Books

[Alias]

Re: Books

Yeah H2O is pretty dangerous.


I feel like I heard that story somewhere, just not with the 'fifth grader' part. You sure that's not an urban legend? Did the book cite it somehow?

 

[Quartz]

Re: Books

Whoops, I fucked it up. I don't know where I got fifth grader from, I think I meshed it with another story maybe? It did cite it, 14 year old

You must be registered to see the links

, so a junior high school student.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

Picked up and started reading World War Z again. Now, I've read this before, and despite usually buying all my books to put on my shelf, I usually don't read books a second time.

This one however, I started flipping through it just to read a part again, and ended up just starting to go through it. It really is very well written, and addicting.

Damn you Max Brooks.

 

[Copper]

Re: Books

*laughs* Don't forget the Recorded History of Zombie Attacks. Squicky but good.

Also, you're a fan of the show Castle, aren't you, Sin? There's a book out about it. "Heat Wave" by Richard Castle. Not sure if this got mentioned before or not, but there it is.

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Books

The Hunger Games Trilogy.

It may not look like much, and it's certainly nnot got the best description on the back, but omg. Hooked. Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and the third (released today) Mockingjay.

READ. THEM.

 

[undead_kenny]

Re: Books

Ok im gonna revive a classic here.I doubt that no one on this forum actually never saw or even heard about this series.The first volume:The world of Null-A,Relates the story of Gilbert Gosseyn, A non-a.Wich means he is an adept of the general semantics,a concept that would be way too big and complex to be able to actually explain it on detail in this post.Gosseyn Lives in a world extremly similar as ours It's in fact our world in the future 2155 to be exact.Venus has been colonized and his inhabited only by Non-a citizens.Gosseyn left his little town of california to go to the Machine's city.

The machine is one of the most advanced technology Humans ever created,It's basically a tower as high as the eiffel tower With an incredibly developped A.I. able to hold 950 realistic conversations at the same time.The machine hold wht you could call ''Olympics'' each ten years,they are in fact intelectual evaluations for every non-a that lives on earth.If you score high enough you get to live on Venus.

During the time of the game's the police department isn't active,so just living in the city is an evaluation itself.After arriving at his hotel,Gosseyn attend a reunion with the other resident's to discuss how they will act thowards the absence of any security services in the city.At this reunion Gosseyn meets a man from his village,he then decide to talk to him a little.

(Edit:Some people actually complained about the text,i rectified it a little.)

Surprinsingly this man never heard of him or ever saw him,and even told Gosseyn that his wife (Gosseyn's) is actually the daughter of the current president and was never married.After being told this,Gosseyn goes right to the nearest lie detector and tells it his story,everything since he was born.The answer he got from the detector informed him that his memories were somehow altered and that he never lived in that village and was never married.

That is only the beggining of an incredibly complex and unusual tale involving reincarnation,second brains and a world considered as a big chess board.Written by A.E Van Vogt,an autor that was one of the most respected and praised in the 20th century.

I actually hope you guys will find a way to find this book in a library or wherever they lend or sell books because that was one of the best books iv'e ever read in my entire life.And trust me,i read alot.

 

[Nunu]

Re: Books

Ok im gonna revive a classic here.I doubt that no one on this forum actually never saw or even heard about this series.The first volume:The world of Null-A,Relates the story of Gilbert Gosseyn, A non-a.Wich means he is an adept of the general semantics,a concept that would be way too big and complex to be able to actually explain it on detail in this post.Gosseyn Lives in a world extremly similar as ours It's in fact our world in the future 2155 to be exact.Venus has been colonized and his inhabited only by Non-a citizens.Gosseyn left his little town of california to go to the Machine's city.The machine is one of the most advanced technology Humans ever created,It's basically a tower as high as the eiffel tower With an incredibly developped A.I. able to hold 950 realistic conversations at the same time.The machine hold wht you could call ''Olympics'' each ten years,they are in fact intelectual evaluations for every non-a that lives on earth.If you score high enough you get to live on Venus.During the time of the game's the police department isn't active,so just living in the city is an evaluation itself.After arriving at his hotel,Gosseyn attend a reunion with the other resident's to discuss how they will act thowards the absence of any security services in the city.At this reunion Gosseyn meets a man from his village,he then decide to talk to him a little.Surprinsingly this man never heard of him or ever saw him,and even told Gosseyn that his wife (Gosseyn's) is actually the daughter of the current president and was never married.After being told this,Gosseyn goes right to the nearest lie detector and tells it his story,everything since he was born.The answer he got from the detector informed him that his memories were somehow altered and that he never lived in that village and was never married.

