YOU MUST TELL ME ... What else are you reading?

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Madness

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« Reply #105 on: November 30, 2013, 02:18:36 pm »
The only slog rule is to go on until you have finished #2, Deadhouse Gates.
GotM is much weaker.

I really liked the Paran (the man) in the first book. And I support this rule.

Good luck, Royce!
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Royce

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« Reply #106 on: December 15, 2013, 11:29:30 pm »
Finished Gardens of the moon, 9 laps to go.

Mavericks of the mind. I love roundtable discussions, especially with Tim Leary. He is such a dickhead:)

About to start on The Illuminatus! trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson.

Madness

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« Reply #107 on: December 16, 2013, 11:16:23 am »
About to start on The Illuminatus! trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson.

Lol - have fun with the red pill down the rabbit hole :).

(This in no way reflects the (in)validity of the arguments presented in the books - to be clear on opinion.)
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Royce

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« Reply #108 on: December 19, 2013, 08:19:06 pm »
Quote
Lol - have fun with the red pill down the rabbit hole :).

Once you have swallowed the red pill, there is no turning back ;)

Francis Buck

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« Reply #109 on: December 20, 2013, 05:03:23 am »
I've been struggling through Perdido Street Station. It's maybe the...third? Mieville book I've started (never finished one). I don't know what it is, but something about his stuff just doesn't grab me. It's weird because I actually quite like PSS; it's imaginative as fuck, the writing's good if not just plain great, and it's utterly stuffed with creativity (even though I think it almost suffers under the weight of the sheer insanity of it all). I mean hell, the guy managed to make a crimson-skinned woman with the head of an insect into something bizarrely erotic. It's brilliant, honestly. But it's just one of those types of books that I have to force myself through. It's like, once I'm actually reading it, I'm pretty engaged. But picking the damn thing up is tough for me almost every time.

Regardless, I'm determined to finish this one, if only to say that I've actually finished a CM book, but also because I am genuinely curious how this jumble of seemingly unrelated plots pan out with each other.

Also, I've watched/read several interviews with CM, and he seems like a pretty cool dude with some very interesting ideas, and genuinely important thoughts on the genre of SFF. Maybe a little pretentious, but shit, he's a writer, and more than that, a writer with a message. Gotta give the guy a little leeway.

Somnambulist

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« Reply #110 on: December 20, 2013, 03:29:19 pm »
I found PSS a little tough to get through, too, FB.  Granted, I read The Scar first, which I enjoyed much more, though still struggled a bit with (may be over-long).  Iron Council came last, and I slogged through that one, even though I think it was the shortest of the trilogy.  I agree with you about his writing, it's deep and imaginative, but something never quite sat right with me and I couldn't tell you what.  I also haven't been able to finish any of the other 3 CM books I've tried since then.  Haven't been able to bring myself to try any time recently.
No whistling on the slog!

Wilshire

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« Reply #111 on: December 22, 2013, 04:43:50 pm »
I can't say I struggled too mightily with it, though I did listen to it on audio. Something about driving for 8 hours can make even the most dull book exciting.

All I can say is, its worth the read. Truly. Eventually you begin to grasp all the chaos, and while things might not "settle", they do start to make sense, for the most part anyway. The book gets better as you go, and the ending is great. Read on!

From what I've seen, CM thinks he's a rule breaker. He likes to write complex books that challenge the set rules of SFF or whatever genre he is writing. I think he's a brilliant writer and wildly imaginative. This can make his stuff somewhat frustrating/difficult to read, but PSS is worth it.

One of the other conditions of possibility.

Madness

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« Reply #112 on: December 23, 2013, 01:56:34 pm »
I'm surrounded by books and, of course, am not reading as much as I should be over the holidays (fucking Skewl).

But... motored through Contagious - Jonah Berger over the last three days.
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Galbrod

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« Reply #113 on: December 30, 2013, 02:31:47 pm »
I've spent the last few weeks reading the Acts of Caine series by Matthew Stover. Marvellous books :-)

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« Reply #114 on: December 30, 2013, 04:38:52 pm »
I've been told to read those a number of times now. They were good, eh, Galbrod?
The Existential Scream
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Galbrod

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« Reply #115 on: December 30, 2013, 08:31:54 pm »
Four book in the Acts of Caine series, each and every one written in their own style, each and every one a treat! Not the epic large-scale fantasy of Bakker, but very interesting world-building none the less... I would gladly recommend his books to anyone interested in a combination of clever plot-twists, hard-hitting action and SF/fantasy mashup.

Madness

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« Reply #116 on: December 31, 2013, 12:42:09 am »
Another one for the "when I'm not too broke to buy" pile then, I guess. Cheers, Galbrod.

I'm thinking of starting either EXHeroes by Peter Clines or The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi...

Any thoughts, readers?
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Madness

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« Reply #117 on: January 06, 2014, 01:24:20 pm »
I read EXHeroes. It was a decent pulpy read. Nothing too crazy. I liked his focus and treatment of gender issues and the lack of action heroes, in a sense (many the major players being educated doctors).
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Meyna

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« Reply #118 on: January 10, 2014, 01:06:47 pm »
I am currently reading Return of the Crimson Guard by Ian Cameron Esslemont. The Malazan world persists.
witness

Alia

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« Reply #119 on: January 18, 2014, 03:35:31 pm »
"Peace" by Gene Wolfe. It's his first full-scale novel, there aren't many strictly fantastic elements, but the atmosphere he creates is fascinating. Loved it.
On the other hand, I couldn't finish Catherynne Valente's "Deathless". Which is something that rarely happens to me, I always try to finish what I start. I tried twice, got to the middle of the novel, decided I still don't care about the main character and the setting is not interesting enought to keep me reading.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake