A mirror of the eeesite "A Song of Ice and Fire"

This is a mirror of the now defunct eesite ASOIAF webboard.

The discussions for G.R.R. Martin's awesome series "A Song of Ice and Fire" are now being held at: Current ASoIaF Webboard

You cannot post new messages to this board. Go to the Current ASoIaF Webboard for the most current discussions.

A Song of Ice and Fire / Other Topics / Recommended Reading V

Next 20 Messages Newest Messages

Relic
User ID: 9328513 Jan 11th 2:51 AM
The Last Two Posts:

Ran
User ID: 0867924 Jan 9th 2:47 PM

I think you meant Brooks, not Goodkind, Jeff. ;)

My opinion of Eddings is very low, as far as the Belgariad goes. Read two books through, decided that was enough. Flat and stale for my tastes. Wasn't much impressed by his world-building either. Bunch of nations all hard up next to each other and there's practically no cultural mingling. Even technology stays locked to specific areas. Longboats here, plate armor and longbows there, legions and maniples thataway . . .

labor
User ID: 8645673 Jan 9th 4:56 PM

He-he, Ran as someone who unlike you suffered through 3.5 (sic!) of Brooks Shannara books, I have IMHO the right to freely express my opinion about them.
While the later books are IMHO "heavily influenced" by Tolkien, "Sword of Shannara" and the one about brother and sister which title I don't recall at the moment are IMHO, clear rip-offs, even if a bit less blatant than McKiernan's "Iron Tower".

If one wants to read Brooks, his works not related to Shannara are better and much more original.

Relic
User ID: 9328513 Jan 11th 2:53 AM
I just stared reading A.A. Attanasio's The Dragon and the Unicorn. Pretty tripy stuff, alot of cool visuals. Has anyone read this before? It doesnt seem like high fantasy buts its starting out good.

Jeff
User ID: 1536664 Jan 11th 9:26 AM
I said Goodkind? You're right, I meant Brooks. I also have heard that Brooks' later stuff is much better than the Sword of Shannara. Of course, that's not a really high standard....

Omer
User ID: 9551723 Jan 11th 10:48 AM
anyone want to recommand a mainstream novel? something with a lot of plot, though.

Claidhaim
User ID: 8590713 Jan 11th 11:59 AM
Has anyone read Chrichton's "Timeline" yet?

Ran
User ID: 0867924 Jan 11th 12:26 PM
Seen it in the stores, and read about Crichton's hard time selling the filming rights to it (believe he did -- for $1, though of course there's a lot of conditions attached). Not seen much review-wise of the actual book though.

Kristin
User ID: 0603144 Jan 11th 1:28 PM
I thought Timeline was awful. I was extremely disappointed, as I like nearly everything else Crichton has written. When I first read the previews of it, I thought "Gosh, this sounds an awful lot like Doomsday Book (by Willis)." Upon reading it, though, it really wasn't that similar, and it was a lot less exciting than Willis. Timeline took place over about forty hours; Doomsday Book took place over a couple of weeks. Doomsday Book had actual characters; Timeline had cardboard cut-outs. And last, Doomsday Book had a plot. Timeline was "Let's run around a fourteenth-century castle and have narrow escape after narrow escape! And most of us will live happily ever after, too."

Dirjj
User ID: 6960173 Jan 11th 3:01 PM
At the time I read Shannara (over 10 years ago), I thought that they were great. A different style of fantasy was written back them. If you tried to read it now, then you wouldn't like it. I know that I didn't like the latest Shannara series at all. I also read Eddings' Belgariad around the same time. I've since then read all 4 series' he's written (Belgariad, Elenium, Mallorian, & Tamuli). They all seem the be the same story told with differenct characters or different scenarios. That doesn't take away for the pleasure of reading them though. A lot of Authors and Movie types find a formula, and stick with it until it doesn't work.
What I see here as the problem, is people watching Flash Gordon one day, liking it, then watching Star Wars the next day, then complaining about the color, special effects, costumes, etc. . ..

Not only do you have different strokes for different folks, but you also have different era's of literature to consider. How would Martin's style have been if he'd been writing 10 or 15 years ago instead of today? I'm sure that it may have been similar. Peoples' tastes change, and because of that, writers have to adapt their style, or fall by the wayside.

ab

Relic
User ID: 9328513 Jan 11th 4:08 PM
Dirjj, or vice versa.

