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Post by Jesse on Aug 4, 2018 20:01:51 GMT -5
The Clan of the Cave Bearby Jean M. Auel This was an interesting look at a tribe of Neanderthal and a more modern human ancestor seen through the eyes of a young girl who becomes lost after an earthquake separates her from her family. After narrowly escaping a run in with a cave lion she is adopted and nursed back to health by the medicine woman of a clan who are very different in appearance from her. Eventually she is accepted by the tribe and even trained as a medicine woman. However she learns to hunt with a sling which is completely forbidden by clan custom. There's a lot of challenging the patriarchy subtext here that is really cool and inspiring to read. Ayla's journey from child to woman with a son of her own is an interesting progression that's actually quite inspiring. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 5, 2018 20:25:16 GMT -5
The Clan of the Cave Bearby Jean M. Auel This was an interesting look at a tribe of Neanderthal and a more modern human ancestor seen through the eyes of a young girl who becomes lost after an earthquake separates her from her family. After narrowly escaping a run in with a cave lion she is adopted and nursed back to health by the medicine woman of a clan who are very different in appearance from her. Eventually she is accepted by the tribe and even trained as a medicine woman. However she learns to hunt with a sling which is completely forbidden by clan custom. There's a lot of challenging the patriarchy subtext here that is really cool and inspiring to read. Ayla's journey from child to woman with a son of her own is an interesting progression that's actually quite inspiring. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. This is my wife's favorite book... our 2nd daughter is actually named Ayla
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 6, 2018 7:12:14 GMT -5
Anatomy of Evil by Will Thomas
I'm not a huge fan of taking fictional characters and making them the hero of historical events, and in just about every take on the Ripper case I've scene, the writer can't resist the temptation to both a) name the fellow he thinks is the guy and b) have his/her hero catch him.
Thomas is no exception, sadly. Not only that, but the focus of the book is on his characterization of the various real life members of the Yard and others involved in the case, rather than his fiction characters that we've come to know in the first 6 books. Barker is barely more than wallpaper in the story, and there's no sign of most of the supporting cast.
There are 2 major developments for Thomas, but those can be scene in the last 5 pages.. one doesn't need to read that whole book for them.
If you're a Ripper afficiando, this is just as good a take as any I've read, but as an entry in the series, it feels more like something that had to be done because of the time period.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 6, 2018 8:49:15 GMT -5
Khartoum: The Ultimate Imperial Adventure . By Michael Asher. This one took me the better part of 7 days to read through this one. Taking my time in exploring this tome of the British campaign's in the Sudan during Queen Victoria's reign. A massive telling which covers from the militaristic point of view from 1883 through 1898 the British struggles against Mohammed Ibn Admed el-Sayyid Abdullah. Very detailed and researched discussion of the politics of Britian at the time and how the Sudan fought for independence from it's Colonial overlords. You get the history of the area and times, General Gordon's last stand and it ends with Lord Kitchener's retaking of Khartoum and the railroad he built along the way to ferry his troops. We see the creation of the 1st British Special forces, creation/rise of the Egyptian army, Winston Churchill's young adventures sneaking into the troops via press pass and the Madhi fighting with sword and spears against the rifles and cannons of the British regime. Watch out for the dust, camel spit and dehydration you will receive during the reading...
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 7, 2018 15:14:06 GMT -5
Howard Who? by Howard Waldrop First things first. Howard Waldrop is a freakin' treasure. And if you're at all interested in genre writing and pop culture and you're not reading Waldrop's short stories you need to rectify that. Quickly. Waldrop is a short story writer. He's done a few novels, but he's a short story writer, like Harlan Ellison was a short story writer. And his short stories are genre pieces, for all that they may have only the most tenuous connection to SF or fantasy (such as a very mild alt-history in Ugly Chickens). His stories are certainly better if you're well versed in both popular culture and in history in general. Because Waldrop does a lot of homework for a given story. And he's not spoon-feeding it to you. Howard Who? was his first collection and has twelve of his earlier stories. For the most part I'm going to avoid any but the most cursory glance at a given story because it is way too easy to give too much away. "The Ugly Chickens" won the Nebula and the World Fantasy Awards in 1981 and was nominated for the Hugo and placed well in the Locus Poll. It's a small alt-history looking at the extinction of the dodo...it was later than you think. "Der Untergang des Abendlandesmenschen" finds William S. Hart and Bronco Billy fighting a nosferatu in Weimar Germany. In "Ike at the Mike" (nominated for a Hugo in 1983) Elvis is a U.S. Senator and Eisenhower is a aging jazz musician. "Dr. Hudson's Secret Gorilla" is a mad scientist/gorilla story straight out of a 50's B-movie. "...The World As We Know't" shows the danger of isolating phlogiston. "Green Brother" finds a young native American finding a very different spirit animal. "Mary Margaret Road-Grader" (Nebula nominee) is a post-apocalyptic look at tractor pulls. "Save a Place in the Lifeboat for Me" looks at the Day the Music Died through the eyes of some of our great comedians. "Horror, We Got" looks at the use of time travel to control the world. "Man-Mountain Gentian" introduces us to zen sumo wrestling. "God's Hooks!" is a very dark fishing tale. And finally, "Heirs of the Perisphere" (1986 Nebula nominee) is another post-apocalyptic tale through the eyes of very familiar animatronic theme-park characters. Every one of the stories is just as fun and compelling as they sound. Do yourself a favor and read Howard Waldrop.
