@Samnell, true, except that the Louisiana planters had similar attitudes to those of the Lowcountry. The only real difference was francophilia vs anglophilia. The further a plantation owner was from pioneering the less likely they were to openly engage in trade (however, contra, the South Carolina Canal and Rail-Road Company).
The cant (Marxist and academic both) got a bit heavy going at times.Yeah, I didn't even read it. Tossing around Time on the Cross, Genovese and Eric Williams, though, thought'd you'd be interested. Looks like you might've been, too.
I've read one of Genovese's papers, which was actually quite helpful in teasing out the less race-driven reasons poor whites would take up with planters. But even there he was giving me the creeps a little and he wrote it in the Seventies before he went reactionary. He seemed deeply offended on their behalf that people thought them a bunch of dirty racists.
Which they were, of course. So he points out the economic system that I summarized last post. Ok, cool. But I think he oversold his argument. He clearly thought economic motives simply rendered racism irrelevant.
To that I say WTF.
The account of how Roll, Jordan, Roll (the main book of his I'm thinking about reading) is almost entirely about slaveowners instead of the slaves is pretty discouraging too. I mean one could make an argument that as the slaves were deliberately excluded from the fruits of their labors and treated as outsiders to the world they made that the focus isn't completely nuts. But writing a book like that serves to perpetuate the exclusion. One wonders why he didn't simply write a book about slaveholding and title it appropriately.
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'A Clash of Kings'
- I read 'A Game of Thrones' a while back when the TV series first came out (I wanted to read the book before watching it's adaptation), yet the first book I found terribly boring. About a week ago I ended up finally watching the first season of the TV series and it got me hooked again. Since then I have been plowing through 'A Clash of Kings' and I am loving it!.'The Black Company'
- Being a huge fan of Steven Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen) I picked this one up after he commented on it being an influence to him. To be honest, I am a third of the way through and not really enjoying it... just has not grabbed me - I suspect it is the characters. I just do not find them engaging.'The Dark Tower'
- Started reading this because everyone seems to rave about it. Nearly finished it and I do not think I will pick up the sequal(s). I guess it is just not my cup of tea. Anyone else have a similar experience?'The Bone Hunters'
- Love Steven Erikson. Love the Malazan series. Books 1, 2 and 3 were particularly excellent (which fan doesn't say that?). However, I also really enjoyed book 4 and somewhat book 5. I had a break mid-way through book 5 (series fatigue I guess) but finished it a few months back and want to get back into it. Started 'The Bone Hunters' today.'ScareCrow'
- I picked this up as a freebie to burn some time... and before I knew it I had churned through the first 40 pages and was hooked. Easy read. Candy for the brain and full of action. After doing some quick research I found it is the third Matt Reilly book for the Scarecrow character - but it reads like a stand alone. I should be finished it pretty quickly. A fun time filler.
Hope you don't mind my asking - was just curious, what did you make of Matthew Reilly? I used to be a big-time fan, and I'd still enjoy a look sometimes, but I was curious since you said you were in the military. I have no idea about how accurate or not Reilly's material is, but I know a few ex-servicemen (including my grandfather) who whenever they read or watch action stuff that gets details wrong, it spoils their enjoyment of it.
The account of how Roll, Jordan, Roll (the main book of his I'm thinking about reading) is almost entirely about slaveowners instead of the slaves is pretty discouraging too. I mean one could make an argument that as the slaves were deliberately excluded from the fruits of their labors and treated as outsiders to the world they made that the focus isn't completely nuts. But writing a book like that serves to perpetuate the exclusion. One wonders why he didn't simply write a book about slaveholding and title it appropriately.
Actually, I've got a book of his called The World the Slaveholders Made so...
In addition to Barbara Ehrenreich's adventures among the nickel and dimed classes, I've also been reading the Dark Horse Conan comics from 2004(?). Kind of like a balm to soothe the scars from all that Gord the Rogue/Red Sands stuff.
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I'm re-reading three books at the moment:
The Bear and The Dragon by Tom Clancy.
- this is probably my favourite of all the Tom Clancy novels, I think I've read it about 6/7 times so far and never get bored of it.
Terminal World by Alistair Reynolds.
- Not Alistair's best novel, but still a good read. I find it to be one of those ones that has a slow start but gets interesting after the plot has built some momentum.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.
- I don't normally enjoy horror novels, mostly due to me having a wildly active imagination, but The Turn of the Screw is one of those intriguing stories that has to be read fully once you start.