BROOKLYN
User ID: 0714654 Jan 11th 8:56 PM
Hey everyone, I'm new to this board.

Just thought I'd recommend David Drake and his Lord of the Isles series. It's not up to ASOIAF standards, but it has pretty well-realized characters and a decent storyline. The magic system is also pretty original, based on Sumerian blood-magic, although the dialogue is pretty (unintentionally) hilarious if you read it aloud. Then again, so is ASOIAF if you do the same. But it is pretty good world-building and fantasy, and the action sequences are second to none (much better than Martin, in my opinion, but these are Drake's specialty as he is a military sci-fi writer principally).

Mike
User ID: 1014104 Jan 12th 0:50 AM
I just finished Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49. An outstanding read as Pynchon sets a great mood. I was feeling paranoid for most of the book. Definitely recommended.

Rebecca
User ID: 0038914 Jan 18th 7:31 AM
Omer, you want a mainstream recommendation? Larry McMurtry's _Lonesome Dove_. Simply brilliant.

Snake
User ID: 0317884 Jan 18th 9:57 AM
Anybody know of any good historical fiction authors. Especially any to do with warfare or military campaigns.

Sphinx
User ID: 8882983 Jan 18th 5:24 PM
Recommend a mainstream novel? - Memoirs of a Geisha, by (I forget his first name) Golden - top notch, almost machiavellian in places, and very difficult to believe that it is just fiction (so it might therefore interest you too, Snake). Also, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' is outstanding, as is Regeneration by Pat Barker (based on historical events and figures in WW1, so again you might like it, Snake). Nick Hornby is also remarkably good, very funny whilst very poignant.

Alex
User ID: 9892733 Jan 19th 8:43 AM
Hey, Sphinx, you really liked Memoirs of a Geisha? I actually read it out of sheer boredom, while on vacation, and it is a well written piece, but, prey tell, what machiavellian did you find there. I mean, it is not bad, but it is a novel written from the perspective of a young (and later old) japanese hooker (pardon me, geisha) by a 1)man 2)non-japanese. That makes me wonder as to the validity of the cultural and emotional atmosphere of the country, presented in the book. Sure, some details are correct, but overall portraits are very suspicious (to me). It is like when I read some novels about Russia (or former Soviet Union) written by non-russians - they get some details right, but overall picture is so of-kilter, it is actually funny! Despite the fact that some writers (not all)are obviously well educated and knowledgable about the subject...

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" is a magnificent book! Do yourself a favor and read it, you will appreciate it!

Ser Gary
User ID: 9328513 Jan 19th 2:50 PM
Rebecca, I recently purchased Lonesome Dove and intend to start it very soon. I'll let you know what I think. BTW, I'm a big western fan.

Jeff
User ID: 1536664 Jan 20th 9:28 AM
Snake, two things that pop to mind are "Gates of Fire" by Pressfield about the battle of Thermopylae and "The Hammer and the Cross" by Harry Harrison, an alternative history set during the Viking in England. But something tells me you might already have read at least one of those.

Jeff
User ID: 1536664 Jan 20th 9:31 AM
Oh, one more, Snake. I've read a rather trashy series about a Civil War regiment zapped to some world controlled by Mongol horde type aliens who use humans for food. Recommended by a friend. It sounds pretty dumb, but the military stuff is very good and the books are fast paced. Actually have gotten some pretty good reviews. The author is Forschten, the series is called the Lost Regiment. Best of all, it just finished after 8 books.

Rhoe
User ID: 8890073 Jan 20th 12:35 PM
Anybody read Sailing to Sarantium? Is it any good? I am 60 pages in and am not too impressed thus far.

Ran
User ID: 0867924 Jan 20th 1:57 PM
Read it, recognized it was going to be different from anything Kay did before, loved it anyhow.

It starts slow. It's a got a lot more introspection, I think, and beautiful epiphanies than anything else. It's also got a lot more interest in the subtle qualities inherent in both art and politics. And, finally, it ends "incomplete." It's really a single book in two volumes.

But, however, the richness of the characters and the layered depth of the plot (not to mention that remarkable prose) wins out, I think. It's not the quick read that _The Lions of Al-Rassan_ is. It's much less clear cut. In some ways, I think _A Song for Arbonne_ is the book most like _Sailing to Sarantium._

Stick with it, at least to somewhere past the point where Crispin is on his journey. The story really begins to move then.

Next 20 Messages Newest Messages

Relic User ID: 9328513	Jan 11th 2:51 AM The Last Two Posts: Ran User ID: 0867924 Jan 9th 2:47 PM I think you meant Brooks, not Goodkind, Jeff. ;) My opinion of Eddings is very low, as far as the Belgariad goes. Read two books through, decided that was enough. Flat and stale for my tastes. Wasn't much impressed by his world-building either. Bunch of nations all hard up next to each other and there's practically no cultural mingling. Even technology stays locked to specific areas. Longboats here, plate armor and longbows there, legions and maniples thataway . . . labor User ID: 8645673 Jan 9th 4:56 PM He-he, Ran as someone who unlike you suffered through 3.5 (sic!) of Brooks Shannara books, I have IMHO the right to freely express my opinion about them. While the later books are IMHO "heavily influenced" by Tolkien, "Sword of Shannara" and the one about brother and sister which title I don't recall at the moment are IMHO, clear rip-offs, even if a bit less blatant than McKiernan's "Iron Tower". If one wants to read Brooks, his works not related to Shannara are better and much more original.
Relic User ID: 9328513	Jan 11th 2:53 AM I just stared reading A.A. Attanasio's The Dragon and the Unicorn. Pretty tripy stuff, alot of cool visuals. Has anyone read this before? It doesnt seem like high fantasy buts its starting out good.
Jeff User ID: 1536664	Jan 11th 9:26 AM I said Goodkind? You're right, I meant Brooks. I also have heard that Brooks' later stuff is much better than the Sword of Shannara. Of course, that's not a really high standard....
Omer User ID: 9551723	Jan 11th 10:48 AM anyone want to recommand a mainstream novel? something with a lot of plot, though.
Claidhaim User ID: 8590713	Jan 11th 11:59 AM Has anyone read Chrichton's "Timeline" yet?
Ran User ID: 0867924	Jan 11th 12:26 PM Seen it in the stores, and read about Crichton's hard time selling the filming rights to it (believe he did -- for $1, though of course there's a lot of conditions attached). Not seen much review-wise of the actual book though.
Kristin User ID: 0603144	Jan 11th 1:28 PM I thought Timeline was awful. I was extremely disappointed, as I like nearly everything else Crichton has written. When I first read the previews of it, I thought "Gosh, this sounds an awful lot like Doomsday Book (by Willis)." Upon reading it, though, it really wasn't that similar, and it was a lot less exciting than Willis. Timeline took place over about forty hours; Doomsday Book took place over a couple of weeks. Doomsday Book had actual characters; Timeline had cardboard cut-outs. And last, Doomsday Book had a plot. Timeline was "Let's run around a fourteenth-century castle and have narrow escape after narrow escape! And most of us will live happily ever after, too."
Dirjj User ID: 6960173	Jan 11th 3:01 PM At the time I read Shannara (over 10 years ago), I thought that they were great. A different style of fantasy was written back them. If you tried to read it now, then you wouldn't like it. I know that I didn't like the latest Shannara series at all. I also read Eddings' Belgariad around the same time. I've since then read all 4 series' he's written (Belgariad, Elenium, Mallorian, & Tamuli). They all seem the be the same story told with differenct characters or different scenarios. That doesn't take away for the pleasure of reading them though. A lot of Authors and Movie types find a formula, and stick with it until it doesn't work. What I see here as the problem, is people watching Flash Gordon one day, liking it, then watching Star Wars the next day, then complaining about the color, special effects, costumes, etc. . .. Not only do you have different strokes for different folks, but you also have different era's of literature to consider. How would Martin's style have been if he'd been writing 10 or 15 years ago instead of today? I'm sure that it may have been similar. Peoples' tastes change, and because of that, writers have to adapt their style, or fall by the wayside. ab
Relic User ID: 9328513	Jan 11th 4:08 PM Dirjj, or vice versa.
