You're assuming he's the father...
I kid. Congrats!
So, if you are a lover of used books and are in the Boston area:
Tastes vary but, I went into their official fantasy/sci-fi section and didn't see anything I wanted. But I went upstairs and in the back they've got tons of books just piled up on tables and IT WAS A FRICKIN' GOLDMINE!
How great and how cheap? Well, if you will allow me to indulge my love of listing books:
Michael Moorcock--Count Brass
Edgar Rice Burroughs--Thuvia, Maid of Mars
Fritz Leiber--Conjure Wife
Guy Gavriel Kay--The Lions of Al-Rassan, The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire
Gore Vidal--Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace
Henri Pirenne--Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe
Eric Foner--Tom Paine and Revolutionary America
for $23!
Worth the trip.
I don't see why not. What is it? An on-line comic? I didn't click on the links 'cause I'm scared of words like "torrent".
Finished Heroes in Hell. Pretty fun stuff for amateur history buffs.
I have no idea what I made of these stories as a teenager. After an additional 20 years of reading, I recognize most of the people but I still had to look up: Decius Mus, Reinhard Heydrich (I actually don't know much about the Nazis), Sir John de Mandeville and the Blucher.
Also, it's interesting how hung up the book is on Howard Hughes. Maybe I should watch The Aviator.
Started Sea of Death. Iggwilv, Zuggtomy, Graz'zt, Yeenoghu and a Jubilex stand-in in the first two chapters? Hell (or should I say Abyss?) yeah! You know what I don't get, though? Kostchtchie looks like he's just an abnormally large frost giant. What makes him so much more disgusting than any of the other demons?
Anyway, it's interesting to see how Gygax envisioned extra-planar adventures.
More Gygax? Oh Doodle, don't punish yourself!
And, on the subject of self-abuse, I've reached page 50 of Quicksilver; if I maintain that rate, I should finish the trilogy by, oh, 2020...
Hey, don't knock self-abuse. It's sex with someone that I love!
(Apologies to Woody Allen]
just read "lord of the rings" for the first time in many years. is it the best fantasy fiction book ever written? maybe.
one thing is for sure -- it might be even better if it were cut in half. the entire first half of "return of the king" could be removed and i wouldn't miss it.
Unh uh. Nothing could improve The Lord of the Rings.
Tom Bombadil forever!
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I don't see why not. What is it? An on-line comic? I didn't click on the links 'cause I'm scared of words like "torrent".
A visual novel is similar to a point and click adventure game. You read a story with accompanying artwork showing the characters and scenes. They often have branching paths that allow you to make decisions for the main character, like the old choose-your-own-adventure books, and multiple endings. The larger part of the industry is focused on adult titles, but some get all-ages versions, or have an option to disable the adult content. (which KS does)
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Speaking of Tom Bombadil, have you read Oldest and Fatherless: The Terrible Secret of Tom Bombadil? Kind of creepy how it all fits together, and reminiscent of another (rather more tongue-in-cheek) essay on Bombadil here.
like the old choose-your-own-adventure books, and multiple endings. The larger part of the industry is focused on adult titles,
Yes. I can see the appeal.
[Scurries back over to Katawa Shoujo]
Speaking of Tom Bombadil, have you read Oldest and Fatherless: The Terrible Secret of Tom Bombadil? Kind of creepy how it all fits together, and reminiscent of another (rather more tongue-in-cheek) essay on Bombadil here.
Tom Bombadil is the coolest pimp in town.
Thanks for the links.
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like the old choose-your-own-adventure books, and multiple endings. The larger part of the industry is focused on adult titles,Yes. I can see the appeal.
[Scurries back over to Katawa Shoujo]
I had no problems with the Mac torrent, and have finished one of the five paths. Hope you enjoy it as much as I am.
Currently reading The Two Towers, though not for the first time.
I am also reading the second volume of a 4 volume commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. The commentary is by Donald Grey Barnhouse. Excellent reading that helps to settle and center my mind before I sleep.
I am not sure what I will read after I finish The Lord of the Rings. Most likely, it will be Song of the Serpent since my reading slows down in the winter and it will take a while to finish what I'm in currently.
Tom Bombadil is still the coolest pimp in town, bar none.
I, uh, glanced at Sea of Death before putting it down. Read the first couple chapters and then skipped to the end. Not that I am growing any wiser, my Amazon order for City of Hawks and Come Endless Darkness is wending its way through cyberspace even now!