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 8, 2018 5:53:33 GMT -5
The winds of winter is not on the horizon yet, but George R.R. Martin will publish a huge brick of a book this autumn: Fire & Blood, which is a history of the Targaryen family in Westeros.
A decade ago I would have been disappointed not to get the next volume in the Song of Ice and Fire series, but I’m actually pretty enthusiastic about this. Martin’s Hedge Knight stories have been pretty entertaining, and I like works that cover long historical (or pseudo historical) periods like The Hyborian Age or The Silmarillion.
I am unfortunately pretty sure that Martin is not as enthusiastic as he once was about his main narrative. That’s fine: the TV show will give fans a proper conclusion to the tale, even if it’s not exactly the one the novels are leading to. Fire & Blood will even count two volumes, so I don’t know when we can expect more ASOIAF anyway! But if we get more about Aegon the unlikely, then sign me up.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 8, 2018 22:16:17 GMT -5
I'm torn about the upcoming George R.R. Martin book, it sounds pretty fun, but I really don't want to encourage him with dollars in now writing Winds of Winter. I'll probably compromise with myself and get it out of the library, but we'll see. The World Swappersby John Brunner Way back.. John Brunner's Atlantic Abomination was the first of my trove of old sci fi paperbacks I've been working though... I'm now close to 1/2 way done with them, and I noticed this one in the pile, and such a different cover, it got moved up to the top. It's got some really interesting stuff going on... written in 1959, yet with no nuclear holocaust. Instead, we have a world that colonized BEFORE the Earth was wrecked, and as a result Earth is a great place to live with a super high standard of living, while the colonies often struggle... especially Ymir, which, as the name sounds is an ice ball that strict religious types (no mention of what religion) eek out a hard scrabble existance. Then there's the secret cabal that are trying to prepare humans for 'the Others'... who also happen to have the 'transfax' which is a combo of a transporter and a replicator with unlimited range. It just so happens the Others love iceballs, but are the humans ready for first contact? especially those ones? While the near magic of the transfax was kinda too much, not to mention the fact that it was a secret, if you take that as a given, it's a really good first contact novel with a unique set up to the future world. I'd definitely recommend it for classic sci fi fans.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 9, 2018 8:27:03 GMT -5
With a very hot 1st part of the week (110-114) after work I secluded myself inside under the AC and read through Sharpe's Escape by Bernard Cornwell. This one takes place in Portugal in 1810 during the Bussaco Campaign. The battle itself is only a small part of the story with the emphasis on Sharpe feeling threatened as Captain of the Rifles and believing he will be replaced due to politics and money. Sharpe has a fight with a pair of Portuguese brothers hoarding food to sell to the French and Sharpe as always finds a damsel in distress, revenges himself on the brothers and kills the Frogs and saves the day in the end.
By this point Cornwell has a bit of a format going on: set up story with Sharpe/Hogan/Wellington/etc and then trap Sharpe in some predicament, have him meet and enjoy a mysterious/beautiful lady then the big climatic fight/battle/heroic ending. Formulaic perhaps but damn if they aren't fun reads. Cornwell has a strong hold on his characters and doses of historical facts mixed with interesting adventures and splendid characters like Sharpe and Sgt. Harper provides a real reason for reading the entire series (which I am!) all the way through from beginning to end.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 9, 2018 9:31:06 GMT -5
Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. HowardBy Mark Finn I've been interested in the details of Howard's life and upbringing since reading the excellent Del Rey collections of his work in the early and mid-2000's. The book was a great read and did a fine job of positioning Howard as a Texas author, which is important to understanding, not only his stories, but his psychology as well. Finn also does a good job of dispelling some of the mythology and outright fabrications that have built up over the years regarding Howard's relationship with his mother and his legendary suicide. Beyond the fact that I love his writing at its best, Howard's philosophy and his tragic, problematic life, has stuck with me like few other authors since I started learning about him. I highly recommend this to any Howard fan.
