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Also interested in the Broken Empire books, by fucked up what exactly do you mean?
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The main character, forgot his name, is psychotic to the extreme. Anti-hero is hardly appropriate, he's more like a villain, but then again, he's living in fucked up times. I loved the book personally. It's fast paced, vicious, and brilliant.
Has anybody read... ...and what did you think?
#21
Baco Xtath 
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Posted 01 July 2012 - 06:03 PM
"Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. But set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life." - Terry Pratchett, Jingo"Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken." - Terry Pratchett, Eric
"Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of a lack of wisdom." - Terry Pratchett
"Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of a lack of wisdom." - Terry Pratchett
#22
Macros
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Posted 01 July 2012 - 11:21 PM
Well now I just have to read it to see what you mean
2012
"Imperial Gothos, Imperial"
"Imperial Gothos, Imperial"
#23
amphibian
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Posted 02 July 2012 - 12:23 AM
worrywort, on 01 July 2012 - 08:07 AM, said:
I think people generally like it here, with a few dissenters, but nobody puts it on their lists because it's only the first book in a series? Not that that ever stopped people with Patrick Rothfuss.
It's a very fun book. Werthead nailed the "synopsis" of the main character in his review - perhaps his best written review ever - and I quote that section below:
Quote
Jorg is a protagonist with the quick wits of Locke Lamora, the charm and resourcefulness of Kvothe but the moral compass of Gregor Clegane. The book has the protagonists (the word 'hero' is completely incompatible with Jorg or his merry band of psychopaths and lunatics) doing things that even the bad guys in most fantasy novels would balk at, and for this reason it is going to be a challenging sell to some readers.
Lawrence writes vividly and well. The dark and horrible things that Jorg and his crew get up to are mostly inferred rather than outright-described, which is just as well. Lawrence also avoids dwelling on Jorg's physical actions too much in favour of delving into his psyche, working out what makes him tick, presenting these ideas to the reader, and then subverting them. As the book unfolds and we learn more about Jorg's hideous experiences, we realise why he is the way he is, though at almost every turn Jorg also chides the reader for thinking he is trying to excuse himself or beg for forgiveness. He is simply presenting the facts and the context and leaves them to decide whether he is the logical result of circumstance or someone who could have saved himself from this dark path if he had chosen to do so. Lawrence's aptitude with the other characters is no less accomplished, with deft strokes used to create vivid secondary roles concisely and with skill.
Lawrence writes vividly and well. The dark and horrible things that Jorg and his crew get up to are mostly inferred rather than outright-described, which is just as well. Lawrence also avoids dwelling on Jorg's physical actions too much in favour of delving into his psyche, working out what makes him tick, presenting these ideas to the reader, and then subverting them. As the book unfolds and we learn more about Jorg's hideous experiences, we realise why he is the way he is, though at almost every turn Jorg also chides the reader for thinking he is trying to excuse himself or beg for forgiveness. He is simply presenting the facts and the context and leaves them to decide whether he is the logical result of circumstance or someone who could have saved himself from this dark path if he had chosen to do so. Lawrence's aptitude with the other characters is no less accomplished, with deft strokes used to create vivid secondary roles concisely and with skill.
I cannot stress enough that Jorg is a VERY brutal person, but you do sympathize with him after a while. Think Karsa (without the rape) and shrunken down to a teenage boy in charge of barbarian mercenaries.
This post has been edited by amphibian: 02 July 2012 - 12:24 AM
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#24
HoosierDaddy
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Posted 02 July 2012 - 12:30 AM
I just finished Prince of Thorns last week. Really liked it.
Trouble arrives when the opponents to such a system institute its extreme opposite, where individualism becomes godlike and sacrosanct, and no greater service to any other ideal (including community) is possible. In such a system rapacious greed thrives behind the guise of freedom, and the worst aspects of human nature come to the fore....
#25
yuna_anomander25
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Posted 02 July 2012 - 06:18 AM
well, that's good to know in spite of mix reactions/feedbacks, i would just have to read it for myself, but i'll take most of your words for it,
will definitely add this to my list, thanks everyone, cheers!
the 2nd book is due this coming august, must acquire the 1st real soon, then i'll wait for the PB of this,
will definitely add this to my list, thanks everyone, cheers!
the 2nd book is due this coming august, must acquire the 1st real soon, then i'll wait for the PB of this,
It's not who I am underneath.. but what i do that defines me - Batman, Batman Begins; 'Without our deaths, sir, there would be no crime. Thus, no punishment to match,' 'Mortal Sword - '
'We are done, my friend. Now, in this manner, we choose the meaning of our deaths' - Mortal Sword Brukhalian to Veteran Nilbanas, siege of Capustan
'Ippen shinde miru (want to try dying this once) ?' - Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl)
'We are done, my friend. Now, in this manner, we choose the meaning of our deaths' - Mortal Sword Brukhalian to Veteran Nilbanas, siege of Capustan
'Ippen shinde miru (want to try dying this once) ?' - Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl)
#26
Nocturnal
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Posted 03 July 2012 - 10:03 PM
HoosierDaddy, on 02 July 2012 - 12:30 AM, said:
I just finished Prince of Thorns last week. Really liked it.
