What Are You Reading?

[Chun the Unavoidable]

After watching and very much enjoying the Netflix rendering of it, I'm finally getting around to reading Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.

[Xisor]

And now on to "Giantslayer"!

The Paths are open!

----

The end of Vampireslayer also had the finest little interaction -

"Herr Jager! Herr Gurnisson! It gives me great pleasure to renew our acquaintance."

The throne room was vast, quiet and appeared to be in good repair. On a massive ebony throne lolled Adolphus Krieger. <snip>

"Snorri Nosebiter is here too, you cheeky bastard," said Snorri.

"My apologies. I was not sure whether to call you Herr Nosebiter or not."

Made all the more entertaining, as my thoughts immediately, indignantly leapt to that as well: "Snorri's there too!"

[Chun the Unavoidable]

The Fractal Prince, Hannu Rajaniemi.

[Rob P]

Hi all

Looking for reading recommendations.

Quite fancy the Jaghatai Khan primarch novella? Has anyone read that? Are any of the others any good?

Anyone read any decent modern horror recently?

------------

Edit: Currently reading The Greats on Leadership.

This has got me thinking about reading some Greek plays - anyone got any views on that?

[Chun the Unavoidable]

This has got me thinking about reading some Greek plays - anyone got any views on that?

I finally got around to reading The Iliad last year - still powerful stuff.

Now back on the Horror (though at the classier end of the market): Ramsay Campbell's Incarnate.

[Rob P]

I think I read the Fagles version about 20 years ago - was a great read.

Currently on the BL day freebie. I think i'll pick this up and drop it off - don't feel motivated to go cover to cover.

Either going to get that new Death Guard novel or read the last Stephen King on my shelf (don't think it's a horror).

[Duke_Leto]

Can anyone recommend a few good horror novels to me? While there is a good line up of BL fiction coming up this year I feel I need to take a break having recently had another binge and want to delve into horror.

I am not someone who has read much horror over the years (can't remember the last one actually) so not a genre I am particularly clued up on.

Also not really sure what "type" of horror I would like so willing to give anything a try.

Have certainly enjoyed what I would consider to be the horror elements of some of the BL books like Peter Fehervari's work and some of the scenes in Abnett's Anarch for example.

So recommendations would be welcome.

Thanks

[Rob P]

Depends what you want from your horror really.

I'd throw these your way for variety:

Skein and Bone - VH Leslie
N0S4R2 - Joe Hill
Dolly - Susan Hill
Last Days of Jack Sparks - Jason Arnopp
Nod - Adrian Barnes

[Duke_Leto]

Depends what you want from your horror really.

I'd throw these your way for variety:

Skein and Bone - VH Leslie
N0S4R2 - Joe Hill
Dolly - Susan Hill
Last Days of Jack Sparks - Jason Arnopp
Nod - Adrian Barnes

Great thanks will check them out. I don't really know what I am looking for as horror not something as a genre I have properly explored, so willing to try a wide range and see which ones appeal the most.

[Chun the Unavoidable]

Great thanks will check them out. I don't really know what I am looking for as horror not something as a genre I have properly explored, so willing to try a wide range and see which ones appeal the most.

I'd add a few authors, if I may: Ramsay Campbell for under the skin insidious stuff; Lovecraft for the 1920s cosmic stuff (and Thomas Ligotti for the nihilistic modern version). Laird Barron's The Croning was also very good, and he's one author I mean to read more of. Hope this helps.

[Therion]

This reminds me of my pile of unread weird tales hardcovers - Poe, Lovecraft, Ligotti. And the 1000 page Lovecraft's biography of course.

[Chun the Unavoidable]

The Dark Forest, Cixin Liu.

[Xisor]

Finished Road of Skulls: mighty. I'd forgotten how deft and also casual Josh was about all his neat notions, like explicitly having Gotrek at points instruct Fix that "this doesn't go in the story", not to mention the triple parallels presented by Canto/Khorreg, Biter/Koertig and Ungrim/Ranulfson.

Well, it slightly breaks down on that last bit, as you've got Garagrim & Kemma each overshadowing Ranulfson and breaking the symmetry, but in a way that brings things to life rather than makes it difficult.

Very good read.

---

On to CJ Sansom's Dissolution now!

[Rob P]

Just finished Mike Carey's The Boy on the Bridge being the prequel to The Girl with all the Gifts.

Before reading it i'd glanced at a review saying that it suffered from prequel syndrome and this is something that was stuck in my mind as I started reading it.

It's a difficult one this. I'd compare the time shift thing to The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. If you want some overall development in the backdrop then a story taking place in the past with different characters is going to disappoint. If you're more interested in the characters then a common setting gives you rules and expectations and the backdrop is simply a backdrop

It's true that it does suffer some for being a prequel of sorts. I was looking for how the events would connect to the previous book and the author cleverly placed some red herrings to pull my expectations one way and then throw me off.

The first half of the book relied on setting up character tensions and a sense of foreboding. Following an avalanche of mistakes the characters find themselves back into a corner more than once.

The latter half of the books makes use of the previously built tension by throwing the characters into conflict (within and without).

By the end of the book I was satisfied with what I had read.

Even though this is a prequel I was strongly recommend reading the books in order to get the most from them.

[Fenris]

Finally found an ebook version of The Eternal Champion (as in the first Moorcock book about champion Erekose) and bought it.Don't ask me why i wanted to start from Erekose and not Elric or one of the other "famous" champions' series because i dont know myself

Problem is...remember an year ago when i wrote i was starting Jain Zhar?Well,i still have to finish that (i have really adjusted badly to my new job and the time to read always escapes me)

Hope to finish one and start the other sooner than later

[Chun the Unavoidable]

The current Interzone magazine to see if it's worth re-subscribing... I think it might be.

[Chun the Unavoidable]

High time for some Fantasy. This chap shows promise: The Children of Hurin, JRR Tolkien (edited by Christopher Tolkien).

[Chun the Unavoidable]

Sisyphean, written and illustrated by Dempow Torishima, translated by Daniel Huddleston. The illustrations border on astounding - I'm expecting something of the same from the text.

[Xisor]

Been a bit distracted by work, but happily making fine progress with "Dissolution". It's a damn enjoyable novel, can see why Sansom's books are so damn popular!

A bit grim though, who would have thought that English history would be grim and dark?

[Chun the Unavoidable]

Firefall, Peter Watts. I've been hearing much good regarding Watts, but this is my first read of him.