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If you're going to read Sherlock Holmes I'd recommend starting with The Sign of Four.
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Aug 2, 2012 03:49
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I'm looking for books describing life in East Germany.
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Aug 2, 2012 15:44
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Okay, I'm in the mood for something a little different this time. I'm tired of all these "enjoyable" and "competent" books. I want some terrible, bad, bizarre books that I can enjoy laughing at. Ideally fantasy or sci-fi, as that tends to make the best awfulness, but I'm open to anything. The Sword of Truth series is already on my list.
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Aug 2, 2012 17:59
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If you want terribly bad fantasy just go to goodreads and look at all the unpublished fantasy some of the users have written. Hilariously bad cover art, the writing is unparalleled in its hilarity.
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Aug 2, 2012 18:57
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Doomsayer posted:Okay, I'm in the mood for something a little different this time. I'm tired of all these "enjoyable" and "competent" books. I want some terrible, bad, bizarre books that I can enjoy laughing at. Ideally fantasy or sci-fi, as that tends to make the best awfulness, but I'm open to anything. The Sword of Truth series is already on my list. If anybody can top this, I will be mad impressed.
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Aug 2, 2012 19:00
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Doomsayer posted:Okay, I'm in the mood for something a little different this time. I'm tired of all these "enjoyable" and "competent" books. I want some terrible, bad, bizarre books that I can enjoy laughing at. Ideally fantasy or sci-fi, as that tends to make the best awfulness, but I'm open to anything. The Sword of Truth series is already on my list. Look for recent books by Piers Anthony.
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Aug 2, 2012 19:10
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Flaggy posted:If you want terribly bad fantasy just go to goodreads and look at all the unpublished fantasy some of the users have written. Hilariously bad cover art, the writing is unparalleled in its hilarity. Hmm, I think that fruit might be a little too low-hanging for my tastes. I was hoping for more entertainingly-awful "how did this get published?/wow this is weird/messed up/hilarious" rather than just awful-awful. I will definitely have to check that out though! quote:Piers Anthony Therree we go. funkybottoms posted:If anybody can top this, I will be mad impressed. This also looks pretty good! Awww, no Kindle edition though  Doomsayer fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Aug 2, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 20:41
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Doomsayer posted:I think that fruit's a little too low-hanging for my tastes. I was hoping for more entertainingly-awful "how did this get published?/wow this is weird/messed up/hilarious" rather than just awful-awful. Aww shucks, I was just going to point you a few threads down to the unparalleled works of the Book Barn's favorite fantasy-writing creeper, the one and only J-F Bibeau. It doesn't get much lower.
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Aug 2, 2012 20:46
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simokon posted:Aww shucks, I was just going to point you a few threads down to the unparalleled works of the Book Barn's favorite fantasy-writing creeper, the one and only J-F Bibeau. It doesn't get much lower. Oh I'm fine with that! I didn't mean to imply I actually have any standards or anything, I was just eying more towards published works. But hey, terrible is terrible and I'll gladly take a look!
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Aug 2, 2012 20:49
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Doomsayer posted:Therree we go. You don't want to mess up and read any of his "arguably decent" stuff. Go straight for that Bio of a Space Tyrant stuff right there.
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Aug 2, 2012 21:44
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:You don't want to mess up and read any of his "arguably decent" stuff. Go straight for that Bio of a Space Tyrant stuff right there. Sounds like a plan! Is his arguably decent stuff worth a read? I've heard the name, but I can't remember in what capacity.
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Aug 2, 2012 21:52
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Doomsayer posted:Sounds like a plan! Is his arguably decent stuff worth a read? I've heard the name, but I can't remember in what capacity. He got famous for the Xanth series and wrote a whole bunch of books. His early books were entertaining in the way that only 1970's/1980's shlock fantasy could be, but the longer he kept writing the more wrong his books got, finally devolving into, well, fairly pedo-tastic horrors. Most of his stuff ends up falling into that category where it's not bad if you read it as a thirteen year old boy but if you re-read it as an adult it's creeeeeeeepy.
