Which book are you reading currently? #7 - Page 3

silz · Mon, 8th Oct '07, 12:26pm

Shadowdale - Avatar Series

Enagonios · Mon, 8th Oct '07, 3:55pm

Just started The Briar King by Greg Keyes. Only about 30pages in so far but it looks very promising.

revmaf · Tue, 9th Oct '07, 1:45am

Just finished Charles Stross, The Jennifer Morgue, which was good, but the novella "Pimpf" included as an extra was absolutely hilarious. Bob Howard, saving the world from nameless horrors one bureaucratic form at a time.

JSBB · Tue, 9th Oct '07, 7:17pm

I finished my Dresden omnibus of Proven Guilty and White Night over the week-end - they were both excellent. It is nice to see that there is still at least one series that is going strong.

I started on Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett this morning. So far it has been a lot of fun.

revmaf · Wed, 10th Oct '07, 2:26am

I thought Good Omens was exactly that, a lot of fun, JSBB. Highly recommended.

Enagonios · Wed, 10th Oct '07, 5:17am

The Greg Keyes stuff is very good. I'm on Charnel Prince now. Neil MeQvren is pretty badass haha.

Yeah JSBB Good Omens was pretty funny. Saw more of Pratchett in it than I did Gaiman though.

joacqin · Wed, 10th Oct '07, 10:35am

Rereading "Book of the new Sun" by Gene Wolfe, it was ten years since I read it last and I dont think I ever finished the series. This time I am going to give it a proper go.

JSBB · Wed, 10th Oct '07, 2:28pm

I finished Good Omens last night, it was very good and funny. I started on 1634: The Baltic War by Eric Flint and David Weber this morning. So far it has been o.k. but I have barely started.

Enagonios · Thu, 11th Oct '07, 7:20am

While I liked Good Omens, I found some parts of it rather corny.

I've just started The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes. Not on the level of Erikson or Martin but still very good stuff. I recommend it.

bugmenot · Thu, 11th Oct '07, 7:33pm

Charles Stross, Halting State. Mmm. Intelligent, solid speculation on the world in 20 years, with focus on computers, networks and gaming. Very current, can't poke holes in it and I work and publish in the field. With a good thriller story to boot.

Highly recommended; a Neuromancer for today.

AMaster · Thu, 11th Oct '07, 11:21pm

Finished WH40K: The Last Chancers - Gav Thorpe

Much better than Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts stuff; perfectly suitable for anyone looking for pulp milsf.

Halasz · Fri, 12th Oct '07, 2:01am

The Manifesto of The Communist Party - Karl Marx

Aldazar · Mon, 15th Oct '07, 6:25am

Currently jumping between Den Koontz's "Life Expectancy" and "The Husband" and Richard Bachman's "Blaze", damn it's hard when I find so many interesting books in one hit

JSBB · Mon, 15th Oct '07, 2:57pm

I finished 1634: The Baltic War on Saturday - I found it to be the second best book in the series so far (the best being the first book).

This morning I started on In Fury Born by David Weber. I wanted to start on the next book in the Briar King series but I still have not been able to find it. It is so typical that I go on a business trip and when I return I find that my mother has decided that taking care of my house while I am away involves moving things around so that I can't find them.

Ofelix · Mon, 15th Oct '07, 4:37pm

I just finished Wuthering Heights for a school paper. It was pretty good actually.

Giles Barskins · Mon, 15th Oct '07, 9:41pm

Just finished reading Cormac McCarthy's "The Road". Really good, unique book. Portrays what is probably a more real representation of a post-apocalyptic world than some others like Fallout and Mad Max (but they're still awesome). That versimilitude is what makes it much more thought provoking than those others.

Been working on 1984 since April. Almost done. It's my backup while I wait for stuff to come from the library.

Ofelix · Tue, 16th Oct '07, 1:28pm

Anyone care to point out some good Low Science Fiction / Fantastic novel to me, pretty please?

JSBB · Tue, 16th Oct '07, 7:31pm

What exactly is "Low" sci-fi or fantasy is always a bit hard to define but I will throw out a few choices that I like with brief descriptions. There is nothing really outside of the mainstream here so you may have read most of them already but I suppose that also means that they should be easy to find.

Science Fiction - if military sci-fi is low enough for you then David Weber's Honor Harrington series is an obvious choice. His other military sci-fi is pretty good too. The main complaint about them is that they tend to focus on spaceship and weapon specifications a little heavily at times.

Elizabth Moon's Serrano series is another good choice for military sci-fi. It is less technical than David Weber's novels.

Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series is another choice in the same genre but it is somewhat less military oriented and has more espionage.

