Book Hauls!

Vance is a great writer IMO but Wolfe is on another level again. You may finds yourself reading passages from his work half a dozen times and still come out scratching your head or with six different intepretations. Really is a case of the agony and the ecstacy.

Bye for now....
 
Dammit, I have to read Wolfe. Preferably via a library loan, just in case...

I'm currently in a Tanith Lee phase. Just getting to the end of Heartbeast, and planning on reading The Blood of Roses next. After that, either more Lee or definately Wolfe (or maybe Clive Barker).
 
Culhwch said:
Am I missing something? I read Legend and a bit of Gemmell's second one (chronologically) and gave him away as pretty simplistic and not really that good. Did he get better? I may have to look up some later titles if so.
Click to expand...

Read more!


Im not saying he tries to write very poetic prose or whatnot.

Im saying he has very good prose that you dont see often in heroic or epic fantasy. Pretty straight forward fitting his genre but still his words are magic sometimes.



Stuff like "sentient hurricane"; "whirling maelstrom"; "hissing song of crossbow strings"; "spearing into the lake" etc..

Rayvan’s band stood on the anvil of history, staring up defiantly at Ceska’s hammer. – The King Beyond the Gate

The stone glowed, red-gold gleaming like an eldritch lantern, the black veins shrinking to fine hairlines. - Wolf in shadow


Those are only a few i could find right now. It might look simple but put together enough lines like that and it makes a very interesting story.
 
I used to love Gemmell when I was a teenager. I've tried reading him lately and I too find his prose too plain, almost like reading a comic book. He does write ripping, dark, bloody yarns though.
 
stinking_dylan said:
I used to love Gemmell when I was a teenager. I've tried reading him lately and I too find his prose too plain, almost like reading a comic book. He does write ripping, dark, bloody yarns though.
Click to expand...


Too plain? What do you expect? Shakespeare in Heroic fantasy?


I can see you dont like stories like that but if you find him too plain dont go near other heroic fantasy ;)
 
I was referring to Culhwch's claim that Gemmels prose was too simple.

I used to read heroic fantasy, and still read Moorcocks early works, which perhaps are not very similar in that their attraction is their highly imaginative and almost psycadelic settings. Out of all the authors who write in the heroic fantasy sub-genre exclusively, Gemmell is the only one who I still read (and collect for my personal library).
 
Ah my bad i thought you replayed to me cause of what i was saying.


Interesting about the too plain thing. Sure his story are quest orientied but thats the kind of heroic fantasy it is. I found others in the genre too plain compared to him. He writes using in very oldish words that makes you believe the setting. Which is why his prose is perfect for his stories.


No wonder you think about comics, i read somewhere he said Stan Lee was a hero of his cause of how he did his heroes and villains ;)

Louis Lamour the western guy was also another hero no wonder if you have read his Shannow series.
 
Back on topic......

1 Novella & 6 short stories - Peter F Hamilton
The Road - Cormac McCarthy * A post Global Warming tale
 
Last edited:
This evening from Borders I got....

The Complete Short Stories Of Ernest Hemmingway
Mr. Palomar - Italo Calvino
King's Last Son - Geoff Ryman
Last Light Of The Sun - Guy Gavriel Kay
The Gospel According To J.C. - Jose Saramago

A nice little haul...:)
 
The Gospel According to JC is astounding. You're going to love it.
 
GOLLUM .... it is a good haul. Might need to extend those caverns beneath the Misty Mountains.

Tell me how you go with the Gospel. I cried my way through it.
King's Last Song is one of my favourite Geoff Ryman books, partly because it's set in Cambodia which is close to home and partly because of it's wonderful blend of history and fantasy.
Mr Palomar is, as all other, Calvino's a gem of a book.

Have fun with them.
 
Took my mum and the neighbours out to experience the wonders of Birmingham city centre today. Mum's never been to the Bullring so I've been badgering her for quite some time. Anyway (story time again, it seems!), I popped into the awesome Waterstones that has the groovy glass lift and saw there was a three for two deal going on. Well when I see those words I take it as a challenge! I have to buy three! So I bought:

Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch (woop!) I actually wanted the hardback version, as I have the first book in hardback and I like to be consistent (hee) but alas it was only paperback...
Something Wicked Comes This Way - Ray Bradbury (SF Masterworks book)
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein

Woo hoo is all I can say! Although now I'm having to lay books on top of other books on my book shelves...I hate when I have to do that...messy shelves. Messy I say!
 
Has Red Seas actually been published in h/b in the UK? I haven't seen one yet, and my own copy, bought on the official release day, is a trade paperback.

You're going to love this one, Hoops!......
 
*Rubs hands together* Great! I look forward to reading it!

Ah, perhaps it wasn't then...I saw it on Amazon in Hardback, I believe, and was tempted to buy it. Well, it matters not, I have it now and can't wait to read it! :D
 
I've decided to not buy any books this year, I wanted to read what was in my own library at the moment. I did however order Harry Potter last book... So no books for me this year. :(
 
I forgot to tell you about my last visit in Vibes & Scribes. They had a few titles of Kurt Vonnegut and I walked out with Bagombo Snuff Box and Slapstick.
 
I've had mixed feelings about Robin Hobb's writing. On the one hand the prose itself is well constructed but as far as a storyline goes I didn't think it was anything special. I'm referring specifically to the Liveship Traders series I read a few years back. Now I know Hobb is popular and as I continually see people whose opinoins I've come to trust lauding Hobb's other works I've bitten the bullet and purchased the following....

Assasin's Apprentice
Royal Assasin
Assasin's Quest
Fool's Errand
The Golden Fool
Fool's Fate

In addition...

Italian Fairy Tales - Italo Calvino
Fireworks - Angela Carter
 
Hoopy ... Woo hoo indeed. You'll have fun with Something Wicked and probably with Stranger In A Strange Land too. Am waiting for Red Seas Under Red Skies. It's not here yet. Fingers crossed it will find its way here.

GOLLUM ... Now that's a Calvino I have not read and don't have so tell me about it when you get done please. Fireworks I read recently and liked very much. It was part of the Borders 3 for 2 sale. I have not read any Hobb though I see many good reviews, especially here in Chronicles.

I bought today:
Temeraire: Black Powder War - Naomi Novik

Imperial Assassin - Mark Robson (This is the first time I've seen any of Mark's books here and this was the only copy of the only title they had. I know they are a part of a series. Could someone tell me if I'm going to be totally lost or is it okay to read this first alone since I don't know if I can find any of the rest)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo
The Cleft - Doris Lessing
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
K Book Covers for self publishers Publishing 2
Extollager Winter walking book? Book Discussion 3
Vertigo Orbital - Booker Prize Book Discussion 20
B Why Don't I See David Gemmel's Books in US Bookstores Anymore ? David Gemmell 5
Connavar Book Hauls Discussion: New or Second-Hand? Book Discussion 37

Similar threads


Back
Top