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Aug 2, 2012 22:00
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Excavation posted:I'm looking for books describing life in East Germany.  The People's State: East German Society from Hitler to Honecker by Mary Fulbrook. Long review here
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Aug 2, 2012 22:09
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Doomsayer posted:Okay, I'm in the mood for something a little different this time. I'm tired of all these "enjoyable" and "competent" books. I want some terrible, bad, bizarre books that I can enjoy laughing at. Ideally fantasy or sci-fi, as that tends to make the best awfulness, but I'm open to anything. The Sword of Truth series is already on my list. How about John Varley's Titan trilogy? Wikipedia unironically posted:Titanides come in two sexes, male and female. Both sexes have a rear vagina and uterus, and a large penis in the position where a horse's penis would be. Both sexes also possess humanoid breasts and can thus give birth to and suckle young.
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Aug 3, 2012 05:12
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Hedrigall posted:How about John Varley's Titan trilogy? Ew. Edit: I mean yes, absolutely. But ew. Doomsayer fucked around with this message at 07:07 on Aug 3, 2012 |
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Aug 3, 2012 07:04
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yeah, John Varley can be a little squick, he likes to play with gender definitions - but i found the idea of a living sentient toroidal artificial world(sort of a live Ringworld) quite interesting.the Titanides are a digression from the main line of exploration for me. but it is a technicolor fountain of original ideas.like Ringworld, it starts as an exploration of a big strange space object- but goes a lot farther from there. a good brain-stretcher of a story. i,myself,enjoy a good brain-stretch.it improves the tone of my neurons so they don't get flabby, and it helps counteract the effect of television. also Steel Beach is also highly original and has some neat notions(dinosaur farmers on the moon, the first church of Elvis, miniature humans, many more) and is a good read also. main character changes sex from time to time. i recommend it before you chew through the whole Gaea trilogy to whet your taste. but I'm definitely a hard SF sorta guy-your mileage may vary. if you want something weird, hilarious, weird,and original, try The House on Hydrogen Hill, by Peter Truckel- it defies simple description. its on Amazon. it involves dwarf mad scientists,female wrestlers, and assassin grandmas. not as silly as it sounds. zimboe fucked around with this message at 10:09 on Aug 3, 2012 |
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Aug 3, 2012 09:52
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Doomsayer posted:Okay, I'm in the mood for something a little different this time. I'm tired of all these "enjoyable" and "competent" books. I want some terrible, bad, bizarre books that I can enjoy laughing at. Ideally fantasy or sci-fi, as that tends to make the best awfulness, but I'm open to anything. The Sword of Truth series is already on my list. see my post above- house on hydrogen hill, peter truckel. on amazon for kindle.
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Aug 3, 2012 10:17
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What about some Terry Goodkind:Goodkind posted:Hissing, hackles lifting, the chicken's head rose.
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Aug 3, 2012 12:55
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How does he square the chickent-that-is-not-a-chicken with A=A?
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Aug 3, 2012 20:17
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Phummus posted:What about some Terry Goodkind: Hey, I already said the Sword of Truth series was on my list  And it's for that very reason!
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Aug 3, 2012 20:36
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I only read hardcovers, I can't explain why, I feel like a snob. I'm at the tail end of the ASOIAF series, and will most likely be ordering the H.P. Lovecraft collection Necronimicon next. I don't really care about the genre. A full half of my bookshelf is non-fiction related to Communism and the Russian & French revolutions, but I am eager for more fiction at this point. I will read anything that is compelling, but I would prefer it to be over 600 pages and available in hardcover for a reasonable price.
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Aug 4, 2012 06:57
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If you want something really terrible read The Black Company by Glen Cook. It was recommended to me as an epic fantasy told sort of from the bad guy's side but the writing is so bad I couldn't get more than 70 pages in. It's truly awful! 
