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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 1, 2020 13:35:52 GMT -5
The Laurentine SpyEmily Gee, 2009 Bought this one a few years ago at a local bookstore's discount shelf at an 80% markdown. Finally got around to reading it over the weekend and rather enjoyed it. It's a basically a fantasy novel; the setting is vaguely medieval European, although all of the countries (like Corhona and Laurent) are entirely fictional - and unlike many fantasy-type books, there's no helpful map provided. The main characters are two members, one woman and one man, of a 4-person spy cell embedded in one of the imperial palaces of a country called Corhona. They are pretending to be idle nobles who gather intelligence by listening to all of the court gossip and drunken conversations of military officers. Also, they initially don't know each other's identities, as the cell only meets occasionally in a dark cellar and they all wear hooded robes. Eventually their cover gets blown and they have to escape. Besides the entirely fictional setting, the other fantasy aspect of the book is that there are witches in this world - people who have what is called 'The Eye', which means that they can get people to do their bidding by staring into their eyes. These witches are universally reviled and burned at the stake when found out. The female lead character, Soliel, is in fact one such witch. Since I have read a smattering of romance novels, I can say that the story is structured more like a romance novel than anything else - notably, Soliel spends a good part of the book (to some extent justifiably) despising the male lead, Athan. The only different thing here is that their arcs that lead to a genuine love growing between them is are done a little more believably. Overall, I really enjoyed this; it's a solidly written, engaging story. And it's nice to read a done-in-one fantasy novel.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 0:42:51 GMT -5
I just finished The Blade Itself, the first book in Joe Abercombie's First Law Trilogy. It's been a long while since I dipped my toes in a new fantasy series, but I am glad I did this one. Abercrombie's work feels fresh and his voice is compelling. His characters come to life on the page, and the story, while a slow burn, has enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages to see what happens and how it affects the dramatis personae, whose lives and stories have pulled you in regardless of the plot itself. I got a little burned out on epic/modern fantasy a while back, the books were getting bloated to ridiculous lengths and the series went on interminably, so I just took a break, but lately I've had the hankering to dive back in and immerse myself in some epic fantasy, and a few authors/series kept popping up on my radar, so when out local library system opened up, I request a bunch of first books form various series and Abercrombie's was the first I picked up to take the plunge. Five days and five hundred pages later I finished the first volume and I am definitely on board for the second, but I have to place the request and wait for our library to process it so I can pick it up curbside, so it'll be a few days, so I am probably going to try out another series in the meantime. I am also feeling the desire to revisit Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and finally finish the series now that all the books are out, so I may be spending a lot of time reading fantasy (As opposed to sword & sorcery stuff) for the rest of the year. -M
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 20:27:40 GMT -5
I am also feeling the desire to revisit Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and finally finish the series now that all the books are out, so I may be spending a lot of time reading fantasy (As opposed to sword & sorcery stuff) for the rest of the year. -M I started working on a reread of the first few books at the beginning of the year. It was my intention to read them all in one go, one after another. That didn't happen and I burnt myself out after reading the first two straight. I haven't gone back for 4 months.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 4, 2020 21:10:49 GMT -5
The first couple I remember being a real slog... I picked up and put down the first one like 3 times before I forced myself through it.
The middle one are great... I remember reading books 3 though 6 in like a week on an unsuccessful business trip to California. (LOTS of down time)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 22:32:09 GMT -5
I am also feeling the desire to revisit Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and finally finish the series now that all the books are out, so I may be spending a lot of time reading fantasy (As opposed to sword & sorcery stuff) for the rest of the year. -M I started working on a reread of the first few books at the beginning of the year. It was my intention to read them all in one go, one after another. That didn't happen and I burnt myself out after reading the first two straight. I haven't gone back for 4 months. I reread the entire series every time a new book came out in the 90s-Book three was the current book when I jumped on, I read 1-3 and 4 came out so read that. When 5 came out, I reread 1-4, when 6 came out I reread 1-5, all the way up through book 8 or 9, at which point I decided to wait because it was only supposed to be a 6 or 7 book series, but at book 9 there was still no end in sight. I tried a reread when the last book came out and only got through a New Spring (the prequel) and Eye of the World but stuff happened and I never got to book 2, not out of lack of wanting too, but time commitments to other things kept me from reading much at all at that point. I decided I wanted to do the reread before the series drops on streaming. -M
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 5, 2020 20:41:57 GMT -5
I was so annoyed at the end... where an entire book is wasted not forwarding the plot that I never read the last one or New Spring.
This week I read Stardust but Alfred Bester, a short story collection which I realized quickly I'd read before, but most of them are pretty good, so it was OK.
I also ready Royal Rabbits of London ... my wife got it out of the library before the COVID thing, and it was available last week when they returned with curbside pickup... she had no idea why she got it out. It's a Children's book, but very cute... runt goes and saves the day from (papa) Ratzi while avoiding 'the Pack' (the Queen's Corgis).
