City of IF

DeadManWalking · Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005

I'd have to agree on the Dan Brown books, but i don't know if i'd call Wheel of Time the Best Series EVER.

It's certainly high up there, but I think Song of Ice and Fire may hold that title. Although I'm also partial to Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company.

The White Blacksmith · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 2629

sparta12 wrote: The White Blacksmith wrote: *dry retches*

I'm sorry, but I can't stand the Twilight books. I admire her ability to weave a storyline that clearly appeals to so many, but the premise is implausable (Immortal, highly intelligent, beautiful and strong vampires deciding to spend their days in an American high school? Really?) and her writing skill non-existant.

At best, to me, they were holiday reads but their rabid fanbase - who, I find, tend not even to acknowledge that my point of view could exist - has sunk them beyond even that.

Oh, I'm right there with you. I've tried reading passages from the Twilight series and I've found it painful. I watched the first movie -with Rifftrax because I'll be damned if I have to sit there and be expected to take it seriously- and I felt ripped off... NOTHING happened by the end of the first film/story!

My brother took a read of a forum thread on Something Awful dedicated to the Twilight Series. One guy accidentally skipped a book and didn't even know that he had done so until he was Half-Way through the other book.

"Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn." - Stephen King

You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. About the best I'd found previously was my best friend, who agrees with me that she can't write, but is nonetheless addicted to the books. Even my English teacher is ensnared. Can you give me a link to that site?

Dan Brown I'm not too keen on either - he's a fairly good holiday read purely for the scope of his paranoia, but the level of research that goes into then is non existant - within five minutes of reading 'Angels and Demons' I noticed a word (pissé) which not only isn't a French word (or even a British meaning, which tends to be the one they adopt) but shows that he couldn't be bothered to ask anyone if it was French.

The Meaning Of Fear · Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 1:50 am Post subject:

Funnily enough, I started reading The Wheel of Time approximately a month ago. Only just finished the eighth book today (The Path of Daggers) and am hungering for more. Unfortunately, I'll need to head to the bookstore with NZD$30 for each book I plan to buy, and Whitcoull's has run out of copies of book 10...

If I didn't know better, I could swear this was some ta'veren swirl, screwing me over. :?

Also concerning The Wheel of Time: since the unfortunate passing of James Rigney A.K.A. Robert Jordan, it appears that the final Wheel of Time book is being split into several. The whole thing was amounting to one fatass of a book, and apparently ol' Robert Jordan was determined to finish it with that book, even if he did hit a whopping 2000 pages. Now we're getting A Memory of Light in three instalments, instead of one book. Not too sure if it's a good thing.

Finally, heading back from my holiday today, I came across a book shop with a book called (as far as I can remember) "Why is Q always followed by U?", which describes many phrases and odds sayings, including the when and where it originates from, as well as any other spellings and the rough meanings. May get it in a few months, if I can find a copy in my local area.

DeadManWalking · Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005

Yeah, still sad about the Rigney's passing....

Still, Brandon Sanderson is a pretty good writer. His Mistborn series has a hugely innovative magic system, and his book Elantris is a great comment on religion.

Fats_Masterson · Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 12:25 pm Post subject:

Just finished reading "The Temporal Void" by Peter F. Hamilton. Some of the best Space Opera stuff I've ever read. His take on technology and where technology is going is beautifully fleashed out and unique (to me at least). I heartily recommend reading any of his novels, they're all pure gold.

I also wanted to mention something about the Wheel of Time Series. I've been following it for most of my life (I believe Eye of the World was published in 1981 or so) and spent more of that time waiting for the next book to come out rather than actually reading them. I've been eagerly awaiting the LAST book in the series so I can say, "Finally, I've finished. What a great series," Now, after the author has passed, he manages to take that away from me and say "Ha, ha, now you get to wait another 6-8years to find out the resolution!" :-o

Darn you RJ! Darn you straight to heck!!

Bookwizard · Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 639 Location: Gallifrey

Finished re-reading "Keys of the Kingdom" by A.J. Cronin (one of my my favorite books) and now reading "Pushing Ice" by Rynolds (spelling?) because I have not read Sci-Fi in a while.

