I've been reading House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I can't even describe this book, like literally. It's very pleasantly bizarre in its structure and story. And it's the creepiest book I've ever read. Having a blast!
Just read through the first half of Astonishing X-Men. It was so very, very beautiful. But I just feel so broken inside. Josh Whedan really knows how to write X-Men, and he even did a spectacular Spider-man during his brief appearance. The story completely immersed me.
I highly, HIGHLY recommend Astonishing X-Men to everyone. It sounds like the series is ending in October which sucks. I don't know for sure because of the risk of leaping out into a spoiler mind field.
I highly, HIGHLY recommend Astonishing X-Men to everyone. It sounds like the series is ending in October which sucks. I don't know for sure because of the risk of leaping out into a spoiler mind field.
Finished reading House of Leaves. It's a phenomenal book, the work of genius, I loved it!
And I've started reading Gai-jin by James Clavell.
And I've started reading Gai-jin by James Clavell.
House of Leaves! Yes, it's an amazing book, I read it back in high school and blew my mind. It's one of those books that I'd like to own one day, I should really get to it.
As for me, I read some Stephen Hawking to refresh my memory on physics, then pounced onto Willam Gibson's Pattern Recognition. And it was awesome. Seriously, I couldn't put it down, and the book has been on my mind ever since I finished it a few weeks ago. The only bad thing is that he royally messed up the ending, it kind of... happens too fast, some things are a little WTF/unnecessary, but it's worth reading nonetheless. And once I figured out the main character's name pronunciation - Cayce - I couldn't help but chuckle. Brilliant book, and the way he is almost always capable of 'predicting' the future is fascinating (this one is about viral marketing on the Internet - written in 2000 or so).
Now I'm reading the sequel, Spook Country, but it has a different set of protagonists (as Gibson's trilogies tend to do) and it's not that interesting. His writing flows very well and I just love it, so I should be done with it soon.
As for me, I read some Stephen Hawking to refresh my memory on physics, then pounced onto Willam Gibson's Pattern Recognition. And it was awesome. Seriously, I couldn't put it down, and the book has been on my mind ever since I finished it a few weeks ago. The only bad thing is that he royally messed up the ending, it kind of... happens too fast, some things are a little WTF/unnecessary, but it's worth reading nonetheless. And once I figured out the main character's name pronunciation - Cayce - I couldn't help but chuckle. Brilliant book, and the way he is almost always capable of 'predicting' the future is fascinating (this one is about viral marketing on the Internet - written in 2000 or so).
Now I'm reading the sequel, Spook Country, but it has a different set of protagonists (as Gibson's trilogies tend to do) and it's not that interesting. His writing flows very well and I just love it, so I should be done with it soon.
It's mind boggling and ambiguous as hell. But I have a theory that explains everything quite well.
I've read all his novels, but Shogun and Noble House are by far the best.KnightofPhoenix said:
Yea Shogun was amazing. So far I've read Shogun and Tai-pan, after Gai-Jin I will read King Rat and then Noble House. Not sure if I will read Whirlwind, I'll see then.
I'm reading Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right by Jennifer Burns, and am on a long, painstaking but rewarding slog through Framing the Early Middle Ages by Chris Wickham. 1024 pages, a very detailed look at societal shifts in the transition from antiquity to early medieval from northern Europe to Africa and the Near East.
In fall I tend to feel more creative so I'll probably go back to reading some fiction. Have been planning to read some classical fantasy such as The King in Yellow and some of Lord Dunsany's works.
In fall I tend to feel more creative so I'll probably go back to reading some fiction. Have been planning to read some classical fantasy such as The King in Yellow and some of Lord Dunsany's works.
I see what you did, no, will have done, there - going through the novels in historical chronology?KnightofPhoenix said:
King Rat is his first novel, where he processes his own imprisonment at the Japanese changi prison camp. It's a lot shorter than the other novels and of a much less epic scope, it's an experience very different from his later novels, but also very good - touching and also harrowing in parts.
I had forgotten about Tai-Pan, it's almost as great as Shogun and Noble House.
Whirlwind was a bit disappointing - there are just TOO many subplots and protagonists (who all have the same profession, being helicopter pilots for an oil company operating in Iran / Persia; therefore most of the time I just couldn't quite keep track of who is who). Every subplot is still quite suspenseful, but I think two or three less of them wouldn't have hurt. That being said, I still was fascinated by this account of how Iran became what it is to day (fictional as it may be).
