What book did you just buy?

[DrRetarded]

Originally Posted by Ilex

Just started reading Altered Carbon and holy shit is it awesome.

Ilex, please post what you think of "Altered Carbon" when you finish it. I've read Morgan's "The Steel Remains" and "Thirteen", and both were really entertaining. Was interested in picking up the "Altered Carbon", and if you report back that it's worth the read, I just may do so...

[Celebrindal]

Just about finished with the second Thrawn book, and i'm going directly into The Last Command. I'm going to do I, Jedi next, because I doubt I'm going to read the X-Wing books. I also purchased The Hand of Thrawn books.

I am getting Shatterpoint on audio book format.

As far as the Malazan books go, I tried Gardens of the Moon and I couldn't get 80 pages in. It just couldn't hold my interest. Maybe one day I'll force myself through it like I did with the first two Necroscope books. The rest of that series was great.

[gnomeish]

Just finished the first book in the "Prince of Nothing" trilogy by R. Scott Bakker, "The Darkness that comes before", based on the recommendations in this thread, and all I can say is that it was absolutely fantastic

The plot and storyline is on par with anything published today, but what made me enjoy this book the most was the fact that every single point of view was equally enjoyable to read. In most books you warm up to one or two of the main characters, but every single chapter in this book was enjoyable.

Bakker has some philosophical rants every now and then, but they were mostly enjoyable as well as it suited the story.

Definitely recommendable!

[r3probate]

Just read Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, just picked up Snow Crash by the same.

[chaos]

I've vaguely heard of those 2 books, a friend kind of likened them to Gibsons's stuff. Is that pretty accurate?

[Tortfeasor]

Originally Posted by r3probate

Just read Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, just picked up Snow Crash by the same.

Those two are his best imo.

The linear functions graphing how the value of Waterhouse's happiness and code breaking ability relate proportionately to the length of intervals between ejaculation is pure fucking win.

The baroque trilogy has some very good humor in it but it's not as exciting. Although it was fun reading about how batshit insane Isaac Newton was.

[Slansin]

I agree with Tortfeasor. I just finished the Confusion and am starting the System of the World. However, I would rate The Diamond Age above all of the Baroque Cycle (that I've read thus far), though it definitely falls below Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon.

[Ilex]

Originally Posted by DrRetarded

Ilex, please post what you think of "Altered Carbon" when you finish it. I've read Morgan's "The Steel Remains" and "Thirteen", and both were really entertaining. Was interested in picking up the "Altered Carbon", and if you report back that it's worth the read, I just may do so...

Finished the book and the only thing I can say about it is PURE FUCKING WIN!

The world is detailed and believable, the main character is both sympathetic and something of a monster, and the book as a whole is tightly written and mostly action packed. I would recommend it to anyone who like science fiction.

[DrRetarded]

Originally Posted by Ilex

Finished the book and the only thing I can say about it is PURE FUCKING WIN!

The world is detailed and believable, the main character is both sympathetic and something of a monster, and the book as a whole is tightly written and mostly action packed. I would recommend it to anyone who like science fiction.

Very Cool, Ilex. It sounds like "Altered Carbon" is very similar to "Thirteen", at least from the standpoint of the protagonist. Gonna pick it up, and might not be a bad idea to check out Morgan's other works, I think you'll enjoy them.

[Goliath]

The Night Watch
The Day Watch
The Twilight Watch
The Last Watch

[Aedosen]

Been reading some new books lately:

No Logo by Naomi Klein - Excellent book about the influence that big corporations and brands have on our societies.

Happiness: Lessons from a New Science by Richard Layard - Interesting book about what makes people happy.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Had to get this since so many people here and elsewhere have recommended it and I wasn't disappointed.

How Are We to Live?: Ethics in an Age of Self-Interest by Peter Singer - Another excellent book. Covers huge range of moral issues. If you are even slightly interested in philosophy this is a good read in my opinion.

[Grimmlokk]

Soon I Will be Invincible by Austin Grossman


Haven't started yet, but been wanting to read it for a long time now. Finally picked it up.

[DoctorSpooge]

Just started (but didn't just buy) Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. It's pretty good, and reminds me of DeLillo's White Noise. Brownie points for Franzen, who caused a minor controversy when he expressed ambivalence at the prospect of his book being chosen for Oprah's Club.

[Sarod]

Just finished Fledgling by Octavia Butler, was a book assigned for an English class I'm taking. I enjoyed it, it was my first "non-classic" science fiction book, I was looking forward to maybe reading the next book in the series/world when I got to the last page at it said:

Octavia Butler 1948-2006.. FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

I haven't done to much reading of the vampire genre but this seemed to take a much more biological/evolutionary explanation for them and their physiology. Its an easy read, so much so I'm surprised its part of a Sci-fi lit class.

Going to be picking up Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games by Ian M Banks next.

[Moontayle]

Originally Posted by Auren

Chaos I think you were referring to Laurell K. Hamilton and her Anita Blake series of books. I got into them at first cause I was looking for some decent vampire fiction and they stood out every time I went to the bookstore. There first few books don't have much sex and there was plenty of vampire/wereanimal/necromancy action to keep me entertained and they are all easy reads. As the series goes on there is more and more sex. I like most of the characters and Hamilton can write some good action and metaphysical stuff but I wish she'd obsess less about the damn sex. I'm actually going to say it gets old after a while. I'd recommend the series to anyone interested in vampire type stuff if not for that but I have still enjoyed all of the books so they might be up your alley if you are either looking for that kind of stuff or are willing to tolerate it for the other cool stuff in the books.

I stopped reading after Book 12 (Cerulean Sins) but I'll state that the series peaked at Obsidian Butterfly (Book 10) and went into sharp decline after that. They get progressively better from the beginning, but at some point I found I couldn't stand Anita anymore. Probably when the plot started getting relegated to less than a hundred pages in an eight hundred page novel.

Stopped reading for a bit so I could concentrate on writing. Five chapters in so far.