What is currently on your Night Stand/ What are you reading?

Superenigmatix · Post by **Superenigmatix** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 4:58 pm

Currently reading Robert Rankin's - The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse - because who can resist a title like that!

MidasKnight · Post by **MidasKnight** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 6:39 pm

Yeah, no kidding.

mrdude · Post by **mrdude** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 12:20 pm

I have finished the restaurant at the end of the universe, I did rate it trebor, I don't think I will attempt a review on it, far to challenging.

Oneiros · Post by **Oneiros** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 2:07 pm

Hi everybody,

..and a happy new year to all (it's been a long time since last I posted!)

Although I don't get a lot of spare time, I'm currently reading Dan Simmons' Ilium, and it seems as he's back in shape to tackle yet another great SF saga (check out the Hyperion Cantos series if you haven't read it yet). I'll be sure to write a review when I finish the book..

mrdude · Post by **mrdude** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 6:35 pm

Now on to the next hitchhickers book it is Life The Universe & Everything by Douglas Adams

Syren · Post by **Syren** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 5:21 pm

At the moment I'm reading "Desolation Island" by Patrick O'Brian. It's quite good so far.

Aunflin · Post by **Aunflin** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 6:45 pm

Ah, Patrick O'Brien, I keep looking at his multitude of books when I'm in the bookstore. But there are so many of them. One day I'll read them... My reading list's a bit full for now.

At the moment I am reading:

Smoke and Mirrors, by Neil Gaiman--very enjoyable short stories.

Just started American Gods, by Neil Gaiman--seems good so far.

Reading through a collection of Robert E. Howard's Soloman Kane stories.

I'm always randomly reading passages from the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Metamorphoses, Paradise Lost, the Silmarillion, and bits of Shakespear here and there... Still haven't actually finished any of them. Just reading chaotically as boredom strikes.

On my to read list: Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville, Tides of War, by Steven Pressfield (anyone read Gates of Fire? it was awesome!), a re-reading of the Book of the New Sun, a re-reading of the old Tom Covenant Chronicles, Towards the End of Time, by John Updike, more Lord Dunsany...and the list could go on for all eternity. I'll do my best, though.

Ryan/Aunflin

Post by **Darb** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 7:42 pm

Aunflin: The more you post, the more I notice that we seem to have quite a bit in common

mrdude · Post by **mrdude** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 8:16 pm

I have now completed life the univers and everything, second to last on the hitchhickers list is so long and thanks for all the fish. I shall start this soon, if not momentarily.

Post by **KiltanneN** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 9:32 pm

On my reading list right now - Most of Raymond Feist's later works.

Read on holiday

Krondor Betrayel.
Krondor the Assasins
Shadow of a Dark Queen
Rise of a Merchant Prince
Rage of a Demon King
Shards Of A Broken Crown

reading now

Talon of the Silver Hawk

kilt

Superenigmatix · Post by **Superenigmatix** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 11:22 pm

mrdude wrote:I have now completed life the univers and everything, second to last on the hitchhickers list is so long and thanks for all the fish. I shall start this soon, if not momentarily.

This book always gets reviewed as the worst one of the quintet - but it's my favourite - possibly because it wasn't also a radio series, record, CD, script book, tv series, towel etc etc

and so not overfamiliar.

Anyone who wants the unofficial lost chapters from SLATFATF send me a private message in here and will e-mail it to them. They were not written by DA but they do a very good job of rounding up all the loose ends. Mostly Harmless had not been written at the time so they don' take account of anything that happens in that.

sE

Superenigmatix · Post by **Superenigmatix** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 11:27 pm

Kilt - I'm interested in what you thought of the Prince, Queen, King, Crown books as those are the four I have sitting in a bookcase - Are they as good as the first three, or only as good as the two that followed that?

cheers

sE

Aunflin · Post by **Aunflin** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 12:08 am

Yes, Brad, I've noticed such as well. Sort of wierd, huh?

