What are you reading?

[Dangerous_D]

gonna be reading Robotech next

[dedhed]

anansi boys is probably the only one of gaiman's books that i've felt has really come off. he's got a fantastic imagination and he's a decent storyteller; his writing style and his plot conclusions really really let him down.

[Conner Macleod]

What about 'American Gods'? I thought that was perfect.

[aLiteSneeze]

Originally Posted by Conner Macleod

Next book from Gaiman I read will be 'Anansi Boys', which I bought just as it came out, but I have been slacking and just haven't found the time for it. I need to finish 'The Gunslinger' right now. So many books, so little time

That book is fantastic!

I love American Gods to bits though. After Wuthering Heights, and The Little Prince, it's probably my favourite book.

[dedhed]

it withered and died in the last third of the book. the epilogue pulled it back slightly, without that i'd have been left with rather a sour taste to be honest. it just went out like a damp squib.

[aLiteSneeze]

Really? I didn't really find that. However, I remember their being a certain part towards the end of the book that I really wished would go away sooner because reading it made me feel uncomfortable and cold and I found myself skipping pages.

[itsallgoodbabyGb]

Originally Posted by Conner Macleod

Excellent review, itsallgoodbabygb I'm glad you liked it, it's certainly an interesting story to say the least. I'd have to say that I agree with you about Anathema and Newt, out of all the characters in the book they were the only ones that I really enjoyed, I think they were the most human out of the book, literal meaning aside. My main gripe is that the book bounced around too often to the point where I felt I didn't really connect with any of them, so had more time been spent on that I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more.

Next book from Gaiman I read will be 'Anansi Boys', which I bought just as it came out, but I have been slacking and just haven't found the time for it. I need to finish 'The Gunslinger' right now. So many books, so little time

that's gaiman's style, flitting from storyline to storyline and slowly teasing revelations and a point out of each one as they draw together to a conclusion that involves all of them. fair enough; i found this in number9dream by david mitchell; the main character reads a fairytale and his grandad's diary from a WW2 submarine and although they are both relevant to the plot i just skimmed them because they digressed from an interesting and engaging main plot.

anansi boys is one of the few gaiman works i don't own, and i will probably purchase a copy as soon as i can afford to

Originally Posted by fromthedead

After you read the book you'll see how the film had so much lost potential. Everything was ruined. The car chase (in a station wagon) was supposed to be long and grueling with Neville hurrying to get back to his house with Vamps on his tail. It was a hollywood car chase with vamps ripping at the car and everything before hollywood had chases like that. All Smith had was that dumb viper and his SUV that had the dumbest plot device ever. And Neville actually was infected with the virus in the book. In a recap he had been exposed to it before everyone else while in Panama and grew an immunity to it. Eventually by the time it spread he was fully immune. The whole cancer thing was dumb as shit. The vampires in the book talked and kept their personalities. They were just bloodthirsty and undead with sharp fangs used to act to syphon blood out of a victims body. So yeah, again, the movie sucked. And the dog was supposed to come at the end. And it was supposed to be infected when he met it.

Now re-reading Clive Barkers "Cabal." At least Nightbreed was closer to Cabal than I Am Legend was to I Am Legend.

the novel sounds pretty interesting to be fair. i thought the movie had some good aspects, such as the setting which was quite satisfying visually, but the plot direction it took didn't seem to work too well IMO. the book is another one i want to read though

Originally Posted by dedhed

anansi boys is probably the only one of gaiman's books that i've felt has really come off. he's got a fantastic imagination and he's a decent storyteller; his writing style and his plot conclusions really really let him down.

his writing style is a little conversational at times and not very unique but it works and coaxes the reader on through its passages, i find

out of 5 novels and graphic novel series i've read 3 of them end in very similar ways and a lot of similar themes can be found in each story but they're done evocatively and in line with the themes he drives at so i think they're effective and not let downs, but each to their own

Originally Posted by dedhed

it withered and died in the last third of the book. the epilogue pulled it back slightly, without that i'd have been left with rather a sour taste to be honest. it just went out like a damp squib.

i thought the way it eventually played out was the entire point personally, although i was expecting the opposite.

