Author Topic: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian  (Read 145486 times)

Top Sergeant

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #270 on: 11 May 2017, 20:19:11 »
Re-reading the RCN series by Drake. I'm on The Far Side of the Stars. (#3)
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elf25s

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #271 on: 12 May 2017, 13:07:22 »
if i get the time i will start reading all ian flemings 007 series...this weekend...
you sure cannot out run death...but sure as hell you can make that bastard work for it!

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #272 on: 13 May 2017, 04:21:44 »
StarShip Troopers - post Korean war sci-fi military novel
The Forever War - post Vietnam war sci-fi military novel

So what's the post-Gulf War sci-fi military novel? Kratman's "The Liberator"? (hopefully not) Scalzi's "Old Man's War"? not John Ringo's "Ghost" series  #P. Comments?

I've heard good things about Embedded by Dan Abnett (of "and Andy Lanning" fame), Linda Nagata's The Red trilogy, and Marko Kloos' Frontline series.  Would Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy count as military SF, or is it more Space Opera?
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #273 on: 13 May 2017, 04:47:16 »
Embedded is a good book. I read it a couple of years back. Triumff, also by Abnett, is a change of pace for him as it involves humor and satire. Elements I had not seen in any of his previous works that I read.
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #274 on: 13 May 2017, 05:24:50 »
Had some time today to read, so I finished The Sandman Book of Dreams... hit and miss I'm afraid. Also borrowed Gaiman's Norse Mythology off a friend. Okay fine, as an introduction for a first timer its good, but I've heard a couple of the tales retold in a more interesting manner. Still, I wouldn't mind if he made it a series and tackled a few other mythologies the same way, specially ones I'm not familiar with.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #275 on: 16 May 2017, 19:50:33 »
After hearing about the series earlier in the thread I looked into David Drake's "Hammer's Slammers" series and picked up all three volumes of "The Complete Hammer's Slammers". Looking forward to starting in on these books tonight.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #276 on: 16 May 2017, 22:11:21 »
Joe Abercrombie's "Half a ..." trilogy.

"Half a king" - really enjoyed this. Runs near a whole bunch of fantasy tropes, but avoids all the cliches, and produces some excellent twists & turns.

"Half the world" was good, but somehow not quite as satisfying.

"Half a war" - not finished it yet; interesting, but I think I see how it'll end.

Still Abercrombie is an enjoyable writer, and I've had good fun reading his other books.

Next, "War Factory" - Neal Asher's next Polity book.
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elf25s

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #277 on: 17 May 2017, 09:26:07 »
finally got around to finishing
leo frankowskis
copernics rebelion and boy and his tank

some fun short time with ideas that are little off beaten path
you sure cannot out run death...but sure as hell you can make that bastard work for it!

BrokenMnemonic

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #278 on: 18 May 2017, 12:03:06 »
Storybundle has a bundle of military sci-fi ebooks running at the moment, but I don't recognise many titles. I recognise a few of the authors, though!

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #279 on: 15 June 2017, 14:17:32 »
Stalin's Hammer: a novel of the Axis of Time
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MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #280 on: 13 July 2017, 14:29:17 »
I'm reading a superhero story right now.  The characters are okay, but it's painfully obvious that the author has no idea how the US Legal System actually works: he keeps having things occur involving laws that would never happen that way in real life.  He's also prone to inserting in author's notes in the middle of chapters to reassure as that he's not actually trying to make a political statement with his ridiculously caricatured politician character or what game system he got the name for a type of superpower from: in other words, stuff that should have gone into an author's foreword or author's notes section rather than go into the story itself.
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #281 on: 14 July 2017, 12:17:16 »
Now on House of the Sun in my return to the sixth world.  This gives me an excuse to again mention how much I enjoyed Findley's work on Shadowrun.  A few weeks ago I found his Earthdawn novel, and I am saving it for next Saturday (Findley's birthday).

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #282 on: 14 July 2017, 23:17:46 »
James D. Hornfischer's The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at War in the Pacific, 1944-1945
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #283 on: 15 July 2017, 15:14:08 »
Poul Andersons Tau Zero. It was a bit depressing, but okay.

Trajan Helmer

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #284 on: 08 August 2017, 12:03:58 »
Just finished Bernard Cornwell's Waterloo The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles
Storm of Swords is probably next.
Anyone can redesign the Hellbringer's base chassis.  Real men work only with the pod loadout- Natasha K (forum poster)

Do not taunt Happy Fun Aegis. http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,42045.msg968574.html#msg968574

elf25s

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #285 on: 17 August 2017, 09:17:31 »
ok for life of me i cannot remember the title of book by larry niven that had the sea statue loose on earth.
you sure cannot out run death...but sure as hell you can make that bastard work for it!

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #286 on: 17 August 2017, 13:30:07 »
World of Ptaavs, elf25!
* No, FASA wasn't big on errata - ColBosch
* The Housebook series is from the 80's and is the foundation of Btech, the 80's heart wrapped in heavy metal that beats to this day - Sigma
* To sum it up: FASAnomics: By Cthulhu, for Cthulhu - Moonsword
* Because Battletech is a conspiracy by Habsburg & Bourbon pretenders - MadCapellan
* The Hellbringer is cool, either way. It's not cool because it's bad, it's cool because it's bad with balls - Nightsky
* It was a glorious time for people who felt that we didn't have enough Marauder variants - HABeas2, re "Empires Aflame"

elf25s

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #287 on: 17 August 2017, 13:33:36 »
somehow i knew you would know and be first one to know it LOL
thanks...!
now where did i put the box with that book?
you sure cannot out run death...but sure as hell you can make that bastard work for it!