Oh I wanted to read that because the title seemed cool.
What's it like?
This post has been edited by Nocturnal: 03 July 2012 - 10:04 PM
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#30
Nocturnal
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Posted 08 July 2012 - 09:29 PM
Anybody read V for Vendetta graphic novel? I only watched the movie, so I'm interested is there any new content in the novel.
"Ambition is not a dirty word. Piss on compromise. Go for the throat."
#31
worry
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Posted 08 July 2012 - 10:30 PM
The book has a lot more content, and is loads better than the movie. So if you didn't like the movie, you should read it cuz it's awesome, and if you did like the movie, then you should read it cuz it's awesome.
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#33
Baco Xtath
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Posted 08 July 2012 - 11:56 PM
Anybody here read Stephen Baxter's Xeelee sequence? How does he/it compare to Banks, Hamilton, Asher, Reynolds...etc? I've yet to read Hamilton and Asher but they're coming to the top of my TRP quickly but the scope of the Xeelee sequence sounds intriguing enough that he may leapfrog the others.
This post has been edited by Baco Xtath: 08 July 2012 - 11:57 PM
"Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. But set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life." - Terry Pratchett, Jingo"Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken." - Terry Pratchett, Eric
"Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of a lack of wisdom." - Terry Pratchett
"Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of a lack of wisdom." - Terry Pratchett
#34
Salt-Man Z
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Posted 11 July 2012 - 08:42 PM
Anybody read Felix J. Palma's The Map of Time? I saw it on the shelf at Walmart and was mildly intrigued, possibly simply because the cover art reminded me of Whitechapel Gods...
MapOfTime.jpg (41.68K)
Number of downloads: 0
"Characters real and imaginary come vividly to life in this whimsical triple play of intertwined plots, in which a skeptical H. G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence."
MapOfTime.jpg (41.68K)
Number of downloads: 0
"Characters real and imaginary come vividly to life in this whimsical triple play of intertwined plots, in which a skeptical H. G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence."
"Here is light. You will say that it is not a living entity, but you miss the point that it is more, not less. Without occupying space, it fills the universe. It nourishes everything, yet itself feeds upon destruction. We claim to control it, but does it not perhaps cultivate us as a source of food? May it not be that all wood grows so that it can be set ablaze, and that men and women are born to kindle fires?"
―Gene Wolfe, The Citadel of the Autarch
―Gene Wolfe, The Citadel of the Autarch
#35
polishgenius
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Posted 14 July 2012 - 01:44 PM
Baco Xtath, on 08 July 2012 - 11:56 PM, said:
Anybody here read Stephen Baxter's Xeelee sequence? How does he/it compare to Banks, Hamilton, Asher, Reynolds...etc? I've yet to read Hamilton and Asher but they're coming to the top of my TRP quickly but the scope of the Xeelee sequence sounds intriguing enough that he may leapfrog the others.
I've only read it in bits and pieces - I have a massive omnibus of some of them which I plan to get cracking with soon, though.
From what I have gathered and remember (the only Xeelee I've read was ages ago) he doesn't really compare that much with any of those, tbh (though he'd be closest to Reynolds, mostly because he's a hard SF writer, though moreso than Reynolds I think). He's more of the heir to Arthur C Clarke, except as well as the individual SF ideas that each book explores he adds in the background the general concept that makes the overall series FUCKING MASSIVE IN SCOPE.
I prefer Banks and Reynolds to what I've read of him so far, but he's well worth the read overall. Mostly I think I find their prose more flowing.
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#36
stone monkey
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Posted 15 July 2012 - 09:22 PM
I've read most, if not all, of the Xeelee Sequence.
Your best place to start would be the loose trilogy of Coalescent, Exultant and Transcendent. There's also a connected short story collection called Resplendent that ties in. I'd also take a look at Ring which connects too. The scope of these books, especially Ring, Exultant and Transcendent is absolutely vast. And his earlier novels; Raft, Timelike Infinity and Flux tie in in one way or another.
