What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)

[macdoc]

I'd tend t agree tho LoTR was very true to the books even with the odd MIA such as Bombadil. A much harder task than Potter tho not by much.
Holding it together over several films and growing actors was remarkable.

to

[JimC]

Lord of the Rings films had a lot of the feel of the books, and the casting was spot on, but there was also significant absences and changes, more so than than the Harry Potter film adaptations, IMO. I agree that they handled the growth of the actors from children very well, which was central to the books...

[pErvinalia]

Started to read Snowcrash but put it down and forgot about it. Just don't feel in the mood to read lately.

[Brian Peacock]

It's a seminal work, but I know what you mean - sometimes you just ain't feeling it. I re-read Snowcrash every 3-4 years or so. I think Stephenson's The Diamond Age is even better, and Seven Eves is a great read too.

On the other matter. Can't say I've every been interested in picking up the Harry Potter teen-fiction series, and now JKR is buddying up with anti-abortionist christo-fascists I'll probably be able to resist them for the remainder of my days.

[macdoc]

your loss..
I realized I had not read Book 6 - The Half Blood Prince.

[Brian Peacock]

Not really a 'loss', just not to my tastes. I prefer my magik to at least be wrapped in a thin veneer of science.

[macdoc]

Mutually exclusive. Is LOTR to your taste?

[Brian Peacock]

Nah. I generally don't enjoy fantasy - 'specially anything with an epic poem or a map inside the front cover. I enjoyed the LOTR films though.

[JimC]

I find the whole thing of translating from one medium (e.g. a book) to another (e.g. a film) quite interesting. I've read (and re-read) a long fantasy series called the "Wheel of Time", which I enjoy, even though it is probably somewhat bloated. There is a TV/series adaptation on Amazon Prime; I looked at the first series, and part of the second, but I gave up. The casting is mostly good, the special effects, cinematography and the settings are well done, but they have changed so much of the plot that I could no longer cope. The LOTR film changes were minor in comparison...

Of course, you also have the reverse, such as book adaptations of the Star Trek or Star Wars films, and others, which I tend to think are mostly fairly ordinary...

[pErvinalia]

I'm rewatching season one of the Wheel of Time, so I can watch season two. Didn't like the books.

[macdoc]

He never knew when to finish the books or the series. I tried but just too much chaff.
The immense

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_B ... the_Fallen
CAN be read individually but are best taking in the entire story arc which is enormous. The books are generally 6-900 pgs or so.

The series has received widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the epic scope, plot complexity and characterizations, and fellow authors such as Glen Cook (The Black Company) and Stephen R. Donaldson (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) hailing it as a masterwork of the imagination, and comparing Erikson to the likes of Joseph Conrad, Henry James, William Faulkner, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.[7][8][9]

There are some incredibly memorable characters....

The Malazan Book of the Fallen raises "the bar for fantasy literature", that the world building and the writing are exceptional.[47] Cilli claims the series is written for the "most advanced readers out there.", going on to state that "Even they will have to make two passes through all ten books to fully comprehend the myriad of plotlines, characters and various settings that Erickson presents to us." Reading Erikson's "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" might be "the most challenging literary trial" a reader has ever tried, yet "the payoff is too enormous to ignore and well worth taking on the endeavor. Steven Erikson doesn't spoon feed his readers. He forces you to question and think on a level that very few authors would even dare for fear of finding and perhaps losing an audience."[47]

if you are up for it.

[Brian Peacock]

Started Judith Butler's 'The Force of Non-violence' just before xmas. It's fairly tight, well researched, and rattling along quite nicely for political philosophy. As per with Butler, the first chapter tells you everything you need to know, and the following chapters tell you exactly why.

[JimC]

Mac, I have read one of the Malazan books ages ago, and found it complex and interesting, but for one reason or another I haven't got back to them; I might change that soon. I also like both Glen Cook and Stephen R. Donaldson, so it's significant that they have endorsed the series.

I have just re-read "The God Argument" by A. C. Grayling - very clear and measured writing in favour of atheism...

[macdoc]

Start with Gardens of the Moon which is the original

....the story arc goes backwards and forwards from that point in time. It's also not so long.
Pay attention to the short writing at the beginning of each chapter. Lot of info that will not make sense until later.
Pay attention to the grunts in the Bridge Burners.
Watch for Anomander Rake and sort out what he is.and what his sword is about...prepare for a re-read if you do the whole cycle.

There are few books with imagery/characters that stay with me over decades. This has several. So does Peridio Station

[rasetsu]