Smee · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 5215 Location: UK

Just started reading the first part of The Wheel of Time's Book 12.

For those that don't know - Robert Jordan sadly died after finishing Book 11 threatening the many fans with no end to this saga that's taken over 20 years since Book 1.

After the tragic event, his wife and editor gathered together the voluminous notes and draft passages, and after some consideration approached another fantasy author to write the last book, which he accepted enthusiastically.

So expansive were the notes Robert had left behind that the last book is actually going to be three books, so as to do justice to all the loose threads. They'll be released a year apart.

What's another 2 years on top of 20 ;)

Bookwizard · Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 639 Location: Gallifrey

Hmmmm... That's interesting, I just recently read the first book in the Wheel of Time, just never got around to reading any more of them...

DeadManWalking · Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005

DON'T SPOIL IT FOR ME SMEE! Why oh why must it come out as a thirty dollar hardcover initially? *sob*

Thunderbird · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:05 pm Post subject:

Thus why I'm waiting until the series is finished before reading another dang word! I got sick of waiting for the next book forever then once you have it you've forgotten so many of the millions of myriad critical details from the enormous books that preceded it. I decided I'd let it play out and read it back from the beginning once finished. That said, it is truly a work of genius and my ultimate inspiration where my own writing is concerned.

scissorkitty · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:08 pm Post subject:

Man. I used to read those, but the wait times were killing me.. also, I found things got more and more.... spread....out..... action.....................wise......................and.......... began.......................................to ......................................get.......................................... really.................................really....................... ..............................really..................
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....bored. But, once things round up, i may start over in paperback form. :lol:

Thunderbird · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:10 pm Post subject:

He did start getting a little too into the intricacies of his characters didn't he... sorta rabbit trailed off from the plot a little too often. Still... that depth made the characters more familiar and perhaps even a little more interesting.

scissorkitty · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:38 pm Post subject:

There were definitely characters that I liked a lot- Nynaeve (however it was spelled) and Lan were great, as was.... hm. Perrin, Faile, and Mat. I just hated HATED the main character- Rand. Annoying. Pompous. Confusing. And I felt like there was an almost Tolkien-to-the-extreme amount of description- and I am a description-a-holic!

scissorkitty · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:39 pm Post subject:

:oops: ((wow. It's been years, and I can't believe I still remember the character names. I = nerd. ))

DeadManWalking · Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005

I dunno about Rand. He's comparable to Aragorn in LOTR books, though much more... human. We have a hero who feels that he has to put aside personal feelings and problems in order to do what is necessary. I'll admit that it makes him a bit pompous, slightly arrogant, but it is true that he is, at this point, literally the most important person in the world. He thinks he has to become hard, and we see his conscious effort to become more like the person he feels he should be. And he's annoying and confusing because he's confused. He doesn't really know what he has to do, but he feels like he has to do something. This incidentally, is part of why I feel Brandon Sanderson was a good choice as a person to end this series: If you've ever read his Mistborn trilogy, he does a very good job with the identity issues of his characters, though he tends to oversimplify emotions somewhat.

Reiso · Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:12 am Post subject:

I have definitely posted here already at least once, maybe twice, but I love the idea of a page people can come to for a great list of books, so here again, listed Alpha-by-Title, is what I am reading now. Like usual (for me), it is a mix of old and new.

Explorer - C.J. Cherryh

Okay, I haven't really started this one yet (to be fair), but it is the last book of the latest Foreigner Series, which so far has been every bit as good as the previous one.

The Faded Sun Trilogy - C.J. Cherry

I am re-reading this one. I remember it being quite remarkable [censored] years ago when I first read it, and so far it still is, though Emperor has claimed disappointment with the ending. I will update this post when I finish it again to agree or disagree.

The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons

So far, this is just as long as Hyperion, and not nearly as engaging. I am hoping it will get better, but am not really confident that it will. Too bad, the first one won a well deserved Hugo.

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Le Guin

This is a very odd book about a planet of beings that can spontaneously change sex... yeah, I know, that's what I thought too, but the writing is quite good.

Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

I brought this home from the bookstore after being stuck in its pages for a good hour or so, but I haven't gotten back to it yet. In truth, I am having a hard time recalling exactly what it is about though, so it can't have left that great an impression. Or, I am just more and more absent-minded, which is quite likely. I did bring it home.

