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What are you reading? — Page 44

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An alright collection. The best story was probably “The Fire of Asshurbanipal”, but my personal favourite was “The Black Stone”. The rest didn’t floor me, but they were okay.

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

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5/5

It’s Great!

“Get over violence, madness and death? What else is there?”

Also known as Mr. Liquid Jungle.

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I’ve just read the first two books of N. K. Jemisin’s fantastic The Broken Earth trilogy. I was really bummed to learn that the film rights belong to TNT. A screen adaptation helmed by the right people could be world-shatteringly good, but I have serious doubts that TNT are the right people. I hope I’m wrong and it’s like AMC becoming legitimate overnight with Mad Men in 07 and Breaking Bad the next year, but my expectations are low. Anyway, this is supposed to be about the books. Go read them, they’re great.

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Its title sounds raunchy, but it’s actually a LitRPG (or GameLit) from the perspective of a Mimic—a monster that disguises itself as a wooden chest. The woman on the cover gets eaten by the mimic near the start of the book. I’m enjoying it so far.

TV’s Frink said:

chyron just put a big Ric pic in your sig and be done with it.

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This thread seems to always get bumped when I’m reading N.K. Jemisin. I’m now reading the first part of her Dreamblood duology, called The Killing Moon. It’s a lot more formally straightforward than The Broken Earth was, so it might be a better entry point to her work if TBE seems a little far-out. It’s a fantasy based in an ancient Egyptian-inspired world, which is a refreshing angle after having read so much stuff set in versions of medieval Europe. It’s focused a lot more on political intrigue than the other series as well; if you’re a fan of the King’s Landing court stuff in ASoIaF, you should check this out.

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Just started reading Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

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SonofSinbad said:

Just started reading Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

For a long time, that was my favorite book in the series.

 
I started on the Grisha series. Shadow and Bone is book 1.

TV’s Frink said:

chyron just put a big Ric pic in your sig and be done with it.

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I’m reading King Lear modern English translated for a class and the song I’m using to listen to it is the Eduard Khil Laaaaaaaa song.

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Reading this again - it may take some time (well in, zombie84) 😃

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.

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oojason said:

Reading this again - it may take some time (well in, zombie84) 😃

I’m sorry he jumped ship. Long time and respected member. That is a very interesting read.

Forum Moderator
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How our team, The Astros (baseball), was put right again after years of neglect from a decades-long piece of shit owner. The team I’ve followed religiously since I was a child, through thick and thin.

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dahmage said:

Mike O said:

I’m now reading Cline’s Ready Player One.

I enjoyed that. Just don’t take it too seriously, it’s just a fun guilty pleasure, nerd out, type of thing.

From my nephew’s encouragement, I started Ready Player One again and actually finished it this time. It has a great climax, and a decent resolution, but it has a serious case of nostalgia overload. It doesn’t just scratch some nostalgia itch, but rubs it until it turns raw. As though the late 70’s to mid 80’s were the epitome of media. I say mid-80’s because there was one point when the protagonist finds himself in a phone booth, and I found myself waiting for a Bill & Ted reference that doesn’t happen—and then I remembered that Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure took place in 1988, which was apparently released too late to consider.

Also, I didn’t like the love interest, especially for her stringing the protagonist along with an online relationship she felt had no value and had a subsequent chip on her shoulder about. …oh, and the co-creator of the simulation seems mostly content to sit on the sidelines no matter what happens, which bothered me. As though the lives of real life people weren’t actually at stake regarding the outcome.

It has a decent storyline, with a good twist during the climax, but the constant references bog the experience down more than prop it up.

TV’s Frink said:

chyron just put a big Ric pic in your sig and be done with it.

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I’m now going through Star Wars: Dark Disciple.
And it’s all kinds of fantastic.

It’s about Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, on assignment to hunt down Count Dooku, and Vos’ unlikely alliance with Asajj Ventriss.

TV’s Frink said:

chyron just put a big Ric pic in your sig and be done with it.