It's funny 'cause it's TROTSKYITES!
Just finished Kyrik: Warlock Warrior, by Gardner F. Fox. You know where you are with Gardner F. Fox, and mostly where you are is in some flabby, decadent king's throne room, surrounded by heaps of eviscerated guardsmen and looking forward to a couple of sorceresses and half a roast ox later on. Good, solid, manly stuff, by Illis of the tinted breasts.
Next up - Thongor fights the pirates of Tarakus, one of Lin Carter's, which promises to be a beauty.
Next up - Thongor fights the pirates of Tarakus, one of Lin Carter's, which promises to be a beauty.
Oooh, I think I have that one in a box somewhere! Thongor fighting somebody, anyway. I am tempted to toss aside Ms. Ehrenreich and do some syncopated international book club reading!
Also, it's Trotskyists, you [redacted redacted redacted]!
I am finishing reading of a collection of articles by Isaac Asimov from late eighties.
Next up - Thongor fights the pirates of Tarakus, one of Lin Carter's, which promises to be a beauty.Oooh, I think I have that one in a box somewhere! Thongor fighting somebody, anyway. I am tempted to toss aside Ms. Ehrenreich and do some syncopated international book club reading!
Also, it's Trotskyists, you [redacted redacted redacted]!
What's the difference? They're still WRECKERS AND SPIES!!!! ;)
I recommend you dig out Thongor, though - zips along nicely and has a female protagonist who does more than squeal 'Look out!' and boff the hero. Plus, Thongor has splendid thews, not just mighty thews (although he does have those, too), so how could anyone resist?
Now intend to finish off Dragonlance, kender or no kender.
[Redacted redacted redacted redacted]!!!
Next up - Thongor fights the pirates of Tarakus, one of Lin Carter's, which promises to be a beauty.Oooh, I think I have that one in a box somewhere! Thongor fighting somebody, anyway. I am tempted to toss aside Ms. Ehrenreich and do some syncopated international book club reading!
Found it! but I'm not tossing aside Mrs. Ehrenreich (her maiden name, she tells us, was Alexander) just yet.
The second section was all about cleaning the houses of the plutocrats in Maine, which isn't quite New Hampshire, but is pretty close. My lone female player works as a maid. Maybe I should get her to form a union...
Vive le Galt!
I was terribly disappointed to learn that Thongor Fights the Pirates is the sixth book in the Mighty Thongor series.
It's like starting with the penultimate volume of Remembrance of Things Past!
Started Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand Of Darkness.
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When it comes to Glen Cook I favor Garrett, P. I. and Dread Empire over Black Company but I have only read a few first books of the last one.
Garrett got kind of old after a while; the first ten or so were pretty good, though. I also liked Dread Empire more than Black Company, though you could see how he'd developed as a writer between the original trilogy and the first Black Company book.
I just finished Alastair Reynolds' latest, "Blue Remembered Earth." Another slow starter, and in some ways it reminded me of an Arthur C. Clarke novel in that there wasn't a whole lot of organized conflict-driven plot. Still very good once it got going.
Got up to the Thermidorian Reaction in Lefebvre and, facing my week-long vacation, I feel the need to read something...different.
Picked this up again, after nine months, so now it's Thongor and Thermidor!
after nine months
If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a reference to the other thread...
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Hee hee!
I was thinking of saying something to that effect, but I figured the crossover traffic would be pretty slight.
Reading between the lines, does this mean you're pregnant with Thongor? Well, well.
In between bouts of Dragonlance, I've been reading Moghreb al-Acksa by R. Cunninghame-Graham , a grand tale of Victorian exploration where the narrator spends most of his time smoking cigs and drinking tea. Good man.
Reading between the lines, does this mean you're pregnant with Thongor? Well, well.
No, but I'd totally do him, even if he has a ridiculous name. (The only thing I don't like about the book is how many of the characters have names that seem like they were ripped out of ERB. For some reason, most of them seem to rhyme with "Dejah Thoris.")
Turns out this book is pretty awesome, if you like this sort of thing. Which I do. Don't know why I go so gaga for the sixties stuff. Just seems, sometimes, like you pick up any fantasy book from back then and it's awesome, whereas you pick up any fantasy book from today and it's a total crapshoot. But maybe that's just me.
Anyway, now I've got six more books to track down.
The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett.
Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear and Den Amerikanska Högern by Martin Gelin.
