Books!
- Thread starter Carth
- Start date
Pubic_Warrior
In Cryo Sleep
goosebumps were a load of bollocks, they were about as scary as a kitten, i like factual books on war and picture books 
, the best books i have ever read is the Alex Rider series, bloody quality.
, the best books i have ever read is the Alex Rider series, bloody quality.
Carth
In Cryo Sleep
Nice to see so many good books being recommended.
I liked Animal Farm, great book. I read half of 1984 a few months ago, then I got sidetracked reading something else. I do this all the time, so many half-read books. If one book is more exciting than another, I switch to reading that and forget about the other one, and I'm usually reading more than one book at once
Catch-22 I read a few years ago at the recommendation of my sister, I loved it. I thought it got pretty heavy towards the end, but the ending was actually nice, made me happy again.
I liked Animal Farm, great book. I read half of 1984 a few months ago, then I got sidetracked reading something else. I do this all the time, so many half-read books. If one book is more exciting than another, I switch to reading that and forget about the other one, and I'm usually reading more than one book at once
Catch-22 I read a few years ago at the recommendation of my sister, I loved it. I thought it got pretty heavy towards the end, but the ending was actually nice, made me happy again.
Hmm, books. I don't make a lot of time for reading and haven't for a few years, but I have read some that I thought were excellent:
I'd recommend those to anyone with an interest in harder sci-fi or fantasy.
Currently reading (very slowly) Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton. Interesting technology at play, again, but I don't feel like the ramifications of his technology have been fully followed through -- it's almost too far reaching and impossible to properly cover. Still a decent read, though.
- The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R R Martin (begins with A Game of Thrones). Excellent first person writing. No narrative at all. Fantasy, of course, but in a machieavellian style.
- A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. Science fiction with a fairly serious but far future look at technology and how people interact with it. I like his interstellar flight method -- used it as the basis for some games I've written/run.
- A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. A prequel of sorts to A Fire Upon the Deep, but with only a tentative link. Occasionally, just occasionally, I can understand what is it to be focused in the way described in this book. Well presented aliens, doubly so when you understand how they are being presented (and you aren't told that 'til quite late on).
- Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. Science fiction that looks at a universe where the death of our bodies really doesn't stop us 'cause we can "resleeve" -- switch our conciousness into a new body just like that. Also used as the basis for space travel, which is well considered. The violence is brutal, the sex is raw and the lead character could be considered to be unsympathetic at times, except I think like he does from time to time. If you've read this book then that might scare you.
- Broken Angels and Woken Furies, both by Richard Morgan. Sequels to Altered Carbon. The former is excellent, the latter is merely good as it doesn't seem to have the same tight focus as the first two.
I'd recommend those to anyone with an interest in harder sci-fi or fantasy.
Currently reading (very slowly) Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton. Interesting technology at play, again, but I don't feel like the ramifications of his technology have been fully followed through -- it's almost too far reaching and impossible to properly cover. Still a decent read, though.
No, not at all. He's at five books thus far: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords (in two parts) and A Feast for Crows. Another is being wrapped up right now (A Dance with Dragons) and according to his web site there's yet another after that. He's holding it together thus far, though, not lost his way as some authors might do in an ongoing story. I think the first person telling is key to that.
bah I thought feast for crows would be the last one... I got bored of him when he scrapped his original manuscript for Feast and decided to rewrite it... IMO a series that you'll have to read over and over again just so you can remember what happened in the earlier books for when the new one comes out isn't worth reading. Yet. Wait until all the books are out methinks.
(for the record, I read the first 4 books as they were released, _then_ I tired).
(for the record, I read the first 4 books as they were released, _then_ I tired).
It's certainly painful waiting for the next ones... I did re-read the entire series in preparation for Feast, and even then I finished five months too early. Still, between myself and my partner we remembered enough of the books to feel we were ready to reimmerse.
Recently I started to read through the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan. Waiting to read book 4 (out of 11) at the moment but unfortuneatley I caught up to the person I was borrowing them off in terms of how many they had read. Interesting characters although a few times I felt like giving the lead character Rand a slap for not noticing whats going on around him.
Bit of a summary of the books here : http://hem.passagen.se/kjnoren/jordan/
Bit of a summary of the books here : http://hem.passagen.se/kjnoren/jordan/
Carth
In Cryo Sleep
I've picked up 1984 again, surprised me how easy it was to pick up again, it was like I never stopped reading it, I remembered it all instantly.
