Return of the Book Thread

[Hawkbit]

Yeah, I went there too.  Was very confused there for a bit.

[bhodi]

Vampires need love, too!

[Morat20]

The modern trend of Urban Fantasy makes me feel a bit sorry for...shit, can't remember the author's name, but she wrote a book back in the 80s called War of the Oaks that would have made her a fortune had she held off for two decades.

Fits right in, had a good mix of romance/fantasy without turning the lead into a sexual supernatural predator -- it really was more romance. Had a lot of fashion (sadly 80s-fied) and music. I think the story was like she was in a band? And the fairies wanted her to play for them? And she got into it with the Queen fairy and fell in love with one of those trickster fae, who turned out to be her de facto roadie?

I dunno. I think the hook was there was a war, and since faerie were immortal they had to suck in a mortal and do a bit of a ritual to make it possible for either side to kill the other. Otherwise it was just "ouch, please remove your sword, it's making my gorgeous fairie hair look bad".

[HaemishM]

Emma Bull is the author you're thinking of.

If you want more urban and cyberpunk with some elements of fantasy thrown in in the 2nd book in the series, I can always point you to my sig. 

[Abagadro]

Finally got around to reading Bruce Campbell's autobiography If Chins Could Kill. Highly entertaining and a very breezy read. I wish he would update it with what he has been doing for the last decade.

[Morat20]

Emma Bull is the author you're thinking of.

If you want more urban and cyberpunk with some elements of fantasy thrown in in the 2nd book in the series, I can always point you to my sig. 

Yep, that's the name. Huh, looking her up --- she's kept busy. Lots of anthologies, a massively praised work in 91, apparently War for the Oaks was optioned at one point for a movie. I guess missing the boat didn't hurt her too bad.

Good. It was a good enough book, and at the time it was a serious break from the epic fantasy of the day.

[ghost]

I just finished Atlas Shrugged after a long slog.    

The bit where Galt goes nuts on the radio is a great read. (Edit, for Ironwood)  Otherwise, I thought it was a good book.  I think people get a little bent out of shape about the political aspect of it, because the message is obviously too simplistic to portray reality.  And yes, I understand that Rand is a nutjob herself, but the book turned out to be quite nice.  I will probably read the Fountainhead after a bit of a break into easier reads.  I also read Gap:  the Real Story again this AM.  It took me about an hour and a half.  I forgot it went so quickly.

[Ironwood]

Oh Dear God.

[Johny Cee]

The modern trend of Urban Fantasy makes me feel a bit sorry for...shit, can't remember the author's name, but she wrote a book back in the 80s called War of the Oaks that would have made her a fortune had she held off for two decades.

Fits right in, had a good mix of romance/fantasy without turning the lead into a sexual supernatural predator -- it really was more romance. Had a lot of fashion (sadly 80s-fied) and music. I think the story was like she was in a band? And the fairies wanted her to play for them? And she got into it with the Queen fairy and fell in love with one of those trickster fae, who turned out to be her de facto roadie?

I dunno. I think the hook was there was a war, and since faerie were immortal they had to suck in a mortal and do a bit of a ritual to make it possible for either side to kill the other. Otherwise it was just "ouch, please remove your sword, it's making my gorgeous fairie hair look bad".

War of the Oaks is more like the '80s style Contemporary Fantasy (what Urban Fantasy used to be called) of De Lint.  All-powerful faerie factions are manipulating her because they need a mortal involved otherwise neither side can die (and I think involves the protagonist getting sacrificed or screwed over in the bargain?) but she figures out a way to trick herself out of the situation.

It's more an updated faerie story, where "winning" is not getting fucked up by the supernatural beasties.


Most UF now, the protag would ding up a couple of levels and kill the all-powerful baddie.  Most of the UF now feels more like the authors started with the classic "farmboy/chosen one" of Epic Fantasy, but moved it to a supernatural present day.

[Tmon]

What you're trying to avoid is Paranormal Romance novels. I wish they'd stick them in the romance section, or a new section, instead of the science fiction section.

I swear 95% of the local library's 'Science Fiction' ebook collection is paranormal romance.

[ghost]

Ah well.  So what to read now?  I'm thinking of going back through Imajica before I finish up the Gap series. 

[Morat20]

Most UF now, the protag would ding up a couple of levels and kill the all-powerful baddie.  Most of the UF now feels more like the authors started with the classic "farmboy/chosen one" of Epic Fantasy, but moved it to a supernatural present day.

