Susano Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Mysterious Island makes him an Indian prince mad the English for killing his family during the Sepoy Uprising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... In Journey' date=' I was amazed to discover that, when you get right down to it, [u']nothing[/u] happens. The characters journey to Iceland, venture down the volcano, and then walk, and walk, and walk, and walk.... Anyone who complained about the long scenes of characters traveling on foot in Fellowship of the Ring would despise a true-to-the book adaptation of Journey. They also don't do anything. Okay, yes, a character to lost for a chapter, they build a boat and sail across an underground sea, and see some strange animals.... but that's it. There's no real "adventure" per se. In addition, the science is laughable, being either really dated, or out-and-out wrong (and some of it was wrong at the time it was written.) That said, it's a must-read for anyone wanting to do Hollow Earth and/or Victorian/Pulp lost worlds-type adventure. I just watched the Brendan Fraser movie on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... areb't the heros of "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" German in the book ? A bit different to the Scots in the Disney movie ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... areb't the heros of "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" German in the book ? A bit different to the Scots in the Disney movie ! Yes they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... On the topic of old classics, I picked up the ER Burroughs Martian trilogy. Easy light reading, but hoo boy. The Hero clearly sold back his INT and bought 12d6 luck, because the plots just lurch from one improbability to another, and even making allowances for the pulp era, that's saying something! Still, I feel like I got my 9.95 worth Cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Adventure, with an A! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Nemo was Indian, but, at least in 20,000 Leagues, his origin was obscure. Nowhere near as blatantly Indian as the Nemo of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... That's a retcon. Verne meant Nemo to be a Pole, but it was politically inexpedient for the publishers for that to be explicit in the book, as France had just entered into an alliance with Russia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read Hard Day's Knight by Simon Green. John Tayor is enlisted by Gaia to save the world from the elves. She even gives him excalibur to do it. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I read a book by Jules Verne titled The Castle of Transylvania. After checking with the Fantastic Fiction website, I've become convinced that the real title is The Castle of the Carpathians. To put it simply, despite the misleading blurb, it's actually a Gothic Horror tale, of the sort where everything ultimately has a rational explanation. (What else would you expect from a Jules Verne story,anyway?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... On the topic of old classics, I picked up the ER Burroughs Martian trilogy. Easy light reading, but hoo boy. The Hero clearly sold back his INT and bought 12d6 luck, because the plots just lurch from one improbability to another, and even making allowances for the pulp era, that's saying something! Still, I feel like I got my 9.95 worth Cheers, Mark Er are you sure it is only a trilogy "Markdoc" ? I have a list of eleven titles in one of my reference books. Of course, the books were originally only fairly short, and I know that they have put the "Tarzan" stories into compilation volumes; maybe they did the same with the "Mars" books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjalund Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Currently reading Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold I'll let you know what I think when I'm finished I finished I will compare it with other Vorkosigan novels. Not his worse, but I think that she used a young boy as one of her protagonists was a bit distancing, making it feel a bit too much like a childrens' novel. Otherwise it was good as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualplayer Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Er are you sure it is only a trilogy "Markdoc" ? I have a list of eleven titles in one of my reference books. Of course' date=' the books were originally only fairly short, and I know that they have put the "Tarzan" stories into compilation volumes; maybe they did the same with the "Mars" books.[/quote'] Princess/Gods/Warlord of Mars is John Carter's first story, a trilogy. The fourth book is Carthoris' and, well, Thuvia's. Lots of other main characters get their turn in the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Er are you sure it is only a trilogy "Markdoc" ? I have a list of eleven titles in one of my reference books. Of course' date=' the books were originally only fairly short, and I know that they have put the "Tarzan" stories into compilation volumes; maybe they did the same with the "Mars" books.