The Book Thread

[The Underdweller]

Looks nice! I didn't know his name, but instantly recognized the artwork from Fighting Fantasy books.

As for being in the kid's section, not surprised. I remember seeing the adult cartoon "Dirty Duck" in the kids section at a video store once.

[ashmie]

Just finished Stephen Kings 11/22/63 and it was a really good one. Anyone wants to borrow it let me know. It's a hardback though so I can't post it. Maybe at Joshin or hisotry hammer.
Derry in Maine alongwith Castle Rock and Jerusalems lot are a homage to the HP Lovecraft towns of Arkham, Dunwich and Innsmouth. Interesting. Well to me anyway.

Derry, Maine is a fictional town and a part of Stephen King's fictional Maine topography, and, like Castle Rock, it has served as the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. It first appeared in the short story "The Bird and the Album" and was expanded on in the books It, Insomnia, and 11/22/63. Derry is said to be near Bangor, Maine, but King has acknowledged that Derry is actually his portrayal of Bangor.[1] A map on King's official website, though, places Derry in the vicinity of the town of Etna.[2]

Both Derry and Castle Rock, when joined with Jerusalem's Lot, complete a trinity of fictional towns King has created as central setting points; the three exist as the main setting in more than one work. King has created other fictional Maine towns such as Chamberlain in Carrie, Ludlow in Pet Sematary and The Dark Half (unrelated to the real Maine town of Ludlow), Haven in The Tommyknockers, Little Tall Island in Dolores Claiborne and Storm of the Century, and Chester's Mill in Under the Dome. However, these fictional towns have not been used as much as Derry, Castle Rock, and Jerusalem's Lot in King's stories. This trinity of locations is an homage to H. P. Lovecraft's use of Arkham, Dunwich, and Innsmouth, three fictional towns or cities in Massachusetts.

[ashmie]

Thanks Ten and Tod for the great book recommendations this Summer. The high crusade was a good medieval sci fi romp. Blindsight was compicated high brow stuff and well worth a second read. Some fascinating concepts, I really liked the contact with the weird jagged mass in space on the human expedition. What did you make if it Tod? I felt there was a real humans are helpless feel to it in the face of the advanced alien species, cloud thingy.

[Konrad]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread, as I have been reading like crazy this month.
Followed up the Book Bazzar with a pint at Y Market and "Circus of Fear" an old Endless Quest book. And then "Classics of Western Literature" author Berke Breathed......the last Bloom County anthology. Good memories.
@Underdweller- I'll trade you them for some of those comic books you beat me to!

Last month I read "The Joy Luck Club" , twice, it was that good. No aliens or flashing blades, just daughters and mothers and love and loss and brilliant writing.

This month I read Steinbeck's "The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights". You might find it redundant if you've read "The Once and Future King". Stienbeck never finished his translation, and the appendix of letters to his agent and publisher are as interesting as the work itself, a window into the thoughts and method of a great writer. What really struck me is how we take all this keyboard/computer/internet speed for granted. He was writing this stuff by hand, having it typed up manually, airmailed, traveling to Italy to visit libraries, a 17 lb microfiche reader was like an amazing innovation, just a different world.

I also went back in this thread and read "Blindsight" as suggested. Oh man. Sure, it sounds like it's going to be a bit of a goofy, twee, jaunt at first, at least before it gets scary, but it is cold as the void.

"It didn't start out here. Not with the scramblers or Rorschach, not with Big Ben or Theseus or the vampires. Most people would say it started with the Fireflies, but they'd be wrong. It ended with all those things." And it will all make sense and not be the least bit silly by the end.

The writer Peter Watts has a new one called "Echopraxia". How's that for a title? I think this guy is so smart he's tracking how many times people are Googling "Echopraxia definition" for laughs.

What are you all reading these days?

[The Underdweller]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread, as I have been reading like crazy this month.
Followed up the Book Bazzar with a pint at Y Market and "Circus of Fear" an old Endless Quest book. And then "Classics of Western Literature" author Berke Breathed......the last Bloom County anthology. Good memories.
@Underdweller- I'll trade you them for some of those comic books you beat me to!

Sure thing! Although I didn't get anything too special, some Superboy/ Supergirl/ Teen Titans and a couple of Batman... I am pretty sure I have read Circus of Fear before, but I was likely around 12 at the time, so I guess I don't remember it too well!

Right now I am going through Steven King's Gunslinger Series (on book 4 now, which is taking a while as I only have it on the computer), and The History of Canada - which I got last Book Fair, and am finally getting around too. It is not the most exciting read, as you might expect, but it is the first time I have looked at it since Grade 9, so it is interesting to read it from a more adult, less idealistic perspective.

[ashmie]

I love books. Glad you enjoyed Blindsight. That was a memorable one.
I've just finished the magicians nephew again. I currently have bookmarks in the final dark tower novel (it's taken about 6 years), fellowship of the ring, English civil war book, weird shadows over innsmouth a mythos anthology, the dark is rising series and a German perspective on Market Garden. It never snows in September.

The girl with all the gifts was a good one. I really want to read Clovenhoof. A comedy about the devil getting kicked out of hell for doing a bad job, coming to earth and joining a wargaming group.

[Konrad]

@ job Well done for getting as far as Heretics of Dune. I really enjoyed the first 2 books but got a bit lost on the third one. Maybe I got as far as the 4th but I don't remember.

Hehe The part I didn't mention was that I've been reading the series periodically for the past 13 years. But each time it really fires up the imagination.

I re-read Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, just last year. I think I may have gotten as far as the 4th back in high-school. Great stuff. The whole anachronism of noble houses plotting and murdering and warring like 15th century Italian banking families, in space is so much fun. Yeah, once the whole "Oh hey, you know those critters that live in the sand that we used to play with, letting them wrap around your hands like gloves? If you just let them totally cover your whole body, you get super powers. Strange no ones figured that out yet, huh?" bit at the finale sort of sent the whole thing spiraling out of control.

I started reading the Lankhmar (sp?) stories. Picked up a collection at the book bazaar. I've only read a smattering of them in the past. Been playing Baldur's Gate 2 and it makes good companion reading.

[Konrad]

Been reading more Lankhmar stories. I certainly won't put them up as examples of great literature. But they are fun in that they remind me a bit of playing D&D.
And came across more Peter Watts (Blindsight) for free! http://www.feedbooks.com/book/974/starfish
I'll have to give that a go once I'm done with Fafrd and the Grey Mouser.

[The Underdweller]

Been reading more Lankhmar stories. I certainly won't put them up as examples of great literature. But they are fun in that they remind me a bit of playing D&D.
And came across more Peter Watts (Blindsight) for free! http://www.feedbooks.com/book/974/starfish
I'll have to give that a go once I'm done with Fafrd and the Grey Mouser.

Yeah, Fafrd and the Grey Mouser are a fun, light read! Similar books I remember are Thieves World and some Warhammer Fantasy books involving a Dwarf and another guy which I forget the name of.

Also TSR's Lankhmar was my first (board) Wargame, probably not very good by today's standard, but I played the heck out of it the summer I was 15

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4025/lankhmar

Which, now that I have Google, sounds like it was probably related to a 1930s game made by Leiber, which may be the first (proto) RPG, according to this site:

http://blogofholding.com/?p=161

[Konrad]

Ah! Thieves World! I wonder if my collection is still boxed up in the attic somewhere? I remember the thing with those stories is that it was a "shared" world. Different writers would use the same characters and set the stories in the same city. Fun stuff if I remember.