Books discussion

[TronPaul]

I'm rereading Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star. Such a good Sci-Fi novel, and its contemporary too. Now to start on Judas Unchained.

[thespaceinvader]

Just finished The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.

Read. This. Book.

It is quite possibly the single best work of fiction I have ever encountered.

[Velensk]

Unfortunate choice of phrasing there.

I know someone who uses that exact phrase to recomend every third book he reads it seems.

To be on topic have not been reading fiction recently. The non-fiction I am reading is probably not all that interesting to most people.

[Rigor]

still wanna know. details, plz

[thespaceinvader]

I'm not usually given to hyperbole.

I'm amazed at the skill and imagination displayed in this book. I could gush about it for ages, but you really wouldn't get the full impact of it. So instead, I'll take a leaf out of the author's book (groan) and just say it simply, to make you consider all the implications:

Read.

[Rigor]

is it possibly that this is a part 2 of a trilogy? a LINK might have been useful in this case

[thespaceinvader]

Yes, it is. The first book is called The Name of the Wind, and I've raved about that here, too.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Name-Wind-Kingk ... 529&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wise-Mans-Fear- ... 540&sr=8-1

[Reepurr]

I finally finished off Paolini's tri-pile-of-rubbish-logy known as Inheritance. Good to have that behind me, I'm only reading it because I'm wondering if there'll be a HttT-esque finale with Galbatorix in Book 4.

I'm now reading Feet of Clay (Discworld Series). Very creative and interesting, and now I finally know what Dorfl did. And if anyone likes mystery stories and Discworld, I'd recommend reading it, as it's both at the same time.

Warning: Inheritance rant ahead:

Okay, so the first book was actually quite decent. Mostly. The next two books made me feel like "It's just dragging on..."

Paolini effectively ripped off LotR. With the Urgals, he got bored and ripped off Warhammer/Wesnoth instead. That kind of sucked. And in Book Two, he decided to rip off Karate Kid (Mr Miyagi = Oromis). In Book Three, he ripped off the Bible itself. Or at least I understand the Bible contains a sword that spontaneously combusts/a sword of fire/etc.

TL;DR: Paolini just dragged it on for 2000 pages, and ripped everyone off while he was at it.

[Velensk]

Urgals may be orcs but I don't think that is inherantly a problem.

Actually, if you look at the first two books (from what I hear I only read part of the first one) the plot is supposed to be a transplant of Starwars (IV and V). If so, then the general outline of the plot and many of the associated tropes are very old ones.

Flaming swords have appeared in a number of mythologies. In the Bible angels are mentioned to wield them though it does not give them much attention. The concept is so old and multisourced that it's hard to say that it was ripped off of anything.

Ideas are out there to be used and there is no shame in using ideas other people have. I don't think that the author ever made any claim to origionality (though perhaps he could make a more justified claim to having used his own take on the ideas). Not that I am saying that the Inherantance books are good (there's a reason I only read part of the first one) however I think there are better things to complain about.

Since you asked for details, most recently I was reading a book about the history of weaving. I was only looking for information on tapestries.

EDIT: To elaborate on a point, you are familiar with Diskworld. Diskworld has a great deal of creative credit to it however it still borrows a lot. This is quite apparent if you are familiar with the Fafrd/Mouser stories and you read the Colour of Magic. The city of Ankh-Morpork drew a lot of inspiration form Lahnkmar (I think that was how it was spelled). I do not believe that this is to its discredit. Later on in the series, it definately splits itself away and becomes its own distinct character. Much of the later creative efforts that were distinct/origional were still based on the older concept.

[thespaceinvader]

Accusing him of ripping off Wesnoth is pushing it. In the first place, Wesnoth is highly derivative anyway, and in the second, Eragon was written before Wesnoth was first released.

That being said, I've not read it, so I'm not really in a position to judge. Nor am I likely to be.

I'm currently chilling out with the latest two books from the Horus Heresy series before I delve back into the Wheel of Time. Which is really starting to drag a bit. Maybe I shouldn't be trying to read them all at once - I'll give it a few months before I pick up the next one at the library, I think.

[Insinuator]

Well, a couple of things:

1. The Bible, King James Version, by, well, God. Lots to say on this, but not on an online forum.

2. The Quantum Quark, by Andrew Watson. Interesting read. Finally beginning to grasp what "symmetry breaking" means. Rather dry but not too hard to read, even if many of the mathematical references go over my head.

[Crushmaster]

Justification and Regeneration, by Charles Leiter.
God bless,
Crushmaster.

[thespaceinvader]

Still fighting my way through Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan. Getting mega-burned-out on Wheel of Time. Next in the queue is Stephen Fry's The Liar. Eventually.

[UK1]

The Splendid Century, Armada, Lafayette, and Burmese Days.

[Nuallan]

"Red Limit Freeway" book two of John DeChancie's Skyway trilogy, my second time through the three-book series. Science fiction, some time travel paradoxes, action, a bit of romance, personally I found it fascinating to the extent of unintentionally reading until five in the morning my first time through.