Originally Posted by aLiteSneeze

Really? I didn't really find that. However, I remember their being a certain part towards the end of the book that I really wished would go away sooner because reading it made me feel uncomfortable and cold and I found myself skipping pages.

care to elaborate? i think i know which part you mean, the bit with the tree; could be wrong.

ok, i've read another gaiman novel, Neverwhere. after the epic apocalyptic nonsense of good omens i felt a little disillusioned and deflated with regards to what could possibly top a story about the apocalypse, even a tongue in cheek one. i actually prefer neverwhere, though!

SPOILERS AGAIN skip to the end for a spoiler free summary.

right, as a londoner i revelled in the fantastical, dirty, faerie London Below and the epic characterisations and personifications of stations and places i've grown up in and been to; bringing to life such a diverse and culturally rich city as a character in its own right, and creating a dark, magical and dangerous world to reflect the real one and give the characters a challenging, mystical place to travail in. it's nice to see other cities' own Belows mentioned too, as well as Atlantis.

anyway, i thought those characters were excellent; mr Croup and mr Vandemar were probably my favourites, for similar reasons to Aziraphale and Crowley in Good Omens; extremely adept and dangerous assassins, vicious, free of emotion or remorse, with boundless speed, ferocity and efficiency; and an eloquent, sardonic banter surrounding everything they do. they took their brutal, callous murders in stride and shared a superbly observational and easy offbeat running dialogue that made them fascinating to read.

the lady Door was lovely, full bodied emotionally and earnest; the Marquis de Carabas was professional and methodical with sarcastic and blunt dialogue that hurried the plot along; the earl's court was cool, a tube train with a forgetful old frame of a once great king commanding a full court; the black friars, the rats, Anaesthesia - i wish she had returned - the velvets, the serpentine, the hammersmith, the Beast, the Old Bailey, the angel Islington and Hunter - a great character who could have been expanded on a little more, such as her inability to go into London Above - and of course Richard, Gary, Jess, mr Stockton and the other normal characters etc. were all distinctive and added their own speciality and relevance to the plot.

the plot contained a few fascinating twists, and a few slightly unnecessary ones that allayed things that as it progressed i found i really wanted to see; the best example i can think of is Down street, when Door, Richard and Hunter are approaching the labyrinth and Croup and Vandemar intercept them; i had been eagerly awaiting an epic, vicious battle between Hunter and the 2 assassins for most of the book, perhaps culminating with the Beast jumping in, and maybe even Islington stopping it as killing blows approached or whatever. what we got was perhaps the kind of 'damp squib' dedhed talks about, as well as a fondly and regularly exercised tactic of Gaiman's involving modifying the dynamic of a character by revealing ulterior motives or unexpected decisions and blurring the lines as such. i didn't mind the anticlimactic diffusion of the war of the gods in American Gods by Shadow because maintaining that status quo seemed to be the point but here it just seemed like a tacked on plot twist; Hunter returns to her focused, ambiguously loyal ways soon after the betrayal is revealed in her own climactic battle with the Beast.

anyway, i also enjoyed references to other gaiman titles - beating of mighty wings, small talk about lucifer etc. - and although some of my favourite characters met ends i had hoped they wouldn't or disappeared too early, it was an excellent novel overall, and possibly my favourite Gaiman title so far, although each one i read seems to engross me in the same way.

SPOILERS OVER right, summary - we follow a young Scottish businessman who moves to London and struggles through a relationship with a distinctly elite girl and works as an accountant or something like that. on the way to a meal with a big company director, he finds a girl who was chased by two vicious assassins out of the mysterious London Below and forsakes the dinner to look after the girl. this drags him into that world, where he tags along on an epic and dangerous journey through the dark and absurd underbelly of london, invisible to the real world, populated by danger and dark powers and personifications and other strange beings. i'll give it a hearty 9 out of 10, as i can't really find fault in it and enjoyed it very muchly

also jesus fuck can't believe i forgot this LENNY HENRY WAS INVOLVED WITH THIS STORY. I'M HAVING REAL TROUBLE WRAPPING MY HEAD AROUND THAT ONE.

[aLiteSneeze]

Originally Posted by itsallgoodbabyGb

care to elaborate? i think i know which part you mean, the bit with the tree; could be wrong.