In the meantime, I picked up The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag by Robert Heinlein. Read all the short stories in the back, haven't read the novella yet. So far, they're good.
Also, finally located a copy of Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin. Listen to this (from the back cover):
In 1835, Honore de Balzac said "The Don Juan of Mozart, the Faust of Goethe, the Melmoth of Maturin--these are great images drawn by the greatest geniuses of Europe."
And, finally, in 1855, no less an authority on literary evil than Charles Baudelaire said "All the miscreants of melodrama are almost all the grandchildren of the renowned wanderer Melmoth, that great satanic creation of the Reverend Maturin."
And he was, like, Oscar Wilde's great-uncle or something.
This book better be f+*%ing awesme.
Fianlly wending towards the end of my epic audiobooking of GRRM's opus The Song of Ice and Fire. I started with A Game of Thrones in June to get my juices fired up for A Dance of Dragons. I am on the back half of the audio version of Dance now. Having listened to the whole series every moment I was in my car, I have to say I LOVE this series even more with the fourth rereading (listening?). I am sorely tempted to start the whole thing over and get done around August, but I have Z Day queued up next, and I do love that book as well.
As for dead tree, I have had little and less time. Still on Dozois/King/Stirling. Maybe I'll be able to finish one some day.
"Thunderer" by Felix Gilman. Kind of pseudo-steampunky urban fantasy about a monk/composer who journeyed to the city of the gods to find the little godling that abandoned his musical monastery. Sort of.
Re-read Moorcock's The Phoenix in Obsidian/The Silver Warriors, one of the weaker efforts in his Eternal Champion cycle. Just starting de Camp & Pratt's Land of Unreason, which will apparently be about the marauding depredations of kobolds...
Just starting de Camp & Pratt's Land of Unreason, which will apparently be about the marauding depredations of kobolds...
Huh. Never heard of this one.
Just starting de Camp & Pratt's Land of Unreason, which will apparently be about the marauding depredations of kobolds...Huh. Never heard of this one.
It ran in Unknown Worlds in 1941, and was then published as a book in 1942. Very period-appropriate, with the war in fairyland mirroring WWII.
PLEASE tell me you've at least read their "Harold Shea/Compleat Enchanter" stories?
Oh yeah. I've sung their praises on these very boards. Also loved Pratt's The Well of the Unicorn, but I haven't made the leap to Dunsany yet.
Finally finished Anvil of the World (hilarious, unexpected plot twists) and Charmed Life (Jones is definitely of the "Kids, heads up: adults will deceive you and let you down, and those you love will betray you!" school of YA).
Now reading Feed at the gym—somehow it's easy to bike faster while reading about being chased by zombies.
Also loved Pratt's The Well of the Unicorn, but I haven't made the leap to Dunsany yet.
Strangely enough for me, I could never quite make it through WotU. However, I'm all set to read some Dunsany as soon as I finish LoU.
Have you read Eddison's Worm Ouroboros? Gro is my bro!
Finally finished Anvil of the World (hilarious, unexpected plot twists)
Take it from a sexy goblin, follow-up The Heart of the Stag is just as good.
@Kirth--I admit it took two separate tries to take down Unicorn. If it's been a while, try it again!
I have never even seen a physical copy of Ouroboros. :(
But I do have some Dunsany that I'll get to one of these days...
EDIT: Halfway through Unpleasant Profession and I'm loving it! Hope it keeps up.
I quite liked Heinelein's The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag, even if it was a little silly from time to time. The Bird is Cruel!
Currently reading The Savage Knight by Paul Lewis. A pretty cliche story, but done with an easy reading style and good fun.
Finished Fatal Colours by George Goodwin. Not exactly a great account of the Battle of Towton, Osprey Books do it much better. Still some interesting facts for War of the Roses fans.
Finished Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds, now reading Deathless
I quite liked Heinelein's The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag, even if it was a little silly from time to time. The Bird is Cruel!
That's one of my favorite Heinlein's short stories, after ''They'' and the Crooked House.
Prince of Thorns by M Lawrence. Its ok so far. The first 70 pages or so were blah but its picking ip
Marcus Aurelius?!? How contentious!
Neuromancer is the shiznit!
Books, books, books.
