What are you reading? : Othor Games

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:23 am

I know, you might want to check out The Heroes as well, being another standalone novel set after Best Served Cold (which are both better than the last two ASOIAF books :tongue:

). Abercrombie is also bringing out a final standalone novel this year called A Red Country, which is apparently a fantasy western, where Best Served Cold was a revenge novel (Kill Bill set in reinessance Italy) and the Heroes was a war story.

Is Best Served Cold worth checking out? I loved The First Law, but I'm not really sure wether BSC is in the same style... Heroes really interests me though, I can't wait to find out what is going on up there

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:07 am

Right now I'm reading The Once and Future King, by Terence White. I've only read a few pages thus far so I can't really form an opinion yet, but it looks like it's going to be really good.

I tried reading The Name of the Rose again about a week ago, but I quit after two or three chapters. Bored me to tears. Before that I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (damn weird translation of the title if you ask me). It was pretty good, but I enjoyed the movie more.

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:08 am

Is Best Served Cold worth checking out? I loved The First Law, but I'm not really sure wether BSC is in the same style... Heroes really interests me though, I can't wait to find out what is going on up there.

All of Abercrombie's stuff is pretty similar, really. Gritty, dark fantasy with different chapters for different POV characters, each with their own unique voice and catchphrases (espeically for the Northmen).

While I'd say that BSC is my least favorite of his novels (which isn't saying much) because I didn't like the protagonist as much as I did Logen, Glokta and West etc, The Heroes marks the biggest departure from his usual style, I'd say. Rather than having 5-6 POV characters, The Heroes has loads, some of which die only a paragraph after being introduced. There's a great bit in the Heroes in one of the main 'battle' parts where POV transfers to the person that killed the previous POV character. So it goes POV 1 killed by POV 2 killed by POV 3 etc. Really makes the combat feel flowing and chaotic.

EDIT: Synopsis for A Red Country

Spoiler

“Shy South comes home to her farm to find a blackened shell, her brother and sister stolen, and knows she’ll have to go back to bad old ways if she’s ever to see them again. She sets off in pursuit with only her cowardly old step-father Lamb for company. But it turns out he’s hiding a bloody past of his own. None bloodier. Their journey will take them across the lawless plains, to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feuds, duels, and massacres, high into unmapped mountains to a reckoning with ancient enemies, and force them into alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, a man no one should ever have to trust…”

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:34 am

"You can never have too many knives..."

I loved the Northmen... Thanks for posting that, I'll check it out for sure. And I found Abercrombie's writing style refreshing, and his characters greatly constructed and memorable, with a nice evolution (ex: Jezal and Logen).

» Mon May 14, 2012 9:30 am

Willow-It's a book based on the movie of the same name.

» Mon May 14, 2012 9:25 am

I recently just bought a complete collection of Sherlock Holmes. Only just started but as good as I assumed it would be.

I'm very much enjoying the Return of Sherlock Holmes especially The Adventure of the Dancing Men.

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:00 pm

Just started working on Dune.

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:21 am

A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows.

It's a bit of a slog, focusing on mostly my least favourite characters. Also very little is happening (I'm ~500 pages in). Looking forward to finishing it and moving onto the next book.

I actually liked Feast. I think I'm the only one.

Just started working on Dune.

One of my favorite sci-fi books ever.

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:26 am

Although its for school, I'd read it anyway: "Calculus," by Michael Spivak

I think its a great book, :}

It really takes out any misconceptions from mathematics you might have, although I guess it might be easy for one to develope horribly wrong conceptions in their attempts to complete his crazy problems, haha

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:36 pm

nothing, i don't have the time right now.

actually, the only thing i am reading, by which i am studying, is some cliff note like packets from the NHRA or whatever it is called for work.

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:35 am

I have read a lot of Stehen King. My favourites are probably Duma Key, Cell and Desperation.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:42 pm

Willow-It's a book based on the movie of the same name.

Is it just the movie in book form? Or is it a combination of the Chronicles of the Shadow War (Shadow Moon, Shadow Dawn and Shadow Star) sequel stories?

» Mon May 14, 2012 11:55 am

I recently just bought a complete collection of Sherlock Holmes. Only just started but as good as I assumed it would be.