Yes. That's exactly the bit. It really made me feel like I was on that tree, too. I felt so uncomfortable. It was ick.

I also have read Neverwhere, and thought it was quite good, however it has been my least favourite (maybe bad wording because I still thought it was fantastic) Neil Gaiman novel I've read so far. I think the character of Richard annoyed me a little bit, just personally. His character was written well. And his fiance from the start of the book was a bit over the top, or people could really be like that and I'm just completely ignorant? I loved the Velvets, and I loved Hunter, and Door was pretty cool but I recently saw what was supposed to be her on the cover of a graphic novel and it made me wretch. Anyway. I'm enjoying Good Omens a little bit more, at the moment, but we'll see. I'm a slow reader.

[itsallgoodbabyGb]

Originally Posted by aLiteSneeze

Yes. That's exactly the bit. It really made me feel like I was on that tree, too. I felt so uncomfortable. It was ick.

I also have read Neverwhere, and thought it was quite good, however it has been my least favourite (maybe bad wording because I still thought it was fantastic) Neil Gaiman novel I've read so far. I think the character of Richard annoyed me a little bit, just personally. His character was written well. And his fiance from the start of the book was a bit over the top, or people could really be like that and I'm just completely ignorant? I loved the Velvets, and I loved Hunter, and Door was pretty cool but I recently saw what was supposed to be her on the cover of a graphic novel and it made me wretch. Anyway. I'm enjoying Good Omens a little bit more, at the moment, but we'll see. I'm a slow reader.

yeah, richard sort of stumbled through the story didn't he. he wasn't the best protagonist, although i found him easy to relate to. and i've met posh girls like that before, but it's hard to bracket people who usually don't fall into a simple and exclusive type that defines them completely. anyway, this a fantasy full of caricatures so it stands to reason that the 'normal' human characters will exhibit somewhat archetypal behaviour, to smooth over the transition to the underside and its weird denizens, and also help make a point or show something the writer wants the reader to see, such as richard's reaction to her at the end.

door is pretty lovely in the bbc show, i thought she was played very well. the marquis is also as i imagined him and he's played by johnson off peep show which made me laugh hysterically a lot. it's a low budget affair along the lines of hitchhikers guide or red dwarf, but gaiman realises the epic vision in the novel. it's worth a watch, type neverwhere into youtube, this guy has the whole series on his channel, deeperwell or someone.

nothing wrong with being a slow reader, you absorb it all more completely and you notice the little details

i'm reading stardust, and it's intriguing so far, but it will take a lot to live up to gaiman's other works IMO.

[spike_gta]

I Am America (And So Can You!)

By Stephen Colbert.

Hilarious so far, the little footnotes are a nice touch which add to the already great humour. It reads like the kind of book rtr would write the only different is that Colbert is being sarcastic and joking whereas rtr would be being completely serious.

[Renegade 2501]

My girlfriend gave me that book, Spike, and I've been dying to read it, except...

I'm reading Moby-Dick. And I have been for...well, I don't even know at this point. I've been wanting to read King's The Stand, but that will have to wait until I slay this book. I'll probably be missing a leg by that point too.

[itsallgoodbabyGb]

interesting stuff guys, putting on my list

another king i really want to read is 1408, just cos i enjoyed the movie. still on stardust currently. it's pretty good, but i prefer his other stuff.

[Salvage Guy]

Originally Posted by dedhed

it withered and died in the last third of the book. the epilogue pulled it back slightly, without that i'd have been left with rather a sour taste to be honest. it just went out like a damp squib.

Agreed.