That is only the beggining of an incredibly complex and unusual tale written by A.E Van Vogt,an autor that was one of the most respected and praised in the 20th century.

I actually hope you guys will find a way to find this book in a library or wherever they lend or sell books because that was one of the best books iv'e ever read in my entire life.And trust me,i read alot.

Critical reception

The novel was the subject of an extended critical essay by noted author and critic Damon Knight. In "Cosmic Jerrybuilder: A. E. van Vogt"[1], Knight writes that "far from being a 'classic' by any reasonable standard, The World of Ā is one of the worst allegedly-adult science fiction stories ever published." Knight criticizes the novel on four main levels:

1. Plot: "The World of Ā abounds in contradictions, misleading clues and irrelevant action...It is [van Vogt's] habit to introduce a monster, or a gadget, or an extra-terrestrial culture, simply by naming it, without any explanation of its nature...By this means, and by means of his writing style, which is discursive and hard to follow, van Vogt also obscures his plot to such an extent that when it falls to pieces at the end, the event passes without remark."

2. Characterization: "Van Vogt's characters repeatedly commit the error known as the double-take. This phenomenon is funny because it represents a mental failure...Its cause is inability to absorb a new fact until a ridiculously long time has elapsed. In The World of Ā there are twelve examples in all."

3. Background: "In van Vogt's world, the advancement over 1945...amounts to no more than (a) a world government; (b) a handful of gadgets...van Vogt has not bothered to integrate the gadgets into the technological background of his story, and he has no clear idea of their nature."

4. Style: "Examples of bad writing in The World of Ā could be multiplied endlessly. It is my personal opinion that the whole of it is written badly, with only minor exceptions."

DISPARITY!

 

[undead_kenny]

Re: Books

DISPARITY!

*Sigh* Nunu, that is but only one opinion in thousands,millions maybe.My goal here was just share with everyone here on this forum a book that i apreciated alot.All of Van Vogt Books were practically holy writings for ones or pieces of trash for others.You can have your own opinion,Im not forcing you to read this,but at least give it a try.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

*Sigh* Nunu, that is but only one opinion in thousands,millions maybe.My goal here was just share with everyone here on this forum a book that i apreciated alot.All of Van Vogt Books were practically holy writings for ones or pieces of trash for others.You can have your own opinion,Im not forcing you to read this,but at least give it a try.

Eh, the plot doesn't seem up my alley for some reason. I'll give it a pass.

*laughs* Don't forget the Recorded History of Zombie Attacks. Squicky but good.

Also, you're a fan of the show Castle, aren't you, Sin? There's a book out about it. "Heat Wave" by Richard Castle. Not sure if this got mentioned before or not, but there it is.

I loved that little graphic novel. Quite enjoyable to read.

And yes I am a fan of Castle. So they actually released one of his books? Hmm, I wonder who actually wrote it. I may have to check that out, but unfortunately the murder mystery thing has never been for me.

The Hunger Games Trilogy.

It may not look like much, and it's certainly nnot got the best description on the back, but omg. Hooked. Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and the third (released today) Mockingjay.

READ. THEM.

And uh... what's it about?

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Books

And uh... what's it about?

Post apocalyptic America, a nation called Panem, is comprised of a Capitol and thirteen districts. In the first rebellion the districts were put down quickly, and 13 was destroyed. And so every year after that each district sends two "Tributes" a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, to participate in The "Hunger Games" a battle royale fight to the death.

