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Post by Pombar on Jun 29, 2007 13:34:22 GMT
Finally actually got started on Brave New World which I expect I'll do for my English coursework next year. Still wondering whether to compare it to The Dispossessed, or to Beyond This Horizon though.
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Post by Samface on Jun 29, 2007 15:27:20 GMT
I forgot to mention that I also read Gideon Defoe's The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists recently. It made me chuckle.
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Post by Forever Captain on Jun 30, 2007 15:43:42 GMT
If anyone can recommend me a fantasy book that isn't all about collecting the seven condoms of destruction to avert the second coming of Phil Lynott, I'd appreciate it.
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Post by Pombar on Jun 30, 2007 16:04:33 GMT
If anyone can recommend me a fantasy book that isn't all about collecting the seven condoms of destruction to avert the second coming of Phil Lynott, I'd appreciate it. Dunno what exactly you feel is cliche in fantasy fiction (god knows there's a lot, but not sure just how picky you are ), but I'll put down the stuff I can think of that doesn't necessarily fit into the generic Tolkeinistic mold, or borrow overly much from his canon. Warning: List of most of Pombar's favorite fantasy novels follows. - Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes quartet for a bit of much needed Steampunk lit, also a series I found myself with absolutely no idea as to what was happening next for once. A series that somehow manages to keep tension and urgency a constant while also being fast paced and having things actually accomplished in the space of a chapter.
- Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy. Just because it takes a crap on conventional 'magic' and fantasy in general, replacing it with subtler systems of telepathy, and even making that rare and mostly useless. The rest of it works as a nice work of fiction resembling more a historical fiction or a bit of medieval myth than a Lord of the Rings style fantasy series.
- The Eddings' Redemption of Althalus, if you can put up with all the smarmy dialogue towards the end. It's a nice book for spanning several ages of fantasy fiction and having an interesting take on things, as well as a good set of characters, but the dialogue can just get cringe-worthy in its lovey-doveyness by the end.
- Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth series works for having each novel working around a different aim or objective, as well as the obligatory over-arching storyline. Also gotta love the way the main character can be a tad brutal in his idealistic 'justice'. It kind of shows that the author is a total Fascist, though, if that bothers at all.
- David Farland's Runelords series, also a work in progress like the above, is one of my faves of recent years for the opposite reason as above. Instead of having multiple small objectives going along, the series sticks to its one main objective for most of it - keeping invading forces the heck out of the main dude's country. The invading forces are added to by a third force about halfway through, but it doesn't stop the goal they're all working towards. It's a rare series in fantasy for having a war which isn't fueled by either getting more allies or getting 7 magical condoms of destruction to do the job for them. Also, the 'magic' being made up of leeching the attributes from civilians (metabolism, brawn, stamina, etc) which leaves the civilian as a cripple in that regard but grants the recipient the ability of two people. Or several thousand, depending on how many they've taken. Nice moral dilemna of a magic system, anyway.
*ahem* Still reading Brave New World. Mmmmm, dystopia.
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Post by Samface on Jun 30, 2007 17:49:37 GMT
@ Captain: His Dark Materials. Sorted.
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Post by Pombar on Jun 30, 2007 18:00:32 GMT
I thought he didn't want a 90% recycled book/series?
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Post by Samface on Jun 30, 2007 18:02:27 GMT
Eh? I'm not following you.
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Post by Pombar on Jun 30, 2007 19:15:05 GMT
The issue would've been debateable if Pullman hadn't confessed to just basically rewriting Michael Moorcock's fantasy works as a kids' Paradise Lost sequel. Ahem, yes. The Moorcock 'influence' made me unable to read it for ages just because every time I attempted to do so I would be infuriated at borderline plaigarism and Pullman getting all the credit for it. After seeing the stage production and hearing the aforementioned comments by him, I calmed down and appreciated it as a great bit of kids' lit with some fantastic influences. All the snide comments aside, yes, Pullman's stories are great, but the main reason I didn't include them was because I didn't think of them I expect that any fan of fantasy books with a mite of sense has already read them
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Post by Samface on Jul 1, 2007 14:31:27 GMT
Fair point. I've never read any Moorcock - is he the Eternal Champion guy?
In book news, I gave up on The Name of the Rose and am reading P.D. James's The Children of Men instead. It's aces, although I think I prefer the film.
