Doh, my stunning review of Moby Dick got deleted...
...not to mention the discussion to end all discussions of Hamlet...
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. . . And my incisive reporting on self-improvement through literature, censorship by the upper classes, and the resulting popular art of the working class! Thatcher's Bloody Britain!!
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Boobies!
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What was that about Hamlet's dick?
I have plans for Robert Jordan's Conan Chronicles, vol 1 and 2. I had vol 2 when I was 10 or something, so we'll see whether or not the passage of time has improved it.
What would the literati of Paizo recommend for someone who wants to read more high fantasy, but also spends a lot of time reading pretentious shiznit and therefore can't stomach flimsy prose?
Anything by Gene Wolfe, particularly There Are Doors (for the pretention). The tales of Sevarian and Latro are very readable and the prose is toothsome.
Of course, there's always Barry Hugart's Bridge of Birds and friends. Fantasy doesn't get much higher.
This months Paizo package arrived today, so that.
I'm afraid the Player Companions have been getting a bit too rules heavy for me to enjoy them lately. :(
[Carried over from Dicey]
....and my three-way.
:(
Variously:
Conan Chronicles vol 1, with fewer squamous horrors and extra sort of porn
Ruins, by Volney
The Book of the Sword, by Richard F. Burton
Phantom Terror: The Threat of Revolution and the Repression of Liberty, by Adam Zamoyski, which has lots of fab stuff about secret societies, failed insurrections, etc, and tantalising glimpses of 1800s thrillers featuring villainous Jacobins called things like Judas McSerpent (like any reasonable person, I know perfectly well that my life would be 1bn % better were I to change my name to Judas McSerpent) who spend all their time seducing innocent young ladies into a life of ATHEISTIC LIBERTINAGE! Good work.
Also, if there isn't a hip-hop group called the Sublime Perfect Masters, there bloody well ought to be.
featuring villainous Jacobins called things like Judas McSerpent (like any reasonable person, I know perfectly well that my life would be 1bn % better were I to change my name to Judas McSerpent) who spend all their time seducing innocent young ladies into a life of ATHEISTIC LIBERTINAGE!
[Waggles eyebrows]
Wooooo... Atheistic libertinage must have sold better back then.
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Also: Enemies at Home by Lindsey Davis (second in her new Flavia Albia series)
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, and
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, volume 1 edited by Jonathan Strahan.
Reading the first Charlie Chan book, The House Without a Key (1925), by Earl Derr Biggers. So far I'm amused that all whites, Hispanics, Japanese, and native Hawaiians are pleasant but generally clueless; Chan himself (who, halfway into the book, has appeared a total of once and has had no speaking lines) is the only person in Boston, San Francisco, or Honolulu who is credited with the faintest glimmer of intelligence. I get it that it was an intentional backlash against the "yellow peril" propoganda/sinister Fu Manchu stereotypes of the time, but Biggers seems to go a bit overboard with Chan's cunning and honorability and reputation and so on and so forth. Then again, Charlie Chan is supposedly based on a historical personage, Chang Apana, so maybe he's not too far off.
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Wrapped up THE GREAT HUNT (WHEEL OF TIME #2). Moving on to BEFORE THEY ARE HANGED (FIRST LAW #2), by Joe Abercrombie.
Finished up Through the Looking Glass last night. It was good, but not near as good as AAiW was. Going to have to order Meditations and Meditations on First Philosophy so I'm thinking I'm going to read through The Fionavar Tapestry series again while I wait. I think Guy Gavriel Kay is probably the best fantasy writer I've read.
Oh man, thanks for the reminder about The Fionavar Tapestry Simon. Haven't read that since I was but a wean, time to go back for a re-read.
so I'm thinking I'm going to read through The Fionavar Tapestry series again while I wait. I think Guy Gavriel Kay is probably the best fantasy writer I've read.I wouldn't go that far, but I'm very fond of the Fionavar Tapestry. Not everything he's written. His more historical fantasies don't have the same magic for me. I did really like Ysabel, which has ** spoiler omitted ** I also read and liked Under Heaven recently.
The only other book I've read by him is Tigana. Out of everything I've read, these remain the best IMO. Some come close, the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams, the two Sunrunners series' by Melanie Rawn, and the Book of Words trilogy by J V Jones are all close runners up.
Fionavar always grabs me though. It's almost frustrating. It's very oddly written in some ways. It's very blatant about messing with emotions, you see it coming before it hits you and it still works, at least on me.
