Author Topic: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian  (Read 145510 times)

Bedwyr

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What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« on: 25 May 2016, 14:01:14 »
Ok, the old thread was due for a shutdown anyhow. I removed a couple posts for moderator action. These threads are usually pretty sedate so I don't welcome things like, say, politics rearing their ugly head. Kapische?


On a lighter note:
- Finally working *all the way* through Hitchiker's Guide. I know I know. It's like when my English professor whispered to his class with shame "I, umm, actually haven't read Moby Dick." It's ok. He's a medievalist.

- After that I'll go through Canticle for Liebowitz.

Nonfiction!
- Without discussion (please!) I'm going to try and chew through a fair bit of Plato's Republic and the Federalist Papers.
- Also working through some review of a couple textbooks: Linear Algebra (8th) by Wlliams, Modern Control Systems (11th) by Dorf
- And looking through a new one: Modeling and Simulatino of Aerospace Vehicle Dynamics by Zipfel (3rd).
Alas poor Photobucket. I knew him Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.

Fat Guy

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #1 on: 25 May 2016, 14:14:58 »
Just finished Fatal Thunder by Larry Bond.
I have spoken.


HobbesHurlbut

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #2 on: 25 May 2016, 14:17:47 »
Conan!

Just finished Turtledove's The Misplaced Legion. (wondered if displaced wasn't a better word), have to hunt down the other books in the series.
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The Eagle

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #3 on: 25 May 2016, 18:35:25 »
Doug Seacat's The Blood of Kings, from the War Machine/Hordes game.  I'm starting it tonight, we'll see how it goes.
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Drop Bear

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #4 on: 25 May 2016, 19:19:18 »
Just got through the Guenive Undead collection and the Amber Short Stories, Re Reading the Martian ATM and next on the Shelf is the Complete Amber Omnibus after than perhaps some Gibson or Reilly or Birmingham.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #5 on: 25 May 2016, 19:25:47 »
Conan!

Just finished Turtledove's The Misplaced Legion. (wondered if displaced wasn't a better word), have to hunt down the other books in the series.

One of his best series - he knew when to stop ;) Not that I won't buy his others. "Bombs Away" - Korean War goes nuc - pedestrian. Still got it & read it.

"The God Engines" by John Scalzi. Enjoyed it; more of a mood novella, but well done. I was reminded of my (then young) son's reaction to the ending of Larry Niven's "Protector" ;)
* No, FASA wasn't big on errata - ColBosch
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #6 on: 25 May 2016, 20:06:50 »
Just finished Lev Grossman's Magicians Trilogy.  Intrigued by how the TV series started and found the books to be one of the few trilogies that improved over its course.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #7 on: 25 May 2016, 21:09:04 »
Poking around in the Clavicula Salomonis for inspiration.

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nerd

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #8 on: 25 May 2016, 21:42:50 »
Read Termainal Lance: The White Donkey and A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, and The Hound of the Baskervilles on my flights recently.
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MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #9 on: 25 May 2016, 22:50:55 »
I'm finally getting around to reading American Gods.
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #10 on: 25 May 2016, 23:22:18 »
Damned fine book.

A couple of weeks ago, I read two short story collections - Mieville's "Three moments of an explosion", and Gaiman's "Trigger Warning". The Mieville collection was well written, less fantastical than his New Crobuzon books, and somewhat unsettling. Gaiman's was lyrical, unsettling, and deeply satisfying.
* 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
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* 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"

HobbesHurlbut

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #11 on: 26 May 2016, 08:52:05 »
Damned fine book.
Seconded. American Gods was a very fun read.
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MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #12 on: 26 May 2016, 09:31:20 »
Yeah, I've been meaning to read it for years anyway, and Amazon just had a 10th Anniversary Special on it- $2 on Kindle for the Author's Preferred Edition.
Warning: this post may contain sarcasm.

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GRUD

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #13 on: 26 May 2016, 23:40:42 »
I finished XCom 2: Resurrection recently.  Makes me sad I can't play the new PC game, since it's only available via Steam.   :'(


Currently reading Alien: Invasion (Book 2 of the Rage War Trilogy), and Javelin Rain (the sequel to Gemini Cell), and both are pretty good so far.  The first features Aliens controlled by Androids, each named after a Famous General.  We've seen Alexander, Montgomery, Patton, and Rommel so far.  They're attacking Humans AND Predators, now known as "Yautja", and the 2 have established a rough Truce to deal with the Rage (the Android/Alien forces).

The latter is based on the idea that there IS Magic in the world, though very few can harness it.  In the 1st Book a Navy SEAL died and "Gemini Cell" had their Sorcerer put the soul of a Jinn in his body, though for once, the human's soul stayed inside as well, and eventually "kicked out" the Jinn.  He HAD been working for Gemini Cell, going around and killing other Sorcerers that weren't working for GC, until he kicked the Jinn out.  Now he's on the run with his young son (about 7-8?), because they're like "The mob".  You're either in (and get to live), or you're out, (and get Whacked!).  There have been a few Interesting developments so far, and it will be interesting to see how things turn out.
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nerd

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #14 on: 28 May 2016, 11:02:24 »
I wrote up a fairly indepth review of The White Donkey, and put it up here a couple of weeks ago.

http://travellersandbox.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-review-terminal-lance-white-donkey.html

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Ruger

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #15 on: 29 May 2016, 08:23:41 »
I've been rereading my Isaac Asimov collection...