The first book takes place in first person POV of Katniss Everdeen, and her experience with the games. And I'm not going to ruin the other books for you, they're fantastic. It's a great series, and if you enjoy Hunger Games, you'll enjoy the others too.

 

[Bartnum]

Re: Books

Just finished reading Yahtzee's Mogworld. It's a damn good book and I definitely recommend it.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

Just finished reading Yahtzee's Mogworld. It's a damn good book and I definitely recommend it.

Is it a fantasy? It kinda looked it from the fuzzy image I saw of the cover.

 

[Bartnum]

Re: Books

It's mostly fantasy based (MMORPG style) with a few elements of Sci Fi.

The story revolves around Jim, a magic student who died 60 years ago before being resurrected by a renegade necromancer. He nows wants nothing more than to find a way to die again (and permanently this time).

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Books

I saw Tassadar mentioned "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss and I wanted to second it and add a little reason why it's one of my favorite books ever.

First it has the basics to lure me in...medieval fantasy, magic, the academy, all the good stuff. But this book is so much more than that. It has the city life and music. Some parts are dark, others are colorful. The story is told in the format of a story within a story so you get some interesting insights of Kvothe, the hero that went terribly wrong and thought to be dead as he tells the story of his coming of age as a wizard warrior. But the biggest reason I think to try this book is it is written really well...like it says on his website it's an action story written with a poet's hand. The best way for me to describe it is like a painting because reading it made me feel like I was looking at a work of art or a classic literature novel.

.....now I feel corny but that's the only way I can think to describe it!

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

It's mostly fantasy based (MMORPG style) with a few elements of Sci Fi.

The story revolves around Jim, a magic student who died 60 years ago before being resurrected by a renegade necromancer. He nows wants nothing more than to find a way to die again (and permanently this time).

Seems odd and wacky, but could be interesting. I'll take a look next time I'm in the book store.

 

[DragonBlood87]

Re: Books

But I was reading Pratchet from the early age of 8. Sure I missed a lot of the jokes at that age, but still loved it.

I think everyone misses at least some of the jokes... there's just so many in each book that it's almost impossible to catch them all in a single reading. His novels are some of the few that I can actually stand to re-read, and it's mostly because I'll still find myself getting some more of the jokes each time I read them.

Yeah Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind and that whole series was one really long, really descriptive Fantastical soap Opera. Bu I liked it xD

I loved the first book, but the ones after that just kept going down in quality, in my opinion. By the time it got to Faith of the Fallen, the series had just taken on far too political of a tone for my tastes, and I just had to stop reading.

I have seen this book in actual 3D. It is fucking huge. FUCKING HUGE. We are talking at the very least 750 pages (I have not opened it up to see an actual page count. I'm afraid.) and it is BOOK ONE.

784 pages, with the glossary and author's notes, and it weighs as much as one of my college-level science textbooks. It looks more like a bludgeoning weapon than a book. It's a good read, though.


Here's a few other books I'd recommend; and yes, I saw that some were already mentioned; I'm just trying to give a little bit more of a synopsis on them than what I saw, and add my support to the recommendations already expressed. Anyways:

"First Citizen" by Thomas T. Thomas. It's an alternate-history type of book set in modern/slightly futuristic times, and it's basically a modernized version of Caesar's rise to power, but set in the U.S.

"The Redemption of Althalus" by David Eddings. It already got mentioned in the thread, but anyways, it's a slightly generic high-fantasy epic, but it's very well-written and a fun read.

The Dresden Files and the Codex Alera series, both by Jim Butcher. The Dresden Files (already mentioned several times in this thread) is a modern fantasy, following the exploits of Harry Dresden, a wizard and private investigator. The Codex Alera is a high-fantasy series using a "lost Roman legion" plot basis, set on another world.

"Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus" by Orson Scott Card was a very good time-travel/alternate-history novel.


Jim Butcher and Terry Pratchett are easily my two favorite fantasy authors, and by a large margin. Butcher is more serious, and has excellent pacing and plots, while Pratchett is more light-hearted, and has some of the funniest books I've ever read.