Regenisis - C.J. Cherryh

Okay, this is another one I haven't officially started reading yet, but I am excited about it because it is a follow up to the very good Cyteen series. When revisiting a series of hers, Cherryh very rarely disappoints.

Shamans's Crossing - Robin Hobb

I haven't yet gotten into this as much as I was into her Assassin series, but that was the first thing I read by her, so that will probably always be true about anything by her I read. I predict I will enjoy it much more than the Liveship series however. But that's all relative, it is an excellent series.

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury

I have barely cracked the spine on this gem, but like everything Bradbury writes, it is nearly spellbinding in its style, and I know the story from the old movie, and it's a good story. If I were to recommend anything I've mentioned here above anything else mentioned, this would be the one. The only reason I haven't read more of it is that it is my most recently acquired book and I haven't had time to read anything at all since I brought it home.

Anyway. Yep.

Zeke · Joined: 31 Jul 2009 Posts: 56

At one point, I printed out the list from ISFDB top 100 balanced list (based on winning awards). Actually, "The left hand of darkness" is on that list, but I never read it. I found the tone a little too preachy, as I recall.

I did read another one of hers about communists on the moon (nominally set on a fictional planet and its moon) called "The Dispossessed". It was pretty idealistic and actually came across as rather naive IMO.

Anyways, it is a good list to check out. Some of my top favorites from that list were:

"Red Mars": Most convincing argument for the feasability of terraforming that I've ever read.
"Ender's Game": Chock full of strategic insight about space war or at least the illusion of it and has some strong characterization.
"Darwin's Radio": An entertaining speculation about the future evolution of the human species.

"Neuromancer" was one of my favorites, but it is starting to get a little dated and is essentially a mileau story. The characterization and plot is a little weak.

Unfortunately, I have a busy job and an infant son so I haven't had a lot of time to read novels in a while.

Black Hawk · Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 5:49 pm Post subject:

almost done with The Stand by Stephen King, then I will start on the Screwtape Letters because I have it at home, and then I'll read every interesting book I can find at the school library

Reiso · Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:11 pm Post subject:

The Stand is excellent, though one of King's lengthier works. A cool thing about that book is that Flagg is a recurring character in a handful of King's other (and seemingly unrelated) books, so you can learn more about him by reading them. Should you wish.

Tikanni Corazon · Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 5:29 pm Post subject:

I've just finished reading 'The Handmaids tale' by Margret Attwood, which I thought was good, but not the kind of thing that I would be tempted to read again. Before that I read 'Poison Study', 'Magic Study', Fire Study', 'Storm Glass' and 'Sea Glass', all by Maria V Snyder, and 'Graceling' and 'Fire', by Kristin Cashore. These are also my favourite books by my two favourite writers. Would recommend them to any lover of fantasy and romance books.
Personally the fantasy/romance combo is right up my alley. :wub:

The White Blacksmith · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 2629

I read Graceling recently. A good book, but slightly... simplistic. The premise is excellent, however.

Tikanni Corazon · Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:00 pm Post subject:

I kinda agree with you W.B, but I just loved the book all the same, and 'Fire'. The two are due to join together in the next book, 'Bitterblue'.
I also read your earlier post about 'Neverwhere'. I love it, definatly Gaimans best. They are due to start making a film of it next year, but I'm having trouble believing that they will do the book justice. And it's hard to like a film, I find, if it does not match what you have pictured in your head while reading the book.

Reiso · Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:16 am Post subject:

There was a Neverwhere miniseries several years back, I remember it being quite good. Low budget for sure, but they did a lot with what they had, the acting was solid and that format allowed them to cover quite a great deal of story. Dave Mckean intro was a cool bonus too. You can probably still find copies of it on DVD on Amazon or something.

scissorkitty · Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 2:51 pm Post subject:

I remember that! My sister has it on DVD.

Bookwizard · Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 639 Location: Gallifrey

Started reading "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells.