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Right now I’m finishing up The Looking Glass War by Jon Le Carré and just starting a reread of Children of Dune by Frank Herbert. Also weighing a reread of The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams before the sequel comes out next month, but that’s a monstrously long one so I may just read a synopsis to refresh my memory.

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I’m reading a book about Jewish wisdom for the 21st century.

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Just finished reading the main series of Malazan Book of the Fallen, plus a few short stories and the first three Novels of the Malazan Empire.

Whew, now that is one massive book series. I think I’ll take a break and then read the remaining three Novels of the Malazan Empire, once I’m done with those I’ll read the first two books of the Kharkanas Trilogy and the Path to Ascendancy.

Has anyone else read the books?

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Laymon, Richard - Night In The Lonesome October

Returning to school after the semester break, Ed receives the breakup letter from his true love.
He is devastated, even though her sorority sister, Eileen, literally throws herself at him.
Confused, Ed goes out walking after midnight, heading towards a donut shop seven miles away.
On the way, he spies a young girl (he reckons is 15) and he begins following. Not stalking, he reassures himself, following. Ensuring she is OK. Until she gives him the slip.
Then Ed crosses into backyards and starts peeping into windows. There’s a female in one home, half naked!
Eventually, he does make it to the donut shop where a male customer forces his affections.
The novel goes on and on and on with ridiculous vignettes like those.
Odd characters arrive with nary an explanation as to their wayward behavior.
Almost all is told from Ed’s repressed point of view in goofball stream of consciousness.
My inkling is that Laymon never wrote this.
Rather, he stretched out on the sofa, microphone in hand, and warbled deliriously, narrative nonsense spilling from his brain. Perhaps he edited it. Or perhaps not, declaring, “Masterpiece!”
My fault. I was looking for a lightweight alternative, and boy did I select a winner.
I had purchased this decades ago when I was on a Laymon kick.
Beast House or Cellar, it ain’t.
Feels like a rambling pitch for a drive-in movie.
A movie Joe Bob would fall asleep watching.

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Smith, Farah Rose - Of One Pure Will

Early on, this book irked me and I had difficulty reading it for enjoyment.
In the Introduction, the guest writer attempted to give insight and background details.
Puffy intros are common enough, yet this elaborated, giving pointers to “how” and “what” to read.
“As you are reading, ask yourself the following questions …”
I was in back in English 101, listening to a condescending professor.
Some may view this as illumination, others as spoon-feeding. I was of the latter.
How about the stories themselves? The majority are not stories per se, but prose poems.
Most detail dystopian alternate realities of pain, blood and dissolution.
If aiming for the Aesthete style, the writing is dense, though not particularly beautiful, with imagery that alternately enhances and detracts from the proceedings.
Elegant dream fragments, akin to a fractured diamond, but not classic storytelling.
The one that comes closest is “Sorcerer Machine,” though the finish was so dissatisfying I wanted to toss the book across the room.
As is often when I have such a negative reaction, I check other reviews afterward.
Mixed. Even Mr Lewis’ comments struck me as carefully chosen.

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Dick, Philip K - Collected Stories: Vol 1 The King Of The Elves

After being disappointed by writers that tried hard to impress, yet seemed incapable of “storytelling,” I pulled out a thick tome from a master.
The earliest stories shine forth on a gleaming future, as humankind builds perfection.
Across this initial collection, however, Dick’s output darkened and SciFi utopia became dystopia.
“The Little Movement” catches a diminutive, would-be dictator before the reign.
An assassin is sent back in time to liquidate a future problem in “Expendable.” To his peril, he slowly sees rifts in the ordinary world.
“The Variable Man” is accidentally brought to a future of deadly conflict, and his presence upsets the space/time continuum.
The title story finds one Shadrach James as he befriends the weary king of the elves and his battered entourage and army. In gratitude, the king bequeaths honors and burdens.
“Colony” is a black gem of colonists and a perfect world.

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In anticipation of the 2020 release of Dune and how many readers of the novel rave about it, I bit the bullet and bought a copy at Barnes and Noble.

The Rise of Failures