Ryan/Aunflin

Post by **KiltanneN** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 12:29 pm

Superenigmatix wrote:Kilt - I'm interested in what you thought of the Prince, Queen, King, Crown books as those are the four I have sitting in a bookcase - Are they as good as the first three, or only as good as the two that followed that?

cheers

sE

OK sE - I will have to do a proper job on them - I have been unbelievably busy.

First job will be to rate them individually - and then I will write reviews.

BUT - I will give overall impressions right now... They are fairly close in quality to each other - but if you are referring to Betrayel & Assasins as the first 2 then I tend to think that Queen, Prince, King & Crown are slightly "better". Reason being:

they are a bit more complex in their characters
their overall plots are a tiny bit less predictable
there is a strong sense right throughout them that they are part of a much bigger world - which makes sense when you consider that part of the fundamentel plot is about a military conquest of about 60% of the world of Midkemia. [This is not /*much*/ of a spoiler...]
the cast is much larger.
it is in these books that we finally begin to understand the nature of magic on Midkemia and the structure of Midkemian religion.

hopefully this makes you happier that you bought the books - and puts them on your reading list - they are WELL worth it.

kilt

mrdude · Post by **mrdude** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 3:26 pm

Ok I am done with so long and thanks for all the fish, and I do agree it was good despite all the hype about it not being so. I would be on to mostly harmess next but it is martin luther king Jr. day, so the library is closed, leaving me to have to pick out something else. So here it is, I added the book because it is as of yet not in the database. The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg. here is the amazon link.

cscottk · Post by **cscottk** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 7:56 am

I just finished Charles De Lint's Memory and Dream. He is a superb writer, and this book didn't let me down. I just started reading Harry Turtledov'es In the Presence of Mine Enemies. So far, not too bad.

Post by **Darb** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 11:59 am

Aside from "The Misplaced Legion", I haven't read much Turtledove.

I vaguely recall liking it however.

MidasKnight · Post by **MidasKnight** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 1:27 pm

I read The Misplaced Legion about 2 years ago and vaguely remember not caring to pick up the second book, but I'm not sure why.

I am still trudging through Melanie Rawn's The Star Scroll (hoping it picks up some) and I just started Patricia Cornwell's The Last Precinct.

Superenigmatix · Post by **Superenigmatix** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 3:58 pm

Kilt

it's not quite what I meant.

The first three are Magician, A Darkness at Sethanon and Silverthorn, the next two were Prince of the Blood and The Kings Buccaneer. The Krondor series comes after the Serpentwar Saga series - well they were written after anyway.

I didn't enjoy Prince of the Blood and Buccaneer nearly as much as the first three.

So now I have explained myself properly - are they as good as the Riftwar Saga series or not.

sE
btw - there's an error in the DB as it has Fairie Tale in as part of the Riftwar Saga and it's not. It also has Prince and Buccaneer and I would dispute that too.

cscottk · Post by **cscottk** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 6:25 pm

I don't know about all the others in Krondor, but the Legends of Riftwar book, Honoured Enemy was quite good. It's only available in Europe so far. I want to get the rest of the series sometime too. It looks as if it's not coming to the States so I will have to obtain them some other way.

MidasKnight · Post by **MidasKnight** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 8:38 pm

gg internet

loraxe · Post by **loraxe** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 12:06 pm

It is so quiet around here. I never have time to check in myself. I am nearly out of books as I didnt get any for Christmas so I will be combing the site next week.

Currently reading the Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies. The first book was hard to plough through but it was worth it for the second, which I am treasuring. Just glad I wasnt expecting any well written female characters. Also reading the Anne books on the side, because it is January and I am tired. Oh and my commute book is currently Nadine Gordimer 'None to Accompany Me'. Good so far but when your sentence extend to a full page, I am going to lose the thread of your thought Nadine!

branko · Post by **branko** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 2:35 pm

The other day, I helped clear out an attic, and got to take all books that I wanted. So lately I have been reading a lot of Marten Toonder's Tom Poes/Bommel stories.

mrdude · Post by **mrdude** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 4:16 pm

I finished the book of skulls by robert silverberg. It was deffinetly an interesting book. Heres my review on it.

mrdude · Post by **mrdude** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 7:34 pm

On to Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams. Oh boy after I finish that who knows what I'll read!