Off Topic Book club

He’s a great author. My favorite series were the Monguls followed by the Wars of the Roses and then the Roman series.
He has a great knack of making a history book into a novel but then explaining the reasons why he twisted the truth at the end.

 

Battle of wills... just like life

 

About time this saw the light of day again.

I am a big fan of Epic Fantasy series. Complete escapism. I am working my way through The Malazan Book of the Fallen for the 3rd time. Amazing how much I pick up new each time. Mind you at 10 books (in the core series) and over 7000 pages it isnt surprising. Stunning writing and an amazing world.

 

I used to read quite a bit of stuff like this, Raymond E Feist and the like, but haven't been able to get in to it again for years. Slightly different genre but I read Dune years ago and loved it, re-read it a couple of times. The other night I got round to watching the new version of the film and, like the 80s film, thought it didn't do the book justice in the slightest.

About to start reading the last in Andrew Taylor's Ashes of London series, set around the Great Fire of London. That's brilliant and definitely worth a read for anyone who likes historical fiction.

 

Genre has moved on massively since Feist, although I do like his stuff. Much more dark and gritty stuff about now. Some of it might be worth trying again mate, but then there is so much to read away from it.

 

I might have to give some a try. I struggle a bit when stuff like that borrows or mirrors historical events. I just end up thinking I might as well read the Icelandic Sagas or something. I think that's why I like Bernard Cornwell, Iggulden, and people like that, because it's rooted in historical fact. Maybe I'm losing the ability to use my imagination. Which is a little bit worrying.

 

I still have a huge soft spot for the early David Eddings collections. I know the later ones didn't always hit the spot but the Belgariad series was very enjoyable

 

As well as David Eddings also liked David Gemmell's collections, Feist collections and Terry Brookes' Shanara and related series which started separately and then linked them all together.

 

Finished reading Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima yesterday.

Took a little while to land my feet and understand what I was reading but by the end you realise the threads he is pulling at, brings home how perennial the problems we have are and how modern problems are just old ones reemerging in slightly different ways.

 

A lot of authors in the field have a background in things like history or anthropology. It means they often rely om their academic experience.

Malazan is written by an Anthropologist and it is clear many of the cultures in his book take things from known cultures such as the roman empire. You do have to be prepared to suspend your own knowledge a little. The scale of world building, race and character building is absolutely remarkable though, and Malazan is only one example of the modern genre. I might throw a list up later.

 

Magician and Shannara paved the way for so many to follow. They stole from Tolkein of course, but then many did. Magician stands alone as a tremendous story

 

Starting the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche tonight.

 

Interesting. Just looked him up and one of his first books was about an archaeologist working in Central America. I usually hate fiction about archaeologists (Indiana Jones aside- it's the only accurate portrayal of the profession) but I've never read any by an actual archaeologist. Maybe I can use that as a gateway into his other stuff.
Please do post a list- I'm determined to give my reading materials a shake up.

 

Recently I've read (this is all audiobooks btw I don't have enough time otherwise) pretty much all of Agatha Christie's output apart from one or two short story collections, now I'm wading through P.G Wodehouse. Some absolutely hilarious bits in them.

I'm seriously considering hiring a personal valet, I'm sure the wife won't mind.

 

I've been thinking about giving Agatha Christie a go. I quite like the setting.

 

Not tried her before mate?

 

Nope. Seen Poirot and whatnot on the telly but never read any of her books.

 

Obviously she's a great story teller but she's also a good writer in general, there's a dry sense of humour and knowledge of human nature that doesn't come across so much in the tv versions.

I'd recommend starting with a classic Poirot like ABC Murders or 5 Little Pigs but you can't go wrong really.

 

Sounds good. I'll add her to my reading list.

 

Here goes mate.

Malazan book of the fallen, as I have already mentioned. A labour of love at 10 books in the core series. But is in mind blowing in scale and scope. Imagination required. Probably the most complete fantasy to date.

Kingkiller Chronicles. Isnt Epic on the grand scale, the writing, characters and atmosphere is stunning. Brilliant reading.

Mistborn. This is quite unique I find, a very different approach to magic. It isnt too hard to penetrate either (Malazan for example can be). Sanderson is the big boy of the genre now. He finished wheel of time. And has his own epic on the go.

The First Law series. This is just gritty, brutal, and laugh out loud funny at once. Makes you love hard characters and their approach to the world. Abercrombie is a gem of a writer, no pace too quick.

Way of Kings. Sandersons own opus magnus. First books are magnificent. The rest will be too. Worth waiting to read them in one go, easy to forget the nuance. Unlike Martin he is on a schedule.

A song of ice and fire should be in. The TV series though have become all encompassing. I havent watched them, the first 4 books are magnificent but I fear Martin has lost his way a bit.

Prince of Nothing series. I liked this, very dark and demanding of the reader. I am in a bit of a minority having this on a list of modern fantasy. For me the characters make it. Worthwhile just to get to know them, dark as they may be.

A shout out to my favourite of all, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and far from modern. Now oddly a series of 9 I think, probably over 20 years or more. Written by the same author as the brilliant gap series, Stephen Donaldson. The Covenant books split the fantasy nerds like me down the middle. They certainly arent intellectual fantasy, very much old school, up until the final couple of books at least. But I have never known an author create a world so beautifully (inlcuding middle earth) or have such a breadth of characters you love. NOTE - the principal is an anti-hero and many hate him NO SPOILER. It is a series that hasnt aged well, but has had recent additions in the final trilogy that are modern. I love it, but never recommend it, you need to find your own way to this one.