True, although some are better at it than others. Butcher's been pretty good at generally keeping it feeling like Dresden is always playing a bit out of his league, and while the Codex Alera books are pretty much "Hidden farmboy prince becomes Heroic Badass" it's done amusingly and well enough that it's hard to notice, and you don't really care. :) Tavi in Codex Alera is always fighting something stronger than he is, and Dresden at least usually feels outclassed.

Now that I think about it, probably 80% of the conflicts in both series are resolved less by raw power and more by clever application.

The Anita Blake books, on the other hand......*shudder*. It seems the more smutty and romance versions of UF tend towards personal conflict (relationship problems, emotional upheaval") with the baddies presenting either more of a sideshow, or doing mindfuck attacks.

[Tmon]

I sort of remember that the first few Anita Blake novels were okish, but then somewhere along the line she started sleeping with the vampires rather than killing them and it went rapidly downhill from there.

[Ironwood]

I just finished Atlas Shrugged after a long slog.    

The bit where Galt goes nuts on the radio is a great read. (Edit, for Ironwood)  Otherwise, I thought it was a good book.  I think people get a little bent out of shape about the political aspect of it, because the message is obviously too simplistic to portray reality.  And yes, I understand that Rand is a nutjob herself, but the book turned out to be quite nice.  I will probably read the Fountainhead after a bit of a break into easier reads.  I also read Gap:  the Real Story again this AM.  It took me about an hour and a half.  I forgot it went so quickly.

It's THE REST of it that should be green.

Also, you totally missed the point of the people who worship this dizzy bint :  This was her portraying a reality.  This is the reality that people take from the book.  This is what they actually try to make a reality.  Which explains so very much.

Battlefield Earth, for example, is a complete pile of shite from start to finish.  There's a Whole Bunch of assholes that will disagree with me because I'm effectively dissing their GOD.

[ghost]

I understand the political bullshit behind it, Ironwood, I just liked the book.  

Edit:  And I liked Battlefield Earth, too, although I wouldn't re-read it. 

[Ironwood]

Whoa, really ?

I read the whole fucking thing twice (and it's not a short book) and it was just shit from start to end.  Christ, John Christopher wrote it better and shorter, with just as lame an ending.

[ghost]

It's not in my top 25 or anything.  I just remember I enjoyed reading it.  

Edit:  And you read it twice? Wow.  That's a thick ass book.

[HaemishM]

I enjoyed Atlas Shrugged when I read it at age 23. I was also in the grips of a serious depression after having graduated college and not really knowing what the fuck to do with my life and thinking the whole "man of vision and intellect fights against all odds to succeed!" motto was the thrust of the story. I had also voted Republican in the only election I'd been involved in.

In short, I was a goddamned idiot. The book is horribly written, horribly intentioned and horrible from start to finish.

[ghost]

I had also voted Republican in the only election I'd been involved in.

I see a lot of the abuse that goes on in the book in the very Republican party that it purportedly supports.  It's all the same cronyism in the right crowd, regardless of political bent.  I would argue that the current Republican/Tea Party fools more closely resemble James Taggart and crowd right now than the Democrats. 

[Paelos]

Now you've done it.

[HaemishM]

Yes, except they are all free market fairy believers and could never possibly be considered Taggarts.

Rand's philosophy is not internally consistent, especially amongst her disciples.

[Johny Cee]

Most UF now, the protag would ding up a couple of levels and kill the all-powerful baddie.  Most of the UF now feels more like the authors started with the classic "farmboy/chosen one" of Epic Fantasy, but moved it to a supernatural present day.

True, although some are better at it than others. Butcher's been pretty good at generally keeping it feeling like Dresden is always playing a bit out of his league, and while the Codex Alera books are pretty much "Hidden farmboy prince becomes Heroic Badass" it's done amusingly and well enough that it's hard to notice, and you don't really care. :) Tavi in Codex Alera is always fighting something stronger than he is, and Dresden at least usually feels outclassed.

Now that I think about it, probably 80% of the conflicts in both series are resolved less by raw power and more by clever application.

Butcher does a fair amount of characters dinging up, especially in the early portion of the series, but he did move towards Harry cutting deals enemy of my enemy style as well as crazy like a fox plans.  (Zombified T-Rex being at the top of the list as far as crazy like a fox plans go.)

