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Canticle of Leibowitz does that. Seconding Children of Time. It's more a Sci Fi story than a chronicle or epic but it's good.
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Jul 30, 2021 19:35
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John F Bennett posted:Are there any books out there where the story lasts for hundreds or thousands of years, following the evolution of a person (maybe immortal?), a tribe, a people, an empire etc.... Maybe not hundreds of thousands of years, but that sort of thing is Edward Rutherfurd's stock in trade -- he picks a region and tells its story over the centuries following various families that live in the area. regulargonzalez posted:I think Cloud Atlas kind of does that? I haven't read it or watched the movie but that's my general impression. Kinda. Cloud Atlas is a set of six nested stories set in various time periods, linked by parallels and allusions, but they're not a single overarching story. Selachian fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Jul 30, 2021 |
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Jul 30, 2021 20:21
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John F Bennett posted:Are there any books out there where the story lasts for hundreds or thousands of years, following the evolution of a person (maybe immortal?), a tribe, a people, an empire etc.... Chronicles of Narnia? Charles Sheffield's Tomorrow and Tomorrow
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Jul 30, 2021 22:44
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John F Bennett posted:Are there any books out there where the story lasts for hundreds or thousands of years, following the evolution of a person (maybe immortal?), a tribe, a people, an empire etc.... Dune and its sequels. It literally checks each of those boxes.
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Jul 31, 2021 04:16
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This might be unpopular but Remembrance of Earth's Past covers à Civilization evolving over thousands of years in the second book and billions of years in the third book
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Jul 31, 2021 04:35
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Thanks guys! These are all amazing suggestions and exactly what I've been looking for. My Goodreads list is now filled to the brim and will last me a good while!
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Jul 31, 2021 10:22
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Anyone have a suggestion for a book where I could learn about the economics of Universal Basic Income? I know something like Bullshit Jobs by Graeber would do it. However, since I am curious because I am ostensibly in favor based on my current understanding, so I'm hesitant to simply read a book reaffirming my preconceived notions. I was kind of hoping for something that approached it from a more neutral perspective while still being readable by a layperson. (This is not to impinge on Graeber's academic honesty, may he rest in Anarchist Heaven.) Of course, I'm afraid to just Google it because I might end up accidentally reading something from someone totally unqualified or simply horrible. Did you know they just let anyone write books these days?
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Jul 31, 2021 11:33
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evilpicard posted:This might be unpopular but Remembrance of Earth's Past covers à Civilization evolving over thousands of years in the second book and billions of years in the third book Similarly, Remembrance of Things Past covers a frenchman's brain evolving over thousands of hours and millions of seconds!
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Aug 1, 2021 05:56
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What would you get as a gift for a big Tolkien/fantasy fan?
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Aug 2, 2021 10:29
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Are there any books that are essentially "Our Band Could Be Your Life" about wrestling, ideally in the 80s/90s heyday? I'm not that interested in watching wrestling, but I find it's mash-up of carnival culture with Regan era glitz really fascinating and the inside baseball stuff amazing.
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Aug 2, 2021 14:15
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The DPRK posted:What would you get as a gift for a big Tolkien/fantasy fan? Depends on your budget and how weeby they are $$$ https://www.lordoftheringswords.com $$ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5X28GS/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_D006ET8GVJV5V4YMTS5E?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 $ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0863G2L62/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_KSSE6TFZP8W239F5948Z
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Aug 2, 2021 14:39
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Disco Pope posted:Are there any books that are essentially "Our Band Could Be Your Life" about wrestling, ideally in the 80s/90s heyday? I'm not that interested in watching wrestling, but I find it's mash-up of carnival culture with Regan era glitz really fascinating and the inside baseball stuff amazing. Mick Foley's Have a Nice Day! is great if rambly, the sequels not so much. I also enjoyed David Shoemaker's The Squared Circle.
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Aug 2, 2021 19:05
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regulargonzalez posted:Depends on your budget and how weeby they are great suggestions, thank you 
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Aug 2, 2021 23:57
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Buy Andúril and then smash it into pieces for an authentic and unique gift
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Aug 3, 2021 00:01
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Anything else like tyll out there? Medieval magical realism (that’s not eco) with maybe a touch of old-world folklore? Something about the tone and setting really stuck with me.