Okay, so I've made it 3/4ths of the way through Collapse by Jared Diamond. Meh. This book is, I don't know, boring? Don't get me wrong, his overall picture is pretty interesting, but I've now read about the history of deforestation and soil erosion on four different continents! Anyway, there is a lot of interesting stuff in here from a bunch of different places (Montana, Greenland, Easter Island, Hispaniola, Rwanda, etc.), you just sometimes have to skim through 10 pages describing the processes of salinization of Australian topsoil to get to it!
Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin. I read the introduction, all excited, because it was going on about how great Melmoth is, how it's the absolute pinnacle of the genre of Gothic terror, etc. 400 pages of small type and here's the first paragraph:
Oy gevalt!
Anyway, I pressed on through about 50 pages, and I'm going to finish it. It's just going to take some time.
From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. I think this graphic novel is great.
Just finished The Descent by Jeff Long. Creeepy book that starts with a hell of a bang. The pacing varies widely, but there's a wild plot and plenty of memorable characters to make this a fun read. I got so many sidequest ideas for Carrion Crown!
just started tokyo vice, which is about an american reporter who investigates the yakuza. it's equally fascinating and frightening.
From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. I think this graphic novel is great.
Have you read V for Vendetta? There was a 8 year hiatus between the beginning and end, so Moore's voice develops some between the beginning and end, but much much better than the movie. Of course, I'd say that about Watchmen as well; Moore's just such a cerebral writer that editing one scene out of his work changes the composition.
And Doodle, whatever you do don't see the movie of From Hell; you'll cry!
(No flame war please, just my opinion)
"Reamde" by Neal Stephenson - its good, but Charles Stross did do something similar in "Halting state"
The Tudors by GJ Meyer. I read and liked his book on World War One and this is in a similar style. I don't know that I'd want to write a paper with either, but they're great in the genre of first dedicated histories for one to read about the topic. Light and with a focus on interesting bits without sacrificing the main thrust of events.
Chapters alternate between the main narrative and shorter background essays to help provide context. With some reworking, the essays would probably make a good anthology just in themselves.
"Thunderer" by Felix Gilman. Kind of steampunky.
Last week I reread Chronicles Of Amber. This week I read Joe Haldeman's Forever Peace, some Japanese "thriler" about teenagers and first book of Tai-Pan. Starting second book today with first book of Shogun waiting for rereading (I read it once or twice some ten years ago).
From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. I think this graphic novel is great.Have you read V for Vendetta? There was a 8 year hiatus between the beginning and end, so Moore's voice develops some between the beginning and end, but much much better than the movie. Of course, I'd say that about Watchmen as well; Moore's just such a cerebral writer that editing one scene out of his work changes the composition.
And Doodle, whatever you do don't see the movie of From Hell; you'll cry!
#No flame war please, just my opinion#
I, personally, believe that Alan Moore is God.
V for Vendetta, in particular, was memorable because I went with my friend Mike. Mike was a V fan from way back and described his politics and lifestyle as "nihilist." Upon entering the movie theater Mike remarked, "You know, either this movie is going to be wicked awesome and I'm going to want to burn stuff or this movie is going to suck and I'm going to want to burn stuff. Either way, stuff is going to get burned." Well, luckily it turned out to be merely bravado, but afterwards Mike and I both described feeling degraded and ill. We might have gotten drunk and caused minor vandalism in the downtown Boston area. I don't remember.
Anyway, as for the man's work: I, personally, have been moved to tears by Promethea, Top 10, "V" for Vendetta, The Watchmen and From Hell. I didn't cry, but I also loved LXG and Tom Strong. I even have, but have never read, that porn book he did with Alice, Wendy and Dorothy. Hee hee!
What have I missed?
Heather Graham. She's hot.
I totally lack any interest at all in comic books, but at least we agree on this!
Heather Graham, unlike Alan Moore, has never moved me to tears. She has, however, moved me to, um, somewhere else.
Goblins do it in the street!
I, personally, believe that Alan Moore is God.** spoiler omitted **
The one I really cry for is League of Extraordinary Gentlemen though. From Hell the movie was never going to equal the comic, at least not without a nine-hour symposium afterwards; but League was about as movie friendly as an AM comic can get, and they decided it needed to be crapped-up just cause, I don't know, no one would have realized it was a Hollywood movie otherwise...
Oh wait, on topic: Getting close to the end of Quicksilver, and my brain hasn't melted out of my ears. (Yet, that is; still two books in the trilogy when I finish this one.)
In fact, I may have to read some Samuel R. Delany, just to clear my mind; that guy's writing is light. /wink
They all suck!