The early books, I swear Harry gets XP for each ass-kicking he takes until he dings, then beats the boss.

The Anita Blake books, on the other hand......*shudder*. It seems the more smutty and romance versions of UF tend towards personal conflict (relationship problems, emotional upheaval") with the baddies presenting either more of a sideshow, or doing mindfuck attacks.

The early Anita Blake books are decent reads.  It's more "woman with issues protects normals from monsters, wonders if she is turning into a monster"....  you'd never know that Anita was kind of a prude with a bunch of sex issues do to a nasty breakup from the later books though, where "plot" becomes how many werewolves/vampires she can gangbang. 

I'm not being funny.  That literally was the plot from one of the later books. 

[Evildrider]

Butcher does a fair amount of characters dinging up, especially in the early portion of the series, but he did move towards Harry cutting deals enemy of my enemy style as well as crazy like a fox plans.  (Zombified T-Rex being at the top of the list as far as crazy like a fox plans go.)

The early books, I swear Harry gets XP for each ass-kicking he takes until he dings, then beats the boss.

That part in Dead Beat is prolly one of my favorite moments in the Dresden books.   

[RhyssaFireheart]

Butcher does a fair amount of characters dinging up, especially in the early portion of the series, but he did move towards Harry cutting deals enemy of my enemy style as well as crazy like a fox plans.  (Zombified T-Rex being at the top of the list as far as crazy like a fox plans go.)

The early books, I swear Harry gets XP for each ass-kicking he takes until he dings, then beats the boss.

That part in Dead Beat is prolly one of my favorite moments in the Dresden books.   

And somehow, the pun in the book title just became clear to me. 

[jakonovski]

I'm almost done with Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts. It's weird but pretty funny.

[Johny Cee]

[HaemishM]

Finished reading Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness. I loved it, mainly because it was the type of book I had no idea what to expect out of. Stunningly original and well-written, even decades after it was first published. This is my first exposure to her work, and I definitely plan to read more.

Started on Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I don't know if it's the translation or the way it was written, but the language feels dull to me. It also feels like there is a really big story going on that I'm getting treated to a morsel at a time.

[Morat20]

Finished reading Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness. I loved it, mainly because it was the type of book I had no idea what to expect out of. Stunningly original and well-written, even decades after it was first published. This is my first exposure to her work, and I definitely plan to read more.

The Lathe of Heaven is generally considered one of her other premier works.

[naum]

Finished reading Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness. I loved it, mainly because it was the type of book I had no idea what to expect out of. Stunningly original and well-written, even decades after it was first published. This is my first exposure to her work, and I definitely plan to read more.

The Lathe of Heaven is generally considered one of her other premier works.

The Lathe of Heaven is good…

…must nab The Left Hand of Darkness from the library next visit.

Have read some of her other anthology type stuff (loosely based on Earthsea world) that was really good too.

[Engels]

Haemish, from what I know of you, you have to get your hands on The Dispossessed by LeGuin. That, Lathe of Heaven & LHoD are considered her keystone books.

[ghost]

Left Hand of Darkness is spectacular.  She's underrated, in my opinion.

Also, if anyone has a Nook and wants to read Consider Phlebas by Iain Banks it's on sale for 99 cents for April.  Read up!

[Ingmar]

As one of the few sci-fi authors who actually gets books into regular English classes and the like I don't know if underrated is really the right word. Her books aren't front and center at the bookstore mostly because they're old.

[Sand]

Currently finishing Book 3 in Age of Misrule series by Mark Chadbourn.
Pretty good thus far for light hearted fantasy fiction with Celtic myths tossed into modern England.
The one female character Laura is a complete sociopathic bitch though.

Just purchased:
Martin's, A Game of Thrones
Lawhead's, King Raven trilogy which according to the jacket notes is a retelling of the Robin Hood stories(?)

[Sky]

I saw we got in Modesitt's newer Corean book, Lady-Protector. Title makes me chuckle. It's L.E. doing the L.E. thing, nothing new or surprising, but it comes at a perfect time: doing coursework and crunching nonfic and I need something light to read when I want to shut the brain down. If my brain weren't tired, I go on a tirade about how sloppy the writing, plot and plot devices have become.

[Johny Cee]

Scott Bakker's latest, The White-Luck Warrior, is out now.

It's The Silmarillion meets Dune, written by a guy with a PhD in philosophy.  Been savoring this book by only reading 30 or 40 pages at a time.