Return of the Book Thread

[Merusk]

I've been reading the Black Company series based on seeing so many folks recommending it.  I don't have the love for it some of you seem to have, but it's a good enough read I don't feel I'm wasting my time.  There's been a few times I felt it was weak/ forced, and some of the 'surprises' were fairly transparent to me. Maybe Croaker's just not that bright.

Up to The White Rose so far, and I'm going to have to order the rest from Amazon. The local Barnes & Nobel didn't have anything between it and the second books of the south. (Which I made the mistake of reading the back cover of.  :-( ) 

For you Star Wars fans, I recommend picking-up the "Tales" graphic novels.  They're mainly fun out-of-continuity short stories but I've enjoyed the 6 there were.

As for actual books, I think everything I've read is listed here in some way or another.  I don't take many risks picking up books 'just because it (90% of the time meaning the cover)  looked interesting', though.  I go based of recommendations.

[Murgos]

I've been reading the Black Company series based on seeing so many folks recommending it.  I don't have the love for it some of you seem to have, but it's a good enough read I don't feel I'm wasting my time.  There's been a few times I felt it was weak/ forced, and some of the 'surprises' were fairly transparent to me. Maybe Croaker's just not that bright.

Read everything Croaker says/reports with an eye to sarcasm and cynicism.  Like as if someone on this board were writing all his text in green.  Sometimes the sarcasm is very subtle and looks on the surface like he's missing the obvious.  Still, I think some of the later books are much stronger (Murgen's annals) than the early middle stuff.

[Margalis]

By the way I highly reccomend Books of Blood by Barker. I have only read some of his novels and honestly they didn't do that much for me, but I do like his short stories a lot. They are very imaginitive and screwed up. They also aren't nearly as dark as I had been lead to believe. (Or maybe I've just grown immune to that sort of stuff)

I'd say that compared to Stephen King short stories they are more imaginitive, better paced, but with less robust characterization.

[Sky]

I was jonesing for some Modesitt and couldn't get the scifi stuff I wanted quickly, so I grabbed the Sorceress one. It's growing on me, I wish he knew more about music, since it's the central theme of the book. But the whole liberated female with power placed in a medeival society is kind of interesting, though even that's getting a little tired. Man tries to do bad things, woman turns him into charcoal. Repeat in every new town.

[Johny Cee]

I've been reading the Black Company series based on seeing so many folks recommending it.  I don't have the love for it some of you seem to have, but it's a good enough read I don't feel I'm wasting my time.  There's been a few times I felt it was weak/ forced, and some of the 'surprises' were fairly transparent to me. Maybe Croaker's just not that bright.

Up to The White Rose so far, and I'm going to have to order the rest from Amazon. The local Barnes & Nobel didn't have anything between it and the second books of the south. (Which I made the mistake of reading the back cover of.  :-( ) 

For you Star Wars fans, I recommend picking-up the "Tales" graphic novels.  They're mainly fun out-of-continuity short stories but I've enjoyed the 6 there were.

As for actual books, I think everything I've read is listed here in some way or another.  I don't take many risks picking up books 'just because it (90% of the time meaning the cover)  looked interesting', though.  I go based of recommendations.

What Murgos said.  Remember that Croaker is a closet romantic/idealist, and that he has a ton of cynicism and dry humor.  He also tries hard to make his brothers not look like the monsters they are,  and tries to present their humanity.  Most of what happens with him as the narrator is said between the lines.

The Black Company is a pretty important work in regards to modern fantasy.  It really pioneered the shades of gray/amoral fantasy that then spawned stuff like Martin and Erikson.  Pragmatism over epic/mythic storytelling.

I find that I really liked the book from Sleepy's point of view, though I also liked the Murgen books.

[Flood]

Seeing all the tidbits about the new Malazan book makes me salivate.  Now if ol' GRRM will get his ass in gear.