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Aug 6, 2021 05:04
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John F Bennett posted:Are there any books out there where the story lasts for hundreds or thousands of years, following the evolution of a person (maybe immortal?), a tribe, a people, an empire etc.... I'd recommend The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson, alternative history that follows a group of reincarnating characters over several hundred years
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Aug 9, 2021 01:47
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I have a 9th grade civics class understanding of the civil war, what's the best ~500 page book that will alleviate my ignorance a bit? Emphasis on readability and approachability.
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Aug 10, 2021 16:00
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regulargonzalez posted:I have a 9th grade civics class understanding of the civil war, what's the best ~500 page book that will alleviate my ignorance a bit? Emphasis on readability and approachability. There may be better ways to get a better understanding but Chernow's "Grant" is extremely readable and does a really good job walking through Reconstruction which is probably more applicable to modern day than anything else. Obviously it also goes through the Civil War from Grant's perspective, which is a good way of going through the conflict without being overwhelmed. I mostly suggest it as it is very easy to read, Chernow knows how to craft a biography into a narrative, and its accurate (aside from some of Chernow's personal thoughts filtering in, but he's good at making it obvious when that's the case).
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Aug 10, 2021 17:19
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regulargonzalez posted:I have a 9th grade civics class understanding of the civil war, what's the best ~500 page book that will alleviate my ignorance a bit? Emphasis on readability and approachability. The relevant section of A People’s History of the United States would probably be a good starting point. Maybe take a look at the bibliography and move forward from there.
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Aug 10, 2021 18:03
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I just finished Aliens: Phalanx, a fun novel about a primitive world where everyone lives in fort cities because there are black demons outside. Main character was a runner who had to go between forts to trade for medicine/food/whatever. I'd like to read another book in the same vein: hostile outside world, characters must form sorties to leave their safety zone and skulk around like mice, etc
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Aug 11, 2021 16:56
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If YA is ok, the John Christopher Tripod trilogy somewhat fits.Lockback posted:There may be better ways to get a better understanding but Chernow's "Grant" is extremely readable and does a really good job walking through Reconstruction which is probably more applicable to modern day than anything else. Obviously it also goes through the Civil War from Grant's perspective, which is a good way of going through the conflict without being overwhelmed. regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 17:06 on Aug 11, 2021 |
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Aug 11, 2021 17:03
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regulargonzalez posted:If YA is ok, the John Christopher Tripod trilogy somewhat fits. If you want to skip the early sections to jump right into the war you can, but the early sections touch a lot on what the country was like leading up, especially things like the liberal view that the South would eventually give up slaves on their own accord, and how people (like Grant) rectified their own hatred of slavery with a desire to avoid a war.
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Aug 11, 2021 18:24
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WHY BONER NOW posted:I just finished Aliens: Phalanx, a fun novel about a primitive world where everyone lives in fort cities because there are black demons outside. Main character was a runner who had to go between forts to trade for medicine/food/whatever. The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson owns and it’s out of copyright so just download it and see whether you like it. Very gothic and dark
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Aug 11, 2021 19:13
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I’m trying to get into poetry, just in general. I already have Rumi’s work on my list, and have greatly enjoyed Shel Silverstein in the past, any other recs?
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Aug 12, 2021 03:46
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Snag a Norton anthology at your local used bookstore and see who appeals to you.
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Aug 12, 2021 05:14
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So I've always loved The Once and Future King and had a general fondness for Arthuriana, but have never actually gotten around to Le Morte d'Arthur. I'd like to correct that. I do not however read any Middle English, so yeah, I was wondering what's considered the best translation? I see a few versions on Amazon including a lovely leatherbound one, but I just want something to read, not a fancy and pretty thing to put on my bookcase.
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Aug 12, 2021 11:11
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regulargonzalez posted:I have a 9th grade civics class understanding of the civil war, what's the best ~500 page book that will alleviate my ignorance a bit? Emphasis on readability and approachability. Battle Cry of Freedom by McPherson is still the best single volume history of the US Civil War. Chernow's Grant is decent, if hagiographic, but Grant's memoirs are terrific in their own right.
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Aug 12, 2021 20:58
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DreamingofRoses posted:I already have Rumi’s work on my list Just make sure it isn't anything by Coleman Barks. The man literally doesn't know any Persian and has made a killing passing off his own new-age doggerel as Rumi. If you want the unvarnished meaning of Rumi's words, you can still do no better than R.A. Nicholson even a hundred years later. Frank Lewis's work is faithful but has a more modern flavor to it. If you prefer a translation in both rhyme and verse, Jawid Mojaddedi's rendering of the Masnavi (a work in progress) definitely has its moments.
