Books?

[Os Abysmi Vel Daath]

I'm currently reading The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker, and enjoying it greatly. He's one of my favorite authors.

[NTNR]

After finishing Paradise Lost I skipped Dante entirely and went for H.P. Lovecraft. I have his complete fiction and so far it's been rather entertaining if different. Perhaps I'll read Dante one of these days.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I've only read to the end of Inferno from Dante and that's all I plan on reading. Been reading a lot of Poe recently.

[AcceleratingUniverse]

I'm a Russian Literature nerd myself, so much so that I'm doing an independent study on it this year in school as opposed to a regular high school English class

[Iceni]

Read Fahrenheit 451 and Love In The Time of Cholera. One was great and the other was awful - although I suspect DAV3 would like it. 451 was interesting because of the way it emphasized the idea of choosing to ignore the thought of past times and instead immersing oneself in secure illusion. The other book was terrible because it had one of the most repugnant morals I've ever seen. Oh, and the characters did an inordinate amount of bonking. Might have been interesting but unfortunately it was just crass and unpleasant.

[orcslayr23]

I only read fantasy. I've been out of the habit of reading for a couple years but I really dove back into it since the beginning of the year. I enjoy Terry Brooks, R.A. Salvatore, A Song of Ice and Fire, LOTR, Dragonlance, Harry Potter, and the Sword of Truth. I can't think of any other series' off the top of my head. Currently i'm re-reading The Heritage of Shannara quadrilogy and after that i'm going to re-read Harry Potter (haven't read the series since the last book came out). I also really liked The Road, which isn't fantasy.

[Ghouly]

I just finished a 9 book series (3 trilogies) by Robin Hobb, starting with the Farseer trilogy. After the first book, Assassin's Apprentice, I was hooked. It took me a year and a half to get through all 9 books. Anyone else into epic fantasy?

[orcslayr23]

I love epic fantasy, but I haven't gotten into Robin Hobb. I'm currently re-reading The Heritage of Shannara quadrilogy by Terry Brooks (just finished book 3 last night). I also enjoy dragonlance, forgotten realms (r.a.salvatore), the sword of truth, and lord of the rings. I have been "out" of reading for a couple years prior to january 2013 so I don't remember every single book in my collection. It's been so long since i've read (most) of my books that I'm planning on rereading everything in my library. After the series i'm on now i'm going to go through harry potter again and then either two other trilogies by Brooks or starting up Dragonlance again.

[Ghouly]

I love epic fantasy' date=' but I haven't gotten into Robin Hobb. I'm currently re-reading The Heritage of Shannara quadrilogy by Terry Brooks (just finished book 3 last night). I also enjoy dragonlance, forgotten realms (r.a.salvatore), the sword of truth, and lord of the rings. I have been "out" of reading for a couple years prior to january 2013 so I don't remember every single book in my collection. It's been so long since i've read (most) of my books that I'm planning on rereading everything in my library. After the series i'm on now i'm going to go through harry potter again and then either two other trilogies by Brooks or starting up Dragonlance again.[/quote'] I loved the Magic Kingdom For Sale books by Terry Brooks, I thought they were good fun, a light read. I find that a lot of R.A. Salvatore's style of character development is so over the top it's almost silly. Being a D&D geek I *should* like R.A. Salvatore's works, but I just don't and cant get into it. Next on my list is Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Meant to be a good read I tried reading Song of Ice and Fire series but I'm finding George R R Martin's writing style to be utterly lacking in terms of prose, description, flair and it just feels very commercial. It feels very New York Times bestseller's, much as I respect his storywriting and plot development ability. Everything went downhill in terms of quality at a Feast for Crows and the plot plundered on. So what's your favorite Salvatore book? Are you a big Drizzt Fan?