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 8, 2020 7:51:49 GMT -5
Galactic Riddle (Perry Rhodan #8)
Perry and company are looking for the secret of eternal life now that the Topides are gone, and they enter the vault under the palace to find.. more tricks and puzzles to 'test' them to see if they're worthy to find the immortals.
There's a few things here I like.... the side story with Sgt. Groll taking a Ferronian scientist exploring was fun, and it's good to add a bit to the cast.. there are 300 people on the ship after all, and we only know about 20 of them. I would have liked to see Perry discuss with Krest or grapple more with the fact that Krest sent the Topides into the sun when Perry was trying to trick them into retreating to save on casualities, but that is not mentioned or discussed at all... maybe next time.
They did come to an agreement to go bring the Arkonides 'home' after this, though, which I REALLY want to see, so many good story possibilities for that.
The 'quest' has been a bit silly so far, too. Basically every step of the way is 'panic until one of the X-Men save the day'... not sure how that proves them worthy. Also, they actually use the X-Men phrase 'Homo Superior' in this book... I assume just one of those cases of parallel development, since it's unlikely Stan Lee would have been reading German language sci fi mags in 1963.
I'm hoping this whole 'quest for eternal life' arc either ends quickly so we can get onto more interesting stuff, or gets better, if the next 3 or 4 chapters are all more of this I can see losing interest.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2020 9:30:35 GMT -5
I flew through this one in two sittings... Black Kirby is an art collective comprising Stacey Robinson & John Jennings. They put together a series of Kirby influenced works and homages that explored themes including Afrofuturism and black identity. These works comprised a travelling exhibit that toured circa 2012, and this book is a retrospective of the exhibit plus a collections of essays, articles and features forma number of contributing writers, most academics in the fields of comics, black studies, African history, African American history, or music. Most of these features averaged about 2 pages (some 1, some 3, most 2 pages) and included a Black Kirby illustration of the author in a Kirbyesque guise. While short, these articles were interesting, informative and thought-provoking. They include: Super Duper Blackness: The Intersection of Afrofuturism, the Black Comic Hero and Jack Kirby by Reynaldo Anderson The Sound and Her (Black) Fury: Black Kirby's Motherboxx Connection by Regina Bradley Connections by Stanford Carpenter Black Jack (Curb-E) by Daniel Gray-Kontar Black Kirby: A Curatorial Statement by John Massier Let's Stay Together: Fair Use and Black Expressive Culture by Mark Anthony Neal The Origins of Jack Kirby's Black Panther by Arlen Shumer Light in the Darkness: Vignettes Exploring the Dimensions of Black Kirby by Stephanie Troutman The Black Technological Sublime by Rebecca Wanzo Afro Blue and Here League of Dance Divas by Ytasha Womack (author of the Afrofuturism book I just read that turned me on the Black Kirby) The Jack Kirby Detractor by Daniel Yezbick Afterward by Jonathan Gayles But the majority of the book is focused on the art, and it is amazing. Powerful, beautiful, thought-provoking, a feast for both the eyes and the mind as all good art should be. Most wears the Kirby influence on its sleeve, some samples Kirby directly others are just riffing on his style, and still others are just inspired by Kirby themes or images. Here is the piece called the Motherboxx Connection... and a few more to give a sense of the scope of the art included... Overall, the book is a visual tour de force, and I regret not being able to see the actual exhibit. However, it is more than just an art book, it is an exploration of many cultural ideas including cultural appropriation, fair use of art in the creation of new art, black identity, hip-hop culture, the power of representation, representations of the feminine, Afrofuturism, and others. It is a worthwhile book to read at any time, but I found the serendipity of reading it at a time where our culture as a whole is struggling with aftermath of the Floyd murder to be especially poignant and impactful, providing me with insights to help me process my thoughts and feelings on the whole situation. I did not set out on my voyage of exploration of Afrofuturism because of current events, my journey started earlier this year just as the Covid pandemic was in its nascent stages and long before the events in Minneapolis set the world ablaze, but being on this voyage at this time has been a blessing of synchronicity for me. -M
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 10, 2020 8:52:14 GMT -5
EfuruFlora Nwapa, 1966 Another book that's been on my 'to-read' pile forever. I got it a while back when I was looking for books by Nigerian writers other than Chinua Achebe (a favorite of mine). Apparently Achebe helped Nwapa find a publisher for this one after reading the manuscript. It's a definitely an interesting book; the titular character, Efuru, is an Igbo woman who lives in a rural community. The story begins when she is being courted by the man who would end up being her first husband, and follows her through that eventually failed marriage and then her second, initially happier marriage. At the same time, Efuru becomes a very successful and respected merchant in the village and beyond. Through the various characters and their interactions, Nwapa paints a picture of Igbo life and traditions, while also telling the story of a strong-willed woman who sort of bucks those traditions. I'd recommend this if you're interested in 20th century African literature, although some may find Nwapa's writing style a bit lacking (her prose isn't as rich as Achebe's). By the way, @mrp , on the subject of Afrofuturism, I just remembered (because it was rebroadcast this week), that a few years ago there was an episode of This American Life on that very topic. It's not a deep dive into Afrofuturism itself as much as a look at how Afrofuturist themes are or can be tied to contemporary life in African American communities. Worth a listen in any case.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 12, 2020 0:01:45 GMT -5
