The B&B Book Review
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Dark Soldier wrote:Aaroncupboard wrote:in 1974 such and such happened. In 1982 such and such happened.
In 1984 someone died.
In 1985 no one died
In 1986 no one died
In 1987 no one died
I could go on -
It was a joke based on someone dying in a book about serial killers. -
regmcfly wrote:Dark Soldier wrote:Aaroncupboard wrote:in 1974 such and such happened. In 1982 such and such happened.
In 1984 someone died.
In 1985 no one died
In 1986 no one died
In 1987 no one died
I could go on
I did wonder why there was a whole chapter on an incident with a pigeon.
Gamertag: aaroncupboard (like the room where you keep towels) -
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Send messageWow, Charlie Higson didn't piss out about with his Fighting Fantasy book, just arrived and it's a bit of a whopper - thick and 470 references instead of the usual 400."ERE's like Mr. Muscle, he loves the things he hates" -
I'm slighting genre definitions.
Magical realism is as much a branch of fantasy as heroic, grimdark, etc. For me, anyway. -
I'm just pulling your chain over fantasy anyway. Of course Magical Realism is fantasy, hence the Magical bit. I just haven't ever read a description of a fantasy book that's ever enticed me. Even the stuff that gets talked about in high regard here just leaves me real cold.
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See, I just find that so hard to reconcile given your liking of Warhammer!
Such a complex man...
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Send messageTempy wrote:I just haven't ever read a description of a fantasy book that's ever enticed me.
Not even the ENTRANCING, thrill a MINUTE description of the new TOLKIEN, you FUCK???
In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar: he is called the Lord of Waters, of all seas, lakes, and rivers under the sky. But he works in secret in Middle-earth to support the Noldor, the kindred of the Elves among whom were numbered Húrin and Túrin Turambar.
Central to this enmity of the gods is the city of Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable. It was built and peopled by Noldorin Elves who, when they dwelt in Valinor, the land of the gods, rebelled against their rule and fled to Middle-earth. Turgon King of Gondolin is hated and feared above all his enemies by Morgoth, who seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city, while the gods in Valinor in heated debate largely refuse to intervene in support of Ulmo’s desires and designs.
Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, the instrument of Ulmo’s designs. Guided unseen by him Tuor sets out from the land of his birth on the fearful journey to Gondolin, and in one of the most arresting moments in the history of Middle-earth the sea-god himself appears to him, rising out of the ocean in the midst of a storm. In Gondolin he becomes great; he is wedded to Idril, Turgon’s daughter, and their son is Eärendel, whose birth and profound importance in days to come is foreseen by Ulmo.
At last comes the terrible ending. Morgoth learns through an act of supreme treachery all that he needs to mount a devastating attack on the city, with Balrogs and dragons and numberless Orcs. After a minutely observed account of the fall of Gondolin, the tale ends with the escape of Tuor and Idril, with the child Eärendel, looking back from a cleft in the mountains as they flee southward, at the blazing wreckage of their city. They were journeying into a new story, the Tale of Eärendel, which Tolkien never wrote, but which is sketched out in this book from other sources."ERE's like Mr. Muscle, he loves the things he hates" -
Warhammer Fantasy is an ok setting with almost zero stories that interest me outside of the larger narrative.
Age of Sigmar is an insane setting which is hilarious but I tried reading one of the books and it put me to sleep. I still like the background and so on. -
I haven't read a Warhammer based novel since I was about 13 to be honest. Thorpe and Abnett are supposedly decent enough but I feel the same as you.
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It's not that what happens in them is bad, they're full of great implications for the setting and so on - how can you read about a band of warriors breaking Nagash's weird soul prison open during the climactic battle between the forces of Order and Death, meaning that the souls of the dying Stormcast on the frontlines return to them in so quickly - in waves of lightning bolts flashing up and down from the sky - that they overwhelm the vast hordes of deathless minions?
It's insane!
But at least the book I've read, is all "Grimnor was a Duardin, and Ivan could tell from the ringlet armour of Barak-Thruvin on his chest that he was an Ironbreaker who had devoted his life to the art of defence and he had a gem on his hat which represented the split aspects of Grungi, the Duardin God King who had been missing for a thousand score years" It's just an endless ream of exposition. It might get better in later novels, but it always feels like it's connecting the dots between model ranges.