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Aug 5, 2012 00:07
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Pot Pie posted:If you want something really terrible read The Black Company by Glen Cook. It was recommended to me as an epic fantasy told sort of from the bad guy's side but the writing is so bad I couldn't get more than 70 pages in. It's truly awful! I was hoping more bad content-wise than writing-wise. I teach English and get more than my fair share of poor writing, haha! It's that sort of "my god how did this trash get published?" goodness that I'm after.
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Aug 6, 2012 00:48
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Doomsayer posted:Hmm, I think that fruit might be a little too low-hanging for my tastes. I was Maybe this, then. Seriously, if I had the patience for it/could find my copy, I'd make a thread for Murder in the Women's Studies Department, it is loving nuts. edit- looks like Murder is on google books. funkybottoms fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 01:04
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funkybottoms posted:If anybody can top this, I will be mad impressed. quote:Dr. Tweechig Haroutunian Whisper chaired her small private liberal arts college's Women's Studies Department in the division of Behavioral Sciences until she decided to teach online from home, design a new women's studies curriculum, and broadcast a talk show on her college's Internet audio worldwide to celebrate convergence. Little did she know at first that this would lead to moonlighting teamwork in a new career as a private investigator on an adventure filled with more mystery than mystique.This time, Tweechig took the investigative approach by broadcasting her research on Internet audio around the world hunting for adventure and a team partner. Refusing to retire on command and flaunting white hair tucked under a baseball cap that read, "Sixty-Plus, So Give Me My Senior Discount Already!" Tweechig eagerly taught her Women's Studies courses online at home without having to utter a word in front of a class. A burst of pounding fired from her door. Pickles, her Siamese cat leapt from a chair and scurried behind the bed. Groggy and outraged, Tweechig leapt out of a pre-work nap in the blackness and slipped on a book she had tossed on the floor next to her bed. She skidded into the wall and went down hard. The pounding grew louder as she fumbled for the lamp switch. Doctor Tweechig Haroutunian Whisper's eyes ached at the light's brilliance. This time, the mystery in the Women's Studies Department would be murder to solve. This sounds amazing. I'm checking out the Google Books now. It's pretty much completely incomprehensible. Edit: Holy poo poo, this is so amazingly batshit insane. The author was either high or in a manic episode when she wrote this; there's no other way to explain it. LyonsLions fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 02:23
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Are romance novels too much of a low-hanging fruit? "Alright you've had the whole Camelot story screwed up your entire life. Throw out everything you know and Angela Knight will explain the truth to you. Merlin & Nimue were really aliens who let King Arthur's court drink from the Holy Grail ( remember the fancy cup from that Monty Python movie)so that they could become vampire's and witches and save the world. Well it might sound a little far fetched when I spell it out for you, but when Angela Knight does it trust me you'll be hanging on every word. And in this first full length story regarding the legend ( Please for the love of god pick up a copy of Hot Blooded the anthology where Lancelot, sexiest character in the court, gets the series rolling )she'll spin you into a whole different world where vampires are just trying to save us from ourselves and any other supernatural bad guys who may be lurking in and out of Camelot. Reese Champion, immortal, hotty, wheathy CEO, & vampire is watching over the U.S., safeguarding it from harm when Erin Grayson a Latent ( someone who is psychic and has Camelot positive blood) crashes his cocktail party. To Reese she smells good enough to eat, literally. But Erin's been duped into believing Reese is in cahoots with the enemy by the enemy themself. It all leads to the pair being locked nude in an enchanted cell and forced to go at it like two bunnies to save human kind from an ancient, horrific evil. Add in an intriguing King Llyr whose a fairy ( I'm not calling names, think mythical creatures) Arthur, Morganna and the whole cast and you have a winner. It's sure to be an ongoing series so check it out!"  http://www.amazon.com/Master-Night-Angela-Knight/dp/0425198804/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
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Aug 6, 2012 09:26
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Just finished Roadside Picnic by Strugatsky brothers, thought it was amazing. I highly recommend. I'm looking for more sci-fi in a similar vain. Where the focus is more on the human impact of the fictitious evens/event, and how people adapt and deal with it. Or any other soviet sci-fi that's worth reading.
