Books you're reading (37 Viewers)
- Thread starter mikhail
- Start date
lol-that is so true!!!
anyway, I am working on The Possessed by Dostoevsky:
"The third of Dostoevsky's five major novels, Devils (1871-2), also known as The Possessed, is at once a powerful political tract and a profound study of atheism, depicting the disarray that follows the appearance of a band of modish radicals in a small provincial town. This new translation includes the chapter "Stavrogin's confession," initially censored by Dostoevsky's publisher"
that about says it-very interesting, disturbing, and compelling in a strange way
I recently finished Isaac Singer's "The Slave"-basically about a polish Jew and his forbidden love affair with a gentile woman. Very moving and interesting-I plan to read some more Singer soon, now that I've gotten in to it
anyway, I am working on The Possessed by Dostoevsky:
"The third of Dostoevsky's five major novels, Devils (1871-2), also known as The Possessed, is at once a powerful political tract and a profound study of atheism, depicting the disarray that follows the appearance of a band of modish radicals in a small provincial town. This new translation includes the chapter "Stavrogin's confession," initially censored by Dostoevsky's publisher"
that about says it-very interesting, disturbing, and compelling in a strange way
I recently finished Isaac Singer's "The Slave"-basically about a polish Jew and his forbidden love affair with a gentile woman. Very moving and interesting-I plan to read some more Singer soon, now that I've gotten in to it
"A Short History of Nearly Everything"
By Bill Bryson
A big book which breaks what we know about geology, physics, chemistry, evolution, paleontology and a few more subjects into very clear terms, even to those with only a passing interest in science. It also tells many of the stories of the men who discovered these things, with loads of amusing anecdotes. Highly recommended.
By Bill Bryson
A big book which breaks what we know about geology, physics, chemistry, evolution, paleontology and a few more subjects into very clear terms, even to those with only a passing interest in science. It also tells many of the stories of the men who discovered these things, with loads of amusing anecdotes. Highly recommended.
anyone who wants to know about eragon can go to www.alagaesia.com
its fascinating, really. quite similar to LOTR but less heavy usage of english and a slightly different plot.
what's even better is that the author wrote this when he was only a teenager, and now it's becoming a best seller
I find it fantastic !!
its fascinating, really. quite similar to LOTR but less heavy usage of english and a slightly different plot.
what's even better is that the author wrote this when he was only a teenager, and now it's becoming a best seller
I find it fantastic !!
The Forever War
(SF Masterworks No1)
by Joe Haldeman
(First published 1974; this edition published 21 January 1999.)
"Only a writer as skillful as Haldeman could use war's dark glamour to lure the reader in and then deploy that same fascination to show the effect of this orchestrated barbarism on the human soul. A book about corruption, atrocity, hope, stupidity, and triumph. Throw in faultless advanced military technology, fascinating aliens, and a dangerously believable future Earth, and you have a book that's near perfect."
- Peter Hamilton (on the back cover of the book)
He's got it about right too. I bought this wondering if it would just be another Starship Troopers, and to be fair, there was bound to be a certain level of similarity, but it stands alone as a really great SF book, well worthy of being the first book in Orion's SF Masterworks series.
To sumarise, the story follows a man called Willaim Mandella who is conscripted into the United Nations Expeditionary Force to fight in Earth's first interstellar war. The thing is, relativity tells us that someone moving at close to the speed of light (as he is in between planets) experiences time much more slowly than normal. As such, he comes home to find his civilisation has changed enormously. In an effort to get away from it all, he re-enlists, and winds up fighting again. Because of the huge casualty rate, he quickly becomes a very senior officer, and we get to watch him command as well as soldier.
The science is very realisticly explained (and generally quite plausable), the charactors are as well-fleshed as necessary without any slowing of the narrative, and the love story is well-written. Haldeman is a Vietnam vetern, and as such writes very convincing battle scenes. The effects of war on the human mind are explored in a story that really is amoung the best anti-war pieces I've ever read. Well-recommended.
Part of another review:
(SF Masterworks No1)
by Joe Haldeman
(First published 1974; this edition published 21 January 1999.)
"Only a writer as skillful as Haldeman could use war's dark glamour to lure the reader in and then deploy that same fascination to show the effect of this orchestrated barbarism on the human soul. A book about corruption, atrocity, hope, stupidity, and triumph. Throw in faultless advanced military technology, fascinating aliens, and a dangerously believable future Earth, and you have a book that's near perfect."
- Peter Hamilton (on the back cover of the book)
He's got it about right too. I bought this wondering if it would just be another Starship Troopers, and to be fair, there was bound to be a certain level of similarity, but it stands alone as a really great SF book, well worthy of being the first book in Orion's SF Masterworks series.
To sumarise, the story follows a man called Willaim Mandella who is conscripted into the United Nations Expeditionary Force to fight in Earth's first interstellar war. The thing is, relativity tells us that someone moving at close to the speed of light (as he is in between planets) experiences time much more slowly than normal. As such, he comes home to find his civilisation has changed enormously. In an effort to get away from it all, he re-enlists, and winds up fighting again. Because of the huge casualty rate, he quickly becomes a very senior officer, and we get to watch him command as well as soldier.
The science is very realisticly explained (and generally quite plausable), the charactors are as well-fleshed as necessary without any slowing of the narrative, and the love story is well-written. Haldeman is a Vietnam vetern, and as such writes very convincing battle scenes. The effects of war on the human mind are explored in a story that really is amoung the best anti-war pieces I've ever read. Well-recommended.
Part of another review:
From a Buick 8
King isn't amoung my favourite authors, and I opened this with some reservations, which were totally unfounded. The basic premise isn't that promising. The story revolves around a strange, buick-like thing, stored in a garage at the back of a small police station in Pennsylvania, which occasionally east people and spews out alien creatures. Oh, and the son of a dead cop is curious. Still not convinced? I'm not surprised, but stick with me.
The narrative device used is interesting. A number of officers tell the young man the story of how his father found the 'Buick', and of his study of it. It's striking how well King wrote the dialogue. Despite the odd laboured effort to inflict the accent on the reader, the stories really leap off the page. I wasn't initially convinced that it could hold my attention, but it did, right up to the point where the narrative reached the present day.
King's story is an interesting exploration of the very human trait of unsated curiosity. "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back," is the motto of Curt, the dead officer who's son is being told the tale. His obsession with the 'Buick' would have been easy to overdo, but I like how it was handled.
As I said, the real weakness of the story is when it reaches the present day. Sandy, our main narrator, waxes lyrical about how some stories don't really have a satisfactory ending to them. I was satisfied at that, ready for another chapter or two along the lines of the actual final chapter. That would have been a good, rounded story, but King, or maybe his editor, decided that a little action was needed. It spoils the shape of the story, and runs contrary to the tone up to then. It just feels like it was put in for the sake of Kings regualr readers, who like their climax to the story to be good and horrifying.
That said, From a Buick 8 is a good story, with fine dialogue, and a good level of suspense. A decent page-turner.
3/5
King isn't amoung my favourite authors, and I opened this with some reservations, which were totally unfounded. The basic premise isn't that promising. The story revolves around a strange, buick-like thing, stored in a garage at the back of a small police station in Pennsylvania, which occasionally east people and spews out alien creatures. Oh, and the son of a dead cop is curious. Still not convinced? I'm not surprised, but stick with me.
The narrative device used is interesting. A number of officers tell the young man the story of how his father found the 'Buick', and of his study of it. It's striking how well King wrote the dialogue. Despite the odd laboured effort to inflict the accent on the reader, the stories really leap off the page. I wasn't initially convinced that it could hold my attention, but it did, right up to the point where the narrative reached the present day.
King's story is an interesting exploration of the very human trait of unsated curiosity. "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back," is the motto of Curt, the dead officer who's son is being told the tale. His obsession with the 'Buick' would have been easy to overdo, but I like how it was handled.
As I said, the real weakness of the story is when it reaches the present day. Sandy, our main narrator, waxes lyrical about how some stories don't really have a satisfactory ending to them. I was satisfied at that, ready for another chapter or two along the lines of the actual final chapter. That would have been a good, rounded story, but King, or maybe his editor, decided that a little action was needed. It spoils the shape of the story, and runs contrary to the tone up to then. It just feels like it was put in for the sake of Kings regualr readers, who like their climax to the story to be good and horrifying.
That said, From a Buick 8 is a good story, with fine dialogue, and a good level of suspense. A decent page-turner.
3/5