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nckestrel

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #16 on: 29 May 2016, 10:24:31 »
Finished The Lies of Locke Lamora recently.  Rereading Sweet Silver Blues now, while waiting for next 1634 and the Expanse books from library.
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #17 on: 29 May 2016, 17:31:52 »
Roger Macbride Allen's "Chronicles of Solace" - books 1 and 2 down, starting book 3.

I'd read his "Aliens and Allies" - aka "Torch of Honor", and its sequel whose name escapes me. I enjoyed the first book - romance of space exploration, sequing into sci-fi military. The Chronicles books are more cerebral, but have pulled me in and kept me reading. Like Asimov, there's a dearth of blasters and tentacles, and some of the most important scenes take place in libraries and a special museum. But highly recommended for those days when space opera seems not what you're looking for.
* 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 #18 on: 29 May 2016, 18:36:32 »
Like Asimov, there's a dearth of blasters and tentacles, and some of the most important scenes take place in libraries and a special museum. But highly recommended for those days when space opera seems not what you're looking for.

Like Orson Scott Card once said of Asimov's work: "all talk, no action--but Asimov's talk is action."

Ruger
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #19 on: 31 May 2016, 12:13:22 »
buddy from great britain sent me complete set of e pubs of james bond...will be a while till i get t see nd read where the bond franchise got its start...
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #20 on: 31 May 2016, 13:32:24 »
Finishing up Richard Dansky's "Lasombra". Then onto Jason Schmetzer's "Embers of War".

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #21 on: 31 May 2016, 19:47:34 »
I am slowly working my way through The Wheel of Time Companion, at 'de' currently, and am finding more about the series frequently.

Also of note, there is an interesting essay on Tor.com about Robert Jordon being the American Tolkien.  Not trying to stir a pot but found the article interesting.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #22 on: 02 June 2016, 11:52:44 »
Just finished Garth Nix's 'Clariel'.  Trying to decide if I want to move on to the last book in the trilogy straight away or pick up something else for a bit. 
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #23 on: 11 June 2016, 10:03:53 »
Just started on Octavia Butler's Lilith's Brood trilogy.  Been so long since I read the first book (the only one that our local library had) that I'd forgotten a lot of things.  Like just how colossal of jerks the aliens were. Or the quaintness of reading a story where the USSR was a bad guy.
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #24 on: 11 June 2016, 10:09:35 »
Finished Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It's so-so.

Currently reading:

The Once and Future King
by TH White (2 chapters just before bed)

and

SEAL Survival Guide by Cade Courtley for research purposes.

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #25 on: 16 June 2016, 11:41:20 »
I'm reading Gate - Thus the JSDF Fought There. Originally web novel, then edited for print novel series, then each novel got turned into 2 light novels, those who have translated it into english don't know japanese so they translate it from chinese. Are you confused yet? I'm at third novel volume or at 5th light novel. Usually I read it at work while eating, or while I sit in the toilet.
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HobbesHurlbut

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #26 on: 16 June 2016, 12:06:37 »
I'm reading Gate - Thus the JSDF Fought There. Originally web novel, then edited for print novel series, then each novel got turned into 2 light novels, those who have translated it into english don't know japanese so they translate it from chinese. Are you confused yet? I'm at third novel volume or at 5th light novel. Usually I read it at work while eating, or while I sit in the toilet.
....so it was originally a web novel? then edited for DTF then adapted into light novels and then adapted into manga and then adapted into anime...  :D
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #27 on: 16 June 2016, 14:15:28 »
....so it was originally a web novel? then edited for DTF then adapted into light novels and then adapted into manga and then adapted into anime...  :D
Order is:
Web novel
Print novel
Manga (on-going)
Light novel
Anime

I've been told print novels & light novels have identical writing, but light novels have pictures while novels have only covers and little (or nothing) else. Manga seems to be faithful adaptation of the novels but adds fan service (bathing with much details, not so much in unofficially translated light novels). Anime cuts off much of the gorn: dead have bullet holes in their armor but no blood, little in fan service, no sex/rape. Towards the end story got rushed, like trying to cover more of the timeline than what was originally planned for.

In my opinion manga is the best. (Light) novels add some details and insight, like what characters are thinking. But some things just don't seem to fit. According to the novels, leather armor worn by the dark elves covers whole body from neck down to the boots like superhero outfits. But in none of the pictures (nor in the anime for that matter) does it look like that.
« Last Edit: 16 June 2016, 14:18:30 by Matti »
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Wrangler

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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #28 on: 20 June 2016, 20:08:18 »
Has there been any good cutting edge scifi novels that has come out?  I've been wanting get into something of a space opera type.  I've been always levitating to "try-true" or "old and forgotten" books series, like Honor Harrington Series (Battletech, but I'm still sticking with that one. ;)).  I ended my self-impossed boycott of reading "new" core Honor Harrington such A Rising Thunder, and the side-story Shadows of Freedom book.)

Any recommendations?

I enjoyed Shadows of Freedom, thou for David Weber, it was shorter book. Sounds like Weber is going after the 800-pound gorilla in the room in next in the side-series. Admiral Gold Peak and her 10th fleet is going pay visit in Mesa.  I bet thats going be more political than slash, smash, and seeya Mesa Alignment fans.)
« Last Edit: 20 June 2016, 21:41:38 by Wrangler »
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Re: What are we Reading Now: Conan the Librarian
« Reply #29 on: 20 June 2016, 20:13:18 »
I just finished "A Company of Heroes" by Brotherton.  It really makes one reflect on a variety of things.