What books are you reading now?

Mundane & Pointless Stuff I Must Share: The Off Topic Forum

Moderator: Moderators

koz
Duke
Posts: 1585
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 2:39 pm
Location: Oz

Post by koz »

Ubernoob, the levels of lols this raises in me defy description, in smut or anything else.
Everything I learned about DnD, I learned from Frank Trollman.
Kaelik wrote:You are so full of Strawmen that I can only assume you actually shit actual straw.
souran wrote:...uber, nerd-rage-inducing, minutia-devoted, pointless blithering shit.
Schwarzkopf wrote:The Den, your one-stop shop for in-depth analysis of Dungeons & Dragons and distressingly credible threats of oral rape.
DSM wrote:Apparently, The GM's Going To Punch You in Your Goddamned Face edition of D&D is getting more traction than I expected. Well, it beats playing 4th. Probably 5th, too.
Frank Trollman wrote:Giving someone a mouth full of cock is a standard action.
PoliteNewb wrote:If size means anything, it's what position you have to get in to give a BJ.
Image
User avatar
JonSetanta
King
Posts: 5525
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: interbutts

Post by JonSetanta »

Robert E. Howard. "The Bloody Crown of Conan"
ckafrica
Duke
Posts: 1139
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: HCMC, Vietnam

Post by ckafrica »

Scott Lynch's "Lies of Locke Lamora" and sequel weren't too bad.

Reading Gaiman's "Stardust" and just read Watchmen again as well.

Also just reread Rober Lynn Asprin's "Myth" series, which weren't quite as good as I remember them being 17 years ago but held better than rereading LotR IMHO.

"Grunts" by Mary Gentle was just okay as was Stan Nicholls' "Orcs" trilogy.

Dan Simmons Illium was a great history with a serious twist, though the sequel was not as good.
The internet gave a voice to the world thus gave definitive proof that the world is mostly full of idiots.
User avatar
Avoraciopoctules
Overlord
Posts: 8624
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:48 pm
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Avoraciopoctules »

Recently, I've been reading game manuals (Diablo, Total Annihilation: Kingdoms), and I just finished Free Radical ( http://www.shamusyoung.com/shocked/index.html ). I only knew a little about the game prior to reading it. I am now starting on a few Shadowrun novels.
User avatar
JonSetanta
King
Posts: 5525
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: interbutts

Post by JonSetanta »

Trying to read Terry Pratchett.

When I skim there's plentiful splatters of lulz but when I sit down and plod on from Chapter 1 it laaaaaaaaaaaags between the good parts.

Maybe I should read the abridged student "cheat" notes on it first.
User avatar
Maxus
Overlord
Posts: 7645
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Maxus »

sigma999 wrote:Trying to read Terry Pratchett.

When I skim there's plentiful splatters of lulz but when I sit down and plod on from Chapter 1 it laaaaaaaaaaaags between the good parts.

Maybe I should read the abridged student "cheat" notes on it first.
What book are you reading? There's a fair few.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
User avatar
TOZ
Duke
Posts: 1159
Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 3:19 pm

Post by TOZ »

Talisman wrote:I can't stand Modesitt, personally. I read The Magic of Recluce and it was...okay, although it fell prey to the usual "Law good! Chaos bad!" trap that seems to hit most Law-vs-Chaos fantasy.

Then I tried to read another of his - I forget what - and it was all in present tense and was about five times as much work as it should have been to read it. So I didn't.
Sorry for taking so long to get back to this. You might try picking up some of his books with the protagonist being a chaos mage. Let me look it up for you.

Also, you might try the Corean Chronicles for a different flavor. The way he uses the different factions motivations of trade and politics is one of my favorite parts of his writing.

Natural Ordermage and Mage-Guard of Hamor show a bit of how the Order side can have human failings as well. The White Order and Colors of Chaos are the books that have the Chaos mage's viewpoints.
User avatar
josephbt
Knight
Posts: 325
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Zagreb, Cro

Post by josephbt »

The Terror by Dan Simmons
engi

Blood for the Blood God!
User avatar
CatharzGodfoot
King
Posts: 5668
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: North Carolina

Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Just finished Eden by Stanislaw Lem, City of Bones by Martha Wells, and The House of the Stag by Kage Baker.
The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from stealing bread, begging and sleeping under bridges.
-Anatole France

Mount Flamethrower on rear
Drive in reverse
Win Game.

-Josh Kablack

Calibron
Knight-Baron
Posts: 617
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:38 am

Post by Calibron »

Currently Reading, Hidden Empire(of The Saga of Seven Suns Series) by Kevin J. Anderson, Widder Shins by Charles de Lint, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and a pair of Biographies, Constantine The Great by Michael Grant and Augustus by Anthony Everitt.
User avatar
Maxus
Overlord
Posts: 7645
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Maxus »

Just finished the Belgariad and Guardians of the West. Working on King of the Murgos, naturally.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
User avatar
JonSetanta
King
Posts: 5525
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: interbutts

Post by JonSetanta »

Maxus wrote: What book are you reading? There's a fair few.
I missed this reply.
"Lords and Ladies"
User avatar
Prak
Serious Badass
Posts: 17340
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Prak »

To Light a Candle by Mercedes Lackey (and James Mallory, but like anyone ever remembers her co-writers), second book of the Obsidian Trilogy.

The Satanic Scriptures by Peter H. Gilmore, the current High Priest of the Church of Satan. He's trying to sound like LaVey, but he's failing. Either he just doesn't have the command of the written word or I've come far enough along to see the contradiction in caring much what someone else believes as far as satanic thought goes...