Your best place to start would be the loose trilogy of Coalescent, Exultant and Transcendent. There's also a connected short story collection called Resplendent that ties in. I'd also take a look at Ring which connects too. The scope of these books, especially Ring, Exultant and Transcendent is absolutely vast. And his earlier novels; Raft, Timelike Infinity and Flux tie in in one way or another.
If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do. If some one maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction. … So whenever you find yourself getting angry about a difference of opinion, be on your guard; you will probably find, on examination, that your belief is going beyond what the evidence warrants. Bertrand Russell
#37
Salt-Man Z
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Posted 23 July 2012 - 04:49 AM
Anybody read Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D? I found it for $2, and I've heard of the anime, though I haven't watched it. Reviews I've found seem to be the usual mixed bag of love its to hate its, but consensus seems to be that despite a sometimes-embarrassing translation by Kevin Leahy, there are some interesting ideas here. Still kind of slumping in my reading and am considering picking this one up. Thoughts?
"Here is light. You will say that it is not a living entity, but you miss the point that it is more, not less. Without occupying space, it fills the universe. It nourishes everything, yet itself feeds upon destruction. We claim to control it, but does it not perhaps cultivate us as a source of food? May it not be that all wood grows so that it can be set ablaze, and that men and women are born to kindle fires?"
―Gene Wolfe, The Citadel of the Autarch
―Gene Wolfe, The Citadel of the Autarch
#38
Destiny
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Posted 23 July 2012 - 06:25 PM
I was kinda unsure about Prince of Thorns, but you guys have convinced me that it might be something I'd like. Added it to my shopping list on Amazon (it also doesn't hurt that they're currently only charging £1.99 for it
)
Has anybody read the Riyria Revelations? I know the individual books are out of print, but Orbit is publishing them in 3 omnibus editions. My friend said she was gonna buy them and from what I can tell them seem good, but I'd like the opinion of another Malazan reader too.
)Has anybody read the Riyria Revelations? I know the individual books are out of print, but Orbit is publishing them in 3 omnibus editions. My friend said she was gonna buy them and from what I can tell them seem good, but I'd like the opinion of another Malazan reader too.
Я изучаю русский язык, but I'm not very good yet.
#39
QuickTidal
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Posted 23 July 2012 - 06:39 PM
Destiny, on 23 July 2012 - 06:25 PM, said:
I was kinda unsure about Prince of Thorns, but you guys have convinced me that it might be something I'd like. Added it to my shopping list on Amazon (it also doesn't hurt that they're currently only charging £1.99 for it)
Has anybody read the Riyria Revelations? I know the individual books are out of print, but Orbit is publishing them in 3 omnibus editions. My friend said she was gonna buy them and from what I can tell them seem good, but I'd like the opinion of another Malazan reader too.
)Has anybody read the Riyria Revelations? I know the individual books are out of print, but Orbit is publishing them in 3 omnibus editions. My friend said she was gonna buy them and from what I can tell them seem good, but I'd like the opinion of another Malazan reader too.
Do a search of this specific forum (try "Michael J. Sullivan, this guy rocks") I think...begun by me, but it gives you the opinions of those that liked it and those that didn't...but the majority appear to find it well-written, fun, good, classic fantasy.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
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“Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone.” ~Ursula Vernon
#40
Destiny
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Posted 23 July 2012 - 07:14 PM
QuickTidal, on 23 July 2012 - 06:39 PM, said:
Destiny, on 23 July 2012 - 06:25 PM, said:
I was kinda unsure about Prince of Thorns, but you guys have convinced me that it might be something I'd like. Added it to my shopping list on Amazon (it also doesn't hurt that they're currently only charging £1.99 for it)
Has anybody read the Riyria Revelations? I know the individual books are out of print, but Orbit is publishing them in 3 omnibus editions. My friend said she was gonna buy them and from what I can tell them seem good, but I'd like the opinion of another Malazan reader too.
)Has anybody read the Riyria Revelations? I know the individual books are out of print, but Orbit is publishing them in 3 omnibus editions. My friend said she was gonna buy them and from what I can tell them seem good, but I'd like the opinion of another Malazan reader too.
Do a search of this specific forum (try "Michael J. Sullivan, this guy rocks") I think...begun by me, but it gives you the opinions of those that liked it and those that didn't...but the majority appear to find it well-written, fun, good, classic fantasy.
Okay thanks for the tip
.gif)
I'll be sure to check it out.
Я изучаю русский язык, but I'm not very good yet.