[itsallgoodbabyGb]

SPOILERS AGAIN this time for stardust.

approaching the conclusion; just reached chapter 9. it seems less inspired and fleshed out then other gaiman titles IMO. it's the same sort of faerie that we see in 'the books of magic' and characters from in 'the sandman' but it's just too seperate from the normal stratum, even though it's something gaiman's pushed in all his works. there are a wide range of fairy archetypes, beings and creatures and it seems to be a story for the story's sake in theme. the journey Tristran undertakes is fickle and unrealistic in the extreme and although it's interesting reading thanks to decent characters it just isn't as enjoyable as his other titles.

he skims bits that would actually seem quite interesting, such as the goblins trying to press gang them into their wars. Tristran's ability to know where everything is and how to do everything is too convenient, the star is found too quickly and is somewhat underwhelming as a girl with a broken leg although she's still cool, and the story almost seems rushed, more a breeze through the archetypes of faerie and the fairytale genre then a compelling journey, something like 'sleepy hollow' was pretty much an exercise in summarising the entire gothic movement in all its facets as much as anything.

the bit about the star irked me too; tristran actually mentions that stars should be big balls of flaming gas like the sun, and yet the moon is the star's mother. it's all very childish and archaic in nature. gaiman also doesn't miss a chance to discuss at length death, and cleavers, and corpses, although it lends an air of menace to proceedings, and makes the witch queen a suitably vile antagonist. also, it's obvious semele is the witch who had captured the bird that made out with tristran's dad i believe at the beginning; could be wrong though.

the stormhold brother lords, the skyship bit and the unicorn and lion encounter were nicely told; i felt sorry for brevis and liked the little guy who helps tristran at the beginning; the unicorn was also very cool, and probably my favourite thing about this book. not a nice cute horse with a horn, but a wild beast of magic that likes to skewer its enemies. magnificent.

anyway maybe some interesting twist is coming but i'm not that impressed so far. the idea of faerie lands being pushed off the map and the whole concept of faerie, storytelling and the value of imagination, as well as the characters and the character of the land of faerie are all cool but the whole london below thing, the gods in human guise thing, the realms of the endless, tim hunter's journey through magic etc. all seemed a lot more realistically tied into the accepted stratum of our reality and thus were far more compelling and seemingly relevant to read about. and the world and beyond in 'good omens' could afford to be as taken for granted as this is due to its humourous style.

SPOILERS OVER if anyone's tired of my essays just tell me to fuck off. don't want to write these if no one's going to read them. x

[Lithium65]

Originally Posted by spike_gta

I Am America (And So Can You!)

By Stephen Colbert.

Hilarious so far, the little footnotes are a nice touch which add to the already great humour. It reads like the kind of book rtr would write the only different is that Colbert is being sarcastic and joking whereas rtr would be being completely serious.

Good book, my man. Great, even! The footnotes make it seam like an all-text version of "The Word" from his show. Great touch, agreed.


I'm currently reading Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. I started it in February sometime, then I forgot about it, recently picked it back up. Really good, and I'm excited to see how the movie turns out.

[aLiteSneeze]

I've read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry again, however this time in English. I think it changes a book a little to read it in a different language. But, anyway, I had nearly forgotten how absolutely fantastic it is. I adore the little drawings in it, and I love the tenderness in the characters, and it makes me feel so sad and happy at once, but I always end up feeling guilty, that I've become too much of a "grown up". And then I realise that I'm reading a book with pictures, and feel at ease again.

[Salvage Guy]

Originally Posted by Lithium65

I'm currently reading Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. I started it in February sometime, then I forgot about it, recently picked it back up. Really good, and I'm excited to see how the movie turns out.

Considered this. Might consider it again.

Reading Iain M Banks' second Culture novel, 'The Player Of Games'

[itsallgoodbabyGb]

i know about palahnuik from 'fight club' and banks from 'wasp factory' although i've only read the latter, but i'm keen to read more of each author's library, sounds good.

not read anything by exupery, not read 'the little prince'. will check it though. good to be able to read the same body of work in two languages too, gives two different slants on it, a translation is an interpretation unless the writer himself translates it.

finished 'stardust' and my opinions on it did not change. started on 'smoke and mirrors', and it's promising so far, although i'm still in the hefty intro. he put a story about a marriage and a letter that talks about that marriage in the intro; a dark and poignant little observation it was. i will try to read something by someone else soon; just this and 'fragile things' to go and then i'll probably read 'the jackal', or 'catch 22'; i own but have never read either, although i know about the jackal and have seen both the awesome original and the bruce willis remake. good night

[Salvage Guy]

Oddly enough, Radiohead have written the score for the film adaptation of Palahnuik's Choke.