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 10, 2018 5:31:23 GMT -5
Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. HowardBy Mark Finn I've been interested in the details of Howard's life and upbringing since reading the excellent Del Rey collections of his work in the early and mid-2000's. The book was a great read and did a fine job of positioning Howard as a Texas author, which is important to understanding, not only his stories, but his psychology as well. Finn also does a good job of dispelling some of the mythology and outright fabrications that have built up over the years regarding Howard's relationship with his mother and his legendary suicide. Beyond the fact that I love his writing at its best, Howard's philosophy and his tragic, problematic life, has stuck with me like few other authors since I started learning about him. I highly recommend this to any Howard fan. Seconded. I particluarly appreciated the point you mention: how Howard is a Texas aithor. Finn does a great job in showing how his environment helped formed Howard’s outlook as a writer.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 10, 2018 14:24:16 GMT -5
Hell Bay by Will Thomas
Instead of the usual story within London, this one takes place at a 'house party' that is staged for diplomatic negotiations that essentially is Thomas' version of the classic locked room mystery.
Sadly, taking the setting out of London robs us of the supporting cast, and the city itself, which were always a bit missing last time. Barker seems particularly inept in this one, admitting he couldn't handle the job ahead of time, then failing mightily. There was no unique fight scene or cultural exploration, just a typical Victorian estate with it's typical denizens.
There was quite a bit of character development for Thomas, but it wasn't positive. He was brooding over his lady love most of the book, leading up to a cliff hanger that will surely be resolved in the next book. The tone of his narration was also different.. the previous books he seemed to be telling the story either in real time (as a diary) or just after.. this time it was more of a past memoir in the style of Watson's telling of Holmes. The change created a lack of drama for me.. even if we know the main character are probably going to be fine, making it a certainty by referencing the future removes all doubt.
Barker's lady friend, Phillipa Ashleigh, was also highlighted quite a bit here as well, but to be honest, she's not as interesting as when she was mysterious. This is defnitely the weakest entry of the series... I'm hoping the next one gets back on track.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 13, 2018 21:00:37 GMT -5
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W.P Kinsella I was hoping for more baseball, and less Doctor Who from this book... I was a little disappointed. It reminded me of typical sci fi anthology piece that starts from a mostly realistic place, then end up in magically enhanced baseball players, mobile statues, and a time travelling Leonardo Da Vinci. The main characters are all mostly sad people who you feel bad for and achieve no happiness but for brief moments. On the plus side, the writing is very good, and you really feel like you're there in this random baseball field in the middle of Iowa, and can picture this insane game going on... I feel like the game itself would make an absolutely fantastic Looney Tunes episode if you substituted a few of the main characters. One thing that really bugged me is that the game was on the 4th of July. In a book of magical Indians and cracks in time, the idea that a turn of the century baseball team would give up their traditional 4th of July double header was perhaps the most unrealistic item of all... you'd think Kinsella would know that! I kept waiting for an explaination, but none was to be had.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 16, 2018 10:36:11 GMT -5
Brush Strokes With Greatness: The Life and Art of Joe Sinnott by Tim Lasiuta If you've read any of Twomorrow's artist biographies you know what you're going to get. This one was a tad different than the norm as it wasn't formatted as an uber-long interview. Rather it had a bit more of a narrative read. But it was still the same basic thing...an overview of the life and work of Joe Sinnott. And for what they are and the creators they cover that's probably fine. You're not going to get an extensive biography or a critical assessment of the creator. It's a nice overview with a plethora of illustrations. Since even most of the greats in comics history aren't getting scholarly biographies these books fill a nice niche. In this case, though, you can make a compelling argument that we are dealing with one of comics great creators. And one that is probably not recognized as such by most fans, historians or critics...but certainly is by creators. Much is said, and rightly so, about Jack Kirby creating the Marvel look in the 60s. But if Kirby created the dynamic energy, it was Sinnott who provided the polish that made it all come together. It was Sinnott who made the Kirby Krackle really CRACKLE!! Steranko talks about harrassing, begging and bribing Sol Brodsky to get Sinnott assigned to his work because he knew it would look that much better with Sinnott inking it. And Joltin' Joe more than just an incredible inker. One of the joys of the book is seeing commissions and drawings that Joe did without a penciller. I can say without hesitation that a Sinnott western book would have been a joy to behold. The topping on the cake is that he comes across and is universally lauded as just an incredibly nice man.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 16, 2018 13:17:25 GMT -5