I should re-read Things Fall Apart.... I read it for a class in college, and really liked it even though I was forced to hyper analyze it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2020 0:13:05 GMT -5
I don't normally read Buzzfeed, but with my recent reading in the area of Afrofuturism, Google News' algorithm flagged this article for my interest- 20 books of interest for discovering black science fictionIt's culled form recommendation on Goodreads. There's even a Black Panther comic/trade on the list. Many of the books were already on my radar, but I have only read one (The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead which I read when I was still in New England as part of a book club with my friend who was my best man and an English teacher who selected it as an interesting new voice-of note, I last read Achebe's Things Fall Apart around that time as well). I have read some other works by writers on the list though. If others are interested in exploring this area, it's not a bad list to find a starting point. -M
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 12, 2020 7:34:33 GMT -5
I should re-read Things Fall Apart.... I read it for a class in college, and really liked it even though I was forced to hyper analyze it. Yes, Things Fall Apart often gets included in many a college syllabus - it is rightfully considered a classic, but I actually think the follow-up book, No Longer At Ease (the main character is a descendant of the main character in Things...), as well as the short story collection Girls At War are even better.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 12, 2020 7:49:22 GMT -5
That's a pretty good list; nice to see Butler, Okorafor and Hopkinson getting so much love. By the way, I'd strongly recommend reading Butler's Parable of the Sower (and its sequel, Parable of the Talents). The dystopian future (in 2025) seemed merely plausible when she wrote those books in the 1990s; now, given the most recent events, it seems like she may have been looking into a crystal ball (of note is that, among other things, there's a demagogic leader who uses the slogan 'make American great again').
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2020 9:55:19 GMT -5
That's a pretty good list; nice to see Butler, Okorafor and Hopkinson getting so much love. By the way, I'd strongly recommend reading Butler's Parable of the Sower (and its sequel, Parable of the Talents). The dystopian future (in 2025) seemed merely plausible when she wrote those books in the 1990s; now, given the most recent events, it seems like she may have been looking into a crystal ball (of note is that, among other things, there's a demagogic leader who uses the slogan 'make American great again'). I actually just started reading the recently released GN adaptation of the Parable of the Sower with art by John Jennings (of BlackKirby fame) adapted by Damien Duffy. The same pair did an award winning adaptation of the Kindred a few years ago (but I haven't read that). Oddly, my local library had the GN, but not a copy of Butler's novel. -M
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2020 10:17:26 GMT -5
Just finished Michal Chabon's Gentleman of the Road... I discovered Chabon with The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and loved that book, but Gentleman continues the trend of me being disappointed by everything else I have read by Chabon. Gentleman of the Road is an attempt to do adventure fiction in the grand tradition of the classic pulps, and I had high hopes for it, but was left felling underwhelmed. It tries to capture the territory sewn by Howard (in his non-Conan historical adventure tales) Fritz Leiber, Bok and others, but comes across as a pale shadow of such. Perhaps because, as Chabon points out in his afterward, his working title for the book was Jews with Swords and he wanted to explore the bonafides of the absurdity most would see in the concept. The best part of the book are the chapter illustrations of Gary Gianni. Set in Asia Minor in the early medieval period (circa 950 AD whilst the Vikings were active in Rus and the area ad the Byzantine empire was still at its zenith of influence) it features a pair of adventurers-Zelikman, an itinerant physician who is a Frankish Jew, a scarecrow of a figure with a fondness for hats, and Amram, a giant African mercenary. The problem is it took me half the book to figure out which was which and who was doing what in certain scenes as Chabon's efforts failed to really make them have distinct voices or stand out form each other in anything but appearance (I kept having to go back to the book flap and check-oh ok Amram is the African, or oh Zelikman is the Frank, which was annoying and interrupted the flow of the novel. Here's Gianni's depiction of them from the final chapter... The book starts with them running a con on travelers in a canvasari to replenish their funds where they end up on the run and taking a job as bodyguards to escort a deposed war chief's son to refuge with family members but everything goes wrong in a series of misadventures and they wind up caught up in their clients rebellion to recapture the lost position. The prose is (pardon the pun if you will) too prosaic-it lacked the power and punch to effectively convey the sense of adventure and just felt like the story was meandering all over the place. In fact, my gut reaction was that it felt like I was reading a bad summary of an adventure story form someone's book report than it felt like I was reading an adventure story. I appreciate the effort, and there were some good bits here and there, but overall, this was a miss for me, and I am fast losing any desire to explore more of Chabon's stuff. I am now ever afraid to revisit Kavalier and Clay for fear I wouldn't enjoy it this time. -M
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