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #288 on: 17 August 2017, 18:33:49 »
Just finished reading "The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science" by Richard Holmes. Fascinating book. (It's hard to pick a favorite section, it was all equally fascinating. But I would have to say the section about the Herchels and ballooning were both fantastic). If only they had taught science class like that in school I might of actually paid attention!

Next one up is "Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration" by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #289 on: 19 August 2017, 18:34:21 »
Where can I find good reference material for uniforms, branch insignia, and branch colors of the Japanese Self Defense Force?
We hear that there are tumults and riots in Rome, and that voices are raised concerning the army and the quality of our soldiers. Make haste to reassure us that you love and support us as we love and support you, for if we find that we have left our bones to bleach in these sands in vain, then beware the fury of the legions.


MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #290 on: 26 September 2017, 13:56:56 »
I got a sci-fi anthology (A Fistful of Credits) on my Kindle recently.  Started reading it until I got to an author's blurb about antimatter not being real.

Deleted it on the spot.  Was a Kindle Unlimited book so not out any money.
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #291 on: 01 October 2017, 12:52:47 »
Reading several books: Seven Fallen Feathers, Salt: A World History, The Witchwood Crown, and The Tiger's Daughter.
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #292 on: 03 October 2017, 15:37:07 »
I just started reading Alistair Reynolds' book Pushing Ice.  So far, its starting out a bit like Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama.  Humans trying to investigate an giant alien ship before it leaves the solar system.  I'll have to see what the author does to make this story unique. 

Re-reading the RCN series by Drake. I'm on The Far Side of the Stars. (#3)
Like a lot of us here, I suspect, I'm generally a fan of military SF.  For some reason I just could not get into this series, though.   :-\

Also borrowed Gaiman's Norse Mythology off a friend. Okay fine, as an introduction for a first timer its good, but I've heard a couple of the tales retold in a more interesting manner.
I was really disappointed in Gaiman's Norse Mythology.  As you said, they were a serviceable retelling of the old stories, but I was really expecting an author like Gaiman to do something interesting with them, not just regurgitate them.   :(
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #293 on: 03 October 2017, 16:34:26 »
If you haven't read "Century Rain", get that after "Pushing Ice". They're not at all connected.

Have you read the whole "Revalation Space" series? "The Prefect" is my absolute favourite of a series of darned good books. And "Terminal World" is a wonderful novel.

Side issue - China Mieville's "Railsea" is a wonderfully subversive piece of narrative.
* No, FASA wasn't big on errata - ColBosch
* The Housebook series is from the 80's and is the foundation of Btech, the 80's heart wrapped in heavy metal that beats to this day - Sigma
* To sum it up: FASAnomics: By Cthulhu, for Cthulhu - Moonsword
* Because Battletech is a conspiracy by Habsburg & Bourbon pretenders - MadCapellan
* The Hellbringer is cool, either way. It's not cool because it's bad, it's cool because it's bad with balls - Nightsky
* It was a glorious time for people who felt that we didn't have enough Marauder variants - HABeas2, re "Empires Aflame"

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #294 on: 03 October 2017, 16:37:18 »
Like a lot of us here, I suspect, I'm generally a fan of military SF.  For some reason I just could not get into this series, though.   :-\
I was really disappointed in Gaiman's Norse Mythology.  As you said, they were a serviceable retelling of the old stories, but I was really expecting an author like Gaiman to do something interesting with them, not just regurgitate them.   :(
It's a book I'd recommend to teens or well-read preteens who have zero idea about Norse mythology. So there is that. I shouldn't fault it for not living up to previous retellings I've read... but I do. Gonna try Ocean at the End of the Lane next.

Drake's RCN reads like Honor Harrington fanfiction, IMHO.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #295 on: 04 October 2017, 05:50:11 »
I finished A Storm of Swords last week, it was a slog to get all the way through that for some reason and I'm halfway through A Feast For Crows this week. A better book, imho.  I'm also reading What to Expect: The First Year for babies. 
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #296 on: 23 October 2017, 13:32:03 »
I just finished Chain of Command by Frank Chadwick. Its a very enjoyable (IMO) piece of military Scifi involving a conflict between humans and another member of the interstellar confederation they belong to.  The main character is serving on an American space destroyer and it follows him and the ship through the conflict.
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #297 on: 23 October 2017, 18:13:48 »
Currently reading Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything. So far, very enjoyable and interesting.
Good news is the lab boys say the symptoms of asbestos poisoning show an immediate latency of 44.6 years. So if you're thirty or over you're laughing. Worst case scenario you miss out on a few rounds of canasta, plus you've forwarded the cause of science by three centuries. I punch those numbers into my calculator, it makes a happy face.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #298 on: 01 December 2017, 17:13:36 »
Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, all ten books.  Currently up to Reaper's Gate.  Really amazing series, especially when Erikson's humor comes to the front, which it does quite a bit from Midnight Tides and on. 
« Last Edit: 08 December 2017, 12:49:31 by Banzai »

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #299 on: 01 December 2017, 17:26:24 »
Reading Born A Crime by Trevor Noah.
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