Anyway I finally ordered Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling because Borders loves to keep books 2-3-4 of a series in stock but not 1.  Really good read.  Caveat I like "post-apocalyptic" type stuff - but the series is an interesting blend of end of the world and ancient combat techniques. (Combustion no longer works.  No guns or gasoline etc.)  There's 3 books in the series so I've moved on to The Protector's War and then there's a final book, A Meeting in Corvallis.

After that I've got The Fall of Rome: A Novel of a World Lost on hold for me.  I loooooves me some historical fiction, probably even more than zombies.  MCF is only one upped by Pressfield in my opinion, and The Ten Thousand is a fantastic book.

 

[murdoc]

Anyway I finally ordered Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling because Borders loves to keep books 2-3-4 of a series in stock but not 1.  Really good read.  Caveat I like "post-apocalyptic" type stuff - but the series is an interesting blend of end of the world and ancient combat techniques. (Combustion no longer works.  No guns or gasoline etc.)  There's 3 books in the series so I've moved on to The Protector's War and then there's a final book, A Meeting in Corvallis.

I LOL'd IRL that the future would be run by Ren Faire enthusiasts and the British SAS when I read Protector's War.

Other then that, it was a surprisingly decent read for a 'bought on a whim' book.

[Reg]

S.M. Stirling writes interesting stuff. He's written two more based on the premise that the island of Nantucket and everyone on it gets sent several thousand years into the past. It's interesting seeing how hard they have to work to maintain even late 1800s technology when they don't have the whole industrial base of North America to depend on anymore.

The first book was called Island in the Sea of Time ( I think ).

[Viin]

I happened to pick up The Armageddon Rag by George R. R. Martin, mostly on a whim. (I like this Song of Fire and Ice series).

Very good book! Not anything I was expecting. It's about a band in the late sixties who has their lead singer assassinated, supposedly ending the Movement (Peace, Love, all that 60's crap). Gets pretty bizarre and interesting - I totally recommend this book if you'd like something with darker side of music. (But I can't say more without giving all the twists away!)

[Flood]

S.M. Stirling writes interesting stuff. He's written two more based on the premise that the island of Nantucket and everyone on it gets sent several thousand years into the past. It's interesting seeing how hard they have to work to maintain even late 1800s technology when they don't have the whole industrial base of North America to depend on anymore.

The first book was called Island in the Sea of Time ( I think ).

Yea, supposedly the "Change" that happens to Earth is when Nantucket gets sucked back in time.  So in a way Dies the Fire and the subsequent books are sequels to that series.  I dunno I really enjoyed Dies the Fire.  I'd pick up that Islands book just on the strength of his other books.

Oh I remember some more sci-fi  I read recently:

Brass Man by Neal Asher.  You might want or need to read the other books set in his Polity universe, like "The Skinner" or "Grid Linked".

Broken Angels by Richard K. Morgan  I started here by accident and it's sort of book 2 of 3, but it didn't seem to hurt my read.  See also "Altered Carbon" (won the Phillip K. Dick award) and "Woken Furies".

[Ironwood]

While The Skinner was an interesting introduction, I find Neal Asher quite a poor writer.  HIs other books were clumsy and difficult to wade through.  And it really, really felt like wading.

Richard K Morgan, on the other hand, is great.  The books are kinda linked but reading in any order won't make any difference.  I also liked his Market Forces, tho it was throwaway social commentary.

[Margalis]

Bump for two items:

1. The Hellbound Heart (novella Hellraiser was based on) is awesome.

2. Over the weekend I packed up my dad's books to they could be moved to me. I had to leave some of them behind, there were just too many and some were in bad shape, but I took probably 85% of them, and there are a *lot* of books. Once I get them I'm going to make a list of them and then maybe lend them out if people are interested.

It is a treasure-trove of genre fiction from 1930-1980 or so. A lot of pulpy stuff. I left behind about 30 Doc Savage books, but I packed up probably 20 of The Shadow. There are a lot of science fiction staples (Phillip K. Dick, Jack Vance, etc), some mystery (John Dickson Carr, A. A Fair), some crime fiction (Elmore Leonard, Ed McBain), etc. Also he had a ton of monthly serials: Fantasy and Science Fiction, Analog, and another one I forget.

