TSF Book Club
-
have been on the look out for a new book, will give #1 a crack!
-
Gardens of the Moon TR. It's the shit (well, in my, and paekak's eyes anyway). As i said, don't be surprised if you are a quarter of a way through, and wondering if it really is the first book.
-
I absolutely loved the Malazan series but half way through there was a gap of a couple of years between books and when I got the next in the series I just could not make any sense of what was going on. It's as if I had missed a whole book. I got them out of the library and so didn't have them to refer to and I didn't want to read Wiki or similar and spoil the surprise.<br />
<br />
So Idecided to read from the beginning again, but just haven't got round to it. Definitely on my list tho. I'm just finishing Void trilogy having read it back to back w Commonwealth Saga (in about 3 weeks) so Malazan will be easy after that. -
[quote name='mariner4life' timestamp='1369970946' post='368966']<br />
I thought the last one wasn't that long out? I guess you read the earlier ones a couple of times. i think i have read the first 4 twice now.<br />
<br />
agree with your spoiler as well, the first especially came as a bit of a shock.<br />
<br />
[spoiler] He killed off a few pretty decent characters along the way, but i was never as shocked as when he suddenly killed of Rake and Hood (even thought Hood came back). WTF?<br />
<br />
Few untied ends as well. What the fuck happened to the Empire? it kinda alluded to Laseen and Tayschren being dead, and those Rebel dicks taking over, but that just got shunted away (i thought that was the gist of the whole fucking story about 6 books in). What happened to Karsa? did he just get over wanting to fuck everybody up? WTF was up with that sick god thing around Pale? Did that get resolved? why was it even in the story?<br />
<br />
jesus, now that i think about it, there was a heap left unresolved. I don't really care, it's nice for a fantasy story to not end everything happily ever after. Still, he could write 2 more books with that material! [/spoiler]<br />
[/quote]<br />
<br />
Yeah did a re-read of 1-8, then 1-9, then twice through 1-10 once that last book was out. I tend to re-read books quite a bit and expect to come back to this series many times in the future. <br />
<br />
I've been picking up the books by Erikson's mate Cameron Esslemont (co-creator of the Malazan world). He's not at Erickson's level but that isn't anything to be ashamed of. IMO Return of the Crimson Guard is his best by far and worth checking out.<br />
[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Cameron_Esslemont"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Cameron_Esslemont[/url]<br />
<br />
I strongly recommend the [color=#000000][font=sans-serif][size=3]Bauchelain and Korbal Broach books as well. Delightfully twisted and they are great characters. Poor Mancy ha ha[/size][/font][/color]<br />
<br />
[font="sans-serif"][color="#000000"][size=3]Forge of Darkness - first book in the[/size][/color][/font] Kharkanas trilogy is excellent too. Next one is due in 2014 so a bit of a wait... stink! -
Roller Ball Murder by William Harrison.<br />
<br />
A short story originally written for Esquire magazine that of course, the film [i]Rollerball [/i]is based on.<br />
<br />
Only 7 pages long (well I think it is, I found it online) but a fun read and I assume was based on the growing demand for pro sports like the NFL (along with all the corporate sponsorship, media, money, women etc). 7/10 -
New book from Conn Igguldon out called The Blood Of Gods , follows on in the emperor series after the murder of Julius Ceasar . I bought it a couple of days ago . Haven't read it yet as I am rushing through the book I am on but can't wait to get to it . I think he is easily my favourite writer .