I was reading a Spanish book called The Shadow Of The Wind, and I got sidetracked reading something else when I read about half of it. When I tried to pick it up to read it again, I just couldn't remember any of it, or what had happened. I didn't know who anyone was, and I think I know why.
All the names were Spanish, and since I don't know Spanish, my mind couldn't remember them. Something to do with the way the mind records words in its memory; when I was reading the names, I wasn't "saying" them, I was seeing them as a token, glancing over them, parsing them but not recording them. They must have been stored in my short-term memory. When I went back to read it after a few months, it was like I'd never read those names before, the characters were completely foreign to me.
I was reading a Spanish book called The Shadow Of The Wind, and I got sidetracked reading something else when I read about half of it. When I tried to pick it up to read it again, I just couldn't remember any of it, or what had happened. I didn't know who anyone was, and I think I know why.
All the names were Spanish, and since I don't know Spanish, my mind couldn't remember them. Something to do with the way the mind records words in its memory; when I was reading the names, I wasn't "saying" them, I was seeing them as a token, glancing over them, parsing them but not recording them. They must have been stored in my short-term memory. When I went back to read it after a few months, it was like I'd never read those names before, the characters were completely foreign to me.
Cpt.Spazmo
In Cryo Sleep
As for 'longer that the bible' try some light reading
http://books.mirror.org/gb.tolstoy.html
as for 1984 read it. It saves time reading the current government manifesto no seriously I wish *sigh*
http://books.mirror.org/gb.tolstoy.html
as for 1984 read it. It saves time reading the current government manifesto
no seriously I wish *sigh*
As mentioned to docbot on TeamSpeak - books I'm reading at the moment.
Penny Dreadful
Post Secret (shadows copy)
All tomorrows parties (its actually an audio book I'm working through)
Penny Dreadful
Post Secret (shadows copy)
All tomorrows parties (its actually an audio book I'm working through)
thatbloke
Junior Administrator
I am reading a book at the moment called The Dragonbone Chair. It's a swords and sorcery fantasy book by Tad Williams. It's the first of a series of books from the Dragonbone Chair series.
And all I can say is... s'gooooooooooooooooooood.
Damn good, actually.
Also, I recently heard that the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan has (finally) been licensed for movies... meaning it will come to the big screen and I don't have to read the last 2 books...
The book in that series called Crossroads of Twilight annoyed and frustrated me because a) it's massive and b) I got through half the book and not ONCE had any of the main characters or storylines from previous books been mentioned. He was introducing two new characters and for some reason going through the whole book with them, which was annoynig because I wanted to know what happens to Richard and Kahlan... o well
And all I can say is... s'gooooooooooooooooooood.
Damn good, actually.
Also, I recently heard that the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan has (finally) been licensed for movies... meaning it will come to the big screen and I don't have to read the last 2 books...
The book in that series called Crossroads of Twilight annoyed and frustrated me because a) it's massive and b) I got through half the book and not ONCE had any of the main characters or storylines from previous books been mentioned. He was introducing two new characters and for some reason going through the whole book with them, which was annoynig because I wanted to know what happens to Richard and Kahlan... o well
MadGinga
In Cryo Sleep
I'm a bit of a Sci-Fi nut, I'll read nearly anything that involves space, intergalactic empires, robots, etc. I'm especailly a fan of Isacc Asimov, Iain M. Banks, Ben Bova, Stephen Baxter, and especially the father of modern Sci-Fi, the illustrious Arthur C. clarke.
I also enjoy any book by Terry pratchett (I love the Discworld, especially Sam Vimes), some of Michael Crichton's Books (Jurrasic Park, Lost World, Congo, State of Fear) and I also read recently an autobiography of sorts from Monty Python, which was very entertaining and informative.
Oh almost forgot, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, and The Dragons of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey.
I also enjoy any book by Terry pratchett (I love the Discworld, especially Sam Vimes), some of Michael Crichton's Books (Jurrasic Park, Lost World, Congo, State of Fear) and I also read recently an autobiography of sorts from Monty Python, which was very entertaining and informative.
Oh almost forgot, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, and The Dragons of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey.
Taffy
New Member
OMG, if you like War stories, you gotta read Operation Certain Death! It's about the hostage rescue mission in Sierra Leone in 2000 when a rebel group took 11 Royal Irish Rangers captive, so we sent in the SAS, SBS and Paras to give them a bloody good hiding... which they did. I'll say no more, other than READ IT!
Pubic_Warrior
In Cryo Sleep
good war books are: We were soldiers and Band of brothers, which is what the film and series were based on, also you find out alot more in the books