Cool! If you think the first story (a Study in Scarlet) is good, in my opinion they get even better after that. Study in Scarlet actually bored me slightly when he ended up telling us the whole history of the Mormons from the 1800s. I guess it connects to the mystery, but yeah. I think that and the Sign of Four are actually considered "short novels".

I actually liked Feast. I think I'm the only one. :tongue:

One of my favorite sci-fi books ever.

I liked Feast as well, actually, which is why I'm sure I'll like Dance - even though certain people complain about it. People are so impatient! Let a series breaaathe!

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:08 am

textbooks.... Lots and lots of textbooks...

» Mon May 14, 2012 2:28 am

Just finished Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins, then found an interesting book on Nazi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahnenerbe.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:30 pm

Hmm, that Lovecraft story sounds sort of like Shadow Over Innsmouth (with the fish creatures), but I don't clearly remember them getting skinned, but it's been quite a long time. Unless it's Dagon, but Dagon only has one character (the narrator) so it probably isn't. (And weirdly they based that Call of Cthulhu game mostly on SoI, rather than the actual Call of Cthulhu story for some reason.)

Ah, I just picked up most of the old Elric books on the cheap. I've never read Moorcock before. I've been in the mood for some classic Sword and Sorcery (hence reading Howard and I'm also going to get back into Fritz Leiber's Gray Mouser stories.)

You were right, that was it! Shadow Over Innsmouth! And you know what one of the first hits I found when searching for it was... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tTHn2tHhcI God. I laughed so hard at that! :rofl:

More horror stories should have comical musical versions.

Fritz Leiber is great I remember devouring those Fahfrd and The Grey Mouser stories until I could find no more to read and I still wanted more. I think I could reread them soon. Lankhmar always felt like such a palpable and ominous city. I love that tale when that take on the whole Thieves Guild. Those guys were so bad-arsed.

Enjoy the Elric Saga. It's pretty depressing at times, but I love it. I guess it has the appeal of a Tragedy like Hamlet. "there is a certain providence in the fall of a sparrow." "if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all."

» Mon May 14, 2012 9:52 am

I am about 1/3 of the way through the second book in a 3 volume biography on Teddy Roosevelt.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:18 pm

Currently reading:

Ranger's Apprentice - finishing the series up
The Hunger Games -just finished book 1
Star Wars Republic Commando. -on book 2

Any one fans of those?

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:11 am

The Organic Machine: The Remaking of the Columbia River

:wallbash:

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:15 pm

Oh yeah! I just put in a bid on books 4-6 of the Dresden Files. I liked the first 3, especially the third. Apparently it gets better, too.

» Mon May 14, 2012 12:38 am

Currently reading:

Ranger's Apprentice - finishing the series up
The Hunger Games -just finished book 1
Star Wars Republic Commando. -on book 2

Any one fans of those?

Only heard of the Hunger Games. How is it?

I'm actually probably gonna try some Star Wars novels pretty soon, get into the Expanded Universe.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:54 am

Only heard of the Hunger Games. How is it?

The Hunger Games overall, was a pretty solid read. A 8 out of 10 in my opinion. It was overhyped. But it has a fresh new idea that I've never read about before. Definetely worth reading. I could private message you what the setting is if you wanted.

I'm actually probably gonna try some Star Wars novels pretty soon, get into the Expanded Universe.

Read the Republic Commando series, by the Nine Divines! So much depth.

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:20 am

The Hunger Games overall, was a pretty solid read. A 8 out of 10 in my opinion. It was overhyped. But it has a fresh new idea that I've never read about before. Definetely worth reading. I could private message you what the setting is if you wanted.

Read the Republic Commando series, by the Nine Divines! So much depth.

Yeah, I've heard a little bit of what it's about.
I seem to remember there being a Republic Commando game at some point... is it about those Boba Fett type bounty hunters?

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:21 pm

Why are there some people reading textbooks?

Is it even possible to read a text book cover to cover without shooting yourself? Or has school just ruined my view of textbooks?

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:01 pm

The second "Sandman" compilation

"Finnegans Wake" by James Joyce

"Vampire Hunter D" by... somebody (don't feel like going to get it to look)

"Night Shift" by Stephen King