[orcslayr23]

I loved the Magic Kingdom For Sale books by Terry Brooks, I thought they were good fun, a light read. I find that a lot of R.A. Salvatore's style of character development is so over the top it's almost silly. Being a D&D geek I *should* like R.A. Salvatore's works, but I just don't and cant get into it. Next on my list is Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Meant to be a good read I tried reading Song of Ice and Fire series but I'm finding George R R Martin's writing style to be utterly lacking in terms of prose, description, flair and it just feels very commercial. It feels very New York Times bestseller's, much as I respect his storywriting and plot development ability. Everything went downhill in terms of quality at a Feast for Crows and the plot plundered on. So what's your favorite Salvatore book? Are you a big Drizzt Fan?

I disagree with your point on Martin. He's an excellent writer, but he is having too much fun in his world. Feast for Crows is a perfect example. Almost 1,000 pages and almost nothing happens. I could do without three chapters detailing what Sansa had for breakfast before anything interesting happens. Dance with Dragons was better though, a lot more "happened". You might feel that way because of the success of Game of Thrones. Remember that the first four books were release LONG before the tv series. Everyone keeps telling me how good Name of the Wind is. I don't know when i'll get around to it, but it's definitely on my "to read" list. I don't have a specific Salvatore book I like more than the others. If they were fresh in my mind I might've been able to pick, but I haven't read his books in years. I'll get around to re-reading them eventually. I really like the Drizzt books; I have all of the ones in that series except for anything after Neverwinter Saga Book 1.

[FatherAlabaster]

I just finished a 9 book series (3 trilogies) by Robin Hobb, starting with the Farseer trilogy. After the first book, Assassin's Apprentice, I was hooked. It took me a year and a half to get through all 9 books. Anyone else into epic fantasy?

I really loved those books, though the middle three were a bit bodice-rippy for my taste. The failed romance between Fitz and the Fool still sticks in my mind even though I haven't read those for years. The first series was probably my favorite overall. My favorite sci-fi/fantasy fiction is probably the Dune series - the original six by Frank Herbert, not those travesties thrown together by his son. I started reading those when I was very young and have read them all six or seven times... probably had a little bit too much of an impact on me! A close second would be Roger Zelazny's "Amber" series, especially the first five with Corwin, although Merlin has grown on me as well. I really like most of Zelazny's output. And, naturally, Tolkien. Can't touch Tolkien. Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, Baroque Cycle, and a more recent book called Anathem are some of the most moving and amusing works of recent fiction I've read. And Zodiac is really good too. In fact Neal Stephenson just rocks. I've recently gone through a phase of getting back into Larry Niven - some pretty chewy SF although upon re-reading them, the stories all seem a little shorter and more shallow than they did when I was a teenager. It's like going back to a childhood home and finding out that your old room was tinier than you remembered. I would contrast these with the original Dune stuff, which still has a lot to offer decades later. In any case, Niven's very good, and his stories have a lot of influence from classic SF short stories (the ones with a point, and plot twists!). His end-of-civilization books (Lucifer's Hammer, Footfall) are a bit neocon and sexist, but still fun stories. I'd rather read those than watch a Roland Emmerich film. As far as Martin, I liked the first four books when I read them years ago, and thought they were a cut above the run of the mill, though certainly not mind-blowing. I was expecting crap and was pleasantly surprised. I give those books the same respect I'd give Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series, though Jordan put more work into his world. For fuck's sake, at least he's not Terry Goodkind! Now there's a crappy writer... Or that laughably derivative, awful "Eragon" series, what's that kid's name? Christopher Paolini? Dreadful. I will admit to having a deep, abiding affection for some children's fantasy. Redwall in particular has been one of my favorite books since I was maybe six years old. I just read it again recently and it's still just as charming. Susan Cooper's "The Dark Is Rising" series is another childhood favorite, though it doesn't hold up quite as well to me now. I also found myself enjoying Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series, probably because I didn't see that Golden Compass movie, which I heard was crap. Harry Potter was cute, innocuous, and enjoyable. For non-fiction, Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and "Collapse" are both amazing books. I love Dawkins' "The Ancestor's Tale", Steven Pinker's "The Blank Slate", and Dennett's "Consciousness Explained". I'm currently re-reading David Crystal's "The Stories Of English", the first couple of chapters of which have always been some of my favorite material on historical linguistics. I'm also in the middle of Fernand Braudel's "Structures Of Everyday Life", though I've taken a break from it and really need some time to sink my teeth in again.