I'll post some pictures and a list once I figure out how to get them up here...

[Chimpy]

Heh...thanks to the bump I saw this thread....and had to read all the way through to see if there was anything I think is worth mentioning that was not said earlier or comment on a few things I saw.

A few books by authors mentioned a lot in the thread, but not mentioned:

Feist: Faerie Tale is possibly my favorite book. I had to buy a second copy of it because I destroyed the first one re-reading it so many times. It is a little dated, as it is set in the late 80s, but I really think it has the most interesting story/character development of any of Feists work (and I have read almost all of it at least twice). It is kind of a mix between fantasy and psychological thriller, but a very good book.

Piers Anthony: I don't particularly like most of his stuff I have read, in fact some of his stuff I end up putting down about halfway into the third book I try to read. But I really enjoy the first 2 parts of Bio of a Space Tyrant but I always end up getting about 100 pages into book 3 and take it back to the library. The best book of his I ever read was Macroscope which you will have a hard time finding as it has been out of print for 30 years and it was set in the late 1980s with comments on specific dates of moon landings in the 80s etc. (a common problem with a lot of  late 60s - early 70s sci fi I have found).

David Eddings: High Hunt is a very interesting book, much more adult than the vast majority of his work. I always enjoyed it as it was before he had fallen into the "I am the king of selling pulp fantasy to teenagers" mode of the 1990s. I will say I did really enjoy his one stand-alone piece of fantasy The Redemption of Althalus mainly because of it's dialogue and the interaction between the characters. The story is bland and somewhat formulaic, but the characters are funny.

On to comments on stuff people have commented on:

George R.R. Martin's Ice and Fire stuff: I think the thing about his books that I find most interesting is that he has an ability to have you become engrossed in the storys and motivations of all the characters, and especially early on, he gives you something to love about even the most pitiful or disgusting of his main characters. He just shows a rare depth of narrative that becomes pretty engrossing.

Modessitt: I remember having a conversation about it with my high school football coach who was a big fantasy fan and he said "I can't read that book. It is in first person, and I fucking hate first person." Made me realize what was so different the first time I read Magic of Recluse. I think that might be what is so gripping about his work is that he really has a very good grasp on how to make an engaging book written almost entirely in first person that is not "small" in scope.

As for stuff not mentioned here, well, here are a couple of my recommendations:

Big Trouble and Tricky Business by Dave Barry. Both are downright hilarious. Yeah I know the Big Trouble movie sucked, but if you did see it try to erase it from your mind and read the book. The way Dave Barry writes you can actually see the insanity of his characters in your mind. Very entertaining (and short books too).

The Matador books by Steve Perry (no, not the Oh, Sherrie guy). An interesting set of very short but concise and interestingly laid out sci-fi books. Similar in theme to the Sunset Warrior series by Eric Lustbader, but considerably more accessible and I think more interesting. Each book is like 250 pages max in length and there is little of the extraneous exposition of a lot of sci-fi of the last quarter century or so.

If you are interested in reading dramatic literature, I can give a few recommendations and things to avoid unless you like reading the worst shit in history. I had to read about 700 plays from many different eras and parts of the world in college.

[Chenghiz]

A friend told me that Gene Wolf writes some pretty awesome fantasy. What do you think of his stuff, if you have read it?

[Abagadro]

I've read the Book of the New Sun (which is four books, but you can buy it as two books). I thought it was interesting and the guy can write well. Didn't jump into my memory as one of the top series I've read, but it is probably worth picking up.

[tar]

I've read the Book of the New Sun too, I'd say it was more science fiction than fantasy though. Definitely a challenging read with many layers and levels to it, with some unusual writing techniques - primarily that of an unreliable narrator. To put it another way, everyone in it seems to lie to some extent, both to themselves, others and to you (the reader) so to get at the 'truth' of the story you have to do a lot of reading between the lines.

