What books are you currently reading?

[Zombieneighbours]

S.Baldrick wrote:

Darkwalker on Moonshae by Douglas Niles.

Mmm... I think i should reread that. I read it many years ago back when I was still not a great reader.

[Russ Taylor]

Just read: To Conquer Chaos, by John Brunner. Suprisingly fun.

About to read: The two Skaith books.

[Tensor]

S.Baldrick wrote:

Tensor wrote:

Currently reading:

Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy

I just started reading this book as well.

I read it on the train to and from school, so I'm getting through it rather slowly, but it is very woderful!

[carborundum]

Peter F Hamilton

Just reread the Dreaming Void and found it better than I remembered. (Just not as good as the Night's Dawn Trilogy, but hey - what is?)

Starting The Dreaming Void tonight.

[Daeglin]

Army of Darkness RPG

Hail to the King, baby!

[JoelF847]

Just finished Sea of Death by Tim Waggoner, the third in the Blade of the Flame Eberron trillogy.

About to start The Secret of Sinharat by Leigh Brackett.

[Mairkurion {tm}]

I'm sad: no more reading Year's Best in Fantasy & Horror.

[Corrosive Rabbit]

I'm reading Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis. It's the author's first book, and it's an urban fantasy novel, similar to the Dresden files in feel. It's really quite good, and I was happy to realize that the author just came out with his second book earlier this month.

CR

[Patrick Curtin]

Just finished The Elfish Gene By Mark Barrowcliffe, the author's unvarnished autobiographical look at his teen years being totally immersed in the original D&D craze. Very funny, often painfully so for those of us who have not yet put down our D20s. Great look at the teen geek culture of England (especially Coventry, his home city) during the late Seventies as well. Those with thick skins will get a laugh out of it.

[James Keegan]

I'm reading this obscure book by an obscure author. "The Stand" by this guy Stephen King. I don't know many other people that have heard of it or him, but it's okay so far.

[Patrick Curtin]

James Keegan wrote:

I'm reading this obscure book by an obscure author. "The Stand" by this guy Stephen King. I don't know many other people that have heard of it or him, but it's okay so far.

ALL HAIL THE CRIMSON KING!

[Martin Broadcloak]

It's good to be King.

[Randall Flagg]

I like your Smiley.

[Mairkurion {tm}]

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip

[S.Baldrick]

Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4) by Patrica Briggs

[Louis Agresta]

Love Briggs!
McKillip makes my head swim. Like Faulkner.

Currently reading Richard K. Morgan's "The Steel Remains"

Dude has made the cross from sci-fi to fantasy, and it rocks!

[carborundum]

Black Swans - Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Great stuff - why didn't I think of that?

[S.Baldrick]

The Reavers of Skaith by Leigh Brackett

[feytharn]

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Delta Green. Eyes Only Supplement

[Corrosive Rabbit]

The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling. I really enjoyed the Dies The Fire books and figured I'd try this one.

CR

[Patrick Curtin]

Corrosive Rabbit wrote:

The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling. I really enjoyed the Dies The Fire books and figured I'd try this one.

CR

I would also suggest the Nantucket trilogy if you liked Stirling's Dies the Fire books.

[Mairkurion {tm}]

S.Baldrick wrote:

The Reavers of Skaith by Leigh Brackett

Lucky you. Just packed the Skaith books and shipped them to my daughter last week.

[Louis Agresta]

Corrosive Rabbit wrote:

The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling. I really enjoyed the Dies The Fire books and figured I'd try this one.

CR

I quite enjoyed both of those (Peshawar book, Dies the fire series).

[A 2E Floppy-Eared Golem]

Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. Anyone else read this book? It should be required reading for Americans.

[A 2E Floppy-Eared Golem]

feytharn wrote:

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

What did you think of this book? I haven't read it but have heard excellent things about it.

[Russ Taylor]

Worlds of Their Own, by various authors. About halfway through, most of them are pretty good. Confirmed my suspicions that I'm not a fan of Salvatore, though.

[Russ Taylor]

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip

I associate this book with a very messed up relationship. The woman in question identified very strongly with Liralen. Good book, though.

[Mairkurion {tm}]

Heh...I'm really enjoying the book, but I can imagine an association like that messing with one's enjoyment. I went to sleep last night thinking, really? That dragon would fit in the Sirle wine cellar?

Edit: At Floppy - I loved the Strange/Norrell book. But people who don't enjoy 18th century British lit and a certain kind of dry, almost academic humor (me all over) tend to not like it at all.

[Shadowborn]

I'm currently pursuing the white whale with Captain Ahab. Only 17 more chapters to dive through for tomorrow's class discussion.

I should really incorporate whaling into my campaign. I'm not sure why it hasn't been done to any major degree before...well, aside from spontaneous rage from environmentally conscious folks and animal rights activists.

Where else do you get all that lamp oil from? I suppose you could make a land version of it, with dune-riding desert ships that hunt down bullettes, or something like that.

[Mairkurion {tm}]

That's a great idea, Shadowborn. It's funny, years ago my college DM read Moby Dick and used it for some ideas...I can't remember anything specific right now, so I'll try and rem to ask him next time we talk. I never got past the part where they had some kind of fiesta off the coast of Chile. I guess someday I'll have to go back and pick them up from there.

You could combine Moby Dick and Dune: Great sand worms that are hunted for their oil (instead of Spice producers). The oil must flow...