-
Just finished Dan Brown's latest book Inferno. Robert Langdon wakes up in a hospital in Italy and as usual has to decipher clues through art. Same, same but still a fun read - finished the book in days. Brown has his critics but the man knows how to put a good story together. 7.5/10
-
[quote name='Cactus Jack' timestamp='1371859482' post='373765']<br />
New book from Conn Igguldon out called The Blood Of Gods , follows on in the emperor series after the murder of Julius Ceasar . I bought it a couple of days ago . Haven't read it yet as I am rushing through the book I am on but can't wait to get to it . I think he is easily my favourite writer .<br />
[/quote]<br />
Bought it and finished it in 2 days. He is probably my favourite author as well.<br />
Can anyone suggest any similar authors of Historical fiction? I've read all Bernard Cornwells books and need to find a new author to get excited about. -
[quote name='SammyC' timestamp='1372129235' post='374807']<br />
Bought it and finished it in 2 days. He is probably my favourite author as well.<br />
Can anyone suggest any similar authors of Historical fiction? I've read all Bernard Cornwells books and need to find a new author to get excited about.<br />
[/quote]<br />
This isn't historical fiction but if you like Conn Igguldon you should try Glyn Illiffe . He is currently on the fourth book of the series that started with King Of Ithaca , The Gates Of Troy and Armour Of Archilles . Superb series so far and well worth reading . -
[quote name='SammyC' timestamp='1372129235' post='374807']<br />
Bought it and finished it in 2 days. He is probably my favourite author as well.<br />
Can anyone suggest any similar authors of Historical fiction? I've read all Bernard Cornwells books and need to find a new author to get excited about.<br />
[/quote]<br />
<br />
Simon Scarrow's 'Eagle' Series set in the Roman armies is quite good. See http://catoandmacro.com/<br />
<br />
I like Nigel Tranter's historical Scotland stories.<br />
<br />
Obviously there are lots of them so pick an era and read away. Some are more political and historical than others but you cant go wrong with the Bruce trilogy (although also read the two just before that period "lord of the Isles' and 'Wallace') http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_novels_by_Nigel_Tranter_set_between_1286_and_1603,<br />
<br />
The McGregor Trilogy is good too http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_novels_by_Nigel_Tranter_set_after_1603 -
I've read the Eagle series and they're quite fun but they're a bit simple and formulaic, especially compared to Iggulden. Maybe worth trying the Shardlake novels by C J Sansom - I liked his Winter in Madrid book too.<br />
<br />
On an entirely separate subject, I've just finished Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. It is literally the best non fiction book I've ever read, if you ever were suspicious of homeopaths, or big pharma companies, or cosmetic companies, of vitamin supplements or NUTRITIONISTS (seriously, i had no idea how much of a racket this is) then this is the book for you, it is a genuinely impressive and incredibly well written analysis of how placebo works, on what Western Medicine could learn from the alternative therapies etc. If you read one non fiction / science book in your life I implore you to make it this one, you will feel different about the world around you and you will become an insufferable know all at parties. You must read this book, in fact I love it so much I might start a thread about it. -
<p>"Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick</p>
<p> </p>
<p>OK - so I'm aware that North Korea is a fucked up country, run by a family of madmen and lunatics for the last 70 odd years.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But seriously I had no idea just how fucked up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you want to get a handle on the descent of North Korea read this book.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I nearly didn't as it promised to focus on lives and relationships of some idividuals who lived in NK through the 1990s (and who eventually escaped to SK) and I'm just not into fluffy personal stuff. But I'm glad I did as gave perspective to the decline of the "civilisation" around them in the context of the ultra-controlling state and the laws and regulations and restrictions of society in addition to the state control. There were/are very strict social classes - in direct contradiction of the marxist/socialist principals NK supposedly espoused.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>NK apparently started off more affluent that SK but it appears stagnated and was overtaken, relflecting the capitalism v. communism struggle as a whole.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The fall of communism and the USSR in particular plunged NK into major recession as the USSR supplied them with cheap oil. Without that the electricity gridf collapsed, factories closed, fertiliser could not be produced, and agricultural production essentially ceased.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I was unaware of the grinding famine that resulted. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>People ended up dying of starvation despite eating anything from sparrows they trapped in nets to grass to bark used to bulk out measely amounts of food that they could lay their hands on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>By way of illustration check out this image:</p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/dramatic-satellite-photo-shows-north-korea-near-total-013138805.html'>http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/dramatic-satellite-photo-shows-north-korea-near-total-013138805.html</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/OrfcPJgtKHwb_X8yS8djbA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/technews/ran-630-northkorealights-news-head-630w-630w.jpg" alt="ran-630-northkorealights-news-head-630w-"></p> -
<p>More images:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2012/12/new-highly-detailed-image-north-koreas-lack-electrical-infrastructure/4201/'>http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2012/12/new-highly-detailed-image-north-koreas-lack-electrical-infrastructure/4201/</a></p> -
Girt: The Unauthorised History Of Australia<br /><br />Funny as fuck, but dry as an old stick. Author did some serious research and some of the people who were sold to me in school as being mighty explorers or wise governers were actually utter fluffy bunnies.
-
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="386852" data-time="1377434663">
<div>
<p>Girt: The Unauthorised History Of Australia<br><br>
Funny as fuck, but dry as an old stick. Author did some serious research and some of the people who were sold to me in school as being mighty explorers or wise governers were actually utter fluffy bunnies.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Who is that by Nick? I keep meaning to try and track down a copy of Leviathan by John Birmingham, its the unauthorised history of Sydney. </p> -
David Hunt, published by Black Inc<br /><br />http://www.blackincbooks.com/books/girt<br /><br /><br /><br />Excerpt here - gives a really good indicator of the style<br /><br />http://www.themonthly.com.au/blog/david-hunt/2013/08/01/1375325870/girt-unauthorised-history-australia
-
If you ever get stuck for Aussie books, try the ABC online<br /><br />http://shop.abc.net.au/products/girt-history-of-aust-tpb
-
<p>Thanks DM.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>INteresting comparison - but what are we comparing? (honest question)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>NK has a population of some 25million - NZ 4M. NOt sure of the comparative land areas either</p>