Brush Strokes With Greatness: The Life and Art of Joe Sinnott by Tim Lasiuta If you've read any of Twomorrow's artist biographies you know what you're going to get. This one was a tad different than the norm as it wasn't formatted as an uber-long interview. Rather it had a bit more of a narrative read. But it was still the same basic thing...an overview of the life and work of Joe Sinnott. And for what they are and the creators they cover that's probably fine. You're not going to get an extensive biography or a critical assessment of the creator. It's a nice overview with a plethora of illustrations. Since even most of the greats in comics history aren't getting scholarly biographies these books fill a nice niche. In this case, though, you can make a compelling argument that we are dealing with one of comics great creators. And one that is probably not recognized as such by most fans, historians or critics...but certainly is by creators. Much is said, and rightly so, about Jack Kirby creating the Marvel look in the 60s. But if Kirby created the dynamic energy, it was Sinnott who provided the polish that made it all come together. It was Sinnott who made the Kirby Krackle really CRACKLE!! Steranko talks about harrassing, begging and bribing Sol Brodsky to get Sinnott assigned to his work because he knew it would look that much better with Sinnott inking it. And Joltin' Joe more than just an incredible inker. One of the joys of the book is seeing commissions and drawings that Joe did without a penciller. I can say without hesitation that a Sinnott western book would have been a joy to behold. The topping on the cake is that he comes across and is universally lauded as just an incredibly nice man. Totally agree about Sinnott being overlooked as "just and inker" when he absolutely filled the gap of many an average or mediocre artist turning things into something wonderful. And his pencil skills are amazing and I wish there was more pencil work of Joltin' Joe around. The Twomorrow's biographies are splendid reading and viewing. I loved the Heck one i have and wish I had gotten Tuska and Colan (both out of stock except for digital) and I am waiting on 3 coming in the mail this week: Sal Buscema, Herb Trimpe and Mike Grell. Good reads ahead for certain
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 16, 2018 13:32:42 GMT -5
Brush Strokes With Greatness: The Life and Art of Joe Sinnott by Tim Lasiuta If you've read any of Twomorrow's artist biographies you know what you're going to get. This one was a tad different than the norm as it wasn't formatted as an uber-long interview. Rather it had a bit more of a narrative read. But it was still the same basic thing...an overview of the life and work of Joe Sinnott. And for what they are and the creators they cover that's probably fine. You're not going to get an extensive biography or a critical assessment of the creator. It's a nice overview with a plethora of illustrations. Since even most of the greats in comics history aren't getting scholarly biographies these books fill a nice niche. In this case, though, you can make a compelling argument that we are dealing with one of comics great creators. And one that is probably not recognized as such by most fans, historians or critics...but certainly is by creators. Much is said, and rightly so, about Jack Kirby creating the Marvel look in the 60s. But if Kirby created the dynamic energy, it was Sinnott who provided the polish that made it all come together. It was Sinnott who made the Kirby Krackle really CRACKLE!! Steranko talks about harrassing, begging and bribing Sol Brodsky to get Sinnott assigned to his work because he knew it would look that much better with Sinnott inking it. And Joltin' Joe more than just an incredible inker. One of the joys of the book is seeing commissions and drawings that Joe did without a penciller. I can say without hesitation that a Sinnott western book would have been a joy to behold. The topping on the cake is that he comes across and is universally lauded as just an incredibly nice man. Totally agree about Sinnott being overlooked as "just and inker" when he absolutely filled the gap of many an average or mediocre artist turning things into something wonderful. And his pencil skills are amazing and I wish there was more pencil work of Joltin' Joe around. The Twomorrow's biographies are splendid reading and viewing. I loved the Heck one i have and wish I had gotten Tuska and Colan (both out of stock except for digital) and I am waiting on 3 coming in the mail this week: Sal Buscema, Herb Trimpe and Mike Grell. Good reads ahead for certain I have the Buscema book coming up to read soon. I read the Trimpe book a little while back. I bought and read the Colan book some time back. Haven't found the Tuska book yet and the Grell book is still brand new and more money than I want to spend.
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