[blackzoid]

Finished Warhammer The Return of Nagash. (Thats its title so..spoilers?")
Great book. Warhammer Vampires are just so awesome.

This post has been edited by blackzoid: 16 September 2014 - 10:31 AM

[QuickTidal]

My reading is ALL over the place. I've got like 5 books on the go...but the one that's focusing my attention best right now is Ken Follett's WINTER OF THE WORLD... mostly cause I like WWII stuff.

[Andorion]

blackzoid, on 16 September 2014 - 10:31 AM, said:

Finished Warhammer The Return of Nagash. (Thats its title so..spoilers?")
Great book. Warhammer Vampires are just so awesome.

I once read a Warhammer vampire omnibus with Vampires like Conrad, Manfred etc. The writing was pretty dark, but for some reason I giggled through the book.

[Goaswerfraiejen]

Well, since my last post I've ploughed through The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (yet another that it turns out I'd read 10-15 years ago, although I didn't really remember much), A Canticle for Leibowitz (I enjoyed it, although I found the transitions jarring), and Angus Donald's Holy Warrior. I'm a little over halfway done Connie Willis's Doomsday Book (love the concept, although I have quibbling complaints about the execution) and Donald's King's Man. I have yet to finish (although it's not for lack of interest, I'm just on a fiction kick!) Flatland, Trolls: An Unnatural History, Unscientific America, or Guns, Germs, and Steel, although I'm close on all counts. I blame the stuff (academic books & articles) I have to read for work. Throws a spanner in my works, and I just end up wanting to curl up with some solid historical/science fiction or fantasy.

Also, Assail just arrived, and Hominids must be close behind. Dunno what I'm gonna do... I guess I should finish Doomsday Book and King's Man first, and maybe one or two of the others, lest I never finish them at all. I'll provisionally commit to Flatland and Unscientific America, since they're short and easy reads. Hold me to it, forum!

[blackzoid]

Andorion, on 16 September 2014 - 03:31 PM, said:

I once read a Warhammer vampire omnibus with Vampires like Conrad, Manfred etc. The writing was pretty dark, but for some reason I giggled through the book.

Those are the guys.

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 16 September 2014 - 09:27 PM, said:

Wth is Warhammer about? Google isn't being helpful.

There are basically two Warhammers. One is plain Warhammer which is dark/horror fantasy with lots of fantasy tropes like dwarfs, elves, humans as well as lots of horror tropes like vampires, weres, drak cults etc. Its a huge shared universe with lots of writers contributing. Most books are in short series. A good example would be the Gotrek and Felix series. I am not very familiar with the universe, having read only 3-4 books in it.

Then there is Warhammer 40000, which is set 40000 years in the future. Humanity is spread throughout the galaxy, ruled by an undead emperor. This is not sci-fi however, but fantasy in space. The elements of dark horror persist, only the antagonist are now space orcs, the Eldar who are space elves, and Chaos, corrupted armies of the chaos lords. A big element are the space marines, genetically engineered super soldiers who do a lot of the fighting. A good example would be the Horus heresy series.

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 17 September 2014 - 02:56 AM, said:

That sounds pretty damn enteraining!

Depends on taste. Theres a Warhammer Vampire trilogy omnibus out there which was pretty good, even though i found it funny. Horus heresy started out really nice, then I think it veered off a bit. But its entertaining definitely.

[Mentalist]

Finished "Anathem" last night. I really love Stephenson's books, don't know why.

"Anathem" really isn't a book I can recommend. It's a book for geeks. It's a book for people who read political philosophy and/or metaphysics/quantum mechanics as a hobby.

If you disliked the philosophical musings of every character and their dog in "Bonehunters", this is not the book for you.

If you like history, and enjoyed figuring out that thing that's not important about the Malaz books, you should like this book.

it's very hard for me to imagine such a book exists. But I'm very glad it does.

the evil timesink of doom tvtropes has this trope called "viewers are geniuses". Stephenson doesn't QUITE adhere to it. Rather than expecting his readers to know everyhting there is to know about a subject to enjoy the book (the way, say, Dan Simmons expects you to knnow everything about Keats to appreciate the Hyperion Cantos), Stephenson crafts his stories in such a way that at some point it just becomes necessary for the reader to learn about Sumerian mythology. or Midieval nEuropean banking systems. or cracking cyphers. Or history of thought in metaphysicsand quantum mechanics. Now, I'm not an expert in any of those fields, so i can't speak for the veracity of Stephenson's science in any of these topics, but I've never encountered an author who's made seemeingly absurdly random infodumps so enjoyable before.