[Russ Taylor]

Into the Slave Nebula, by John Brunner. So far much better than the title would indicate.

[blope]

Along with the multitude of pathfinder stuff I get every month, I just finished the third book of the Eragon series(can't wait for the finale!). Next I'm going to read the Robotech series.

[A 2E Floppy-Eared Golem]

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:

You could combine Moby Dick and Dune: Great sand worms that are hunted for their oil (instead of Spice producers). The oil must flow...

These are really cool ideas. I think you and ShadowBorn are onto something.

Now I'm off to animate some constructs for my own fledgling campaign.

[Zeugma]

A gnarled old Quadiran, with a long beard and a wooden leg scored and cracked by the desert air, hobbles up to the souk and peers around. In a strong voice he calls out:
"... Have ye seen a white bullete?"

[Mikaze]

Descent. After reading Into the Darklands, I had to give it a shot.

I see what people meant about the strong start and weakening halfway through. It wasn't what I expected, to be honest.

[Patrick Curtin]

Zeugma wrote:

A gnarled old Quadiran, with a long beard and a wooden leg scored and cracked by the desert air, hobbles up to the souk and peers around. In a strong voice he calls out:

"... Have ye seen a white bullete?"

Captain Abdul al-Ahab: Why the long face, Mr. al-Starbucki? Have you no game for Moby-Bulette?

al-Starbucki: Aye, I have game for his crooked jaw. I have game for the jaws of death, if that's part of the business we came for. Saieed, I am here to hunt bulette, not my commander's vengeance. How many barrels of oil will your vengeance yeild, I ask you?

[Mairkurion {tm}]

Heh-heh. I talked to my college DM the other day, and he says he never used Moby Dick in the game. So apparently the part of my brain that records all of our past conversations is the gaming part of my brain, and over the years the info got garbled by association...sigh.

Finished The Forgotten Beasts of Eld last night at bedtime. I knew McKillip could write short stories, and now I know there's a reason she got all those novels published--she can sure write them too! I was pleased with the ending -- it was an ending instead of just a stopping.

[Andrew Turner]

Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez
and
Looking for Darla a collection by Ron Shiflet

[James Keegan]

Finished The Stand today. I liked it, but...

Spoiler:

I think King killed off all the interesting characters before the end. Nick, Glen and Larry especially were more compelling than most of the rest. Glen and Larry got good deaths but I would have liked to see Nick lead the pilgrimage West. I guess I just find it interesting that this guy living without two senses would become a leader and I wanted to see more of that. I just thought Stu and Frannie were kind of boring in comparison.

[kessukoofah]

The last two weeks have been a flurry of Warhammer 40K books. Cain:Hero of the Imperium, Gaunt's Ghosts: The Founding and the Saint, Legion, Mechanicus, Horus Rising, Fifteen Hours and Fulgrim. Up next is The rest of the Imperial Guard Compendium volume 1. Wheee. An orgy of violence and warfare, humanity and chaos. Anyhow, Somehow I managed to still do my homework, hang out with friends and go to classes and work...I dunno how I do it.

Unfortunately I didn't keep track of all the ones I read after my last update and before I started the 40K-athon, so you all don't get to be entertained by just how much I can cram in a month.

[Andrew Turner]

James Keegan wrote:

Finished The Stand today. I liked it, but...

** spoiler omitted **

King made a comment in Danse Macabre that...

Spoiler:

...the bomb that kills the best characters was a Raymond Chandler moment--when you don't know what else to do, walk in, shoot the main character, and see what happens. For me, I was most bummed by the last couple hundred pages (essentially, a long walk back to Denver) and the Hollywood-like ease with which the plot was resolved (a nuke set off, in essence, by accident?) :-(

[James Keegan]

Andrew Turner wrote:

James Keegan wrote:

Finished The Stand today. I liked it, but...

** spoiler omitted **

King made a comment in Danse Macabre that...** spoiler omitted **

Yeah, I agree with you there.

[Shadowborn]

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:

You could combine Moby Dick and Dune: Great sand worms that are hunted for their oil (instead of Spice producers). The oil must flow...

Hmm...the hunt for the Great White Worm. Well, since there is a precedent for aquatic purple worms in Golarion ("Skeletons of Scarwall") I could keep it at sea. Yes, this definitely has possibilities.

[Russ Taylor]

Into the Slave Nebula was satisfying if unsurprising. Now starting on The Languages of Pao by Jack Vance, at Erik Mona's recommendation. Previously, I've only read his dying earth stuff.

[alleynbard]

Just finished reading The Road to Middle-Earth by Shippey and the fantastic Conan story People of the Black Circle .

Now I am simply looking for something to drop into my lap. Not quite sure what I am in the mood for.

[T'Ranchule]

Stormfront by Jim Butcher. I'm only about 50 pages in but so far I'm digging it.

[Russ Taylor]

Mean Streets, by various modern-fantasy detective authors. The 2nd story (by Simon R. Green) is just *awful*!

[alleynbard]

T'Ranchule wrote:

Stormfront by Jim Butcher. I'm only about 50 pages in but so far I'm digging it.

I really liked Stormfront. The character of Dresden is markedly different than what was presented on TV and I was happy to see both worked for me in different ways.

[Andrew Turner]

Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters -- it's some awesome steampunk

[Kruelaid]

Lady in the Lake - Raymond Chandler