July's Jesuitical Journeyings Through Literary Juxtapositions

[Vertigo]

Just finished Jack Campbells' "Lost Fleet: Victorious". For all it's faults this was a very enjoyable series. I wonder where he's going to go from there.

He's already gone: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/jack-campbell/dreadnaught.htm

The first Lost Fleet: Beyong the Frontier book is out now called Dreadnought. As I understand Geary is dispatched with a new "First Fleet" to go check out the aliens.

 

[D_Davis]

The Right Hand of Doom & Other Tales of Solomon Kane, by Robert E. Howard

Solomon Kane is a great and entertaining character, and Howard paints him with broad strokes. Even though we know next to nothing about the character's past, or his life specifically, by reading these tales we learn a great deal about the man and his ideals through his actions. Kane is blessed and cursed with the determination of a fanatic; he rights the wrongs he perceives and will stop at nothing to see his mission complete. While Howard doesn't necessarily pass judgement on Kane's Puritan rage, he doesn't let him off the hook either.

The best story in this collection is "The Moon of Skulls." It must have been one of the influences on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and it even contains the overt racism and fear of the other as Spielberg's film does. However, it also contains a death-defying adventure into the heart of an ancient city fraught with peril, black magic, and a discovery that harkens back to the days of Atlantis.

Not enough can be said about Howard's ability to write concise and exciting action sequences. They are never too long, easy to follow, cinematic and exciting.

While I haven't yet read a lot of Howard's fiction, I definitely plan on reading more in the future. Although I imagine that reading too many Howard stories in a row could become tiresome. But a tale here and there will be awesome.

 

[antiloquax]

Been listening to "The 39 Steps" audiobook while out walking my dog. I have only recently found the excellent Librivox site. Here you can get free downloads of books that are in the public domain. They are made by volunteers, but the quality is excellent.
Also I have been rummaging about in my garage (where there are a lot of books!) My father-in-law is a big fan of SF&F but hasn't read any C. J. Cherryh. I found a copy of "The Fortress in the Eye of Time" up there that he's obviously bought at some point but never read. I'm encouraging him to read it. He's more into fantasy than me (he loves Robert Jordan, Raymond E. Feist, Mervyn Peake, Stephen Donaldson etc.)
Not sure if this is the best thread to mention it on but I was thinking about Pierre Boulle's "Monkey Planet" (aka "Planet of the Apes"). I enjoyed it - quite different from the film (I read it years ago!)
I've also been thinking about early SF (because I've been looking at lists of books like the SF Masterworks). I think "Gulliver's Travels" should be in there. The section on the Houyhnhnms is similar in some way to "Planet of the Apes" - an alternate world in which horses are rational and humans/Yahoos are uncivilised. And then there's the section about the floating island of Laputa where lots of weird science is going on. It's def. SF, I'd say.
I've also read some of Poe's SF (eg "A Descent into the Maelstrom"). He's certainly a good example of a (relatively) early exponent of the genre.
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[thatollie]

I am rereading The Lord of The Rings.

 

[purple_kathryn]

Well I've read Treason which is a star trek new frontier book and next I will be starting Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond E Feist

 

[Connavar]

The Right Hand of Doom & Other Tales of Solomon Kane, by Robert E. Howard

Solomon Kane is a great and entertaining character, and Howard paints him with broad strokes. Even though we know next to nothing about the character's past, or his life specifically, by reading these tales we learn a great deal about the man and his ideals through his actions. Kane is blessed and cursed with the determination of a fanatic; he rights the wrongs he perceives and will stop at nothing to see his mission complete. While Howard doesn't necessarily pass judgement on Kane's Puritan rage, he doesn't let him off the hook either.

The best story in this collection is "The Moon of Skulls." It must have been one of the influences on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and it even contains the overt racism and fear of the other as Spielberg's film does. However, it also contains a death-defying adventure into the heart of an ancient city fraught with peril, black magic, and a discovery that harkens back to the days of Atlantis.

Not enough can be said about Howard's ability to write concise and exciting action sequences. They are never too long, easy to follow, cinematic and exciting.

While I haven't yet read a lot of Howard's fiction, I definitely plan on reading more in the future. Although I imagine that reading too many Howard stories in a row could become tiresome. But a tale here and there will be awesome.

Howard stories tiresome in a row ? Not if you go from a genre to another. Kane is my fav hero of his but i dont think his S&S is his best field anymore. His horror,adventure(El Borak),historical fiction,western stories he was very good with. His horror,historical is his best fields imo.

The last works in his lifetime is much better writing than early Conan stories. He improved alot in few years.

 

[D_Davis]

Howard stories tiresome in a row ?

Just personal preference.

 

[Connavar]

Just personal preference.

I know of course i meant he has written in many different fields so you dont have to read similar works in a row.

