Author Topic: So...what's everyone reading?  (Read 38033 times)

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #75 on: May 10, 2003, 07:38:35 PM »
Today I finished Golden Fool by Robin Hobb. EUOL and Fellfrosch invited me to read her Assassin's Apprentice book to discuss it, and I read it and the next two books in the trilogy in rapid succession. Then I immediately afterward read the first book in the followup trilogy, Fool's Errand. Golden Fool is the second book in that trilogy. Now I'm starting on the trilogy that takes place between the 2 chronologically (I believe) but in a different part of the universe--the Liveship Traders trilogy, starting with Ship of Magic. There's a brief appearance by characters which may or may not be from this trilogy in Golden Fool (though it definitely makes mention of events which happened in that trilogy, presented as new information to people who knew nothing about it...) but it seems like the third book in the Tawny Man trilogy is going to have much more of a connection.

Argh. Well anyway, these books are fantastic. Read them.

And the discussion I was supposed to have with EUOL and Fellfrosch about the first book never happened. :(

I also read some of Kim Stanley Robinson's book The Years of Rice and Salt. It's an alternate history book where the black death wiped out all of Europe, so the Chinese and the Muslims are left to inherit the earth. Interesting concept; I looked at it because of an advertisement in F&SF. The beginning of the book was decent but then the characters died and went to heaven and got reincarnated as other characters. I lost interest at this point. Basically the book seems to be about karma, and the storytelling style didn't do it for me.

I see I said nothing about the plot of the books I liked, and did say something about the plot of the one I didn't like. Oh well.
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Entsuropi

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #76 on: May 11, 2003, 06:48:33 AM »
****Spoiler alert****



Your kinda supposed to read the Assassins trilogy, then the liveships then the golden man ones. But, they are all excellent.

And the fool is present in the liveships - one of the main characters. Named amber.

Awesome books - i am anxiously awaiting the 3rd tawny man book. But i get the impression she (the author) will do at least 1 more trilogy, to finish up the story. I'm guessing, another liveships one then a crossover one where everyone gets connected up by the fool.
« Last Edit: May 16, 2003, 08:38:01 AM by Charlie82 »
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Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #77 on: May 16, 2003, 02:36:50 AM »
dude, edit your post! The name of that character was a MAJOR SPOILER!@@!@!!

of course I spoiled myself by reading Golden Fool, but sheesh.

Now I'm into the 2nd book of the Liveship Traders and wish I had read them before Golden Fool.
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #78 on: May 16, 2003, 12:41:34 PM »
I just got back from a short vacation, during which I read All Quiet on the Western Front.  For those who aren't familiar with it, it was written in 1928 by a German vet of WWI.  It is extremely graphic and disturbing (especially considering the time it came out).

Here's the intro:
"This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure for those who stand face to face with it.  It will simply try to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped the shells, were destroyed by the war."

Really good book, and it's a quick read.  I highly highly recommend it.
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Lieutenant Kije

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #79 on: May 16, 2003, 03:45:56 PM »
Okay, so I didn't actually read it, but on a very recent road trip I listened Stevenson's Treasure Island and was very surprised.  I guess I didn't expect an old adventure novel to be that good.  It has plot twists and keeps-you-guessing character development like the best of today's stuff.  I highly recommend it.

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #80 on: May 17, 2003, 02:11:23 AM »
Whoa, so old books can still be good? Gee, I never would have guessed.

(I'm not mocking you, Kije, I'm just using your post as a jumping-off point for a rant. I'm still bitter about the Dickens crack in the RJ thread.)
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Lieutenant Kije

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #81 on: May 20, 2003, 02:11:42 AM »
Mock away!  Now that I think about it it was a stupid thing to write :).  But to be honest, I really was surprised about that Treasure Island book.  

And I loved the character Pip in Great Expectations.

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #82 on: July 18, 2003, 09:13:52 AM »
I just finished the first section of Parke Godwin's Sherwood. I'm not sure if I'll finish. Obviously it's a Robin Hood story, but I'm not sure I like it.

He changes the whole Richard/John thing into Harold (the Saxon King)/William the Conquerer (only we know Harold isn't coming back, as he didn't historically and he is quite dead in the book. Now all that's just fine, though it's hard to sympathize with as the Saxons are, historically, getting what's coming to them. It's much easier to sympathize with the Normans as a) I am one, and b) they're just doing to the saxons what the Saxons did to the Britons (Welsh and Celts) a few hundred years before.

But even with trying to not let that influence my view, I'm not sure I like it. Godwin tries to make Ralph Fitzgerald (the book's Sheriff of Nottingham) sympathetic and give reasons that we can accept he has a "claim" on Marian. I guess. A dream and the fact that he's good looking hardly seem like a temptation to abandon a man she's been falling more and more in love with for 200 pages and that she's married. Plus Godwin has a problem with imagery. He describes Ralph's sickly pale and scarred body and then in the SAME SENTENCE tries to tell me that he's a looker. Right. Ok.

