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Drood, by Dan Simmons, is officially the most f%~!ed-up book I have ever read. It is written from the perspective of real-life writer W. C. Wilkie Collins, a contemporary, friend, and rival of Charles Dickens. Both Collins and Dickens are pursued by a murderous phantasm known only as Drood, all the while, the friendship between Collins and Dickens begins to fall apart. The real kicker is that Collins is severely addicted to opium and laudanum, and suffers frequent hallucinations, including a mirror-image of himself that finishes his books while he sleeps (This actually happened. Collins wrote of this phenomenon in letters during his lifetime. He was the original Tyler Durden). In essence, these hallucinations are so prevalent and so real that the reader has no idea whether or not the entire tale is a figment of Wilkie Collins' imagination. A severe mindf$$&, and one of the best books I've ever read.
Review copy of Steven Erikson's Dust of Dreams just arrived, so I'm starting on that.
Currently reading The Art of Racing in the Rain
Really interesting book about a family as seen through the eyes of a dog...
Also did a popcorn read last night with the graphic novel: The Walking Dead v10. A good quick read for those who love the zombie genre. Great yoinkable concepts ..
Fistandantilus Reborn, by Douglas Niles.
What's amazing is that reading the old D&D novels is an entirely different experience from reading current ones. The braindead action is mostly gone, and hey! The characters actually RELATE to one another (gasp!). Some of the scenes, while not graphic by any measure, actually contain romantic excitement, something that's been mostly clinically sanitized away in later years.
Just finished "Off Season" by Jack Ketchum and have started "Offspring" (the sequel). Very graphic, a quick read.
After that, starting "The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and how it changed America". Looks like an interesting read.
Just finished The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie. Bad ass. I'm gonna take a break before getting the last in the trilogy, so I'm reading City of Thieves by David Benioff.
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Recently finished:
- Drood by Dan Simmons
- Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
- New Lands by Charles Hoy Fort
Currently reading:
- The Two Georges by Richard Dreyfuss and Harry Turtledove
- Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child"
- Angelfire by Chris Blythe and Steve Parkhouse
Up next:
- Lo! by Charles Hoy Fort
- The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
Recently got the new Emberverse series book from S.M Stirling: The Sword of the Lady and all other reading has now halted until said book is devoured.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay; sheesh, I read it every day for the last couple weeks; am thinking to maybe make a database to track skill and talent gains and link them to what classes to take to get various combinations or some such; would be nice to like have a list of all classes that get like Flee or Hardy or some such.
I love the little snippets of story in the book. If you get a chance at the book; see one somewhere; read pg 231; Save Me A Leg; nice little short story hehe. that is my favorite
of course, I just finished reading Bill, The Galactic Hero; volume #2; on the planet of bottled brains; very obscure fun poke at everybody in sci fi with with names changed to protect the humor of it.
Finished re-reading Ice by Ed Mcbain. Hard to top that guy when it comes to police procedure and spinning a mystery. Started reading Storm Dragon: seems to have more depth than most Forgotten Realms novels. Although I am only on page 8.
Read Gygax's the Anubis Murders and Patricia McKillip's Atrix Wolfe.
About halfway through Boyer & Zahorski's The Fantastic Imagination: An Anthology of High Fantasy. I'm enjoying some of the less well-known old timers in this anthology.
. . .I'm reading City of Thieves by David Benioff.What do you think? I recently finished that one and really enjoyed it.
I'm reading It now. I needed a book that I wouldn't be able to finish while I was on the beach in Greece. So far I like it.
I thought it was really good, though I do wonder how much the author altered from his grandfather's recollection. The characters were very human, too, which I liked, especially the relationship between Kolya and Lev.
I'm sure the author made his fair share of changes. I think he even alludes to this in the prologue of the book. I just like to assume its all true. Not that it really makes a difference to me. . .
I agree with you about the relationship between Kolya and Lev. The way their friendship unfolds is a real treat.
And I don't mean this in a disparaging way, but I can easily see this book being made into a movie. And with the author's connections, I would almost see it as a foregone conclusion.
Unfortunatley, it's not true. Benioff got embarrassed about that, but all the stuff at the start with his grandad in pure fiction as well. People got really confused because the character has his name and is also married to a hot actress (as Benioff is, to Amanda Peet), but his grandad didn't fight on the Eastern Front in WWII.
I believe CITY OF THIEVES has been optioned, but Benioff might not have time to do the script himself, since he's slightly busy with a HBO TV series based on a series of bestselling epic fantasy novels ;)
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Finished it, but allow me to recommend The Terror by Dan Simmons.
It's hefty. Almost as heavy as PFRPG. I read it and Drood (another hefty one) on vacation on my Kindle 2.
Have finished The Fantastic Imagination. I highly recommend it as a classical introduction to fiction about Faerie and Magic, if you can find a copy, and it makes an interesting contrast to the same editors' anthology on the Gothic imagination.
Now starting in on Sword and Sorceress III, ed. by M. Z. Bradley.
Just finished David Sedaris' "When You Are Engulfed in Flame" & am about 1/2 way through Gregory Maguire's "A Lion Among Men".