Been meaning to go back and reread it, as it's probably been over a decade now since I last did. If you like something that's going to make you think, that's almost a puzzle to work out, then give it a go.

[murdoc]

Just ripped through 'Dzur' and was somewhat disappointed. Can't quite nail down the reason why other than it was way too short.

Tearing into 'Memories of Ice' by Erikson. Gotta love a book that has a 300 thousand person army of starving cannabalistic peasants laying seige to a city.

[Johny Cee]

I've read the Book of the New Sun too, I'd say it was more science fiction than fantasy though. Definitely a challenging read with many layers and levels to it, with some unusual writing techniques - primarily that of an unreliable narrator. To put it another way, everyone in it seems to lie to some extent, both to themselves, others and to you (the reader) so to get at the 'truth' of the story you have to do a lot of reading between the lines.

Been meaning to go back and reread it, as it's probably been over a decade now since I last did. If you like something that's going to make you think, that's almost a puzzle to work out, then give it a go.

Book of the New Sun is fantasy with scifi trappings.

Most of Wolfe's stuff is pretty interesting,  but it is work.  Usually, it's a first person narrative where the narrator either actively lies/misdirects you,  or is massively understating what's taking place, and you have to really read between the lines to figure out where the actual plot is going. 

I've read the Knight and Wizard books, Book of the New Sun,  and have a bunch of the Latro books to finish.  The Latro books are interesting because the main character has amnesia, and can't seem to form new long term memories so keeps a journal, and his afflliction allows him to see and interact with various of the Greek gods and spirits.  It seems like a straight-forward quest story, and then something happens out of left field that makes you go back and reevaluate everything that's happened.

[Johny Cee]

Just ripped through 'Dzur' and was somewhat disappointed. Can't quite nail down the reason why other than it was way too short.

Tearing into 'Memories of Ice' by Erikson. Gotta love a book that has a 300 thousand person army of starving cannabalistic peasants laying seige to a city.

Memories of Ice is right up there with Deadhouse Gates.

I was disappointed with Dzur too,  and I think a big part of the problem is that it's a halt in the whole meta-plot advancement.  Orca a bit,  and Issola quite a bit,  moved forward the long-term story arc and background of the important players.  Dzur is a step backward,  especially since we're dealing with Cawti issues again. 

I found Teckla very emotionally wrenching,  and generally a good read,  but I'm not sure I want to continue to pick that scab in subsequent volumes.

[Sky]

I always end up getting about 100 pages into book 3 and take it back to the library.

Ok, I like you now.

[Chimpy]

I always end up getting about 100 pages into book 3 and take it back to the library.

Ok, I like you now.

Because I use a library, or because I can't finish Bio of a Space Tyrant?

Speaking of point A. I finally got a new library card. I need to hit me up the good library today.

[Sky]

I work in a library.

[Chimpy]

I work in a library.

Libraries are good.

I like books better than people.

[Chimpy]

So I went to the library and checked out a couple of books I had been interested in reading for a while:

This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman

And A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram

I have read a number of articles over the last few years about the Wolfram book, and I know the guy is a supergenius so chances are I will end up not being able to comprehend it after about 10 pages....thus why the library is my friend :D I will let everyone know in 3 months when/if I get far enough to have an opinion on it.

[Muggi]

Nice to see The Black Company being mentioned, that's a very underrated series.

Didn't notice if anyone mentioned Snow Crash by Bruce Sterling..have seen alot more about it in the last 5 years, it went semi-unnoticed for quite some time.  One of the top 5 or so cyberpunk novels of all-tiiiiime.

Feist's Fairy Tale, as mentioned above, is an extremely good book.  Probably the best of Feist.

As an aside, I was in an airport a few weeks back and picked up a certain Star Wars novel for the hell of it, had never read one before...won't give the title just in case someone is reading the series but, they KILLED CHEWY in the book.  I was tempted to burn it immediately; you wanna play around with characters, fine, but you don't F- with the wookiee.

