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Post by multiarms on Sept 26, 2023 10:37:35 GMT -5
I mostly read religious books and sci-fi/fantasy paperbacks from past decades.
This year I have read some interesting sci-fi by Fritz Leiber (I forget the name but there was a magical green cat), Philip Jose Farmer (Flesh, Stone God Awakens), Andre Norton (Star Man's Son), and Jack Vance (Alastor series).
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 26, 2023 12:03:58 GMT -5
I tried to read Sword of Shannara at least a half dozen times and I just found it unreadable and could not get past the first 50 pages. I could not force myself to go any farther. First try was back in 1977 when it first came out. The last time I tried to read it was about 7 years ago. Don't sugarcoat! LOL You might love it, a lot of people did, including my friends back in college. I just couldn't get into it. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 26, 2023 12:20:05 GMT -5
I mostly read religious books and sci-fi/fantasy paperbacks from past decades. This year I have read some interesting sci-fi by Fritz Leiber (I forget the name but there was a magical green cat), Philip Jose Farmer (Flesh, Stone God Awakens), Andre Norton (Star Man's Son), and Jack Vance (Alastor series). We have a lot in common. I am quite fond of Fritz Leiber and Andre Norton. There are so many really good older books, you almost can't go wrong with one. Also to what you note, I read a lot of other genres too. I have read, I believe, most of the Louis L'Amour Westerns, Zane Grey Westerns and Max Brand Westerns, and I like them in that order, still several of these three I have never tracked down yet. Also read mysteries and such and other stuff. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 26, 2023 12:22:07 GMT -5
I mostly read religious books and sci-fi/fantasy paperbacks from past decades. This year I have read some interesting sci-fi by Fritz Leiber (I forget the name but there was a magical green cat), Philip Jose Farmer (Flesh, Stone God Awakens), Andre Norton (Star Man's Son), and Jack Vance (Alastor series). Here is your green cat book. www.gutenberg.org/files/65482/65482-h/65482-h.htm The Green Millennium, by Fritz Leiber |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Sept 26, 2023 13:44:50 GMT -5
You might love it, a lot of people did, including my friends back in college. I just couldn't get into it. I read it at the right time (early age) and under the right conditions (before LOTR). I've tried the 2nd book several times with no success. Just honestly wondering if I'm missing something. That's all. |
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Post by oldskolgmr on Sept 26, 2023 13:45:45 GMT -5
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Post by multiarms on Sept 26, 2023 15:00:33 GMT -5
That's the one! GREEN MILLENNIUM. My wife and I took a little road trip this summer and we picked that up in a used bookshop near Dayton, Ohio for about $2. We took turns reading it outloud to one another while driving across Indiana and it was a real hoot. Future-dystopian with a super-strong lady wrestler, mad scientist spies, cat-worshiping hipsters, and car chases. It was great!
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 26, 2023 15:20:50 GMT -5
That's the one! GREEN MILLENNIUM. My wife and I took a little road trip this summer and we picked that up in a used bookshop near Dayton, Ohio for about $2. We took turns reading it outloud to one another while driving across Indiana and it was a real hoot. Future-dystopian with a super-strong lady wrestler, mad scientist spies, cat-worshiping hipsters, and car chases. It was great!
It is one I missed, so I will have to read it! Sounds like a real hoot as you said, I like those kinds of books. |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Nov 6, 2023 18:00:17 GMT -5
I decided to read Knight of the Demon Queen by Barbara Hambly. I'm halfway through the series and switching to fantasy breaks up the science fiction treadmill I was on with Foundation and Dune. I'm almost 40% complete on Knight of the Demon Queen and it's flowing along pretty good. Barbara Hambly is a straightforward and easy author to read. View AttachmentI have hit a rough spot in this book. It's a fantasy novel and I'm enjoying it BUT it suddenly shifts to science fiction with mention of creds, coffee shop, and recordings played on a table. I enjoy science fiction every bit as much as I enjoy fantasy and I don't mind them being mixed with stuff like Krull. Unless I just completely missed something, this change just happened in the middle of the book. The characters were going from one hell to another and *BAM* there's a video screen (computer?), and then this other stuff. I'm going to try to keep going but I just don't like the sudden change without any reason. |
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dervish
Wanderer
New arrival, brought here by a wild search engine.
