What was the last book you read?

Originally Posted by aliferste

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant but Stephen Donaldson

TCoTC is a very nice concept, and a good antidote to a lot of "heroic fantasy" and sub-Tolkienesque rubbish, but the whole series could have done with a *damn* good editor.

It is, regrettably, somewhat overblown, to the extent that the second trilogy of books has one entire volume (The One Tree) which, frankly, could have been removed completely without affecting the story.

Having said that, if you can get past that lot, it is a good series.

[zovat]

Originally Posted by Graham

TCoTC is a very nice concept, and a good antidote to a lot of "heroic fantasy" and sub-Tolkienesque rubbish, but the whole series could have done with a *damn* good editor.

It is, regrettably, somewhat overblown, to the extent that the second trilogy of books has one entire volume (The One Tree) which, frankly, could have been removed completely without affecting the story.

Having said that, if you can get past that lot, it is a good series.

I agree - It took me a lot of persistance to get into the first book, but once I did, I was hooked...

Some of my recent ones

Behindlings by Nicola Barker. Good book, very hard to get into, but worth it

Round Ireland with a fridge by Tony Hawks Very Funny book

Stargazy Pie by Laura Lockington. Its alright i suppose. Its a little bit girly, and to be honest a bit stupid at times, but it made me laugh at some points

[TheBlueRaja]

Just finished the Lord Of the rings trilogy, and its pretty good (no surprises there), but i much prefered the hobbit ending in th ebook as opposed to the hobbit ending of the film.

Why the heck did they do that?

Anyhoo, just started The Curious Incident Of the Dog at Night time, and first inidcations (im about an 1/8th of the way in) are that its really good, and very funny too.

Recommended.

[aliferste]

Originally Posted by Graham

TCoTC is a very nice concept, and a good antidote to a lot of "heroic fantasy" and sub-Tolkienesque rubbish, but the whole series could have done with a *damn* good editor.

Another book that could have done with a good editor was "imajica".......took me ages to trawl through that....still good though.

Im reading Wilbur Smith "River God" now......a bit of easy pulp reading for a few days

[aliferste]

Originally Posted by theblueraja

J
Why the heck did they do that?

Maybe in the extended dvd release it will be different....I know that there will be extra scenes with saruman in the extra!!

[Scrubbs]

just finished "coalescent" stephen baxter (A bit girly)
"line of Polity" Neal asher (alien world run by baddies)
Absolution gap Alistair reynolds ( 3rd in a series, very good)

And as you can see by my avatar a "dune" nut ( the original story based on crude oil in the sixty's from an arabs point of view

[Bifta]

Hmm, according to Russ and Jerrek, the last book I read was supposed to be great, (Left Behind: A Novel of Earths last days), a complete waste of money, one of the only books boring enough to put me to sleep, unfortunately I bought it along with the second book in the series which looks to be twice as long. I feel a donation to Oxfam coming on.

Originally Posted by Bifta

Hmm, according to Russ and Jerrek, the last book I read was supposed to be great, (Left Behind: A Novel of Earths last days), a complete waste of money, one of the only books boring enough to put me to sleep, unfortunately I bought it along with the second book in the series which looks to be twice as long. I feel a donation to Oxfam coming on.

I'm not surprised you didn't like them. They're Christian pulp fiction. I've read most of the series, but I've only stuck with it because I'm interested in the subject of the end of the world (and, more specifically, the Christian 'take' on it). Quality English literature it aint. The characterisation is wooden and the plotline (by which I mean the story of the characters involved, not the overall Biblical narrative) swings erratically from the predictable to the outrageously improbable.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by theblueraja

Just finished the Lord Of the rings trilogy, and its pretty good (no surprises there), but i much prefered the hobbit ending in th ebook as opposed to the hobbit ending of the film.

Why the heck did they do that?

Originally Posted by aliferste

Maybe in the extended dvd release it will be different....I know that there will be extra scenes with saruman in the extra!!

I read that Peter Jackson & Christopher Lee had some sort of disagreement, because Peter Jackson cut all the Saruman scenes from RotK [presumably simply because they would have made the film too long for the cinema...even without the Saruman scenes it was well over 3 hours].

They are apparently going to be reinstated for the Extended Edition DVD

[Tezcatlipoca]

Latest book I'm reading (well, re-reading) - The Eagle Has Landed, by Jack Higgins

[TheBlueRaja]

Originally Posted by Tezcatlipoca

I read that Peter Jackson & Christopher Lee had some sort of disagreement, because Peter Jackson cut all the Saruman scenes from RotK [presumably simply because they would have made the film too long for the cinema...even without the Saruman scenes it was well over 3 hours].

They are apparently going to be reinstated for the Extended Edition DVD

Thats good news BUT i doubt the ending will change though as the ending at the shire is completely different. I suppose it *could* come before the ending of the current film, but i doubt it.

Old Mistresses.Couple of books on Picasso.The Essential Surrealists and currently reading both Women Artists and Great Women Masters of Art.

Leaving the fiction alone for a while.

Incog.

[iadom]

The instruction manual for my new Canon A80 Powershot. Very sad I know, but I have always been a sucker for manuals, and strangely encylclopaedia type books.

Give me a Haynes, and I am in heaven.

[Scrubbs]

Originally Posted by iadom

and strangely encylclopaedia type books.

Give me a Haynes, and I am in heaven.

I use to collect "pears cyclopedias" I have a facsimile of the first one ....very entertaining