Recreational Literary Endeavors

[Luthorne]

Went to the bookstore on Sunday and picked up some books, which I've been reading off and on since then. So far, read 'With a Single Spell', 'The Unwilling Warlord', and 'The Wizard Lord', all by Lawrence Watt-Evans.

I won't claim the man's a literary genius, but he writes decent, enjoyable fantasy and science fiction, and sometimes that's all I want. I'd already read 'Wind a Single Spell' before, found it fairly enjoyable, so decided to pick it up, but the other two are new reads for me.

'The Unwilling Warlord' is set in his usual Ethshar universe and was reasonably interesting...though, a lot what interests me about his Ethshar books is the world itself, since I have a strange attachment to the various magic types presented in it. Hmm...should see about rereading 'Night of Madness' sometime.

'The Wizard Lord' is set in a new universe, and I find many aspects to be intriguing about it, particularly since I'd considered some of those concepts before...particularly the way they utilize true names. I suspected the twist from near the beginning, not that it was particularly difficult...but, mmm, still enjoyed it for the most part. Though, given some of the setup, particularly of 'The Chosen', it really makes me want to reread 'Villains by Necessity' by Eve Forward, which I haven't ever been able to find in a bookstore, or, indeed, anywhere since I left Colorado and the library that had it.

Still have 'The Universe Twister' by Keith Laumer and 'The Third Lynx' by Timothy Zahn to go, neither of which I believe I've read before, so, we'll see how those are.

 

[Delta Green Friendly]

I'm reading Tacitus' Annals and "Germania" as well as Titus Livius' works. Afterwards, I will read Lucrece's "De Rerum Natura" and Cicero's philosophical texts as well as a few other authors.

Headfull of Classics right now.

 

[drakensis]

Currently reading Old Ironsides by Frank Kitson, which is a military biography of Oliver Cromwell. It's feeding my alternate history plot bunnies to the point of redrawing the entire royal succession of the British Isles for over four hundred years.

 

[Delta Green Friendly]

Whoa... That's some endeavor you set yourself upon drak.

 

[ttestagr]

George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. I'm right at the end of Clash of Kings actually.

Its taking me longer than normal to get through, but that isn't surprising since its a long and heavy story. And my normal reading time is just the commute to and from work.

All I have to say about it is that I'm not sure what I think of the author for making me want to see most of his characters die. Brutally and painfully. It's either genius or madness. Possibly both.

 

[da_fox2279]

Reading Stephen King's new short story collection, Just After Sunset. Really liked the first story, "Willa". Very nice.

Also reading some Star Trek paperbacks. Still trying to find a copy of Endymion, the follow up to The Hyperion Cantos.

 

[drakensis]

Whoa... That's some endeavor you set yourself upon drak.

At the moment the actual history is a bit skeletal. I've got a partial history for the AU Charles I and a short summary of one of his successors, Augustus I.

edit: now has the first 3 sections posted here: Charles of the Three Kingdoms

 

[spooky316]

Checked out Titanicus from the library and read the first chapter so far.

 

[Belgarion213]

Finished busting through the Elenium and the Tamuli...not bad, though, honestly...eh, same issues as most of Eddings' work, really. Sometimes I think that David Eddings, much like his characters, is trying a little bit too hard to be clever, and it tends to grate. Still, he does fairly decent world-building.

Been reading the Codex Alera, which took me awhile since Furies of Academ decided it wanted to take its sweet time about arriving at the library, leaving me stuck. Finally came in, so I read up through the fourth, and now the fifth one's finally come in, so I should be breaking that one open soon.

I think that the Eddings best story. By far. Essentially the same thing as the Belgariad, but avoids the flaws. Tighter and shorter, meaning it doesn't drag as much. Plotline is more enjoyable in my opinion, since there is no overarching prophesy making everyone pawns. Romantic interest was more bearable. Oh, and Flute > all of the Belgariad's gods. But then again, all of the characters were better designed.

Redemption of Althalas was heavily flawed in the social structure he set up, and a great deal of the dialogue. Everyone seemed like everyone else in the book. The only saving grace to it was Emmy, who was cool and the only thing that stood out in the entire book. She was the only one in the entire story who had any uniqueness to her.

I just saw this and even though its nearly two months since it was posted I'm going to comment on it.

The problem with Eddings work is how much he tries to tie it in with historical fiction. Have you ever read 'The Rivan Codex'? My GOD....

I picked it up when I first read the Belgariad when I was 14 or so and only really glanced through it to get a better idea of the societies.

Some of the history of the world (the Belgariad World) was pretty good but I just kept wanting to rage at him. Yeah sure a lot of these notes were for himself but he would have asides like 'Obviously the Alorns are Scandinavians' (i think it was the Alorns at any rate) or he would make notes with 'obvously' that would be completly baffling if you didnt know a fair bit about the history of the world... even then its fairly obscure information.

Luthorne is right though in Eddings tries to be a bit to clever and because he likes to write his stories in the way he does most of his charecters seem cookie cut. It gets a bit irriating. However I do agree. The Elenium is probably his best work. The problem with Eddings is that he writes those two part stories where the first one seems all well and good (if occasionally a bit long winded) and then he pulls out a 'new' villain out of his ass that is not really very well designed. Occasionly it can be good but Ill freely admit that I like the Belgariad and the Elenium a lot more than the Malloriaum(sp?) or the Tamuli.

Yes Flute was Epic. The only other god of Eddings that I liked was Eleria (Younger god of the west from 'The Dreamer' series. Not that that series was terribly well written but it had Longbow in it which makes up for it.