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Aug 6, 2012 11:59
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Doomsayer posted:I was hoping more bad content-wise than writing-wise. I teach English and get more than my fair share of poor writing, haha! It's that sort of "my god how did this trash get published?" goodness that I'm after. There's also this classic: quote:The Eye of Argon is a heroic fantasy novella that narrates the adventures of Grignr, a barbarian. It was written in 1970 by Jim Theis (August 9, 1953- March 26, 2002) and circulated anonymously in science fiction fandom since then. It has been described as "one of the genre's most beloved pieces of appalling prose",[1] and has subsequently been used as part of a common science fiction convention party game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_Argon
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Aug 6, 2012 13:31
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LyonsLions posted:Edit: Holy poo poo, this is so amazingly batshit insane. The author was either high or in a manic episode when she wrote this; there's no other way to explain it. Manic, I think- look at how much other stuff she's written, some of which seems to have been released by real publishers. My brother managed the trade section of a very large college bookstore and she sent them all kinds of entreaties to carry her books, including a sample copy, because no way would anyone have bought one. Between me, my brother, my girlfriend, and two friends who have master's degrees in literature, nobody was able to finish it.
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Aug 6, 2012 14:25
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:There's also this classic:
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Aug 6, 2012 19:46
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Bawjaws posted:Just finished Roadside Picnic by Strugatsky brothers, thought it was amazing. I highly recommend. It's not Soviet, it's Russian, but I think you might like Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro 2033. Ignore the fact it was made into a videogame. It's a very good post-apocalyptic novel with awesome rambling fantasy bits that only a Russian author can write.
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Aug 6, 2012 20:59
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Any good contemporary whodunit type books? I want a good mystery
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Aug 6, 2012 21:39
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Capsaicin posted:Any good contemporary whodunit type books? I want a good mystery The Wallender series by Henning Mankell is pretty good.
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Aug 7, 2012 01:12
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Capsaicin posted:Any good contemporary whodunit type books? I want a good mystery I just finished Stein, Stoned by Hal Ackerman It was lighthearted and fun, although if you hate cannabis or sixties references you should give it a pass.
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Aug 7, 2012 16:17
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mcustic posted:It's not Soviet, it's Russian, but I think you might like Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro 2033. Ignore the fact it was made into a videogame. It's a very good post-apocalyptic novel with awesome rambling fantasy bits that only a Russian author can write. Thanks. Just ordered it, along with Gateway and The Stars My Destination.
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Aug 7, 2012 23:44
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Knowing that Metro 2033 was a book first has made me far more interested in picking it up.
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Aug 8, 2012 00:00
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Handsome Dead posted:Knowing that Metro 2033 was a book first has made me far more interested in picking it up. Aye. I wouldn't have bothered if it was the other way 'round. I did notice the author was raised in Israel and studied economics, which put me off a bit. I think I might be turning into an anti-semite. Also worth mentioning that Roadside Picnic was the inspiration for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R games, and also the Tarkovskiy film. The book is also given the nod a couple of times in the Metro 2033 game. Again, I can't recommend Roadside Picnic enough.
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Aug 8, 2012 02:03
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I Just finished Brandon Sanderson Mistborn trilogy. In my opinion it was pretty darn good fantasy series with interesting and different "magic" system. I also recommend the follow up novel The alloy of law.
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Aug 8, 2012 14:09
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Into the third book of the WOOL Omnibus. I chose it simply by amazon reviews. It was at the top of the reviews for SciFi, clicked buy-now to our kindle and off I went. Interesting read after having just finished Hunger Games.
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Aug 9, 2012 14:50
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Fog Tripper posted:Into the third book of the WOOL Omnibus. I chose it simply by amazon reviews. It was at the top of the reviews for SciFi, clicked buy-now to our kindle and off I went. I'm kind of itching to get it since it's just 5.99 for the omnibus. It's not YA, I hope?
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Aug 9, 2012 19:17
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