[/quote'] There were three books (Princess of Mars, Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars) that followed John Carter from first arrival on Mars, to becoming Jeddak of Jeddaks and ruler of all Mars. That's generally referred to as the Mars Trilogy and yeah, they have recently been re-released in one volume. Then there were several short novels or novellas featuring other characters, then a 20 year gap before John Carter returned (in Swords of Mars, which tells of some of his earlier adventures). By that stage, Burroughs had been writing for decades and the style and subject matter is quite different from the first Mars book - hence not generally considered part of the Mars Trilogy. cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfergus Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Recently read "The Warded Man" by Peter V Brett. O. M. G.! I slurped it up in two days, but only two because I stayed up past midnight to finish it. One of those "I gotta find out what happens next." books. I put it down, picked it up for "one more chapter" put it down, picked it up, etc. I have the next book on pre-order, which I almost never do. Fantasy with good characters and and interesting plot. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I'm about half way through In Fire Forged: Worlds of Honor V by David Weber and is it just me or do publishers no longer use proofreaders or editors. Page 30 needs a Marvel No-Prize for how Ruth can be in two places at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Stephen hunt's The Court of the Air and the Kingdom beyond the waves are great sf / steampunk. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Over the last couple of weeks, whenever I've been forced off the computer (and Minecrack) I've been reading Prachett's Tiffany Aching series (Wee Free Men, A Hatful of Sky, and Wintersmith.) Easy YA fiction, but not verra dumbed down. The Pictsies, aforementioned Wee Free Men, aka The NacMacFeegles, make me very nostalgic for my old days doing Scots at faire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronvitch. It's a police procedural with ghosts and magic. One man knocks another man's head clean off. The only witness is a ghost. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read Dead Matter by Anton Strout. The hero has to negotiate a truce between his Departmetn of Extraoridinary Affairs and vampires. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted February 20, 2011 Report Share Posted February 20, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read Dead Matter by Anton Strout. The hero has to negotiate a truce between his Departmetn of Extraoridinary Affairs and vampires. CES Your posts would be a lot more useful it you'd provide an opinion about the book. Just telling us what's on the back of the book doesn't help us determine if it's worth the read or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted February 21, 2011 Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Your posts would be a lot more useful it you'd provide an opinion about the book. Just telling us what's on the back of the book doesn't help us determine if it's worth the read or not. I'm sorry Checkmate. I guess I thought that unless I say the book is crap like Mainspring, or Iron Council, it could be assumed that I reccomended it. I reccomend this book because it's a light mystery/adventure where the hero has decide which is more important to him and how to rescue his girlfriend from a killer building and an evil sabotuer. How's that? CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog. I bought it based on the title alone, and really enjoyed it. The title character Flora is indeed a spirited girl with big dreams. Her plans don't always work out for the best, and she makes a lot of bad choices (but what else can you expect from a 14 year old?), but she soldiers on no matter what the opposition is. It's Young Adult fiction, which I normally don't care for, but this was was good. I'm a pretty slow reader; it usually takes me a month to finish a book, but this one only took a week. I look forward to the sequel. http://www.amazon.com/Flora-Segunda-Magickal-Glass-Gazing-Sidekick/dp/0152054391/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I34FBFDFAT03ZC&colid=2FSPWGNXC86L4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Querysphinx Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I finished I will compare it with other Vorkosigan novels. Not his worse, but I think that she used a young boy as one of her protagonists was a bit distancing, making it feel a bit too much like a childrens' novel. Otherwise it was good as usual. Like Shards of Honor, Cryoburn is a clearly set up for a following book. Unlike Shards of Honor, its internal conclusion leaves something to be desired. I still recommend it though, as Bujold's lesser works are still, heh, Miles above most other writers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjalund Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished The Time Traveller's wife. An unorthodox romance, touching some of the darker (I might even say Freudian if Freud understood women) fantasies of the female protagonist. (Not as sexual as this may sound) The male protagonist is more than a cypher, but I still feel he has been designed to suit a role rather than be a fully formed protagonist. It touches (but only touches) upon the relationship between time-travel and free will, but I still feel it cops out a bit. Despite the above, I still enjoyed the book,. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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