Character motivations are also a problem. Why is Marian stuck on this Sheriff guy? Is he TRYING to make the story more like Guenivere? (Godwin has also done an Arthur cycle -- one I'm seriously tempted never to consider reading). Also, why is William so damned unreasonable? He wants the Saxons to heel, he's even impressed with Robin's ability to lead and keep order, but he still makes it impossible for Robin to actually do anything besides go outlaw. Seems like narrative convenience. Finally, I'm supposed to feel pain that this priest (Tuck's superior) is conflicted? He gives me one (3-5 pages, tops) scene where the father feels like the community conscience and then when he kills a man IN SELF DEFENSE, a man who was coming to destroy lands as well as attack the father himself, the priest goes all to pieces.

Godwin assumes too much attachment or knowledge about how he perceives his characters before introducing their crisis key moments. The reader has to fill too much in.

The other problem is his narrative style. Instead of giving you a conversation, he'll summarize the conversation. He narrates the characters meeting up, their small talk, but then the key information is summarized instead of given as dialog. He also change POV frequently. He'll give a third person narrative of an enounter, then immediately switch to a first person account of that persons feelings. I don't mind the change in perspective, but the machine gun changes in person without even indicating whose internal monologue we're getting is jarring.

So, I probably won't finish. Thing is, there are very few books that I have never finished once starting. And to be honest, Godwin's problems aren't more serious than M.Z.B.'s problems with Mists of Avalon, which I did finish. I just don't have the same attachment to the Robin Hood story as I do Arthuriana. Should I feel guilty? Or just dump it back in the library drop box without regret?

Lieutenant Kije

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #83 on: July 18, 2003, 02:29:23 PM »
I started Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men last night.  (I love Steinbeck.)  I've read it before and so I know how the ending just rips your heart out (well, at leats it rips mine out.)  And so just reading the first chapter and knowing what happens was difficult and I predict it will be that way the whole time I'm reading.  One the positive side, it's a short book so the pain won't last too long.  On the down side it's a short book and I can only relish in that heart-wrenching story for so long.  This is obviously not a feel-good kind of book, but I find I feel a lot more grounded/centered/able to cope with difficulty after reading stuff like this.
« Last Edit: July 18, 2003, 02:31:16 PM by Lieutenant_Kije »

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #84 on: July 18, 2003, 03:08:50 PM »
I read Steinbeck for english class, and watched the movie a couple times. Its an... interesting story. You really feel for the characters as their dream falls to pieces.

And Saint, drop the book. From what you have posted it sounds like tripe. Go read Nobilis instead! :)
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Fellfrosch

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #85 on: July 18, 2003, 03:43:39 PM »
I'm in Tad Williams' "War of the Flowers," a contemporary-set fairyland fantasy.
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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #86 on: July 18, 2003, 10:52:08 PM »
Ok, i've at least temporarily dropped the book. Probably for good

partially because the book I've been waiting to come into the library finally arrived.

So I read 150 pages of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal today.

It's hilarious. I seriously laughed myself out of a chair once this evening, and guffawed outloud so many times that my coworkers are (even more) convinced that I'm insane. This is probably the funniest book I've read in at least 10 years. Possibly ever.

But uh... it borders on blasphemy. I recommend it for those of strong spiritual constitution, but if you're easily offended by unconventionally told speculations on the childhood of Jesus, stay away. I'll give a more full review when I've finished (a couple days, tops).

Lieutenant Kije

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #87 on: August 28, 2003, 04:02:04 PM »
so, where's that review?

I'm currently rereading Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond.  It's a nonfiction attempt at all of human history in 500 pages.  As preposterous as that sounds, it's an excellent read for anyone interested in history or geography.  I'd say if you're into serious worldbuilding it's an excellent resource.  

The analogy that summarizes the whole book is the story of Pizarro's 168 soldiers capturing the Incan emperor Atalhualpa on Incan turf surrounded by 80,000 Incan warriors.  Why did Pizarro come to Peru and Capture Atalhualpa?  Why didn't Atalhualpa invade Spain and capture Charles I?  The book explains the proximate causes (guns, germs, and steel, to name a few) but the really informative and fascinating stuff is when Diamond attempts to get to ultimate causes (why did guns, germs and steel arise much sooner in Eurasia than it might have in the Americas?)  And the book goes to lengths to dispute the cultural theory (the idea that it was the culture or character of the peoples) and other traditional explanations.

Fellfrosch

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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #88 on: August 28, 2003, 04:49:11 PM »
That sounds really interesting. I'll have to check it out.
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Re: So...what's everyone reading?
« Reply #89 on: August 28, 2003, 05:14:31 PM »
Oh, heh. I forgot I'd say I'd review that. I'll write it up. Probably tomorrow. Today's pretty darn busy.

And yeah, that book sounds good. I'll see if the library has a copy.