John Ringo's stuff is very pulpy and usually is a lot of fun - however he does have very strong political views that may annoy the hell out a lot of people. His work is mostly in military sci-fi but his book Princess of Wands is a pretty decent modern day fantasy novel. His Ghost series is not sci-fi or fantasy so you may want to avoid it.

For Fantasy - Jim Butcher's Dresden series is very good. It is about a wizard who offers his services kind of like a PI in modern day Chicago. As the series goes on it moves progressively towards "high" on the fantasy scale.

Laurell Hamilton's first five or six Anita Blake books were excellent but the series has gone completely down the drain. It was a fantasy/horror/mystery series.

Glen Cook's Garrett series is set in a high fantasy world but the stories had a real PI feel to them. Again the series started well but has gone down hill over time.

Terry Brook's original three Word and Void books were actually quite good modern day fantasy. It is just a pity that he is now linking the series in to the Shannara series. It is basically a human vs demons series with the main character trying to prevent an apocalyptic future.

[ October 16, 2007, 19:53: Message edited by: JSBB ]

Ofelix · Tue, 16th Oct '07, 9:49pm

I meant, by Low Science Fiction, That

AMaster · Tue, 16th Oct '07, 10:06pm

Low SF = hard scifi?

Montresor · Wed, 17th Oct '07, 12:37am

I would recommend Arthur C. Clarke's "Rama".

Or Isaac Asimov: "I Robot", "The Gods Themselves" or "The End of Eternity". Or the "Foundation" trilogy; if psychology counts as a science, it is definitely about advanced science.

Enagonios · Wed, 17th Oct '07, 4:57am

Blood Knight was kinda disappointing, so many loose ends :/ I guess they're just paving the way for the next chapter though.

Just started The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue, a friend lent it and said it was good.

JSBB · Wed, 17th Oct '07, 5:10am

That would certainly be exactly the opposite of the definition that I have always heard associated with low sci-fi or low fantasy. I don't have any hard sci-fi recommendations as I really don't read the stuff.

AMaster · Wed, 17th Oct '07, 11:54pm

Well, if low SF does equal hard SF, check out Alastair Reynolds. Begin with Revelation Space, follow with Chasm City.

He's overrated, but still rather good.

Dragon3 · Thu, 18th Oct '07, 5:34am

acorna's children-second wave............by anne mccaffrey and elizabeth ann scarborough

Mon, 8th Oct '07, 3:55pm	#52
Enagonios Gems: 31/31 Latest gem: Rogue Stone Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Here Posts: 6,088 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 13,835 Level: 34 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 18.49% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Just started The Briar King by Greg Keyes. Only about 30pages in so far but it looks very promising.
	__________________ If you can cheat, so can I. I won't let you beat me unfairly - I'll beat you unfairly first. -Ender

Tue, 9th Oct '07, 1:45am	#53
revmaf SPS Account Holder Older, not wiser, but a lot more fun Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,058 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 2,578 Level: 16 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 59.83% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Just finished Charles Stross, The Jennifer Morgue, which was good, but the novella "Pimpf" included as an extra was absolutely hilarious. Bob Howard, saving the world from nameless horrors one bureaucratic form at a time.
	__________________ The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head. - Terry Pratchett

Wed, 10th Oct '07, 2:26am	#55
revmaf SPS Account Holder Older, not wiser, but a lot more fun Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,058 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 2,578 Level: 16 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 59.83% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	I thought Good Omens was exactly that, a lot of fun, JSBB. Highly recommended.
	__________________ The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head. - Terry Pratchett

Wed, 10th Oct '07, 5:17am	#56
Enagonios Gems: 31/31 Latest gem: Rogue Stone Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Here Posts: 6,088 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 13,835 Level: 34 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 18.49% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	The Greg Keyes stuff is very good. I'm on Charnel Prince now. Neil MeQvren is pretty badass haha. Yeah JSBB Good Omens was pretty funny. Saw more of Pratchett in it than I did Gaiman though.
	__________________ If you can cheat, so can I. I won't let you beat me unfairly - I'll beat you unfairly first. -Ender

Thu, 11th Oct '07, 7:20am	#59
Enagonios Gems: 31/31 Latest gem: Rogue Stone Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Here Posts: 6,088 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 13,835 Level: 34 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 18.49% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	While I liked Good Omens, I found some parts of it rather corny. I've just started The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes. Not on the level of Erikson or Martin but still very good stuff. I recommend it.
	__________________ If you can cheat, so can I. I won't let you beat me unfairly - I'll beat you unfairly first. -Ender

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Mon, 8th Oct '07, 12:26pm	#51
silz Gems: 1/31 Latest gem: Turquoise Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 11 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 277 Level: 6 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 12.98% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Shadowdale - Avatar Series

Tue, 9th Oct '07, 7:17pm	#54
JSBB Titan of the Tundra Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The Great White North Posts: 4,054 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 8,575 Level: 27 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 93.96% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	I finished my Dresden omnibus of Proven Guilty and White Night over the week-end - they were both excellent. It is nice to see that there is still at least one series that is going strong. I started on Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett this morning. So far it has been a lot of fun.