[kaid]

God I tried to read the bio of a space tyrant series I got I think halfway into the third book before throwing it down in disgust and spraying lysol in my eyes to try to purge that book from my mind. There is trash and there is complete wtf gang raping of children crazy shit.

[HaemishM]

Didn't notice if anyone mentioned Snow Crash by Bruce Sterling..have seen alot more about it in the last 5 years, it went semi-unnoticed for quite some time.  One of the top 5 or so cyberpunk novels of all-tiiiiime.

That's actually Neal Stephenson. Bruce Sterling wrote Islands in the Net, Heavy Weather and others.

[WayAbvPar]

Speaking of Stephenson, I have embarked on the long voyage that is the Baroque Cycle. Still in the first book, but I just love Stephenson's style. The bone-dry sense of humor that pervades everything he writes is spot on.

Also picked up No Limit Hold 'em: Theory and Practice by Sklansky and Miller. I have decided to try to take a crack at some of the NL games being spread these days. SO much money to be had playing NL with people who don't know WTF they are doing. 

[Sky]

Ah, thanks for mentioning Stephenson. I was going to grab one of his for my vacation read. Haven't read any of his except a bit when I was in a bookstore a couple weeks ago. Great style and the plot looked cool.

[Muggi]

That's actually Neal Stephenson. Bruce Sterling wrote Islands in the Net, Heavy Weather and others.

BLAH you're correct, stupid stupid brain! WORK dammit! 

While Snow Crash is brilliance, The Diamond Age: or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer was a complete pile of stinking crap on a page.  Couldn't even finish it, and that's pretty rare for me.

Islands in the Net I liked btw.

[Velorath]

Even though it's supposed to be aimed at "Young Readers", I'm very interested in taking a look at Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves' new book InterWorld next week.

Joey Harker isn't a hero.

In fact, he's the kind of guy who gets lost in his own house.

But then one day, Joey gets really lost. He walks straight out of his world and into another dimension.

Joey's walk between the worlds makes him prey to two terrible forces—armies of magic and science who will do anything to harness his power to travel between dimensions.

When he sees the evil those forces are capable of, Joey makes the only possible choice: to join an army of his own, an army of versions of himself from different dimensions who all share his amazing power and who are all determined to fight to save the worlds.

Master storyteller Neil Gaiman and Emmy Award-winning science-fiction writer Michael Reaves team up to create a dazzling tale of magic, science, honor, and the destiny of one very special boy—and all the others like him.

Dreamworks has already optioned the rights to the movie.

[Ironwood]

While Snow Crash is brilliance, The Diamond Age: or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer was a complete pile of stinking crap on a page.  Couldn't even finish it, and that's pretty rare for me.

Wow.  Try again.  Raise your reading level.

[Bunk]

So I went to the library and checked out a couple of books I had been interested in reading for a while:

This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman

Friedman is kind of hit and miss. Her first big book, In Conquest Born, is really quite good and This Alien Shore is a pretty good read as well. Then she did a sequal to In Conquest about 15 years latter, and it was pretty much shit. She also did a trilogy of Fantasy books, but they came out as rather average fluff I thought.

Someone mentioned Snow Crash, which I read based off of advice here - definite manditory reading for fans of Cyberpunk.

[Muggi]

While Snow Crash is brilliance, The Diamond Age: or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer was a complete pile of stinking crap on a page.  Couldn't even finish it, and that's pretty rare for me.

Wow.  Try again.  Raise your reading level.

Nah I got it right the first time.  My reading level is just fine thx :)  Just didn't enjoy the book at all.  No reason to get all "waving arms above head" there champ.

[Muggi]

Regarding cyberpunk..another pretty decent but unheralded (imo) book to check out is Catspaw by Joan D. Vinge...it's not amazing literature, but an entertaining read.  Vinge added an interesting "soundtrack" concept to the book, based off what the main character is listening to on his iPod-esque device.  Outdated now of course but, the character is portrayed as a fan of classical music...ie mid-80's Alt stuff.

Worth picking up the paperback for a day or two of entertainment.  Apparently this is one book of a series, but it stands alone as a novel just fine.