Finished The Left Hand Of Darkness and started Doom Of The Darksword by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weiss.
Finished The Left Hand Of Darkness
How'd you like that one, Baby Drejk?
I've been meaning to read those but, sadly, haven't.
Just read through the DA-approved Ginger Star, which was well worth the £2 it cost me, and now considering starting Kandar, another kruttsome Conan ripoff which features monkey ghouls. Raistlin can go and **** himself.
EDIT: And I was completely wrong about Kandar. Not at all crappy, and actually closer to Clark Ashton Smith (so far as I can remember) or maybe Fritz Leiber than REH. Recommended.
Finished The Left Hand Of DarknessHow'd you like that one, Baby Drejk?
I've been meaning to read those but, sadly, haven't.
Interesting book but lacking real, how to say that? Fire? Action?
Also, while hailed by some as one of first major feminist science fiction, I could hardly describe it as such. Maybe I am too used to much more modern and more equal representation of genders because the main character's ideas of femininity to me seem quite naive (in old fashioned way). While I can't pin-point it I am quite sure that I read multiple books from 60s with much more progressive view of femininity than the protagonists sparsely mentioned beliefs about masculinity and femininity.
I will surely look for more Ursuala's SF books to learn about the universe.
Huh. Well, I haven't read them, so...but I was under the impression that all her Hainish books were about hermaphrodites.
And, Limey's right, The Ginger Star is well worth it. Order your copy from Paizo.com today!
EDIT: Of possible interest on Le Guin and feminism:
Much of that re-visioning, at least in the last thirty years, has been
inspired by feminist principles. Your goal, you say, is always to subvert,
creating metaphors for the future "where any assumption can be tested and
any rule rewritten. Including the rules of who's on top, and what gender
means, and who gets to be free." Let's begin with the question of how you
were introduced to the feminist movement, and the role it has played in your
writing.
URSULA LE GUIN: My introduction was slow and late. All my early fiction
tends to be rather male-centred. A couple of the Earthsea books have no
women in them at all or only marginal women figures. That's how hero stories
worked; they were about men. With the exception of just a few feminists like
Joanna Russ, science fiction was pretty much male-dominated up to the I960s.
Women who wrote in that field often used pen names.
None of this bothered me. It was my tradition, and I worked in it happily.
But I began coming up against certain discomforts. My first feminist text
was The Left Hand of Darkness, which I started writing in I967. It was an
early experiment in deconstructing gender. Everybody was asking, "What is it
to be a man? What is it to be a woman?" It's a hard question, so in The Left
Hand of Darkness I eliminated gender to find out what would be left. Science
fiction is a wonderful opportunity to play this kind of game.
As a thought experiment, The Left Hand of Darkness was messy. I recently
wrote the screenplay version, where I was able to make some of the changes I
wish I could make to the novel. They're details, but important ones, such as
seeing the main character, Genly, with children or doing things we think of
as womanly. All you ever see him doing are manly things, like being a
politician or hauling a sledge. The two societies in the book are somewhat
like a feudal monarchy and Russian communism, which tend to be slightly
paranoid. I don't know why I thought androgynous people would be paranoid.
With twenty years of feminism under my belt, I can now imagine an
androgynous society as being much different and far more interesting than
our gendered society. For instance, I wouldn't lock the people from the
planet Gethen, where the story takes place, into heterosexuality. The
insistence that sexual partners must be of the opposite sex is naive. It
never occurred to me to explore their homosexual practices, and I regret the
implication that sexuality has to be heterosexuality.
I recommend you dig out Thongor, though - zips along nicely and has a female protagonist who does more than squeal 'Look out!' and boff the hero.
"'Yian!' he gasped.
"The Princess of Cadorna laughed up at him with sparkling eyes. He had sternly warned her to remain below decks on the Scimitar, but had she obeyed him he might well have feasted before Father Gorm in the Hall of Heroes ere this night had grown much older. So he did not have the heart to chastise her, but simply stood and stared down at her.
"Never had she looked more beautiful. The cold wind had whipped fresh color into her cheeks. The black jewels of her almond eyes glittered with mischief. The slim rapier she had clenched in one capable fist was crimson to the hilt, and gave further proof--if further proof was needed--of the truth of her claim that she could ride and hunt and fight like any man.
"With her long slender legs clad in the glove-tight breeches, and her loose white blouse stretched taut against the rise of her sharp young breasts, a scarlet kerchief twisted about the heavy black cataract of her hair--she looked very desirable.