I broke down and got Dead until Dark. Nearly finished with it now, and it's suprisingly... fun. I won't say 'good' but it's an entertaining read. Although, over all I think I prefer the True Blood adaptation more.
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Day of Infamy by Harry Turtledove, what if alternate history book about what would have happened had the Japanese followed up the Pearl Harbor attack with a seaborne invasion of Hawaii.
First, Day of Infamy - great book, excellent author. His Guns of the South is one of my favorites, as are his Krispos of Videssos books.
I'm currently reading two books:
"Overseer" by Jonathan Rabb, a modern conspiracy theory played out in the world style book - just for fun.
"the Deathly Hallows", to my son as we finish out the series. He loves it as I do my best Hagrid and Snape... Lets me work on voices...
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I am a lunatic-level bibliophile. As such, I end up rotating through several series' at once (especially while jonesing err ... awaiting the next installment).
The Iron Elves Series, by Chris Evans, Currently on book #2 "The Light of Burning Shadows"
The Vampire Earth Series, by E.E. Knight "Fall with Honor"
The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey just finished the second trilogy (Book #3 Kushiel's Mercy) and beginning the next volume "Namah's Kiss"
The Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobbm, starting Book #3 "Renegade's Magic"
The Aspect-Emperor trilogy by R. Scott Bakker, recently finished the first book, The Judging Eye, and jonesing -hardcore- for the next one.
Saga of the Noble Dead, by Barb and J.C. Hendee; I started "Child of a Dead God" recently.
The Black Jewels Series by Anne Bishop; Starting "The Shadow Queen" (Book 7 technically) next.
And of course, Like EVERYONE it seems, in the genre, am awaiting the latest book in the following two serieses:
The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin ; having finished "A Feast for Crows" when it first printed I've been hungrily awaiting the next installment.
And Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series- Been current as each book comes out.
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Recently finished:
- The Two Georges by Harry Turtledove and Richard Dreyfuss
- Conan: the Hand of Nergal (graphic novel) by Timothy Truman and Tomas Giorello
Currently reading:
- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (for the billionth time)
Up next:
- King Rat by China Mieville
- Lobster Johnson: the Satan Factory by Thomas E. Sniegoski, with Mike Mignola
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Heh. Just finished that again myself. Can't wait until enough time passes that I can read it again. Absolutely fantastic read....
Currently reading:
- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (for the billionth time)
...
I found a hardback edition of it in a used bookstore about 7 years ago, and got it for a dollar!
I consider this to be my "Antiques Roadshow" moment when the guy finds out he bought a priceless relic at a garage sale.
One of my favorites to read over and over. I recommend it to everyone.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Recently completed:
THE PLANET KILLERS by Robert Silverberg
THE PLOT AGAINST EARTH by Robert Silverberg
THE FAIRY CHESSMEN by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
ONE OF OUR ASTEROIDS IS MISSING! by Robert Silverberg
MENACE OF THE SAUCERS by Eando Binder
NIGHT OF THE SAUCERS by Eando Binder
HUNT THE SPACE WITCH! by Robert Silverberg
Currently reading:
THE BOOK OF IOD by Henry Kuttner
I've just started reading The Elder Gods by the late David and Leigh Eddings. Not their best work by a long shot (I'd contend that that's the Elenium and the Tamuli trilogies), but after a very slow start it's starting to grow on me. That said: did David actually finish the series before his wife died? I hear he did very little writing afterwards, so I doubt it would have been finished then.
He died recently, but according to Wikipedia, The Dreamers was indeed finished before his wife died in 2007.
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher. Second of the Dresden books and just as good as, if not better than, the first.
Not their best work by a long shot (I'd contend that that's the Elenium and the Tamuli trilogies), but after a very slow start it's starting to grow on me.
You're one of the few people I have seen who agree with me there. For some reason most people seem to prefer Belgarion to Sparhawk.
*shrug
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THE PLANET KILLERS by Robert Silverberg
THE PLOT AGAINST EARTH by Robert Silverberg
ONE OF OUR ASTEROIDS IS MISSING! by Robert Silverberg
HUNT THE SPACE WITCH! by Robert Silverberg
Ever read Silverberg's essay "Fantasies about Fiction?" In it, he writes about censorship blurring the division between fiction and reality. I have a digital copy, and if anyone wants, I can send it via e-mail (or, you know, post the WHOLE THING under spoilers).
Finished up Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy- really good, highly recommend it.
I'm about 250 pages into Erickson's Memories of Ice and I'm not sure. It's starting to get too ridiculous for my taste.
I'm looking for interesting things to write algorithms for. This book is great in that regard. I consider controlling & directing the perturbation of magnetic fields (i.e. programming) to be on par with what is being called magic in this book.
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The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons and Growing Up Strange, by Mark Barrowcliffe
This book is hilarious. It should be required reading for every young player. Sadly, it should have been required reading for yours truly, age nine, circa 1984...
Ironically, I can just hear the average young, modern player: "He keeps saying 'dice' when he obviously means 'die'--this guy is a n00b."