Wed, 10th Oct '07, 10:35am	#57
joacqin Confused Jerk Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Helsingborg, Sweden Posts: 6,042 Like: 7 Liked 12 Times in 11 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 14,076 Level: 34 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 42.94% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 39.11% Achievements Awards	Rereading "Book of the new Sun" by Gene Wolfe, it was ten years since I read it last and I dont think I ever finished the series. This time I am going to give it a proper go.

Wed, 10th Oct '07, 2:28pm	#58
JSBB Titan of the Tundra Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The Great White North Posts: 4,054 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 8,575 Level: 27 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 93.96% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	I finished Good Omens last night, it was very good and funny. I started on 1634: The Baltic War by Eric Flint and David Weber this morning. So far it has been o.k. but I have barely started.

Thu, 11th Oct '07, 7:33pm	#60
bugmenot Gems: 4/31 Latest gem: Sunstone Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 99 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 526 Level: 8 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 22.35% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Charles Stross, Halting State. Mmm. Intelligent, solid speculation on the world in 20 years, with focus on computers, networks and gaming. Very current, can't poke holes in it and I work and publish in the field. With a good thriller story to boot. Highly recommended; a Neuromancer for today.

Thu, 11th Oct '07, 11:21pm	#61
AMaster Gems: 26/31 Latest gem: Diamond Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Claremont, CA, USA Posts: 2,495 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 5,880 Level: 23 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 76.46% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Finished WH40K: The Last Chancers - Gav Thorpe Much better than Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts stuff; perfectly suitable for anyone looking for pulp milsf.

Fri, 12th Oct '07, 2:01am	#62
Halasz Gems: 7/31 Latest gem: Tchazar Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Little Town Ontario Posts: 200 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 831 Level: 10 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 8.52% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	The Manifesto of The Communist Party - Karl Marx

Mon, 15th Oct '07, 6:25am	#63
Aldazar Gems: 24/31 Latest gem: Water Opal Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Behind the beer taps Posts: 1,895 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 4,384 Level: 20 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 93.2% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Currently jumping between Den Koontz's "Life Expectancy" and "The Husband" and Richard Bachman's "Blaze", damn it's hard when I find so many interesting books in one hit

Mon, 15th Oct '07, 2:57pm	#64
JSBB Titan of the Tundra Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The Great White North Posts: 4,054 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 8,575 Level: 27 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 93.96% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	I finished 1634: The Baltic War on Saturday - I found it to be the second best book in the series so far (the best being the first book). This morning I started on In Fury Born by David Weber. I wanted to start on the next book in the Briar King series but I still have not been able to find it. It is so typical that I go on a business trip and when I return I find that my mother has decided that taking care of my house while I am away involves moving things around so that I can't find them.

Mon, 15th Oct '07, 4:37pm	#65
Ofelix The world changes, we do not, what irony! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mons Regius - provincia quebecum Posts: 5,678 Like: 5 Liked 7 Times in 7 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 13,069 Level: 33 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 37.98% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	I just finished Wuthering Heights for a school paper. It was pretty good actually.
	__________________ Non Hubris Si Victor

Mon, 15th Oct '07, 9:41pm	#66
Giles Barskins Gems: 6/31 Latest gem: Jasper Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: UR Base Posts: 176 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 704 Level: 9 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 36.28% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Just finished reading Cormac McCarthy's "The Road". Really good, unique book. Portrays what is probably a more real representation of a post-apocalyptic world than some others like Fallout and Mad Max (but they're still awesome). That versimilitude is what makes it much more thought provoking than those others. Been working on 1984 since April. Almost done. It's my backup while I wait for stuff to come from the library.