"He bent and crushed her to him, one arm closing about her slim shoulders, and he kissed her there on the corpse-strewn foredeck of the embattled galley. His lips were fierce and demanding. Her mouth was warm and soft and very sweet."
Hawt!!
Musashi's Go Rin No Sho ("Book of Five Rings") for about the third time. Still admire this:
Cutting and Slashing
To cut and to slash are two different things. Cutting, whatever form of cutting it is, is decisive, with a resolute spirit. Slashing is nothing more than touching the enemy. Even if you slash strongly, and even if the enemy dies instantly, it is slashing. If you cut, your spirit is resolved. You must appreciate this.
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman's latest; and Throne of the Crescent Moon, by Saladin Ahmed. The Gaiman was short but moving, and packed a lot of impact into very few words. The other one just won the Locus award for best first novel. Highly recommended if you're looking for a heavy dose of Arabian Nights in your fantasy. The worldbuilding would be good coming from an established author; the fact that this is a first novel makes it that much more impressive.
I enjoyed Nickel and Dimed so much, I went to the library and took out Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream. This time, Babs tries to get herself a white-collar corporate jo--I'm sorry, career.
Anyway, just spent a whole bunch of time reading about Enneagrams, the Myers-Briggs personality test, career coaches and a whole lot of other bullshiznit.
Not even 55 pages in and I already feel more sympathy for you cubicled professionals than I ever would have thought possible.
But don't worry: International proletarian socialist revolution will free even you guys and gals.
Vive le Galt!
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I just read Robert Silverberg's "Sailing to Byzantium" which, according to Gardner Dozios, counts as a novella. I'm also reading Lindsey Davis's Silver Pigs, which I'm not sure I care enough to finish; I'm not sure whether its the late-'80s "Moonlighting" vibe, or all the Latin names, or the weird way those two ideas combine. It's no I, Claudius.
I think I read Silver Pigs back in the day. I really liked it.
Taking a break to read some picture books
Finished The Left Hand Of Darkness...Interesting book but lacking real, how to say that? Fire? Action?
Also, while hailed by some as one of first major feminist science fiction, I could hardly describe it as such. Maybe I am too used to much more modern and more equal representation of genders because the main character's ideas of femininity to me seem quite naive (in old fashioned way). While I can't pin-point it I am quite sure that I read multiple books from 60s with much more progressive view of femininity than the protagonists sparsely mentioned beliefs about masculinity and femininity.
I will surely look for more Ursuala's SF books to learn about the universe.
Drejk, I had a similar sense of disappointment with the narrator on my first read, but it turned to empathy on my second—he's purposefully written to be naive/retrograde and out of his depth, struggling with coming to an understanding of what gender means on Winter (and as you say, I suspect his attitude seems far more old-fashioned than it did at the time). I'd look to the supporting characters as reflecting her feminism rather than the protagonist. :) For more action, maybe try the pair Planet of Exile and City of Illusions, and for more feminism, Tehanu, The Dispossessed, and Four Ways to Forgiveness.
And thanks for sharing that interview, Doodlebug Anklebiter! Ursula K. Le Guin's reimagining over time is really evident in the Earthsea books—it's fascinating to read through them in proximity and watch her tease out parts of the earlier books that are problematic, and then dive in and explore the consequences.
And thanks for sharing that interview, Doodlebug Anklebiter! Ursula K. Le Guin's reimagining over time is really evident in the Earthsea books—it's fascinating to read through them in proximity and watch her tease out parts of the earlier books that are problematic, and then dive in and explore the consequences.
My search engine is always at your service, milady.
And, although maybe not feminist per se, I thought The Tombs of Atuan and its subtext of female sexual repression bumped it a notch above the other two in the original trilogy. (Little did we know, at the time, about its subtext of male sexual repression!)
Considering having the Hainish books jump their place in the Great Doodlebug Anklebiter To Read Queue, but not sure...
Finished The Left Hand Of Darkness...Interesting book but lacking real, how to say that? Fire? Action?
Also, while hailed by some as one of first major feminist science fiction, I could hardly describe it as such. Maybe I am too used to much more modern and more equal representation of genders because the main character's ideas of femininity to me seem quite naive (in old fashioned way). While I can't pin-point it I am quite sure that I read multiple books from 60s with much more progressive view of femininity than the protagonists sparsely mentioned beliefs about masculinity and femininity.