Tikanni Corazon · Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 11:00 am Post subject:

Just finished reading 'Cats Eye' by Theresa Schreffler, and I loved it. It's hard to believe that it was written by the author when she was only 13.
It's a fantasy/ adventure/ romance, with plenty of excitment and characters to fall in love with. Really, really loved it! :wub:

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Crunchyfrog wrote:

At the moment I ar be mostly reading The Riddle of Birdhurst Rise. A true story about a triple poisoning in the 1920's.

:-o

Crikey. I knew I'd been taking my time over reading that but I can't believe I posted that back in August! Well, I've finally finished it. Better give it back to the person who lent it to me, haha!

I got given 2 books for Christmas this year. One is The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, the other one is by Joanna Trollope.

Mmm. I know which one I shall be reading first! :P

scissorkitty · Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:38 pm Post subject:

I just finished "Daughter of Hounds"... which is very interesting in a Neil Gaiman-ish way.

The White Blacksmith · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 2629

AwesomeAunt (TM)* managed to procure books 4 through 9 of 'Wheel of Time' for Christmas, so I'm catching you guys up!

*Supposedly aided by SlightlyLessThanOrganisedUncle (TM).

Bookwizard · Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 639 Location: Gallifrey

Started reading "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Incredible book!

Shillelagh · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 398 Location: Kansas

Ugh, Dostoyevsky. I think I would have enjoyed Notes from Underground if I hadn't been required to read it in a classroom setting.

I'm still a big fan of the Lord of the Isles series by David Drake. It's a fantasy that involves a few young adults out on adventure... but it also recognizes that life is not a video game. They have to get help from other adults- by the second book and beyond, they're getting aid from whole armies. So, it's the same hack-slash magical fantasy that's become a reliable genre, balanced out with realistic, personable characters and political consequences. David Drake normally writes military fiction and gritty soldier sci-fi, and it shows.

And it's a complete, finished series now. That's always a plus.

kkdestiny · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:30 am Post subject:

Right now I can not read a book for my own pleasure. But i have read some really good ones.

- The sword of truth series - fantasy
- The God project - sci-fi
- A Stainless Steel Rat is Born - sci-fi (john saul - i think)
- The last of the really great wangdoodle - fantasy (i think)
- Speak - gen. fiction.
- Catalyst - gen. fiction
- Samurai Shortstop - gen. fiction
- Anthem - gen/ sci-fi/ apacolyptic

These are the ones that I come up with off the top of my head. I recommend all of them, each to their appropriate genre of course.

PopeAlessandrosXVIII · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:26 pm Post subject: Booooks

The last book I finished is 'The King's Buccaneer' By Raymond E. Feist. It's the last book in the first part of the history of Krondor. A good fantasy writer that Feist. I'm trying to collect the Krondor collection. It's starts with the book 'Magician' (Which in later printings got cut into 2 books; Magician:Apprentice and Magician:Master) The main character, Pug, is one of the most unlikely heroes I've ever seen. Nothing seems to go as pland in Feist's novels. It keeps you guessing.

Bookwizard · Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 639 Location: Gallifrey

Started reading "The Stand" by Stephan King

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson.

kkdestiny · Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 12:27 pm Post subject:

I've heard of that :o how is it?

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Well, I've only really just started it, and there's a lot of it to read. :o

I found the first couple of chapters hard going, but now I'm finding it hard to put down. :)

Jseme · Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Posts: 27 Location: Vicksburg

Right now I've started with A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin(My Hero), and intend to reread the series for the 3rd time.

Bookwizard · Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 639 Location: Gallifrey

Ok, so I sort of feel like reviving this...

I just finished four books: The Catcher in the Rye, The Stand (phew! that took a while), Slaughterhouse-5, and The Book of Air and Shadows. All very good books expect the last one, which was really just a decent book, fun to read at parts, but not much else.

I have just started reading The Debriefing by Robert Littell, who is a new favorite author of mine.

Vikas Muralidharan · Joined: 29 Aug 2010 Posts: 600

Six Suspects by *Vikas* Swarup.

No, I didnt write it. :P But I loved this book.

btw, for those that don't know, Vikas Swarup wrote the book Q&A, the book that "Slumdog Millionaire" was based on. I'd suggest you people read Q&A as well. Its a ton times better than Slumdog :)