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Aug 13, 2021 03:50
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Jack London's The Sea Wolf is one of my favorite books and I'm looking for more stories of salty sea dogs (hopefully something a little more "fun" and easier to read than Melville)
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Aug 13, 2021 10:49
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RoboChrist 9000 posted:So I've always loved The Once and Future King and had a general fondness for Arthuriana, but have never actually gotten around to Le Morte d'Arthur. I'd like to correct that. I do not however read any Middle English, so yeah, I was wondering what's considered the best translation? I see a few versions on Amazon including a lovely leatherbound one, but I just want something to read, not a fancy and pretty thing to put on my bookcase. First I'd try looking up a version online and seeing if you can just . . .read it. Like chaucer, it isn't as difficult as it might seem at first. That said I'd probably suggest Tennysons Idylls of the King, which is basically a Mallory adaptation. Mallory in the original is a bit of a slog because there is little construction or organization to it, it's just a big pile of Arthur stuff, largely unsorted. I did a big King Arthur post a few years ago: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3617881&pagenumber=1&perpage=40 I talk about different modern versions of Mallory about halfway down the thread. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 12:57 on Aug 13, 2021 |
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Aug 13, 2021 12:48
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Hey thread; time for some videogame and manga references and some vague 'mood' descriptions for what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something taking place in a "Hive city"; examples of the setting I'm thinking of would be along the lines of WH40K's hive cities, (here comes the videogames) The Ascent, Septerra Core, or (Manga) Tsutomu Nihei's Blame!'s megastructure. Something you could just drop a D&D session in and would work with some minor tweaks: structures literally so big and old nobody knows what's in there anymore, weird 'ancient' tech that may or may not be alien, that kind of stuff. More adventure-y and less... exploration of human misery I guess? I had The Wool Trilogy earmarked from some thread here or another, but looks to be a bit... YAish Hunger Games?
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Aug 13, 2021 16:00
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Kvlt! posted:Jack London's The Sea Wolf is one of my favorite books and I'm looking for more stories of salty sea dogs (hopefully something a little more "fun" and easier to read than Melville) Have you read the master and commander books by Patrick O'Brien?
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Aug 13, 2021 16:02
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Azhais posted:Have you read the master and commander books by Patrick O'Brien? That's the big suggestion but for lighter fare try the nonfiction Two Years Before the Mast.
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Aug 13, 2021 16:09
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:First I'd try looking up a version online and seeing if you can just . . .read it. Like chaucer, it isn't as difficult as it might seem at first. Awesome, thanks! And eh. My degree is in history and I even enjoyed the Silmarillion despite not being much of a Tolkien fan. I think I can handle an unorganized dump of lore.
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Aug 13, 2021 16:14
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Edmond Dantes posted:Hey thread; time for some videogame and manga references and some vague 'mood' descriptions for what I'm looking for. APOSIMZ maybe?
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Aug 13, 2021 16:17
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Edmond Dantes posted:structures literally so big and old nobody knows what's in there anymore, weird 'ancient' tech that may or may not be alien, that kind of stuff. More adventure-y and less... exploration of human misery I guess? Edit: Just remembered The Integral Trees, which is closer than either of those two to what you're looking for. Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Aug 13, 2021 |
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Aug 13, 2021 16:40
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Edmond Dantes posted:Hey thread; time for some videogame and manga references and some vague 'mood' descriptions for what I'm looking for. You should check out Charles Sheffield's Heritage Universe series
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Aug 13, 2021 18:46
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Does anyone have a recommendation for a book about diplomacy and conflict? I've been reading How Wars End but the chapter on Iraq 1 is such a poor analysis it's leading me to distrust the author in general. e: great book, looking for something like that but across longer time periods COPE 27 fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Aug 15, 2021 |
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Aug 14, 2021 21:28
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My roommate suggests the Guns of August
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Aug 15, 2021 02:52
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External Organs posted:Children of Time and it's sequel by Adrian Tchaikovsky is science fiction like this, but, uh it's not "people," it's spiders. I have to thank you again for this suggestion, I found the paperback in a bookstore last week and I can't put it down. It's a fantastic story, it tickles my brain.
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Aug 15, 2021 09:28
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