Tue, 16th Oct '07, 1:28pm	#67
Ofelix The world changes, we do not, what irony! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mons Regius - provincia quebecum Posts: 5,678 Like: 5 Liked 7 Times in 7 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 13,069 Level: 33 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 37.98% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Anyone care to point out some good Low Science Fiction / Fantastic novel to me, pretty please?
	__________________ Non Hubris Si Victor

Tue, 16th Oct '07, 7:31pm	#68
JSBB Titan of the Tundra Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The Great White North Posts: 4,054 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 8,575 Level: 27 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 93.96% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	What exactly is "Low" sci-fi or fantasy is always a bit hard to define but I will throw out a few choices that I like with brief descriptions. There is nothing really outside of the mainstream here so you may have read most of them already but I suppose that also means that they should be easy to find. Science Fiction - if military sci-fi is low enough for you then David Weber's Honor Harrington series is an obvious choice. His other military sci-fi is pretty good too. The main complaint about them is that they tend to focus on spaceship and weapon specifications a little heavily at times. Elizabth Moon's Serrano series is another good choice for military sci-fi. It is less technical than David Weber's novels. Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series is another choice in the same genre but it is somewhat less military oriented and has more espionage. John Ringo's stuff is very pulpy and usually is a lot of fun - however he does have very strong political views that may annoy the hell out a lot of people. His work is mostly in military sci-fi but his book Princess of Wands is a pretty decent modern day fantasy novel. His Ghost series is not sci-fi or fantasy so you may want to avoid it. For Fantasy - Jim Butcher's Dresden series is very good. It is about a wizard who offers his services kind of like a PI in modern day Chicago. As the series goes on it moves progressively towards "high" on the fantasy scale. Laurell Hamilton's first five or six Anita Blake books were excellent but the series has gone completely down the drain. It was a fantasy/horror/mystery series. Glen Cook's Garrett series is set in a high fantasy world but the stories had a real PI feel to them. Again the series started well but has gone down hill over time. Terry Brook's original three Word and Void books were actually quite good modern day fantasy. It is just a pity that he is now linking the series in to the Shannara series. It is basically a human vs demons series with the main character trying to prevent an apocalyptic future. [ October 16, 2007, 19:53: Message edited by: JSBB ]

Tue, 16th Oct '07, 9:49pm	#69
Ofelix The world changes, we do not, what irony! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mons Regius - provincia quebecum Posts: 5,678 Like: 5 Liked 7 Times in 7 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 13,069 Level: 33 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 37.98% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	I meant, by Low Science Fiction, That

Tue, 16th Oct '07, 10:06pm	#70
AMaster Gems: 26/31 Latest gem: Diamond Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Claremont, CA, USA Posts: 2,495 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 5,880 Level: 23 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 76.46% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Low SF = hard scifi?

Wed, 17th Oct '07, 12:37am	#71
Montresor SPS Account Holder Distinguished Member Online Walkthrough Writer Mostly Harmless 30k Starfighter Champion! Bomb Bandits Champion! Breakout Champion! Cutie Quake Champion! Driller Champion! Hexxagon Champion! Michu Champion! Treasure Hunt Champion! Driving Mad Champion! Moebius Syndrome Champion! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 2,980 Blog Entries: 2 Like: 43 Liked 34 Times in 26 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 7,851 Level: 26 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 90.65% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 26.81% Monthly Activity 34.78% Achievements Awards	I would recommend Arthur C. Clarke's "Rama". Or Isaac Asimov: "I Robot", "The Gods Themselves" or "The End of Eternity". Or the "Foundation" trilogy; if psychology counts as a science, it is definitely about advanced science.
	__________________ Chuck Norris can venture forth without gathering his party!

Wed, 17th Oct '07, 4:57am	#72
Enagonios Gems: 31/31 Latest gem: Rogue Stone Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Here Posts: 6,088 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 13,835 Level: 34 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 18.49% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Blood Knight was kinda disappointing, so many loose ends :/ I guess they're just paving the way for the next chapter though. Just started The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue, a friend lent it and said it was good.
	__________________ If you can cheat, so can I. I won't let you beat me unfairly - I'll beat you unfairly first. -Ender

Wed, 17th Oct '07, 5:10am	#73
JSBB Titan of the Tundra Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The Great White North Posts: 4,054 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 8,575 Level: 27 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 93.96% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	That would certainly be exactly the opposite of the definition that I have always heard associated with low sci-fi or low fantasy. I don't have any hard sci-fi recommendations as I really don't read the stuff.

Wed, 17th Oct '07, 11:54pm	#74
AMaster Gems: 26/31 Latest gem: Diamond Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Claremont, CA, USA Posts: 2,495 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 5,880 Level: 23 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 76.46% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	Well, if low SF does equal hard SF, check out Alastair Reynolds. Begin with Revelation Space, follow with Chasm City. He's overrated, but still rather good.

Thu, 18th Oct '07, 5:34am	#75
Dragon3 Gems: 6/31 Latest gem: Jasper Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: St.Augustine,Fl Posts: 196 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 650 Level: 9 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 4.65% Daily Activity 2.98% Weekly Activity 1.28% Monthly Activity 2.11% Achievements	acorna's children-second wave............by anne mccaffrey and elizabeth ann scarborough