Last disclaimer: despite what some claim about the book being a 1 half infodump, 1 half action, my experience was nothing like that. There are action moments, true. But even at their most frantic, they are nothing compared to any other Stephenson book (haven't read Reamde or vol 2-3 of Mongoliad, mind--so my sample is Snow Crash, Diamond Age, the Baroque cycle and Cryptonomicon) And the theorizing really only takes the back seat in the last 25-15% of the book.

Having finshed that, now I've started "Forty signs of Rain" by Kim Stanley Robinson.

[amphibian]

Regarding the Horus Heresy books/WH40k books:

Abnett, McNeill, Kymes, Thorpe, Mitchell and Dembski-Bowden are absolutely fun to read.

I liked Wraight's book on the White Scars, but haven't read any of his other stuff.

Skip Swallow and Counter. They haven't developed the technical skills of the other writers to make what is kinda a half stupid half awesome universe fun to work with.

[polishgenius]

Mentalist, on 17 September 2014 - 03:35 AM, said:

the evil timesink of doom tvtropes has this trope called "viewers are geniuses". Stephenson doesn't QUITE adhere to it. Rather than expecting his readers to know everyhting there is to know about a subject to enjoy the book (the way, say, Dan Simmons expects you to knnow everything about Keats to appreciate the Hyperion Cantos), Stephenson crafts his stories in such a way that at some point it just becomes necessary for the reader to learn about Sumerian mythology. or Midieval nEuropean banking systems. or cracking cyphers. Or history of thought in metaphysicsand quantum mechanics. Now, I'm not an expert in any of those fields, so i can't speak for the veracity of Stephenson's science in any of these topics, but I've never encountered an author who's made seemeingly absurdly random infodumps so enjoyable before.

I agree with everything you say here: he breaks all the rules, but makes it enjoyable.
Nonetheless, although I love Anathem and the fact that it even exists, I did find myself comparing it for some reason to Book of the New Sun, and although Wolfe to a greater extent does expect you to know certain things to get the full extent of his meaning, he also does a much better job of teaching without lecturing.

It's kind of unfair to mark a book down for not being tBotNS, though. Anathem is still great.

[Morgoth]

I loved Anathem, and have loved every other book by Stephenson except Snow Crash.

[Ukjent]

Started to read Anathem one night, but after a few pages I just started reading Heroes Die instead.

[Serenity]

Made a start on Meluch's Wolf Star this morning.

[Salt-Man Z]

polishgenius, on 17 September 2014 - 05:47 AM, said:

It's kind of unfair to mark a book down for not being tBotNS, though.

True dat.

[Tiste Simeon]

Really truly loving Assail! Just over half way through & just read

Spoiler

the scene where Cartheron gathers an army in Wrongway tent city and set fire to the supplies and stole all the gold causing a major riot.

Hilarious, exciting stuff!

[Mentalist]

Finished "40 signs of rain" last night.

Pretty good book, though seems very set up-ish. A lot less exciting than the stuff I normally read, and yet I've found the focus on the daily minutia of a few everyday professionals strangely compelling. Possibly due to the fact that i'm at a point in my life where I started working in the city, commuting from the suburbs, so the topic gained a new relevancy for me, lol.

Anyhow, will probably read more on this.

Right now debating b/w starting "Elantris" or "Cursor's Fury", which I intend to buy today.

[Ukjent]

Easily Cursor's fury, Elantris was not that good. The book felt unpolished.

[polishgenius]

Currently continuing my Elizabeth Bear adventure (she's fast becoming one of my favourite authors) with New Amsterdam, the first in a series of books (comprising short story collections and novellas, apparently) about a brilliant vampire detective in an alt-universe where the presence of magic caused the world to be significantly different (for example Europeans didn't get nearly as far conquering the Americas, and England didn't stake a claim on the continent till much later, hence New Amsterdam). There's a Sherlock Holmes vibe, obviously, and it also reminds me somewhat of the style of the Arsene Lupin stories (hence my new avatar...). Good stuff so far.

[Baco Xtath]

Was browsing audible yesterday and saw where Sleeping Late on Judgment Day (Bobby Dollar #3) was released; promptly bought and am now enjoying. The writing is great and the narrator is easily one of my favorites.

Also, 1/3 through City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett; it's very different from his usual style. This is one is set in a fantasy world where his others were set on Earth and the whole vibe and voice are completely different. It's still good but if you go in expecting the Troupe or American Elsewhere (both phenomenal books) you will be disappointed.

Still reading Ash and Maelstrom, both still awesome.

[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 18 September 2014 - 12:01 PM, said:

Really truly loving Assail! Just over half way through & just read

Spoiler

the scene where Cartheron gathers an army in Wrongway tent city and set fire to the supplies and stole all the gold causing a major riot.

Hilarious, exciting stuff!

One of my favorite parts too. Reminds the reader of why that character is a big deal.