Same with me. Every time in all the same places.
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Picked up Pantagruel at the library today, but it's a translation from circa 1900, so I'm not sure how good it will be. We'll find out!
Apparently, I haven't read a book in two months. This is the second time this happened this year. It seems to be happening more often. I'm kinda scared.
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Two words: publuc transport, or rather five words: public transport, no social life. Engrave them on your heart.
Presently, 'Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medinah' by Richard F Burton, in which Dickie pretends to be a Persian doctor, buys slaves, smokes hash and gets very dirty in Suez (so far). Normally, he gets a bit loopy whenever Egypt gets mentioned, but he's managed to hold himself back as of this moment, and it's a very, very interesting read, mainly because he immerses himself completely in the local culture
Two words: publuc transport,
More reasons to miss Boston. Am 16 pages away from the end of The Lost World and have been for quite some time. Which is weird, 'cuz I was enjoying it immensely.
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Five other words: Internet has an off-button.
And personally I'm in a can't decide what to start next mode. I have some Alastair Reynolds and Guy Gavriel Kay in the not-yet-read pile, but I'm really in the mood for something lighter.
'Just one damned thing after another' by Jodi Taylor is a very good story about time travel. It solves the whole "dont cause a paradox!!!" issue by making the course of history unalterable, anyone trying to mess with events is targeted for elimination by History itself, much like a Final Destination movie. Plus the first book is free on the Kindle at the moment. There is some sex in it too, so dont read it to your children at bedtime. :p
I also got 'Pawn of Prophecy' so I'll be reading that next. I haven't read any Eddings fantasy for years after selling my original collection at a carboot sale.
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'Just one damned thing after another' by Jodi Taylor
The best definition of time I encountered (or, at least, the most amusing one) is: "Time is, like, nature's way of making sure everything doesn't happen all at once".
Anyway, finished BEFORE THEY ARE HANGED (FIRST LAW #2) today, and THE DRAGON REBORN (WHEEL OF TIME #3) is lined up next. Probably going to start hacking at it tonight. Those WoT books are long.
Other than the awesome action scenes, witty writing and strong characterization, this book offered something truly rare: a sex scene in a fantasy novel that I enjoyed reading. Often I find sex scenes to be unpleasant, or pointless, but Logen's and Ferro's first time together was a perfect mix of funny, awkward and oddly touching.
It seems like Joe Abercrombie is setting some mage drama between Bayaz and Quai for the last book. Something is turning Quai to the dark side, and I suspect that he is somehow leeching the force away from his master - Bayas is considerably less impressive than he was in the first book - not only because it seems that whenever he draws power something goes horribly wrong for him, but also because of his temperment. In the Blade Itself Bayas seemed wise and confident - he handled Bethod and the ruling cast of the Union daftly enough. Now, he is prone to snap at his companions, shout a lot and just generally be less than what he was before. It could just be that leaving the relative peace of his library in the north is taking a toll, but with the changes in Quai being even more extreme, I suspect some fowl play. The next book will hold answers, hopefully.
The ending left me sad. I didn't like how such a fun book ended in such a sour note. I wonder why Abercrombie chose to finish it this way.
I enjoyed The First Law trilogy and the three standalone books Abercrombie wrote next (Best Served Cold being the best by far). His most recent work Half a King was a massive disappointment by comparison. Admittedly it falls under the category of teen fiction, but I had hoped ot would be better than it is.
Finished 'Personal narrative...' (vg) and Fred Saberhagen's First Book of Swords (also vg), thanks to long train journey to 2nd hand book selling for THE PEOPLE'S CAUSE gig. This time I came back with fewer books than I went with, which is an achievement.
The Politics of Marxism: The Critical Debates by Jules Townsend
Pornography and Silence by Karen Griffiths
The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth 1st by Stephen Alford
Daggers in the Forum by Keith Richardson
and
Montaillou by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie
All for 50p each. Long live the People's Democratic Republic of Best Dorkshire!
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I enjoyed The First Law trilogy and the three standalone books Abercrombie wrote next (Best Served Cold being the best by far). His most recent work Half a King was a massive disappointment by comparison. Admittedly it falls under the category of teen fiction, but I had hoped ot would be better than it is.
I can't imagine what a teen fiction Abercrombie book would look like... I guess there's a major dialing down on the violence and gore?
Major dialing down of everything that made his earlier books so enjoyable - and the really sucky bit is that he has to write two more to finish the trilogy before we can expect anything else. :(