He has a dense prose style that can get too much at times thats a given.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Finished Bruce's autobiography, which was a really interesting look at someone who flitted around the edges of Hollywood, never quite making it, but working damn hard and doing a lot of stuff in the process (and starring in some hilarious B-Movies, of course). Was one of the reasons my friend lent it to me, and I did particularly enjoy the parts on the production of independent movies.

Plus, it was a freaking hilarious book at times.

Randomly picked up The Mighty Book of Boosh off my shelf. Won't take long, it's more of a scrap book, but enjoyable to a fan like me.

 

[bluespider100]

It took time finishing Foundation's Fear by Gregory Benford. It may have seem to be the way he wrote it, the characters themselves were the only things that kept me going. anyway on to Foundation and Chaos the second book in the Second Foundation Trilogy this is written by Greg Bear.

 

[Connavar]

Im reading Somewhere In Time, its is my third RM book and unlike The weak Shrinking Man it is written with the same quality,feel of the great I Am Legend.

 

[JustPassingThrough]

I just finished a book (the werewolf one I talked about in my intro) and am close to finishing Simon R. Green's The Man with the Golden Torc, so I am deciding which book to read next and am debating as to read Stephen King's Under the Dome or The Lensmen Trilogy by E.E. Smith. Then I throw in the various short stories at the same time, but those are usually horror, science fiction and then sometimes I'll through in like Hemingway or something just so that I sound smart at the pubs when the pretty ones ask me what I read! (I kid. I've never been asked at a bar what I read.)

 

[HoopyFrood]

Gave myself the urge to read The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad while in a discussion elsewhere. So that's what I'm doing!

 

[Rothgar]

Finished Bruce's autobiography, which was a really interesting look at someone who flitted around the edges of Hollywood, never quite making it, but working damn hard and doing a lot of stuff in the process (and starring in some hilarious B-Movies, of course). Was one of the reasons my friend lent it to me, and I did particularly enjoy the parts on the production of independent movies.

Plus, it was a freaking hilarious book at times.

I was lucky enough to get a copy autographed in college when he was on the book tour. If you ever get a chance to go to one of his events it's worth it for the stories alone. I've also attended screenings he held for 'Man with the Screaming Brain', and 'My Name is Bruce'. He's very good at working the crowd and appreciative of his fans. My favorite game he plays is when he turns his back to the crowd and has everyone shout out which movie they think was the worst he was involved in. Usually it was 'Congo' or 'McHale's Navy'. He goes on to explain why it seemed like a good idea at the time, usually because of the script, director, and other actors involved. It's always a good time.

 

[JustPassingThrough]

That's interesting! My best friend just came back from a shopping trip and had in the hand The Secret Agent. Said it looked interesting.

 

[Rothgar]

Finished Stonewielder, the latest Malazan installment by Esslemont. Not as solid as Return of the Crimson Guard, but still a good story.

Half way through Beyond this Horizon by R.A. Heinlein. It's a quick read, and one of the few stories he gets into genetics.

 

[HoopyFrood]

I was lucky enough to get a copy autographed in college when he was on the book tour. If you ever get a chance to go to one of his events it's worth it for the stories alone. I've also attended screenings he held for 'Man with the Screaming Brain', and 'My Name is Bruce'. He's very good at working the crowd and appreciative of his fans. My favorite game he plays is when he turns his back to the crowd and has everyone shout out which movie they think was the worst he was involved in. Usually it was 'Congo' or 'McHale's Navy'. He goes on to explain why it seemed like a good idea at the time, usually because of the script, director, and other actors involved. It's always a good time.

Envious! Yeah, from the extra section added to the end of the book (which talks about the book tour) I really got the idea of how much he appreciates his fans, and engages with them. Really enjoyed the book, he seems like such an awesome, good-natured, groovy guy.

That's interesting! My best friend just came back from a shopping trip and had in the hand The Secret Agent. Said it looked interesting.

Been a few years since I last read it, but it is a good read -- some pretty shocking moments! And the structure of it is very clever.

 

[Connavar]

Hoopy can you let me know what kind of book it is ? I plan to read more Conrad and Secret Agent sounds interesting to spy fiction fan, history fan like me. Im not expecting Conrad wrote spy thriller but im afraid reading the synopsis they reveal too much.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Once I've read enough to familiarise myself with it (my memory of it is spotty at the moment, it was during the time of running through books at a mad pace) I shall certainly let you know!

As you're a fan, you've probably read Eric Ambler? Background to Danger is another book I'm getting the urge to read, which I may have to do after Conrad.

 

[antiloquax]

"The Secret Agent" is loosely based on some real events - anarchists were quite active at that time and used to attempt to blow things up. Verlock (the main character) is a pretty useless "spy" (ie he never really does anything - just gathers some info for a foreign power) and shopkeeper. His new boss insists that he gets something to really happen. I'm not giving too much away when I say that it doesn't go completely according to plan.

By the way, the Henry James' novel "The Princess Casamassima" might also be worth looking at. It's also a highly political novel about revolutionaries in London in the 1880s. It's very good!
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