Posts: 33
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Post by dervish on Nov 8, 2023 21:39:17 GMT -5
I'm in the habit of reading a new (to me) book, followed by an older one I'd read before. *Just* started Mary Brown's "The Unlikely Ones" a fantasy from 1986. I don't remember much about the previous read, except that there was a big plot twist.
I remember enjoying Barbara Hambly in my 20's, but I kind of burned out on her series. One of the main ones was about characters from the modern world having to interact with a fantasy world - and that was probably the start of my love of urban fantasy!
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Nov 13, 2023 17:38:19 GMT -5
I'm continuing on with K night of the Demon Queen by Barbara Hambly. It's still written in an easy-to-follow style, and I like the writing. I just wasn't ready for the modern or future world that popped up. Of course, it is one of the Hells in this fantasy world so that's an interesting twist. I also picked up the September/October issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction for some shorter works. One of my friends' mothers had boxes full of the old issues of this, Analog, and Aasimov's and we would break them out and basically have reading parties on the weekends. I would bet that doesn't happen very often these days.  I picked this issue up to scratch my nostalgia itch. Hopefully, I find some good selections inside. |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Dec 1, 2023 22:00:19 GMT -5
I should complete reading Knight of the Demon Queen before the end of this year. I think I'll call it good and look at diving into my list of books to be read next year. I have at least 6 that I have planned but I'm going to try to read more. 2023 has been a complete bust on reading. That shouldn't irritate me as much as it does, but it does irritate me. |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Dec 2, 2023 19:54:13 GMT -5
I tried to get some reading done today to ensure that I would complete this book for 2023 and I wound up reading 110 pages; I only have 107 pages let to read. I'm really enjoying the fantasy elements and the book continues to be well written. With that being said, I still don't feel as if the modern/future parts of the story fit. I know it's one of the hells, but I still haven't grown accustomed to its' inclusion in this story. I do need to make a decision upon completing this novel about continuing on with the fourth novel. I would like to finish the series because I enjoyed the first two much more. I'll find out when I get to that point, I guess...
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Dec 9, 2023 21:08:41 GMT -5
I just completed Knight of the Demon Queen. I gave it a 2-Star rating on Goodreads but that's only because they don't allow 1/2-star ratings. I feel like 2.5 (50%) would be the appropriate rating due to my dislike of the genre shift. After it ended and the story returned firmly into the fantasy genre, it became enjoyable for me again. Unfortunately, that was shortly into the final chapter, so it felt like too little, too late for my tastes. I'm unsure if I want to continue on to the final book in the series or not. I need to think on it for a bit...
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dervish
Wanderer
New arrival, brought here by a wild search engine.
Posts: 33
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Post by dervish on Dec 10, 2023 0:54:25 GMT -5
Just recently finished the "Ink and Sigil" books, by Kevin Hearne. I'm always a sucker for urban fantasy, and found these difficult to put down, unlike the "Iron Druid" series he has also written. The first book was a fun fantasy adventure (tracking down and trying to rescue creatures from Celtic myth who have been enslaved by a rogue FBI agent to wreak havoc in countries the US can't attack overtly). There are many plot holes that even I could see, and they had to deal with some pretty rough topics, but I thought they were pretty respectful.
The second book, however, had all of the characters acting from a far more socially aware point of view and taking time from the growing disaster they were fighting to offer serious advice about life choices and self-care, amid a couple of really funny stories about heroes from the characters' past.
I enjoyed them both, and found them a great ride, but despite involving some of the same characters (and breaking right in the middle of a conversation), they didn't feel like they were in the same series. Like trying to reconcile Adam West and Christian Bale as the same Batman.
Now to something more serious: radiation effects on various mundane materials. Just because it's fascinating.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Dec 10, 2023 10:51:08 GMT -5
Just recently finished the "Ink and Sigil" books, by Kevin Hearne. I'm always a sucker for urban fantasy, and found these difficult to put down, unlike the "Iron Druid" series he has also written. The first book was a fun fantasy adventure (tracking down and trying to rescue creatures from Celtic myth who have been enslaved by a rogue FBI agent to wreak havoc in countries the US can't attack overtly). There are many plot holes that even I could see, and they had to deal with some pretty rough topics, but I thought they were pretty respectful. The second book, however, had all of the characters acting from a far more socially aware point of view and taking time from the growing disaster they were fighting to offer serious advice about life choices and self-care, amid a couple of really funny stories about heroes from the characters' past. I enjoyed them both, and found them a great ride, but despite involving some of the same characters (and breaking right in the middle of a conversation), they didn't feel like they were in the same series. Like trying to reconcile Adam West and Christian Bale as the same Batman. Now to something more serious: radiation effects on various mundane materials. Just because it's fascinating. That sounds interesting to me. I'm going to check them out add them to my (ever growing) TBR list. |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Dec 26, 2023 19:43:09 GMT -5
I guess I decided to sneak in another book before the end of 2023...
Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
3.25 to 5.5 stars
I just completed Three Hearts and Three Lions a few minutes ago and rated it as 3.25 to 3.5 stars on Goodreads; actually, I rated it as a "3" because the rating system doesn't allow for partial scores, but I did explain the partial score in my review. I thought it was a good book, but my tastes prefer selections that are somewhat more epic in nature. Three Hearts and Three Lions felt it was somewhere on the opposing end of the fantasy spectrum than what I prefer. I can see how it influenced D&D with Law vs. Chaos, classic folklore monsters, a Paladin, magic, etc. but it just happens to be that I prefer that stuff when it is applied to a larger scale. It was good - a little above average for me - but I felt like it didn't live up to the hype I've always heard about it.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Dec 26, 2023 21:06:54 GMT -5
I guess I decided to sneak in another book before the end of 2023...Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson 3.25 to 5.5 stars I just completed Three Hearts and Three Lions a few minutes ago and rated it as 3.25 to 3.5 stars on Goodreads; actually, I rated it as a "3" because the rating system doesn't allow for partial scores, but I did explain the partial score in my review. I thought it was a good book, but my tastes prefer selections that are somewhat more epic in nature. Three Hearts and Three Lions felt it was somewhere on the opposing end of the fantasy spectrum than what I prefer. I can see how it influenced D&D with Law vs. Chaos, classic folklore monsters, a Paladin, magic, etc. but it just happens to be that I prefer that stuff when it is applied to a larger scale. It was good - a little above average for me - but I felt like it didn't live up to the hype I've always heard about it. I don't know if you have read it but, The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon, is by far the best depiction ever made of a Paladin IMO. The Deed of Paksenarrion was originally published in three volumes in 1988 and 1989 and as a single trade edition of that name in 1992. |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Dec 26, 2023 21:10:53 GMT -5
I guess I decided to sneak in another book before the end of 2023...Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson 3.25 to 5.5 stars I just completed Three Hearts and Three Lions a few minutes ago and rated it as 3.25 to 3.5 stars on Goodreads; actually, I rated it as a "3" because the rating system doesn't allow for partial scores, but I did explain the partial score in my review. I thought it was a good book, but my tastes prefer selections that are somewhat more epic in nature. Three Hearts and Three Lions felt it was somewhere on the opposing end of the fantasy spectrum than what I prefer. I can see how it influenced D&D with Law vs. Chaos, classic folklore monsters, a Paladin, magic, etc. but it just happens to be that I prefer that stuff when it is applied to a larger scale. It was good - a little above average for me - but I felt like it didn't live up to the hype I've always heard about it. I don't know if you have read it but, The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon, is by far the best depiction ever made of a Paladin IMO. The Deed of Paksenarrion was originally published in three volumes in 1988 and 1989 and as a single trade edition of that name in 1992. I haven't but now I'm going to! Thanks for the recommendation. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Dec 26, 2023 21:26:41 GMT -5
I don't know if you have read it but, The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon, is by far the best depiction ever made of a Paladin IMO. The Deed of Paksenarrion was originally published in three volumes in 1988 and 1989 and as a single trade edition of that name in 1992. I haven't but now I'm going to! Thanks for the recommendation. I have now read it three times, cover to cover and plan to read it again in 2024. |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Dec 30, 2023 13:29:25 GMT -5
My daughter gave me Murtagh by Christopher Paolini for Christmas. I've read all of the other books in the series, and I've enjoyed the story so far. Like the others, this one is proving to be a relaxing and smooth read; I would have said "easy", but some might take that as "childish" or something similar and that's not what I mean. I just mean that it's a good adventure yarn written in a manner that's easy to consume. It doesn't feel like work. I'm posting in this thread because I started it in 2023 but I'm sure I'll finish in early 2024. On the other hand, I'm already 13% in so who knows?  |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Jan 1, 2024 4:39:37 GMT -5
With the end of 2023, this thread is getting locked, and a new thread is now open.
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I picked this issue up to scratch my nostalgia itch. Hopefully, I find some good selections inside.