They did hold an Open Submission for Black Library recently though, and they specifically wanted stories that didn't feel like traditional Warhammer stuff. -
I have an odd relationship with fantasy fiction. I love it; it’s totally my bag, something very close to my heart. But I dislike most of what I’ve come across. I think on the whole I actually don’t like most high fantasy, or at least think most of the stuff I’ve come across is derivative and/or poorly written. The only high fantasy I can wholly recommend is Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and Stephen Donaldson’s The Thomas Covenant Chronicles, which itself owes a significant debt to Tolkien. Wheel of Time and even A Song of Ice and Fire have all left me fairly cold.
I need something really strange and bizarre, something outside of the traditional fantasy box, to get me interested. It think that’s what drew me to the likes of authors like Clive Barker and Robert Holdstock. It also looks like there’s and upward trend in twisted fairytales which, given what I’m writing myself, is heartening. I have a lot of catching up to do, as I drifted away from book reading for far too many years after being a once upon a time voracious reader. I haven’t even read Gaiman as of yet, and he seems like just the sort of author I should be reading. Any recommendations of a first book would be most appreciated. I like the sound of Neverwhere, but open to suggestions.Get schwifty. -
Kings of the Wyld... OK. Some great stuff, some disappointing turns. The humour ranges from great to just crass.
Jolly good!Lord_Griff wrote:God fucking damnit, i am enjoying uprooted.
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Probably a book many have read but I only started and finished Norwegian Wood this weekend gone. Sat down and had a think of it this evening and I think Ive figured out how and when it all sorts itself out.
The final scene is set in
Spoiler:"Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness." ― Terry Pratchett -
tigerswiftly wrote:Kings of the Wyld... OK. Some great stuff, some disappointing turns. The humour ranges from great to just crass.
Jolly good!Lord_Griff wrote:God fucking damnit, i am enjoying uprooted.
And it unraveled at the end. For shame. -
Damning of my reading habits but I turned the last page of Bleeding Edge today. I found it enjoyable Pynchon till about the point 2/3rds in when 9/11 happens and my enjoyment bumped up. I was loving the descriptions of a post-disaster NYC where the police are getting more paramilitary and even less friendly than normal, patriotism is incubating jingoism and the general atmosphere that the US had a watershed moment and fucked it completely. Along with this I got an imo apt commentary on the real estate development of the internet by corps (or reclamation as Maxine's father points out, starting out as a cold war project) which parallels to the real NYC getting overdeveloped to fuck and gentrification happening.
Handful of issues were I didn't totally understand probably due to dum dum was the meaning behind Windust and Maxine's thing until her father basically spelled it out for me towards the end that she has a saviour complex but only for the most twisted bellends? People creating avatars of dead loved ones in DeepArcher was food for thought though it isn't dwelt on.
The guy really seems to hate what's happened to his country. Not that I blame him. I also hope he has at least one more novel in him. Till then I'll pick one of his back cats at random. -
Now it's time for The Unwomanly Face of War. Translation of a 1985 Russian book retelling the stories of women who served in the Red Army during WW2, including front line combat roles.
It has quite an emotional preface and goes a long way to persuading me that Russia became a nation of trauma victims who have been passing on that dark legacy all the way to the current generation. It's a real and tangible curse of an entire region and peoples. -
If he does, I hope it's another absolute doorstop. It's been a while. -
Populist old hat, I know, but finally got round to reading Bravo Two Zero...
Fucking great yarn, well told."I didn't get it. BUUUUUUUUUUUT, you fucking do your thing." - Roujin
Ninty Code: SW-7904-0771-0996 -
Reading Authority, after re-reading (and enjoying more the second time around) Annihilation. It’s both not what I was expecting and not as poor as I’d heard - I’m actually really enjoying it.Gamertag: gremill -
The city and the city. Not the finest idea, nor all that well thought out. Lacked the magic of previous books. All in all 2 mehs out of 5.
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I'm over half way through Blood Meridian now. It is tough going... I'm not sure how much I'm enjoying it but do want to see it through.I'm falling apart to songs about hips and hearts... -
Lord_Griff wrote:The city and the city. Not the finest idea, nor all that well thought out. Lacked the magic of previous books. All in all 2 mehs out of 5.
This is the only Mieville I tried all the way through, and it did not sell me on the guy whatsoever. -
MattyJ wrote:I'm over half way through Blood Meridian now. It is tough going... I'm not sure how much I'm enjoying it but do want to see it through.
You will finish it and it will be your favourite book ever
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I enjoyed that one too. Just started the last one the other day (keep forgetting the names), which has a solid first two chapters. That's as far as I got.Gremill wrote:Reading Authority, after re-reading (and enjoying more the second time around) Annihilation. It’s both not what I was expecting and not as poor as I’d heard - I’m actually really enjoying it.
Will reread Annihilation at some point too, think I had wrong expectations going on and feel like I'll appreciate it more the second time.
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