Currently Reading

[Alan]

Just finished the Children series by Adrian Tchaikovsky . Children of time and Children of ruin.

Tchaikovsky has a fantastic imagination. These books are about a dying human race playing god, accelerating evolution on terraformed worlds and what happens when that goes not entirely to plan. Theres a whole lot of originality in here and while some of the “technology” is a bit out there it’s worth just going with it. Especially in the first book it has a really well thought out and executed timeline with lots of cryosleep jumps etc.. The first book, Of Time is definitely the stronger of the two.

I don’t think either of these are anywhere near as enjoyable as The Dogs Of War (the first of his books I read) I did find them quite fascinating.

[Hatredsheart]

Glorious 25th today. How do they rise up?

[Snowy]

I assume this is a literary reference but I don't know it

[Sly Boots]

I assume this is a literary reference but I don't know it

Terry Pratchett, Night Watch.

[Snowy]

Ta - have read some Pratchett books but not a die-hard fan.

[Hatredsheart]

I assume this is a literary reference but I don't know it

https://www.metafilter.com/103861/The-G ... c-towel-is

[Animalmother]

Abominable by Dan Simmons

Same guy who wrote The Terror which was a great book about an artic exploration that goes horribly wrong. Abominable is set in the 1920's about an attempt to climb Mt Everest. Plods along at a sedate pace which would be fine if the characters were a bit more interesting and if mountain climbing wasn't so methodical. It's not boring by any means, just a bit slow winded. Once it gets to Everest your introduced to the horrors of altitude sickness, frost bite and what a high fall does to the human body (it's all bad...) I'm about 70% through it and it's going in a very odd direction.

[Alan]

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

I thought this was really good and really quite affecting. Its an amazing story filled with so many turns its kind of nuts. One line stuck out to me though...
"The only books are filled with propaganda telling us that we live in the greatest country in the world, even though at least half of North Koreans live in extreme poverty"
....thats just America! They constantly bleat on about being the greatest country in the world while half their population is pretty fucked!

[Alan]

Just finished The Stand and thought it was a bit shit to be honest. I’m at a loss for why so many think it’s one of his best.

It does however have the sexiest sex scene that has ever been penned.

Spoiler

Ooft, I’ll never look at corn the same again

[Drarok]

Sexy, sexy corn!

Fuck me, that reads like… I dunno, a Donald Trump speech?

[Hatredsheart]

And now we know why that green giant is so jolly.

[Sly Boots]

I've read The Stand several times and have literally no memory of that part

[Snowy]

Same. I am also a big fan of the book but it hasn't aged well. Reading it back in the 80's I remember the whole Captain Trips thing being utterly chilling, and the Walkin' Dude just being an awesome villain.

[Alan]

I enjoyed the first third but the rest seemed inconsequential.

Spoiler

If the goodies just stayed in their town the outcome would probably have been the same. I mean you could say they flustered Flag so they he couldn't track Trash but it didnt seem that way. It just seemed like everyone that was sent died pointlessly while evil destroyed itself. Or was the whole point that there was no point?

As for the corn, maybe that wasn't in the edited version? I stupidly got the extra long version

[Sly Boots]

I enjoyed the first third but the rest seemed inconsequential.

Spoiler

If the goodies just stayed in their town the outcome would probably have been the same. I mean you could say they flustered Flag so they he couldn't track Trash but it didnt seem that way. It just seemed like everyone that was sent died pointlessly while evil destroyed itself. Or was the whole point that there was no point?

As for the corn, maybe that wasn't in the edited version? I stupidly got the extra long version

I have read the unedited version, but just once compared to several times for the cut version (mainly because that happened to be the one my parents owned).

You didn't even mention the part where Trash gets butt-raped by a handgun