What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
- Sean Hayden
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
Nice. Herodotus tells some great stories.
- Brian Peacock
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
The Dawn of Everything. From archaeologist David Wengrow and anthropologist David Graeber. 2021.
10 years in the writing, this is an incredible piece of work, though not heavy in it's style or spproach. Basically, a thoroughly researched exploration of the sheer variety of forms of social organisation humans have created, experimented with, and lived under over the last 5000 years or so. Challenged every single assumption I had about ancient and pre-enlightenment societies, and many assumptions I had about post-enlightenment societies too. Far more in scope and scale than a mere social history, I haven't had my brain peeled like this since Dennett's The Mind's I.
★★★★★
10 years in the writing, this is an incredible piece of work, though not heavy in it's style or spproach. Basically, a thoroughly researched exploration of the sheer variety of forms of social organisation humans have created, experimented with, and lived under over the last 5000 years or so. Challenged every single assumption I had about ancient and pre-enlightenment societies, and many assumptions I had about post-enlightenment societies too. Far more in scope and scale than a mere social history, I haven't had my brain peeled like this since Dennett's The Mind's I.
★★★★★
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
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"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Details on how to do that can be found here.
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
- macdoc
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
Looks good but a few ahead in the queue...The Dawn of Everything. From archaeologist David Wengrow and anthropologist David Graeber. 2021.
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- rasetsu
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
I have a substantial stack of books on Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita, and Indian Philosophy from the library.
- JimC
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
And my gin!
And my gin!
- Brian Peacock
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
Tore through Alastair Reynold's final inspector Dreyfus offering. The man certainly knows how to construct a pot-boiling page-turner.
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
.
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
- JimC
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
I might check that series out, Brian...
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
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And my gin!
- Brian Peacock
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
I can thoroughly recommend his Revelation Space books, which all inhabit the same universe. He's been doing them for 25 years now (with a bit of break in the middle) and the early ones still stand-up very well imo.
- Revelation Space. 2000.
- Chasm City. 2001.
- Redemption Ark. 2002.
- Absolution Gap. 2003.
- Galactic North. 2006. (short stories and novellas collection)
- The Prefect/Aurora Rising. 2007. (Dreyfus)
- Inhibitor Phase. 2021.
- Elysium Fire. 2018. (Dreyfus)
- Machine Vendetta. 2024. (Dreyfus)
You can read the Dreyfus stories as a separate set as they pre-date the others in the fictional timeline, with the plots essentially running contiguously. Chasm City stands on its own to some extent, as does Galactic North.
He's also written an excellent near(ish)-future trilogy under the 'Poseidon's Children' moniker, and a series of space-pirate novels in the sensationalist style of authors like Robert Louis Stevenson or Russell Thorndike - but they feel kind of weird to me: "Avast me hearties! Bring 'er about an' make ready to unleash the photon cannon on them scurvy space dogs, yarrr!" etc.
- Revelation Space. 2000.
- Chasm City. 2001.
- Redemption Ark. 2002.
- Absolution Gap. 2003.
- Galactic North. 2006. (short stories and novellas collection)
- The Prefect/Aurora Rising. 2007. (Dreyfus)
- Inhibitor Phase. 2021.
- Elysium Fire. 2018. (Dreyfus)
- Machine Vendetta. 2024. (Dreyfus)
You can read the Dreyfus stories as a separate set as they pre-date the others in the fictional timeline, with the plots essentially running contiguously. Chasm City stands on its own to some extent, as does Galactic North.
He's also written an excellent near(ish)-future trilogy under the 'Poseidon's Children' moniker, and a series of space-pirate novels in the sensationalist style of authors like Robert Louis Stevenson or Russell Thorndike - but they feel kind of weird to me: "Avast me hearties! Bring 'er about an' make ready to unleash the photon cannon on them scurvy space dogs, yarrr!" etc.
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
.
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
.
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
- JimC
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
One of my favourite military space opera authors, David Weber, channels Hornblower to an extent in his "Honour Harrington" series... She starts as a Midshipman, and ends as a Fleet Admiral. He has just as many powerful female figures as males, and steers his politics towards a centrist position, with grasping and corrupt Trans Stellar Corporations and authoritarian planetary governments as the villains of the piece. Unlike other, more modern authors, he can't quite bring himself to have gay characters...
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
And my gin!
And my gin!
- macdoc
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
Finished Book 3 of 10 - that was a challenge. Maybe too many interwoven tales at once....but what spectacle if they ever filmed it.
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- JimC
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
I'm re-reading a couple of books by an interesting UK author, Charles Stross - Halting State and Rule 34...
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
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And my gin!
- pErvinalia
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
Just randomly picked The Blank Slate off the shelf and started reading it. Dunno if I'll stick with it, but it's on the coffee table ready to go.
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"The Western world is fucking awesome because of mostly white men" - DaveDodo007.
"Socialized medicine is just exactly as morally defensible as gassing and cooking Jews" - Seth. Yes, he really did say that..
"Seth you are a boon to this community" - Cunt.
"I am seriously thinking of going on a spree killing" - Svartalf.
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Re: What are you reading now? (Chapter 2)
By Pinker, isn't it? Read it a while ago, generally good, I thought...pErvinalia wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 8:25 amJust randomly picked The Blank Slate off the shelf and started reading it. Dunno if I'll stick with it, but it's on the coffee table ready to go.
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
And my gin!
And my gin!
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