Getting back into the works of Maupaussant, one of my favorite authors. I remember reading some of his weirder tales as a kid. No wonder I'm so demented. I love the evocative descriptions of scenes, and the cynical bent he has.
Am alternating between "Sorrows of Empire" by Chalmers Johnson and "The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch. Sorrows is a good book, well researched and he avoids descending into a rant, but I have to put it down sometimes-I get too angry, frustrated and sad. So some fantasy action is just the ticket to pick me up. Lies is a lot of fun, good world building, interesting characters, a well plotted story and no Elves! I love Tolkeinesque fantasy as much as the next person but its nice to get away from it sometimes.
So has anyone here read Stephen King's work called The Dark Tower? I recently bought the first volume of the series and was wondering whether they are worth the time or not. Haven't read a good series for awhile, but this one might gain my interest, depending if they are good or not.
Ahhhh the Man in Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed.
I liked the first one, got a first edition somewhere around here and I re-read it ocassionally, always seems like a dreamy peyote inspired odyssey. Didn't read past the third book because in my eye they went rapidly downhill in the sequels, became too Stephen King-ish, though I know that's a strange statement.
Edit: That's just me though, you might like them.
I liked the first one, got a first edition somewhere around here and I re-read it ocassionally, always seems like a dreamy peyote inspired odyssey. Didn't read past the third book because in my eye they went rapidly downhill in the sequels, became too Stephen King-ish, though I know that's a strange statement.
Edit: That's just me though, you might like them.
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I read the books. Seven of them. I hear there has been an eighth book, "Wind"?, but I have not read that one yet. Like Bloth said, things went downhill with this saga, but for me it was still alright up to the fourth part. 5 and 6, if I recall correctly, were quite terrible - 7 was mostly terrible, but I loved the end... which you might or might not ^^
I liked how he tied in almost every other major story he wrote over the years. If you have read a lot of King's novels, then you will recognize many places and people during the first parts of the dark tower. And if you haven't read a lot of King, then I recommend to try stuff like "the last stand", "it", "the green mile", "firestarter", or "black house" (with Peter Straub).
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Sooo, I've been wrestling for sooo long with A Song of Ice of Fire abstinence that Im really ecstatic of starting this new gem
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There are lots of stories, but the one Im most interested about -not related with the ASOIAF series, but a sort of pre-quel- is a short novella that delves deeply into the famous "Dance of Dragons", that mythical Targaryan civil war that ravished the land some 150 years before, during which all the dragons in Westeros were killed and became extint. Sooo cool.
View attachment 1894
There are lots of stories, but the one Im most interested about -not related with the ASOIAF series, but a sort of pre-quel- is a short novella that delves deeply into the famous "Dance of Dragons", that mythical Targaryan civil war that ravished the land some 150 years before, during which all the dragons in Westeros were killed and became extint.
Sooo cool. Attachments
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I 've read METRO 2033 some months ago. It focuses on adventure, not getting into many details about everyday life, but the atmosphere was very good. I still remember the feeling in the tunels. But the adventure itself disappointed me a little.
EDIT: I just saw that aaden made this post in June! Ahem, sorry.
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My apologies for the quote necromancy, but somehow I missed this post, er, a year ago. That's it, I'm convinced to read Les Mis - I used to be pretty obsessed with Vidocq (thanks to the French movie, for the most part) and I wish I knew this back when I'd seen the movie. Time to bust out the wikis again and get the book (it's free on all of the e-book services!)
Anyway, I'm still chomping through William Gibson's work, only three or four books left to read now. They are a bit of a hit and miss - I had an insane love affair with Pattern Recognition (let's pretend the last thirty pages never happened, though), then snoozed through Spook Country, then it picked up with Zero History, then I got completely disappointed with Virtual Light, it's probably his worst. But I like Gibson's style, he has such a nice way of describing the world and setting the atmosphere, his writing is almost like a drug to me.
I don't think I like those covers. Sapkowski's work should be put in higher regards. Like that it looks like your average "book to a game" - misleading in so many ways. Obviously using TW's popularity to market the books is a move they have to make, but I think a disclaimer that they are the source material for the games would have sufficed. But then again, it's common practice for movies - LotR, GoT, Harry Potter etc, etc - so why not do the same for games?
What I DO like on the other hand, are those slippers. Look comfy! :thumbsup:
What I DO like on the other hand, are those slippers. Look comfy! :thumbsup: