The Books thread.

Redeye · Post by **Redeye** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:01 am

Inside the Third Reich was something I read in my early teens.

The part where a Nazi officer asks another "Are you sure my eyes aren't blue" is an example of hivemind logic that has haunted me ever since.

social proof ftw

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:26 am

I thought 1984 is pretty universally read at schools

wrong again.

Cimmerian Nights wrote:I just saw Solaris (the original),
Is the book still worth reading after that? I heard it's somewhat different.
What say ye pollacks?

Well I've just got myself Tarkovski's Solaris but haven't watched it yet. I know Lem (the book's author) wasn't completely happy with the film, even called Tarkovski stupid, IIRC. <browsing> I'veread up on this and seems like initially Tarkovski cooperated with Lem on the script but later major parts were cut out. Solaris for me was a truly brilliant book so by all means I recommend reading it. You see Lem isn't really a sci-fi writer, he just uses sci-fi as a costume. He doesn't follow the usual pattern of sci-fi books (he actually declined Science Fiction Writers of America membership). By the way I saw the Clooney Solaris when it came out and I liked it as its own thing despite being quite different from the book.

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:08 am

I recommend the 1984 movie, as well. 1984 is one of the few fictious books that I've ever read. Nevertheless, the book-to-movie adaptation was very well done; it looked and felt just as I'd expected.

Cimmerian Nights · Post by **Cimmerian Nights** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:11 pm

PiP wrote:I thought 1984 is pretty universally read at schools wrong again.

I went to school in a blue state, we only read bleeding heart books by colored hippy women who work on organic communes run by rape victims that are amputees with one eye missing and clubbed feet.

Solaris for me was a truly brilliant book so by all means I recommend reading it. You see Lem isn't really a sci-fi writer, he just uses sci-fi as a costume.

At it's best all Sci-Fi should aspire to such. It's really not about laser guns and spaceships, it should be a way to isolate the examination of the human condition. At it's worst, sci-fi is Star Wars or those wretched new Dune novels, space opera/fairy tale wankery.

By the way I saw the Clooney Solaris when it came out and I liked it as its own thing despite being quite different from the book.

I was really impressed with Tarkovsky's, it crawls along at a snail's pace though. It took me nights to watch it because I kept falling asleep during it. I've become my grandfather: put on a Bruins/Montreal game and I'm out like a light.

I recommend the 1984 movie, as well. 1984 is one of the few fictious books that I've ever read. Nevertheless, the book-to-movie adaptation was very well done; it looked and felt just as I'd expected.

Yeah, I'm watching it now.
Casting John Hurt was brilliant.

Nicolai · Post by **Nicolai** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 1:54 pm

Redeye wrote:Inside the Third Reich was something I read in my early teens.

It's a pretty funny book, Speer was a swell guy.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:31 pm

I'm reading Huxley's Brave New World. Wicked, for a 1932 novel

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:40 pm

S4ur0n27 wrote:I'm reading Huxley's Brave New World. Wicked, for a 1932 novel

word

rad resistance · Post by **rad resistance** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:46 pm

Owe a H.P. Lovecraft book printed in the 30s after his death, looked up the book online for a similar copy selling for $1200 dollars!

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:58 pm

johnnygothisgun · Post by **johnnygothisgun** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:29 pm

right now am translating caesar's the gallic war

Caleb · Post by **Caleb** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:05 pm

If you like brave new world/1984...definitely check out we by yevgeny zamyatin. probably the best of the 3 in my opinion

Post by **Dogmeatlives** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:02 pm

Caleb wrote:If you like brave new world/1984...definitely check out we by yevgeny zamyatin. probably the best of the 3 in my opinion

The best of the three? what what?

Bold statement..

Started Oryx & Crake by Margaret atwood. Its technically post apoc and is pretty great. Most of it seems to be pre-apoc flashbacks though.

Also I'm looking for an outer space book with a very solitary feeling to it, very in-the-head. Like a single character or smell group in a space station or something.

And some really savage fantasy. Not Conan-like really, but really really brutal shit.

Post by **Retlaw83** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:14 pm

Dogmeatlives wrote: And some really savage fantasy. Not Conan-like really, but really really brutal shit.

If you haven't looked into them yet, I'd suggest the Ice & Fire books by George RR Martin. It's a fantasy setting, but he writes it realistically; peasants aren't happy-go-lucky, lords and knights are often brutal dictators and savage killers instead of protectors and noblemen, and the battles are pretty savage. They're long, and the character developed is taken to the extremes sometimes, but it's balanced out with a guarentee that no character is safe from harm no matter how important he appears to the story.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 4:48 pm

Retlaw83 wrote:
Dogmeatlives wrote: And some really savage fantasy. Not Conan-like really, but really really brutal shit.
If you haven't looked into them yet, I'd suggest the Ice & Fire books by George RR Martin. It's a fantasy setting, but he writes it realistically; peasants aren't happy-go-lucky, lords and knights are often brutal dictators and savage killers instead of protectors and noblemen, and the battles are pretty savage. They're long, and the character developed is taken to the extremes sometimes, but it's balanced out with a guarentee that no character is safe from harm no matter how important he appears to the story.

I've hard lots of good things about those books.

I'd also suggest Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana. No kiddy bullshit.

Nicolai · Post by **Nicolai** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:47 pm

Dogmeatlives wrote:
Caleb wrote:If you like brave new world/1984...definitely check out we by yevgeny zamyatin. probably the best of the 3 in my opinion
The best of the three? what what? Bold statement..

Started Oryx & Crake by Margaret atwood. Its technically post apoc and is pretty great. Most of it seems to be pre-apoc flashbacks though.

Also I'm looking for an outer space book with a very solitary feeling to it, very in-the-head. Like a single character or smell group in a space station or something.

And some really savage fantasy. Not Conan-like really, but really really brutal shit.

The Prince of Nothing is a bit brutal, but just a bit.

Caleb · Post by **Caleb** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:07 am

Dogmeatlives wrote:
The best of the three? what what? Bold statement..

Written by the author while he was imprisoned in a communist bloc in the 30's i believe, something like that. Check it out...should be cheap as hell and a quick but great read.

cazsim83 · Post by **cazsim83** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 6:23 am

finished Revolutionary Road this afternoon - omg twist ending - decent, bittersweet, and seemed realistic psychologically.

Now I'm deciding on whether to read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, or Wells' The Island of Dr Moreau (spl?)

confound · Post by **confound** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:40 am

Caleb wrote:If you like brave new world/1984...definitely check out we by yevgeny zamyatin. probably the best of the 3 in my opinion

I don't know if I would make the call for it being the best but I really enjoyed it! Sorry about making a callback from a couple weeks ago but I never hear anyone mention Yevgeny Zamyatin (and it's weird because his name just rolls off the tongue). I found We in a trash can while moving out of my freshman year dorm.

Apocalyptically themed I've recently read The Road (super depressing but awesome) and Watchmen.

I also read several of the trashy, corny, yet weirdly engaging Dresden Files novels. And I'm currently reading The Wordy Shipmates and Notre Dame de Paris (the hunchback of notre dame) because my girlfriend is forcing me to because of the Harry Dresden novels, I think.

Good thread, BTW.

Post by **Dogmeatlives** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:50 am

Cimmerian Nights · Post by **Cimmerian Nights** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 6:03 am

Dogmeatlives wrote: Also I'm looking for an outer space book with a very solitary feeling to it, very in-the-head. Like a single character or smell group in a space station or something.

The aforementioned Solaris or Bradbury's Martian Chronicles.