What are we reading?

Started by Martok, March 05, 2012, 01:13:59 PM

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Pinetree

#465
Quote from: OJsDad on January 08, 2013, 05:46:30 PM
Quote from: Pinetree on January 05, 2013, 10:21:14 PM
Just finished Through Struggle the Stars by John J. Lumpkin. Quite possibly the best hard sci-fi novel I've ever read. Everything about the setting and story seems real. Looking forward to the sequel.

I read this awhile ago.  The concepts where good, but the writing was awlful. 

Interesting, I thought the writing was excellent; the story just seemed to flow nicely, all the characters seemed to react to events realistically, dialogue was great and there was lots of moral ambiguity.What didn't you like? I may be biased as the book feels like a combination of my favourite scifi setting (2300AD RPG ) and one of my favourite wargames (Attack Vector:Tactical, one of the most realistic starship combat games out there). I loved it.

Quote from: Airborne Rifles on January 08, 2013, 12:39:22 PM
Quote from: Pinetree on January 05, 2013, 10:21:14 PM

I've just started Ralph Peters' The War After Armageddon, very dark subject matter. It's interesting how his vision of future war has changed over the years as I remember reading The War in 2020 about 20 years ago and it had a completely different scenario.

I found the whole thing a little unbelievable, very dark.  Interested to hear your thoughts.

Thar' be spoilers below:










I've just finished it and it was a very bleak ending. I found the whole religious fervour of the US a bit much, esp. the description of the US in the epilogue. The war-fighting and technology side seemed spot on though.
Gen. Montgomery: "Your men don't salute much."
Gen. Freyberg: "Well, if you wave at them they'll usually wave back."

Pinetree

Quote from: Shelldrake on January 08, 2013, 01:04:08 PM
Quote from: Pinetree on January 05, 2013, 10:21:14 PM
Just finished Through Struggle the Stars by John J. Lumpkin. Quite possibly the best hard sci-fi novel I've ever read. Everything about the setting and story seems real. Looking forward to the sequel.

Looks good. Thanks for the recommendation!

No worries, another book I highly recommend is The Martian, which you can download for free from the link. It's a brilliant tale of an Astronaut who is mistakenly left for dead on Mars and how he struggles to survive. It's mainly told through his log and the character has an awesome sense of humour. Apparently the science is good too.
Gen. Montgomery: "Your men don't salute much."
Gen. Freyberg: "Well, if you wave at them they'll usually wave back."

Shelldrake

"Just because something is beyond your comprehension doesn't mean it is scientific."

Dean Edell

JasonPratt

Having heard good things about Sanderson's grand finale to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (and generally positive things about the books after Crossroads of Twilight, which is where I gave up on the series until I heard good things about the conclusion), I am starting the slow crawl to the end from Book 1, The Eye Of The World.

I haven't read through the series in at least ten years, so it's interesting to see how the first chapters (and the main protagonists in their first appearances) compare, even with where I last left them (having finished book 9, Winter's Heart), much moreso with the few spoilery things I've read about A Memory of the Light (or whatever it's called--I've heard so many versions of the title over the years I can't get my mind to nail down the final version. ;) )
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Gusington

Anyone here read Agincourt by Cornwell?


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Bison

I've not read Agincourt but I really enjoy Cornwell's writing.  Might have to put this one on the list.

Gusington

Agincourt is available for 0.01...I don't think I can go wrong. Unless I should just get a history of the battle instead...


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Bison

Yeah I didn't see that but I buy most of my books for my Kindle these days.

Longdan

It is good enough but Cornwell is one of those 50 page a day writer's I think and I can only handle
so much of him.  Sometimes his characters act like idiots or just plain murderers.  But I remember it as a smooth
enough read
digni enim sunt interdicunt

Gusington

Any alternatives? I've only read one book by him, in the Viking series. It was OK. Still...0.01. Pretty decent.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Bison

I like Cornwell's characters.  They remind me of Martin's characters in Game of Thones.  The good guys aren't all good and the bad guys aren't all bad.  Well except Cersi, she's just a bitch.

MetalDog

Quote from: Bison on January 12, 2013, 10:46:21 PM
Well except Cersei, she's just a bitch.


Yeah, but she likes to get down.
And the One Song to Rule Them All is Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones


"If its a Balrog, I don't think you get an option to not consent......." - bob

Bison


Staggerwing

#478
I keep meaning to start The Last Kingdom one of these days. Speaking of which...

Gus, for a bit of medium-weight reading try Harry Harrison's  trilogy The Hammer and the Cross/One King's Way/King and Emperor. It was co-authored by Tom Shippey (as John Holm) who is a Tolkien scholar. It is actually alt-history but so full of references to Anglo-Saxon and Viking history that anyone who has taken an interested in the subject(s) will find it captivating. There are a small number of anachronisms (such as a reference to the Dutch coast) but the story is good enough that you can let them slide.
Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
-Sonic Reducer, -Dead Boys

Staggerwing

Quote from: MetalDog on January 12, 2013, 10:48:23 PM
Quote from: Bison on January 12, 2013, 10:46:21 PM
Well except Cersei, she's just a bitch.


Yeah, but she likes to get down.

I haven't read that series yet but the name Cersei must be a reference to Circe, the sorceress from the Odyssey, no?
Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
-Sonic Reducer, -Dead Boys