[Ghouly]

I disagree with your point on Martin. He's an excellent writer' date=' but he is having too much fun in his world. Feast for Crows is a perfect example. Almost 1,000 pages and almost nothing happens. I could do without three chapters detailing what Sansa had for breakfast before anything interesting happens. Dance with Dragons was better though, a lot more "happened". You might feel that way because of the success of Game of Thrones. Remember that the first four books were release LONG before the tv series.[/quote'] you're absolutely right in that he can prattle on endlessly about Sansa's breakfast and other things. I was meaning more about his descriptive prose. I am a real sucker for clever metaphor and simile. I love it when a writer can make my jaw drop with their use of metaphor. George R R Martin isn't a *bad* writer, much as I didn't care for Feast for Crows, I am just not crazy about his style.

[Ghouly]

A close second would be Roger Zelazny's "Amber" series' date=' especially the first five with Corwin, although Merlin has grown on me as well. [/quote'] I will have to pick up a sample e-reader and check this out. I've heard a few people mention the chronicles of amber series. It looks interesting

[RelentlessOblivion]

I started reading J.R.R Tolkien's "The Silmarillion" early yesterday. Man it was like Tolkien's version of the bible I put it down pretty quickly and switched to "The Hobbit. I'm up to the part where Thorin and company are rescued by the eagles.

[FatherAlabaster]

I started reading J.R.R Tolkien's "The Silmarillion" early yesterday. Man it was like Tolkien's version of the bible I put it down pretty quickly and switched to "The Hobbit. I'm up to the part where Thorin and company are rescued by the eagles.

It starts off super slow, and it is quite a bit like the bible at the beginning, but there are some really good stories in there if you get past the initial creation myth. It's worth sticking out, or maybe just try skipping ahead a bit.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I'll come back to it before I start on LOTR. The Hobbit seems to be more or less a self contained story so knowing the history of Tolkien's world isn't an issue.

[FatherAlabaster]

Yeah, most of the history hadn't been written at the time... Actually I'd read Lord Of The Rings first. It's more fun. Better to get through LOTR and give up on the Silmarillion than try to read the Silmarillion and give up on Tolkien entirely.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Did seem like that sort of a book. Ah well The Hobbit is a good read at least and it's so different from the movie that it's all brand new.

[FatherAlabaster]

Hah, yeah. It's a fun book. I love the Silmarillion but it took me a few tries to get through the first couple chapters.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I got as far as the creation of the Elves so it was probably about to get interesting but literally nothing happens for the longest time.

[FatherAlabaster]

The thing with it is, you have to pay attention to a lot of similar characters with similar names, or else it's like getting dumped into the middle of a soap opera.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Yeah no joke. I get that the book explains everything that happened up to the creation of the rings of power but still you don't need three hundred plus words dedicated to the events leading up to the events which caused the events which placed Sauron in that position.

[forge]

I'm reading the LOTR again just now. Haven't read it in a long time. Went out and got the box set the other day. I used to read it every six months. It was that good. It still is.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I love books like that. There aren't enough books that make you want to go back and read them again and again. Red Dragon, The Silence Of The Lambs and Hannibal Rising are such books for me. Hannibal Lecter does not get old.

[FatherAlabaster]

Found H. Rider Haggard's books online. I dimly recall liking these as a kid. I'm currently reading King Solomon's Mines. The protagonist, Allan Quatermain, is best remembered as the inspiration for Indiana Jones. Very much a product of its time, but still thoroughly fun if you like old books.