The Books/Reading Thread

[CiG]

Is that another HH book?

Yeah the 6th book of the series which tells the origin story of Lion El' Jonson and the Dark Angels.

 

[Dak]

Maybe when GW stops being passive aggressive cunts and releases a model of the Lion! "The Lion is fully healed but uh, waits for the right time...hurdur"

I've been so close to buying a 3rd party model for him and house rule pseudoGirlyman rules just because GW won't release him.

 

[CiG]

Give it time, it's running in tandem with plot developments and as a life long Warhammerer, new actually significant plot developments are long fucking overdue.

 

[unknown]

anyone read ready player one
what an absolutely cracking book
my new keyboard is on its way.
lm about to start reading jeff vandermeer' the southern reach trilogy which l hear is amazeballs
and neal asher's trilogy is bonkers

I loved the Southern Reach trilogy, but I feel like overall opinions are very divided. If you don't like the first book, I would still recommend the second since it's told from a different perspective

 

[Talos of Atmora]

The Book of the New Sun V. I: Shadow and Claw

@CASSETTEISGOD I'd recommend this if you haven't read it already.

 

[CiG]

I'll make a note of it. Looks interesting, what are the details? Why me?

 

[Talos of Atmora]

I'll make a note of it. Looks interesting, what are the details? Why me?

Well, it has grim and complex setting with interesting characters and a compelling premise.

 

[Einherjar86]

Yeah, Book of the New Sun is great. Funny, but when I first saw the cover I thought it was The Black Company (for some reason I confuse Gene Wolfe and Glen Cook), which is excellent if you're into dark epic fantasy (also influential on the Malazan series):

 

[TageRyche]

@TageRyche what would be your top book recommendations from the past few years? i love thrillers/mysteries/procedurals/pulp/etc as long as they have some character, atmosphere, creativity.

I don't have my lists for 2015 and 2016, but here's three other years lists:

2013 Books
2014 Book
2017 Books

 

[CiG]

Legion was definitely one of the best and most engrossing Horus Heresy books I've read thus far.

 

[tagradh]

Just finished this and started Terminal World because advertising.

 

[Einherjar86]

I started reading Reynolds's Revelation Space a while back, made it a couple hundred pages and then didn't finish. Wild fucking book, serious far-future hard sci-fi. I loved it, it was just so much to keep up with. Have to return to that someday...

 

[tagradh]

It's a good series. Was thinking about going through them again later in the year but I think after re-reading all the original Dune books it's gonna be a while before I go through anything of significant length for a second time. Found out the other day that he'd just released a sequel to The Prefect so I'll probably do that next.

 

[no country for old wainds]

I started reading Reynolds's Revelation Space a while back, made it a couple hundred pages and then didn't finish.

same. definitely super weird and full of interesting ideas, but it left me pretty detached. i'm not really a hard sci-fi guy though.

 

[Einherjar86]

same. definitely super weird and full of interesting ideas, but it left me pretty detached. i'm not really a hard sci-fi guy though.

Detachment is definitely one effect that books achieves, I think. Typically I'm a fan of detachment (or estrangement) in fiction, especially science fiction; but that book handles it pretty coldly, I'll admit.

I get really into hard sci-fi when it's done well. Arthur C. Clarke excels at it, in my opinion. As far as contemporary writers go, I'm tempted to say that Ted Chiang and Peter Watts are two of the best in general, not just in hard sci-fi.

 

[tagradh]

More writers should stick in references like Watts. Even when it's really far fetched, it's cool to read the science behind the ideas.

 

[CiG]

Amazing that this book (and other variations of it) go for thousands of dollars now.

 

[Einherjar86]

Must be out of print. Is it any good...?

There's a really big divide over Marx that has less to do with politics than methodology. Economists and philosophers simply don't agree on what his work is; economists see it mostly as bad economics, and philosophers see it as good philosophy. Given that divide, I'm not surprised a book on critical assessments of Marx's economics didn't sell well.

There's a very good collection of essays titled Reading Capital, compiled by Louis Althusser. Althusser's essay goes to heart of the controversy over Marx, basically saying it's because contemporary critics misidentify exactly what his work is/is doing.

 

[CiG]

I actually don't remember if it's any good, didn't get around to reading it tonight.
I remember enjoying it when I first read it though, I think it had some good stuff he wrote against Malthusianism or something.

Honestly it's been ages, sorry. My ex gave it to me so long ago.

 

[tagradh]

same. definitely super weird and full of interesting ideas, but it left me pretty detached. i'm not really a hard sci-fi guy though.

Might want to check out Terminal World. First 1/3 or so has been pretty good and it's definitely not hard. Been more noir/steampunk than sci fi so far.