[ursassygurl]

i am a big fan of Tess Gerritsen. i have read all her books, she is the best medical-crime author, i can read her novel in just one seating..here are some of her books i like best:
1. the harvest
2.Mephisto Club
3. Under the knife
4.the surgeon

[The Drunkk Machine]

Originally Posted by Salvage Guy

Oddly enough, Radiohead have written the score for the film adaptation of Palahnuik's Choke.

doubtless you know this already but radiohead only contributed "reckoner" to the end credits

[Salvage Guy]

yeah. Couldn't be arsed topping up the topic. They were like '..uuughhh'. and he was like 'well...euuuugh?' and they were like 'meh' and he went 'meehehe' and something. It was on the BBC. 90% verbatim.

[Lithium65]

Finished Choke, finally.

Re-reading the Areas of my Expertise by John Hodgman.

[Fomorian]

I finally got my hand on "The Last Unicorn"

So far I am really underwhelmed. I mean, it's happening pretty much EXACTLY the way the animated-movie does it, except the movie is actually more poetic than the book's expeditive, lightweight prose.

In other words, up to know, the movie is better than the book.

Damn... it was supposed to be *her* "get better soon" present...

[Salvage Guy]

Feersum Enjinn. Third Iain M Banks book (I think it's about his 6th or 7th in total). So far, a very strange 3 way story going on reminiscent of Walking On Glass which he wrote before adding the M.

[BullpupDFWM]

Just finished Unfinished Business by Joe Pistone.
Started Deeper by Jeff Long Last night.

[itsallgoodbabyGb]

Originally Posted by Salvage Guy

Feersum Enjinn. Third Iain M Banks book (I think it's about his 6th or 7th in total). So far, a very strange 3 way story going on reminiscent of Walking On Glass which he wrote before adding the M.

i've got wasp factory, it's pretty good haven't read it in a while though. quite disturbing

[Salvage Guy]

Wasp Factory is probably one of his most straight-forward stories. I'm currently working through all of his sci-fi 'Culture' novels (and some non-Culture too) which are much more enjoyable than his normal fiction genres. From my experience, I would urge you NOT to read Song Of Stone. Drivel. Banks can be hit and miss though I've enjoyed Complicity, Consider Phlebas and Player Of Games so far.

[itsallgoodbabyGb]

Originally Posted by Salvage Guy

Wasp Factory is probably one of his most straight-forward stories. I'm currently working through all of his sci-fi 'Culture' novels (and some non-Culture too) which are much more enjoyable than his normal fiction genres. From my experience, I would urge you NOT to read Song Of Stone. Drivel. Banks can be hit and miss though I've enjoyed Complicity, Consider Phlebas and Player Of Games so far.

thanks for the recommendations

i probably shouldn't post on this thread again for a bit though, as i'm reading through all my comics and graphic novels instead right now. some of them are majorly disappointing upon rereading too... but i strongly recommend green lantern as a surprisingly well written study of the handling of power though. they really outdid themselves with what is essentially a slightly goofy, cartoonish and overpowered concept. it's surprising also to think that it was being written and released at the same time as that lobo shite too. even the artwork is utterly superior in GL.

anywaybacktobooksiguess

[Fomorian]

Finished The Last Unicorn.

It's a good read. Definitely worthy of attention. But I wasn't really transported by it the way I was with the movie.

Although I'm willing to attribute this to "firstcomer preference", there are things which the movie did better than the book in many regards: the dialogue is snappier and overall more concise; the book's characters are all a bit distant and cold while the movie's characters are earnest; the movie has music (which I promptly remedied with my own mp3s).

That said the book does have some things running for it: while the ending does run long, it is much sadder than the movie's; there are, of course, several moments of the book that were omitted in the movie, the coolest of which were the four guards at Haggard's castle and Mommy Fortuna impersonating the incarnation of Aging; the book contains several reference to modern day life which I think lends great humour to the piece (Lir reads a magazine, Captain Cully thinks about finding a recording artist, etc), made me wonder if a new film couldn't be done in a modern-day aesthetic; the songs in the book are good, contrary to the songs in the film.

So, here it is. It's a little piece of lovely litterature, but it's not as classic as I thought it would be.