BROOKLYN User ID: 0714654	Jan 11th 8:56 PM Hey everyone, I'm new to this board. Just thought I'd recommend David Drake and his Lord of the Isles series. It's not up to ASOIAF standards, but it has pretty well-realized characters and a decent storyline. The magic system is also pretty original, based on Sumerian blood-magic, although the dialogue is pretty (unintentionally) hilarious if you read it aloud. Then again, so is ASOIAF if you do the same. But it is pretty good world-building and fantasy, and the action sequences are second to none (much better than Martin, in my opinion, but these are Drake's specialty as he is a military sci-fi writer principally).
Mike User ID: 1014104	Jan 12th 0:50 AM I just finished Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49. An outstanding read as Pynchon sets a great mood. I was feeling paranoid for most of the book. Definitely recommended.
Rebecca User ID: 0038914	Jan 18th 7:31 AM Omer, you want a mainstream recommendation? Larry McMurtry's _Lonesome Dove_. Simply brilliant.
Snake User ID: 0317884	Jan 18th 9:57 AM Anybody know of any good historical fiction authors. Especially any to do with warfare or military campaigns.
Sphinx User ID: 8882983	Jan 18th 5:24 PM Recommend a mainstream novel? - Memoirs of a Geisha, by (I forget his first name) Golden - top notch, almost machiavellian in places, and very difficult to believe that it is just fiction (so it might therefore interest you too, Snake). Also, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' is outstanding, as is Regeneration by Pat Barker (based on historical events and figures in WW1, so again you might like it, Snake). Nick Hornby is also remarkably good, very funny whilst very poignant.
Alex User ID: 9892733	Jan 19th 8:43 AM Hey, Sphinx, you really liked Memoirs of a Geisha? I actually read it out of sheer boredom, while on vacation, and it is a well written piece, but, prey tell, what machiavellian did you find there. I mean, it is not bad, but it is a novel written from the perspective of a young (and later old) japanese hooker (pardon me, geisha) by a 1)man 2)non-japanese. That makes me wonder as to the validity of the cultural and emotional atmosphere of the country, presented in the book. Sure, some details are correct, but overall portraits are very suspicious (to me). It is like when I read some novels about Russia (or former Soviet Union) written by non-russians - they get some details right, but overall picture is so of-kilter, it is actually funny! Despite the fact that some writers (not all)are obviously well educated and knowledgable about the subject... "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is a magnificent book! Do yourself a favor and read it, you will appreciate it!
Ser Gary User ID: 9328513	Jan 19th 2:50 PM Rebecca, I recently purchased Lonesome Dove and intend to start it very soon. I'll let you know what I think. BTW, I'm a big western fan.
Jeff User ID: 1536664	Jan 20th 9:28 AM Snake, two things that pop to mind are "Gates of Fire" by Pressfield about the battle of Thermopylae and "The Hammer and the Cross" by Harry Harrison, an alternative history set during the Viking in England. But something tells me you might already have read at least one of those.
Jeff User ID: 1536664	Jan 20th 9:31 AM Oh, one more, Snake. I've read a rather trashy series about a Civil War regiment zapped to some world controlled by Mongol horde type aliens who use humans for food. Recommended by a friend. It sounds pretty dumb, but the military stuff is very good and the books are fast paced. Actually have gotten some pretty good reviews. The author is Forschten, the series is called the Lost Regiment. Best of all, it just finished after 8 books.
Rhoe User ID: 8890073	Jan 20th 12:35 PM Anybody read Sailing to Sarantium? Is it any good? I am 60 pages in and am not too impressed thus far.
Ran User ID: 0867924	Jan 20th 1:57 PM Read it, recognized it was going to be different from anything Kay did before, loved it anyhow. It starts slow. It's a got a lot more introspection, I think, and beautiful epiphanies than anything else. It's also got a lot more interest in the subtle qualities inherent in both art and politics. And, finally, it ends "incomplete." It's really a single book in two volumes. But, however, the richness of the characters and the layered depth of the plot (not to mention that remarkable prose) wins out, I think. It's not the quick read that _The Lions of Al-Rassan_ is. It's much less clear cut. In some ways, I think _A Song for Arbonne_ is the book most like _Sailing to Sarantium._ Stick with it, at least to somewhere past the point where Crispin is on his journey. The story really begins to move then.