The Great Hullabaloo: BOOKS.

[Jan]

Oh, and Pete Bondurant was a long used name of mine on another board. So there is that.

[Captain Russ]

To say my portrait of Dudley Smith is schizophrenic is an understatement.

Especially at the end of Jazz.

EDIT: Nice choice, sir.

[Captain Russ]

Ellroy's America is a place I could see myself spending the rest of my days.

It is the perfect mix of myth, fact, and insanity.

[Martin]

Halfway through "The Blade Itself" by Abercrombie and I have to say that it rather lives up to the hype so far. While it can´t hold a candle next to Scott Lynch´s "Locke Lamorrah"-books it is definitely a brisk and funny read with good pacing and an interesting world building.

While not being a big fantasy reader, should I give the "Game of Throne" books a chance, given the ravings about the TV-adaption and my previous stated tastes?

Look, Lamora is one of my favorite book ever (tried the sequel? Fun stuff too!).

As for Game of Thrones, I thnk the TV adaptation is superior to the book so far. Martin ain't great as a writer, but he writers great plots, and those are well transposed on screen. But overall, his books are a BIT better than the Abercrombie books (good ones as well), but I'd recommend you some Steven Erikson. He REALLY pushed the genre, like Martin did. So, GoT are good book, worth your time, but I'd try Gardens of the Moon if I was you and if you're unafraid of non standard fantasy that actually challenges you.

[Jan]

The sequel is pretty excellent as well, indeed. I am actually dying for the third book. Amazon over here has a publishing date beginning July of this year but according to other sources it will be released in Oktober. Can you shed any light on that? Surely my local Amazon is right, if only because that would be in mere few weeks!

Maybe I´ll give the TV adaption a spin first then, when it´s gonna be released over here. According to all the buzz it delivers and then some. But I´ll keep Mr. Erikson in mind to tackle after I am through my still-to-read-shelf.

Thanks for the advice!

[Martin]

Scott Lynch suffers from depression, so I'd take my November date as "maybe". I'll wait for that kind of quality. I loved the 2nd one as well. But still, the scene at the end of the 1st book

  Spoiler: SPOILER 

when Locke stabs the badguy when he makes him believe Jean is right behind him

is one of my favorite moment in litterature. A wonderful payoff. As was the chairs bit in the 2nd book.

And Erikson delivered a 10 books series, and just finished it. With one book to go, all I can say is HOLY SHIT this is good.

[Jan]

Damn, now that´s - baddapish! - depressing news.

But I´ll promise to learn how to spell Lamora correctly until the third book comes around.

That sequence you referred absolutely floored me as well. Though the whole book is full of sequences that will knock it out of the park if done right on the big screen. I am particulary happy that the series has the best way to jump the shark in the first book already. And that is a compliment!

[Nathan]

Simon Pegg wrote a book
http://www.amazon.com/Nerd-Do-Well-J...8065959&sr=8-2

[BillyG]

He's going to be in Austin doing a signing tomorrow I believe. I are sad.

Finished The Wise Man's Fear last night. Good, not quite as good as Name of the Wind, but very enjoyable. I did not care for how long he spent on Felurian, that whole section just dragged ass. Interesting cliffhanger but not an OMG moment at all.

[Howard]

Just finished Towers of Midnight. Sanderson has done the impossible. Tied up all the plots and brought WoT to it's concluding chapter. Honestly, I'm more than impressed.

[Martin]

Im reading OUt of the Dark, an alien invasion story where mankind fight back a bit-with the help of

  Spoiler: SPOILER that might make you read the book!!! 

motherfucking vampires. Yeah, Dracula is in this.

This is why I read that. Next up: The Crippled God and A Dance of Dragons.

[Timothy225]

Cracked open my copies of Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars and Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Felt like getting all sophisticated up in here, up in here.

Suetonius' account of the first 12 emperors of the Roman Empire is heavy on history, steamy gossip, and religious symbolism and allegory (man, those Romans were some superstitious folk). Really fills in some blanks as to what was going on back in the day, and you also learn that even the best of the emperor's had feet of clay. Very good read, especially if you're a fan of stuff like I, Claudius.

The Art of War has probably been discussed to death, but it's still a fascinating read, and mandatory just for life lessons alone. That, and Machiavelli's The Prince, are must reads if you're into politics, strategy, history, and human nature and behavior.

[BillyG]

Brittany came in dancing with our copy of Dance With Dragons last night, then reminded me she paid for it so she's reading it first. BAAAAAH

[Chris Miller]

Just finished Towers of Midnight. Sanderson has done the impossible. Tied up all the plots and brought WoT to it's concluding chapter. Honestly, I'm more than impressed.

I stopped at book eight. Should I just assume Tarmon Gaiddon was pretty cool and Rand won?

[Chris Miller]

Wait, I just read that wont happen until Memory of Light. Jesus, even after he's dead Jordan is long fucking winded.