I would not recommend the Lord of the Isles series by David Drake. Having finally read the entire series, I wasn't very impressed; the writing is pretty good, though not fantastic, but the pacing wasn't very good (most of the action happens in the last third or less of each book, and it's usually pretty easy to guess how the plot is going to go), and he has to be one of the biggest users of recycled plots of all the authors I've read. Each book follows the same pattern of having the main characters split up into separate groups, travel a bit, fight some stuff, and rejoin. And the same characters end up doing the same kind of stuff in each book: Garric kills things with his fancy swordsmanship and talks to his dead ancestor; Cashel protects somebody and uses pseudo-magic-stuff; Sharina shows that she is a strong woman by menacing people with her machete; etc. Also, the plot is often inconsistent on details, including people continuing to use alternate dimensions even after all of them are supposedly merged into one as part of the plot. It just wasn't worth the large amount of reading I put into it, in my opinion.


Also, there's a book I rented from the local library a few years ago, and it was good, but I just can't, for the life of me, remember what it was called or who wrote it, despite having tried to research it several times. It was a sci-fi novel about genetic engineering; the "evil professor" guy in the book had created a virus that he used to change people's genes, and he used that to form a cult of people he had modified to be inhumanly strong, fast, and resistant to pain, and used them to kidnap some random people to turn into genetically-modified clones of himself.


Also, I'm very glad I found this thread; I've now got a lot of new books to read in my excessively long gap between classes.

 

[Newbie]

Re: Books

Apparently, shortly after being knighted Terry Pratchet decided that any knight worth his salt needs a sword. He decided to have one made special, and dug up some ore to this end. He then obtained a piece of meteorite to have mixed in with the ore, because everyone knows star-metal has magic properties.

 

[Copper]

Re: Books

Also, there's a book I rented from the local library a few years ago, and it was good, but I just can't, for the life of me, remember what it was called or who wrote it, despite having tried to research it several times. It was a sci-fi novel about genetic engineering; the "evil professor" guy in the book had created a virus that he used to change people's genes, and he used that to form a cult of people he had modified to be inhumanly strong, fast, and resistant to pain, and used them to kidnap some random people to turn into genetically-modified clones of himself.

Also, I'm very glad I found this thread; I've now got a lot of new books to read in my excessively long gap between classes.

Sorry, doesn't sound familiar to me, I'm afraid :/ Sci-fi was never quite my bag. More on the fantasy end of things. On that note, if you like Butcher, try Simon Green's "Nightside" series. Very noir but similiarish humor. He also does several fantasy series, too.

Apparently, shortly after being knighted Terry Pratchet decided that any knight worth his salt needs a sword. He decided to have one made special, and dug up some ore to this end. He then obtained a piece of meteorite to have mixed in with the ore, because everyone knows star-metal has magic properties.

This is why Pratchett kicks ass.

Also, Sin, you'll be proud of me. Guy was looking for a new series and I sold him on R. R. Martin. Same guy also told me that "Name of the Wind" was freaking epic and should be read. If I didn't have a stack as high as my hip to read already...

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

I am very proud of you Copper. Unfortunately he's going to be pissed after reading the fourth book, finding a cliffhanger and realizing the author is taking his fucking time about releasing the second half of book four.

Speaking of long books though, 784 isn't too bad. Martin himself had his first book sitting at 900 pages, second at 1000 third at 1100 and the half of the fourth book he released sitting at 700 or something like that. James Clavell's 'Shogun' was around 1100 pages. Hell, take a look at some of Stephen King's work, especially 'The Stand' and 'The Dome'.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Books

Speaking of long books though, 784 isn't too bad. Martin himself had his first book sitting at 900 pages, second at 1000 third at 1100 and the half of the fourth book he released sitting at 700 or something like that. James Clavell's 'Shogun' was around 1100 pages. Hell, take a look at some of Stephen King's work, especially 'The Stand' and 'The Dome'.

Well, anything much longer than 1000 pages pretty much has to be split into two parts.