I bought those with christmas money, and also got The Prince (Machiavelli), Metamorphosis and Other Writings (Kafka), Poetics (Aristotle), a book analyzing Poetics, The third book of Lackey's Obsidian Trilogy, Selected Poem's and Tales (Poe)...

I've got a lot to read for a while...

So Uber, these romance books, how smutty are they? I've been thinking of doing what Cynic mentioned a bit ago, writing some stuff for Harlequin to make ends meet but haven't been able to get my hands on anything yet...
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.

You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
User avatar
Bigode
Duke
Posts: 2246
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Bigode »

Try this. I take no responsibility for SAN damage, and in fact found little to laugh at.
Hans Freyer, s.b.u.h. wrote:A manly, a bold tone prevails in history. He who has the grip has the booty.
Huston Smith wrote:Life gives us no view of the whole. We see only snatches here and there, (...)
brotherfrancis75 wrote:Perhaps you imagine that Ayn Rand is our friend? And the Mont Pelerin Society? No, those are but the more subtle versions of the Bolshevik Communist Revolution you imagine you reject. (...) FOX NEWS IS ALSO COMMUNIST!
LDSChristian wrote:True. I do wonder which is worse: killing so many people like Hitler did or denying Christ 3 times like Peter did.
User avatar
Maxus
Overlord
Posts: 7645
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Maxus »

I finished with Seeress of Kell a few days ago, and now I'm a couple-hundred pages into Belgarath the Sorceror, and a hundred pages into the Silmarillion (I realized it'd been years since I read it).
Last edited by Maxus on Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
User avatar
Cynic
Prince
Posts: 2776
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Cynic »

got back into "Quicksilver" by Neal Stephenson. I blame someone on the Den for reminding me of The Baroque Cycle
Ancient History wrote:We were working on Street Magic, and Frank asked me if a houngan had run over my dog.
User avatar
Maxus
Overlord
Posts: 7645
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Maxus »

It just occurred to me that the theology of Dragonlance is pretty much a ripoff of the one given in the Silmarillion. I don't know if anyone's ever read the War of Souls trilogy, but the last book has an appendix written in Paladine's voice as he explained some more about the gods.

Long story short: The High God created the 22 gods to make the world and be his servants and manage the world for him. The strongest of the gods decided *he* should rule, he went around ruining things and eventually Paladine, given a boost by the High God, kicked his ass out. The Evil gods liked the idea of ruling mortals, and this kicked off a dispute between them and the seven gods who said they were there to guide and nurture and all that crap. The last seven gods sat on the fence and tended strictly to their areas of responsibility.

This kept up until the High God stepped in and gave a speech; the salient points were

1) He was happy with his children who adhered to the spirit of his commands as well as the letter

2) He was a bit put out at the ones whose obedience only went as far as what was actually said, and they'd have to take sides sooner or later

3) The Evil gods were free to do what they wanted, but anything and everything they did would be warped around to the High God's plan. They could have their illusions about independence.

4) Yea, I am the High God, and I am further above ye than ye art above mortals. I can whoop thy butts anytime I so choose, so straighten up.

And, in telling a bit of the Silmarillion to someone, it just clicked about how similar that is to the business with Melkor and Iluvatar and making the world and the war of the Valar.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
User avatar
Orion
Prince
Posts: 3756
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Orion »

It's all a rip-off of christianity.
User avatar
Maxus
Overlord
Posts: 7645
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Maxus »

Boolean wrote:It's all a rip-off of christianity.
Oh, I know. But, still, Tolkien had a certain flow to his version. I'm starting to remember why so many people fangasm over his stuff.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
User avatar
Cynic
Prince
Posts: 2776
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Cynic »

Christianity is a rip-off of a fucking rip-off which is a rip-off of etc... so blah :-P I carried that wank on by necroing humping this thread.

Anyway, I moved to NJ from texas recently due to the lack of money and now have moved my family in with my parents. Meh... that's a different story.

I got a new library card and checked a few books out for myself and my kid.

Read my two-year old an illustrated Beowulf primer called "Beowulf: A hero's tale retold"

It was a tad bit bloody for her but interesting nonetheless.

Other things picked up -

"Gilead" by Marilyn Robinson
"Mort" - Terry Pratchett
"A Chinese grandmother's primer of folktales"
Ancient History wrote:We were working on Street Magic, and Frank asked me if a houngan had run over my dog.
ubernoob
Duke
Posts: 2444
Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 12:30 am

Post by ubernoob »

I just started "The Game" by Neil Strauss. I expect to finish it by friday evening so as to mull over the technique while I sleep for my date on saturday.
User avatar
Prak
Serious Badass
Posts: 17340
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Prak »

A_Cynic wrote:Read my two-year old an illustrated Beowulf primer called "Beowulf: A hero's tale retold"

It was a tad bit bloody for her but interesting nonetheless.
It's Beowulf, it basically has to be bloody unless the author is making up stories about him going to the market or something. Or at the very least it has to talk about combat...

But I'm sure you're fully aware of that.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.

You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
User avatar
josephbt
Knight
Posts: 325
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Zagreb, Cro

Post by josephbt »

The Terror by Dan Simmons
engi

Blood for the Blood God!
User avatar
angelfromanotherpin
Overlord
Posts: 9745
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Love and Rockets, the Palomar collections.
Falgund
Journeyman
Posts: 117
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Falgund »

The Black Company, by Glen Cook.
Post Reply