Book Thread Continued

[Esper_Crusader]

Halfway through 'The Talisman'.  I suppose i'll read 'Black House' after that.

[Daggerstrike]

Reading Black Prism by Brent Weeks...Awesome book.

[Darilon]

Just read Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I really enjoyed the idea of Graces and thought it was a good book even if the romance was pretty weak.

[GrimReality]

I've been reading the first Elric short story compilation, Stealer of Souls. I am not impressed. I understand how this may have been interesting back when it came out, but now it's just not working for me.
The stories are (understandably, due to the format) rushed and feel incomplete.
Cliches run rampant.
The resolutions all seem to be pulled out of thin air. Oh, look! I can use this plant to make a potion that will make us invulnerable! huh?
Then we have him falling in love with some 17 year old girl and getting married 5 minutes later. WTF?
IMHO, the concept of Elric is far cooler than the actual implementation.

I read through some "great fantasy book" lists yesterday and have decided to read the Coldfire trilogy. Ordered the first book from Amazon.

[Yoda]

I just finished up The Magic Labyrinth. It's the 4th book in the Riverworld series.


Riverworld and the 2nd book are some of the best works of fiction I've ever read. The last two books are terribly disappointing.

Anyone here give these a shot?

[Tooker]

Wow - I can't believe someone else has read the Riverworld books!  I just looked up book 5 (book 4 was apparently intended to be the last), and still can't remember if I read it or if I stopped at 4.  My recollection is the same as your experience - the first ones are great, then it all falls apart.

Just please, don't watch the SyFy miniseries they made recently.  I saw it cheap and picked it up, and it was horrible!!!!


Currently reading book 4 of the Prince of Amber series, but am almost done.  Book 5's in my backpack waiting for me.  On the other hand, book 4 of Scott Pilgrim is on the table in front of me.  It's going to win that fight. :)

[Yoda]

Wow - I can't believe someone else has read the Riverworld books!  I just looked up book 5 (book 4 was apparently intended to be the last), and still can't remember if I read it or if I stopped at 4.  My recollection is the same as your experience - the first ones are great, then it all falls apart.

Just please, don't watch the SyFy miniseries they made recently.  I saw it cheap and picked it up, and it was horrible!!!!


Currently reading book 4 of the Prince of Amber series, but am almost done.  Book 5's in my backpack waiting for me.  On the other hand, book 4 of Scott Pilgrim is on the table in front of me.  It's going to win that fight. :)

I saw that the miniseries was on instant watch (netflix) but couldn't bring myself to even watch it for a few minutes. The main guy was Helo in battlestar galactica and I think he's a great scifi actor but from what I heard it's awful.


Here are some of my problems w/ the books

They manage to advance technology on their world, which is fine. I mean if all the people that ever lived were together I'm sure it's possible. But in the later books they have bloody closed circuit cameras, laser guided weaponry, etc. That's a pretty damn far stretch from the initial notion that ores and minerals were rare as hell.

In Labyrinth they don't explain who the hell created riverworld and why until the last few sections of the book. And the dramatic payoff was awfully lame. A mis-programmed computer. Fucking great

[Azrael]

I've been on a big graphic novel binge I guess.  I just finished reading "American Born Chinese" by Gene Yuen which is geared more toward the younger crowd, but did a fairly good job of tackling an issue that is too often ignored, the minority identity in a world that projects a particular majority type of identity.  The ending might turn people off, but I think it wasn't too poorly done as there are aspects of the book that make it a very plausible ending.

I just bought "Koko Be Good" by Jen Wang from the bookstore and am eager to open it up.  Looks like just my kind of book, though I really have no idea what I'm getting into.  This is also the case with two books I ordered online that should be here by the end of the week, "Jimmy Corrigan, Smartest Kid on Earth" by Chris Ware and "Asterios Polyp" by David Mazzucchelli.  The artwork in both books I can say I'm already in love with and I can't wait to make my way through them.

[Yoda]

A local coffee shop has a bookshelf w/ a take one and leave on policy.

I took something called The Devil is Dead by RA Lafferty.

Read about 20 pages and nearly shot myself after that. I was on the train reading it, couldn't take anymore and then just threw it on the seat in front of me. I had more fun watching people pick it up, reading a bit, then putting it down in disgust than anything else.

[Tooker]

Speaking of graphic novels, I just read Scott Pilgrim. Pretty good - felt like the last book was by far the strongest.

Now I'm reading a book named Monster Hunter International. Good stuff, even though the main character is a real Mary Sue in the beginning.

[Archendrus]

Kinda readin' two books at once, not something I normally do.  One is an H.P. Lovecraft collection "The Road to Madness" and the other is "The Anubis Gates" by Tim Powers.  Both are good!

[Starmongoose]

Reading some Warhammer 40k book that my bf insisted I read.

It's called "Eisenhorn" and it is rather good. From what i've read anyway.

[Yoda]

Kinda readin' two books at once, not something I normally do.  One is an H.P. Lovecraft collection "The Road to Madness" and the other is "The Anubis Gates" by Tim Powers.  Both are good!

Nice. Lovecraft rules

[Archendrus]

Kinda readin' two books at once, not something I normally do.  One is an H.P. Lovecraft collection "The Road to Madness" and the other is "The Anubis Gates" by Tim Powers.  Both are good!

Nice. Lovecraft rules

Indeed =D  He's from my state too!  Born and died in Providence, Rhode Island.  About 20 min from where I live.

[Azrael]

I just bought Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano.  I have to say I am in love with the man.  He was a crazy, mad genius and his works hit me on so many different levels, and this is just one of those mad, insane books.  I only wish I wasn't in school and I could give it the proper attention it deserves.