I will surely look for more Ursuala's SF books to learn about the universe.
Drejk, I had a similar sense of disappointment with the narrator on my first read, but it turned to empathy on my second—he's purposefully written to be naive/retrograde and out of his depth, struggling with coming to an understanding of what gender means on Winter (and as you say, I suspect his attitude seems far more old-fashioned than it did at the time). I'd look to the supporting characters as reflecting her feminism rather than the protagonist. :) For more action, maybe try the pair Planet of Exile and City of Illusions, and for more feminism, Tehanu, The Dispossessed, and Four Ways to Forgiveness.
And thanks for sharing that interview, Doodlebug Anklebiter! Ursula K. Le Guin's reimagining over time is really evident in the Earthsea books—it's fascinating to read through them in proximity and watch her tease out parts of the earlier books that are problematic, and then dive in and explore the consequences.
Judy, have you read Triton by Samuel R. Delany? It takes the whole gender-role-vs-unreliable-narrator proposition to a ridiculous extreme.
Judy, have you read Triton by Samuel R. Delany? It takes the whole gender-role-vs-unreliable-narrator proposition to a ridiculous extreme.
Not yet! I was planning to put some of his works in my post-PaizoCon reading queue, since he's doing a reading here later this month—I'll bump that up to the top. Any other recommendations among his works?
Back on the Range of Ghosts train again, and boy is this a page-turner. Unless it completely fails to stick the landing I'll give it straight tens (to use a gymnastics analogy).
Read it!
The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter. Again. And My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell, just for a bit of contrast.
EDIT: I remember reading a collection of sword and sorcery short stories by Sam Delaney dealing with various BDSM related concepts- very well done, but probably not to everybody's taste. Nothing like Gor; I can't remember the title for the life of me, either...
I should reread Earthsea books. It was ages since I read them. I recall interesting notions in Tehanu but what I remember the best are revelations about Earthsea wizards' sexuality.
Judy, have you read Triton by Samuel R. Delany? It takes the whole gender-role-vs-unreliable-narrator proposition to a ridiculous extreme.Not yet! I was planning to put some of his works in my post-PaizoCon reading queue, since he's doing a reading here later this month—I'll bump that up to the top. Any other recommendations among his works?
PM incoming.
A Gane of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I'n reading it before I'll watch the show.
Forgive me, longtime fans, if I retell by Game of Thrones story.
Then I heard the HBO series was in production, and I kept hearing from more and more people who awesome these books were, but, at the same time, I kept hearing about how long Martin was taking to write them. So, I vowed that I wouldn't read the books or watch the television series until either Martin finished the series or died, whichever came first.
Then my hetero life partner, long sans old girlfriend, broke down and bought the series on DVD. Him and two of my other players sat down and watched the whole thing in an orgy one weekend, and then my hetero life partner started reading the books and badgering me about how awesome they were. I was like, whatevs, I'm still waiting.
But they would always be watching it. Over and over again. Every time someone came over, they would watch it, again. Finally, they cajoled me into watching the first episode.
And I was f@*!ing floorerd. I only watched the first episode, and, the next day, I picked it up and started reading. I called out sick to word, stayed up all night, went to sleep, woke up and just kept reading.
Anyway, I got halfway through the book before I willpower meter refilled and I tore my eyes away from a highly dramatic scene, really, and put the book back on the shelf. And ever since then it's been staring at me, giving me come hither looks and winking.
Martin better hurry up.
I should reread Earthsea books. It was ages since I read them. I recall interesting notions in Tehanu but what I remember the best are revelations about Earthsea wizards' sexuality.
Goblins do it way more than Earthsea wizards. Well, slightly more, anyway.
And, it occured to me, even though Ms. Le Guin may not have lived up to modern day, cutting edge feminism (or any, as the case may be), Geb and most of the other characters in the Earthsea books weren't white, which was pretty noteworthy in itself.
And they were awesome.
Vive le Guin!
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Forgive me, longtime fans, if I retell by Game of Thrones story.
** spoiler omitted **
I read the first 4 books, then decided I was gonna just start over from scratch again once the last book is published.
\ read the first 4 books, then decided I was gonna just start over from scratch again once the last book is published.
That sounds like a pretty good idea, actual--aargh! aarrgh! no! must resist!!!
Forgive me, longtime fans, if I retell by Game of Thrones story.
(...)
Martin better hurry up.