Hmm I didn't mind Althalas that much as a character. Granted he was very similar to Belgarath just without the godlike magical powers but he was ok. However the story was very forgettable. However it was mainly for the same reason that some of the Belgariad etc failed. In the Belgariad we had these destined companions to Garion (aka Mandolorron or Barak) but... other than Barak and Silk none of them really DID anything. I mean why is this godlike prophecy that's playing the world as its pawns showing up to say "and on the 13th of march a man will open the door to the restaurant you go to eat at". That and Redemption of Althalas was... well the story tried to be epic with the gathering of these companions, occasional confrontation when Althalas's opposite's companions etc but... the confrontations were to short.

As for what I've been reading... been reading more of the Dresden Files and remembering why I liked the series so much. Just finished Summer Knight and am on to the next book (which is the last I've actually got) so on Monday looks like Ill pick up some new ones.

 

[shinzero01]

Currently awaiting the new Hollows novel... the end of this month can't come fast enough.

Been reading the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft.

 

[Delta Green Friendly]

Currently awaiting the new Hollows novel... the end of this month can't come fast enough.

Been reading the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft.

Good stuff that. If racist at times.

 

[shinzero01]

Read Kim Harrison's White Witch, Black Curse.

I liked it. One overlying mystery solved, Character growth, and a better look at some of the creatures that live in the hollows.

 

[Aranfan]

Currently reading Marching Through Georgia, first of the Draka books.

 

[Vesvius]

I just finished up the first published work of jbern (Does a lot of good HP fics). Good stuff.

Also read Ender's Game for the first time.

 

[Humbolt]

Currently reading the Metamorphasis by Franz Kafka.

Probly will finish it tonight and then start The Naked and the Dead.

 

[Watashiwa]

BlackSun was awesome enough to drop a link to an e-book version of Villains by Necessity that he found.

I've never read it, but it is supposed to be good. Text verion here.

 

[Latewave]

Does anyone know a Ebook version of the third book in the Elenium. I can't find a copy of that book in any of the stores I go to or the local libary.

 

[Luthorne]

Does anyone know a? Ebook version of the third book in the Elenium. I can't find a copy of that book in any of the stores I go to or the local libary.

The Sapphire Rose

I uploaded it myself, so it's for the whole 'only ten downloads, will be deleted if no one downloads in ninety days' thing going on. I'm presuming you know how to deal with a .lit file.

Since I actually have the hard copy of 'Villains by Necessity' that just recently came in from Half.com, finished that up last night/this morning. Much love. It's really a shame the book's out of print. Villains saving the world from the forces of Light is always fun. :sisi:

Also managed to get my hands on 'Reign of the Brown Magician' a bit back, yet another out of print book...and just to compound the whole issue, it's actually the third part of a trilogy. Which I first read the first two books of about ten years ago...only to find out that it was virtually impossible to find the third book. At any rate, I found it to be quite enjoyable. Not to mention, profoundly satisfying to actually get to read the end.

 

[Latewave]

Does anyone know aá Ebook version of the third book in the Elenium. I can't find a copy of that book in any of the stores I go to or the local libary.

The Sapphire Rose

Thanks.

 

[Watashiwa]

I have just read something powerful.

No, not Villains by Necessity. As interesting as it sounds, it's an e-book. I like paper better.

I just finished Ilium, by Dan Simmons.

I cannot describe it. Part fantasy, part re-telling of the Trojan War, part sci-fi, part space opera.... my God. It's brilliant.

And I just set myself up to bomb a class for it.

Totally worth it.

B)

EDIT: In case the point is not being transmitted: Get. This. Book.

 

[drakensis]

Storm from the Shadows just arrived from Amazon...

I have less than two hours before I leave for work...

AAAAAAAAAHHHH!

 

[tjalorak]

Been reading some military sci fi. Not quite sure how I feel about them. They're not very deep. Just action followed by action. One of them is the Clone series by Steven L. Kent and the other is the Helfort's War series by Graham Sharp Paul.

Both protagonists are simultaneously bad at following orders - particularly in the Clone series as the main protagonist kills several of his commanding officers and selectively ignores orders - yet cannot help but keep coming back to, respectively, the Marines and the Fleet. Not surprisingly, they both also have neurotic issues due to being a clone and being tortured (both). I'm surprised at how much torture is used as a plot device though in this genre. I'm sure torture happens; it just sort of stretches the suspension of disbelief for it to happen to seemingly every main protagonist.

 

[Ina_meishou]

well, in the Clone series, your reading about an exception. And the whole point could be said to be how phenomenally unlikely the whole series of events is.

Unless your talking about a setting that has routine torture for all soldiers, in which case it would likely have some sort of justification, then it's not "common" so much as that your focus is on the victims.

Or perhaps the torturers, depending on just where it falls on the sliding scale.

If you're into military scifi, I'd recommend STARFIST. I prefer the original series to the more recent special forces spin off though.

 

[Watashiwa]

For excellent sci-fi, I recommend the Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Not military sci-fi in the strictest sense of the world; but it is high quality space opera, especially the first few books in the series. Also: Miles is one of my favorite protagonists ever, in anything.

Reading Villains by Necessity. Am very impressed.

 

[tjalorak]

For excellent sci-fi, I recommend the Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Not military sci-fi in the strictest sense of the world; but it is high quality space opera, especially the first few books in the series. Also: Miles is one of my favorite protagonists ever, in anything.

Reading Villains by Necessity. Am very impressed.

Agreed. Miles is awesome.

I haven't read Starfist series before. I will keep an eye out for it.

I've read the oopsie version of Storm from the Shadows and will now be reading the full version. Can't wait for Torch of Freedom... The Beowulf security team sounds intriguing.