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Post by Hevs on Jul 1, 2007 14:41:30 GMT
Diagnosis Murder: The shooting script
<3 Mark Sloan
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Post by Pombar on Jul 1, 2007 15:21:31 GMT
Fair point. I've never read any Moorcock - is he the Eternal Champion guy? Yarrs. Also, The Name of The Rose is meant to be totally worth it, but I've given up the 3 times I've tried.
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Post by Samface on Jul 1, 2007 15:45:23 GMT
The fact that I already knew the ending 'cos they showed us the last ten minutes of the movie in a Mediaeval and Renaissance Writing lecture probably didn't help.
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Post by The Tikal who had no Toes on Jul 15, 2007 7:30:53 GMT
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies Of The Apocalypse by Robert Rankin. For those of you who went the meet-up in London, it was the book I bought in Forbidden Planet. He does try a bit too hard to be like Douglas Adams at times, but it's pretty bloody funny. Especially the way Little Boy Blue dies (the plotline is centred around the murders of nursery rhyme characters in Toy City).
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Pitt
Script Hume
Ungrateful Sonic Saxophonist
If Lando dies, I'll destroy your planet!
Posts: 7,007
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Post by Pitt on Jul 15, 2007 16:04:49 GMT
As I seem to do when on holiday, I've read a number of books. I finished Knife of Dreams, read Legacy of the Force 5: Sacrifice, JLA: Tower of Babel and Divided We Fall, and the Marvel Civil War main series.
However, my best new discovery was of a series called The Runelords, by David Farland. Lots of fun to read. I've finished book one, and I'm halfway through book two.
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Post by Zerolus on Jul 16, 2007 20:08:20 GMT
Finished the Transformers prequel book just a few days before setting out to Florida.
As of now? Star Wars: Allegiance by Timothy Zahn, Star Wars: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno and Halo: Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund. Plus I intend to read the Transformers movie novelisation once I've seen it, as well as re-read Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix once I've seen that film as well.
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Post by rj on Jul 17, 2007 1:38:27 GMT
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
I am trying to finish the series up to book 6 by Saturday. And then read number 7.
I CAN DO THIS.
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Post by Super Sonic on Jul 17, 2007 8:45:31 GMT
I read The Light Fantastic in about a week... now I've to read Going Postal in a week. I doubt I'll manage, though, as I'm quite busy.
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Post by nirvana on Jul 17, 2007 10:48:40 GMT
I've just finished Fat by Rob Grant. Not as good as his last book, Incompetence, but still good. Funny and interesting, will make you question all these health 'experts'.
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Pitt
Script Hume
Ungrateful Sonic Saxophonist
If Lando dies, I'll destroy your planet!
Posts: 7,007
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Post by Pitt on Jul 21, 2007 14:53:22 GMT
Currently reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'm on chapter ten thus far.
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Post by Forever Captain on Jul 21, 2007 22:37:15 GMT
All this Potter crap and the underwhelming Northern Lights had me finally dust off the novel I was working on from 1999-2005 and completely revamp it. And I've got a real drive to complete it like never before.
I think it's gonna be aggressive, Wolf.
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Pitt
Script Hume
Ungrateful Sonic Saxophonist
If Lando dies, I'll destroy your planet!
Posts: 7,007
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Post by Pitt on Jul 23, 2007 11:03:54 GMT
A novel you say? Fascinating. I've always thought that I'd like to write a book.
Still, that's beside the point. I'm now reading Doctor Who: Sting of the Zygons.
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Post by The Shad on Jul 25, 2007 12:15:58 GMT
The Ultimate Evil.
Its about Satanism and David Berkowitz. Surprisingly good, with the best line ever:
"I'd consider anyone who worhips the devil to not be a nice person."-Berkowitz
and
"I have a problem. I'm a cannibal."
Just bought Batman: The Cult.
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Post by rj on Jul 26, 2007 19:56:56 GMT
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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Post by alib18 on Jul 27, 2007 10:03:50 GMT
I've just finished 'How Black Was Our Sabbath'. Going to have a look now and see what else I can borrow from Bryce.
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Post by Sefiros on Jul 27, 2007 18:36:25 GMT
I read the new Harry Potter.
I'm going back through The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy now.
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