked on a starter chapter and then monkeyed with the ending. (If you outline it and look at what you have it's really clunky.) It's also the point at which he started throwing out all the rules of his universe... This power unmakes things and rolls back time... Except where I need to say oops, king's-x so I can bring back arch baddies that have been defeated to prolong things. Up to that point I felt the writing was reasonably tight, well editted and consistent and that his universe was sound and he had character development. After book 5 he seemed scattered and he lost me as a reader. I've been told he found a way to reshape his arc and that it can be viewed as a coherent whole at a later point but I never gave the series a chance beyond book 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2017 Report Share Posted December 11, 2017 12 hours ago, Duckman said: My problem with Jordan is that I think he was writing the standard (for the time) 5-book arc and his publisher said "Oh gawd, don't wrap it up because you will lose readers!" I felt like the 5th book had a solid story and they tacked on a starter chapter and then monkeyed with the ending. (If you outline it and look at what you have it's really clunky.) It's also the point at which he started throwing out all the rules of his universe... This power unmakes things and rolls back time... Except where I need to say oops, king's-x so I can bring back arch baddies that have been defeated to prolong things. Up to that point I felt the writing was reasonably tight, well editted and consistent and that his universe was sound and he had character development. After book 5 he seemed scattered and he lost me as a reader. I've been told he found a way to reshape his arc and that it can be viewed as a coherent whole at a later point but I never gave the series a chance beyond book 6. Dunno, never finished the series the first time. I burnt out somewhere in books 6-9, not really sure - hence why I decided to just start over, rather than starting from where I left off. I'm about half way through book 4, right now. Very much enjoying it. I do recall a slow period in one of the later books, which may have been related to me burning out the first time. On the other hand, I likely burned out just because I was reading so rapidly. I'm all or nothing, most of the time, but it can't be maintained - so buring out would likely have happened even without a slow period in the series. I've also heard from other fans that the author fixes this in the even later books. That's one of the reasons I decided to revisit the series. Regarding books, I'm buying them this time around (I was using the library more on the first time around). Any book I read more than once is probably worth owning. I don't own that many books, as most are really not worth owning. Really, most of my reading in the last year has been game rules and forum posts - I just needed a good book and decided to read something I knew I'd enjoyed in the past, rather than chancing a new book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarbicus Posted December 12, 2017 Report Share Posted December 12, 2017 On 12/4/2017 at 10:24 AM, WarlordGhrom said: Just finished the third book int he Takeshi Kovacs series by Richard K Morgan. Fun sci-fi series that are gritty. I just started Altered Chrome but am really struggling to get into it. Does the writing get clearer? So far, the "gritty noir" elements feel forced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarlordGhrom Posted December 14, 2017 Report Share Posted December 14, 2017 On 12/12/2017 at 12:15 PM, Yarbicus said: I just started Altered Chrome but am really struggling to get into it. Does the writing get clearer? So far, the "gritty noir" elements feel forced. Nope, stays the same writing style. The first book of the three is the best in my mind. So if you don't really like it, don't read any further. His writing is heavy and not James Patterson breeze through for sure. So does take some time to read. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psilence Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 Finished The Warmaster by Dan Abnett. Its always nice to return to the ghosts as they are a group I can invest in since they've been around for so long. Gritty IG combat were you can feel the las rounds going through people, with good dark drama in the background. Leaves you wanting more at the end, and feels like a stepping stone for the next book/s. Makes me want to re-read from the start and work on my IG/AM. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Wow. Forgot to update this one. My reading pace has slowed, probably related to getting more involved with things outside of books. Could also be related to the weather being warmer lately. Presently on Path of Daggers, Book 8 of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Reading-wise, book series is still going strong and I think I'm nearing the point I gave up last time. I'm guessing book 10 is when I stopped last time, we'll see. Powell's has been very accomidating in supplying cheap used books of this series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psilence Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Finished I Am Slaughter by Dan Abnett. For the longest time I stayed away from this one because of the cover art, silly me. Its the first in a twelve part series by black library. It is interesting in that it is set in m31-32, post heresy, but just barely. It deals with both the imperial fists, and the upper command structure of the young imperium, for a little intrigue mixed in with the hail of bolter fire. A typically well written Abnett novel. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestRider Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 51 minutes ago, Psilence said: Finished I Am Slaughter by Dan Abnett. For the longest time I stayed away from this one because of the cover art, silly me. Its the first in a twelve part series by black library. It is interesting in that it is set in m31-32, post heresy, but just barely. It deals with both the imperial fists, and the upper command structure of the young imperium, for a little intrigue mixed in with the hail of bolter fire. A typically well written Abnett novel. I'm on volume 9 right now. It's a bit hit or miss as authors rotate in and out, but always at least decent, and sometimes great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 On book 10 now for the Wheel of Time Series. 99 pages of Prologue...The book only has 822 pages. An eighth of the book is prologue. Such a long series. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torg Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Well I finished the Annihilation series (3 books)... it was alright - started strong with the first book - then got interesting from a different angle in the 2nd book. But the 3rd book lost focus for me... and it got really messy with how things jump around and try to wrap things up. The first book was by far the best one and could be read without the follow up book 2 and 3. The second book is decent - but after reading it you'd probably be reading the 3rd as well... which for me wasn't as good as the rest. I haven't had time to sit and read lately - but I did start listening to another book - the Murderbot Diaries Book #1 - All Systems Red. So far it has been really fun and light and interesting. -d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestRider Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley. Kind of a weird experience. As with when I watched Rambo, the name Frankenstein, and a distorted version of the story, has become so embedded in popular culture that it's impossible to read the book without preconceptions. Other than the central idea that Frankenstein creates a pseudo-human, and they eventually destroy each other, none of the film adaptations I've seen really have anything to do with the actual story here. The creature is articulate (and, indeed, loquacious), and highly intelligent, if suffering from rather limited and very negative life experience. Frankenstein himself is no doctor, indeed holds no degree at all, having abandoned his university lectures after two years to create the creature in his dorm. Perhaps not surprisingly, since his work was a continuation of the styles of Gothic and Dark Romantic literature, the writing style reminds me to a great degree of Lovecraft. As with many other foundational or revolutionary works, it is mostly worth reading for historical value. The themes, concepts, and techniques have all been reworked and refined and improved and deconstructed and examined over the two centuries since it's original publishing. Mostly, but not entirely: There is definitely a spark in there all its own, and it is very worth contrasting with alterations made in the various films inspired by it. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jollyork Posted February 12, 2018 Report Share Posted February 12, 2018 You might enjoy the original Dracula for similar reasons. It's fun to see where some of the modern styles and elements derive from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestRider Posted February 12, 2018 Report Share Posted February 12, 2018 1 hour ago, jollyork said: You might enjoy the original Dracula for similar reasons. It's fun to see where some of the modern styles and elements derive from. It's on my list. I read Carmilla a while back, too, for similar reasons, and really liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfestedKerrigan Posted February 12, 2018 Report Share Posted February 12, 2018 Picked up Tales of Genji for 2 bucks at thrift store. Also picked up "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari. Second time, actually. First copy I gifted about a chapter in. I'm restarting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 7, 2018 Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 Finally finished that Wheel of Time Series. Those Brandon Sanderson books, just not as good. Bad books are slow reading. And I didn't really like the end in Memory of Light. Still, glad I finished. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with the end in the book, I just think it was rather mediocre and I felt the series deserved better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pretre Posted March 7, 2018 Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 15 minutes ago, paxmiles said: Finally finished that Wheel of Time Series. Those Brandon Sanderson books, just not as good. Bad books are slow reading. And I didn't really like the end in Memory of Light. Still, glad I finished. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with the end in the book, I just think it was rather mediocre and I felt the series deserved better. To be fair to Brandon, he picked up a massive mess and finished it up reasonably. I would highly recommend Brandon's other work, which is pretty great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.