Things to read when not rowing

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Stan
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Post by Stan »

6/10 :(
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Post by MaxDev »

6/10 as well :(

Though I did muppet up the H G Wells name question - knew it really :evil:
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Post by Thomas W-P »

5/10 - a couple were guesses though.
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Post by Mike Channin »

When are the forum police gonna split this off into a separate thread??? :lol:
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Post by Paul Victory »

3/10. But they were 3 I actually knew (no really). None of my 7 guesses were right.

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Post by Paul Victory »

Further to earlier posts, I have to admit to reading a number of science fiction books in my youth.

I agree that the Paratwa trilogy was excellent.

I also enjoyed Dune, but the sequels not as much - I got as far as book 3 and then gave up.

Some of Ursula le Guin's work is excellent - particularly The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed.

I've read a lot of Asimov. The original Foundation Series remains an all time classic. I'm not sure the later Foundation books enhanced things - it might have been better to leave things where they were. [A bit like the Matrix trilogy - great movie, two mediocre sequels]. I also enjoyed the robot stories and some of his other short stories (eg Nightfall - a real classic; The Ugly Little Boy].

Other authors well worth discovering are Julian May - The Saga of the Exiles, Intervention, the Galactic Milieu trilogy and Stephen Donaldson - The Gap series, Thomas Covenant, Mordant's Need.

I'm sure there are loads of others I should be mentioning - Raymond Feist, Piers Anthony, Robert Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land is definitely worth a read) and no doubt there are authors I should have read and haven't (Terry Pratchett?, other suggestions???), but I haven't read much science fiction lately.

Maybe we should add a 'book of the month' to the CTC challenge?!

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Post by ptruz »

row more....read less....that's my moto
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Post by webberg »

Paul, you obviously were into the saga type of SF.

You should have a look at E E Doc Smith and his Lensman series. This is dismissed by a lot of SF snobs (like me) as cowboys and indians in space. For all that it's a good read and there are about 7 or 8 of them I think.

Try Stephen Baxter as well. he has a lot of books that are loosely joined and which make good reading. Start with "Raft".

I have read Donaldson but gave up because I was bored. Eqaully Azimov who is (in my opinion) just not a very good writer.

The golden age of SF (1930's and 40's America) produced some great stuff. Campbell, Van Vogt, Ballard and all worth a look.

Really into Reynolds (alistair) at the moment and just finished Pushing Ice - very good read and some hard SF.

I try to avoid Feist and his ilk. After LOTR, everthing else in that universe is in black and white for me.

My suggestion for book of the month is "The Well of Stars" by Robert Reed. Give it a go.
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Post by Stan »

While respecting Grahams opinions, I have to take issue with some of what he says.
You need to persist with Donaldson - while Lord Fouls Bane was very slow, the next 5 books in the Covenant saga were excellent. I recently read the first book in the 3rd Covenant trilogy, which I enjoyed but I will admit it was slow starting again.
I do not have Grahams contempt for Feist et al. Though I will agree that they do not possess the depth of Tolkiens writing (and I completely disagree with the literary snobs who say there is no depth to Tolkiens work), I would say many of them are much more entertaining. Raymond Feist, David Gemmell and David Eddings are (or were in Gemmells case) master story tellers.
Have to agree with Paul on the Dune series - the first one was great and then it went downhill.
I read quite a lot of EE Doc Smiths books when I was younger and really enjoyed them. Nothing wrong with cowboys and Indians in space. Never see them in bookshops anymore - guess they are out of print.
Tried Asimov but couldnt get on with him
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Post by Wolfmiester »

Has nobody mentioned Terry Pratchett?
More fantasy that science fiction of course, but a fantastic read.
The majority of his books have brilliant parodies of the modern world and there's many a wry smile and plenty of laughs.
I can't wait for christmas when I'll get the latest.

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Post by webberg »

Yes, I've read all of Pratchett's stuff.

Still a good light read for the train but starting to run out of steam.

Books are great though.

Some you love, some you hate. Some are both. I ahve absolutely no problem with people who don't like my analysis. I learn something from every comment.

I have read the Feist and Eddings stuff. I just find them a little too frothy and predictable.

I'm also heavily into poetry. Anybody want to swap opinions on Keats, Yeats, Sasson?
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Post by Mike Channin »

I found Eddings terribly forumulaic and predictable, but I only read his first series.

Pratchett was best at the start - seemed to be more creative then. That's the problem with largely defining your own genre I guess. But my all time favourite of his has to be Pyramids. Followed by anything with Rincewind in.
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Post by webberg »

Favourite Pratchett is "Guards, Guards".

I look Captain (now Duke or whatever) Vimes.

He's my type of anti authority figure who won't roll over and do something just because "they" think it's right.

Go Vimesy! 8)
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Post by Paul Victory »

Thanks to Webberg and Stan for the suggestions. I'm currently reading Echo Park by Michael Connolly, but I might give "The Well of Stars" a try when I'm finished. As I said in my earlier posting, it's been a while since I read any science fiction or fantasy novels (apart from a book by Stephen King & Peter Straub that I read on holidays last year), so a change of genre might be just what I need.

Wolf, I mentioned Terry Pratchett (if somewhat obliquely) in my earlier posting. I've never read any of his stuff and it sounds like his early work was better than the more recent books. So I might dip my toe in some of his work over Christmas (provided it doesn't interfere with my erging, of course).

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Post by jainser »

Really getting into the 'Bourne Identity' at the moment - Excellent

Thought the film was pretty good but the book is so much better. However think the film should have said 'loosly based on the book' though.

Looking forward to getting my teeth (or should that be eyes) into the next couple
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Post by Mikey »

I am fairly varied in reading matter but if there's one genre that does it for me its Historical 'faction'. Blood and guts mixed with derring do and a historical timeline.

Recommend almost anything by Bernard Cornwell especially his recent Viking series and the Ceasar series by Conn Iggulden.

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Post by MaxDev »

Jainser - yes, I only read the Bourne trilogy recently having seen the films beforehand... like you say - the book is much better.

If you think the first one is loosely based on the book, wait until you get to the second - the film bears no resemblance to it at all!

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Post by Stan »

Completely agree with Mikey on the Cornwell books - the recent viking series is excellent with more to come. Also recommend his grail quest series as well.
Didnt like the Rincewind novels by Pratchett but loved some his others like Mort and Wyrd Sisters.
Not tried his "Watch" novels yet but will give them a go after seeing Grahams glowing reports.
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