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Yeah, they actually are. The Year of the Flood in particular is a tonal shift because it deals with the aftermaths of Oryx and Crake from the perspective of surviving members of the Gardeners, a religious sect that has been preparing for the apocalypse. The whole trilogy has an uplifting ending with Maddaddam as well. Anyway, OP wasn't asking for flatly optimistic but rather something that encompasses the good and bad of humanity in a post-apocalyptic setting, and Atwood's trilogy fits the bill.
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Oct 2, 2014 20:11
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Recommend me a book: I'm looking for something with the same vibe as Conan the Barbarian - gritty/dark/grim/gruesome medieval (fantasy or otherwise) without being too grognard-y. More modern/post-apoc/alternative reality would be welcome too.
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Oct 2, 2014 20:28
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robotsinmyhead posted:Recommend me a book: I'm looking for something with the same vibe as Conan the Barbarian - gritty/dark/grim/gruesome medieval (fantasy or otherwise) without being too grognard-y. Karl Edward Wagner's Kane series is the closest thing not actually written by Robert E. Howard. His Kane is the biblical Cain, an explicit murderer, cursed to walk the world immortal until he dies by violence, and just as effective with sorcery as with a blade. Think smart, psychopathic, sorceror Conan. Most of the plots involve Kane pursuing brilliant and complex plots for power, riches, and domination, only for everything to fall apart at the last minute when Kane overreaches himself through too much greed, anger, or hatred. Another option is Michael Moorcock's Elric series. I'd suggest starting with Sailor on the Seas of Fate because it's my favorite of those I've read.
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Oct 2, 2014 20:39
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Did you know Robert Jordan wrote a few Conan stories? I liked them, but that was a long time ago.
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Oct 2, 2014 21:03
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mcustic posted:Did you know Robert Jordan wrote a few Conan stories? I liked them, but that was a long time ago. Yeah, I've read some of them. They're . . .good-ish? Competently written, they just lack fire.
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Oct 2, 2014 21:07
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Yeah, I've read some of them. They're . . .good-ish? Competently written, they just lack fire. IIRC, they're more on the pulpy fun adventure side than being very grim, dark or gruesome. As for a rec that fits the gritty, dark and gruesome mold, I liked Tim Lebbon's Dusk a lot. It has a nicely weird, almost Dying Earth type of fantasy world setting with lots of grimness and gruesome ultra violence.
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Oct 2, 2014 21:31
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robotsinmyhead posted:Recommend me a book: I'm looking for something with the same vibe as Conan the Barbarian - gritty/dark/grim/gruesome medieval (fantasy or otherwise) without being too grognard-y. Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock is like a psychedelic drug fuelled Conan alternative. He's an albino weakling who attains freakish strength through drugs and a magic sword that steals the energy of his enemies.
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Oct 3, 2014 10:11
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robotsinmyhead posted:Recommend me a book: I'm looking for something with the same vibe as Conan the Barbarian - gritty/dark/grim/gruesome medieval (fantasy or otherwise) without being too grognard-y. Surprised no one has recommended The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. A touch more grognard-y than Conan, but only barely. Gritty, dark, grim, gruesome all apply in spades.
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Oct 4, 2014 03:29
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Does anyone know of any decent epistolary horror novels aside from Dracula? It seems like an interesting form that would play to the genre's strengths, but I can't recall coming across any aside from terrible "zombie journal" stuff.
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Oct 6, 2014 20:44
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Grizzled Patriarch posted:Does anyone know of any decent epistolary horror novels aside from Dracula? It seems like an interesting form that would play to the genre's strengths, but I can't recall coming across any aside from terrible "zombie journal" stuff. Wikipedia for "epistolary novel" lists Stephen King's Carrie but I think they may be stretching.
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Oct 6, 2014 20:49
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Wikipedia for "epistolary novel" lists Stephen King's Carrie but I think they may be stretching. Yeah, that is a bit of a stretch. I read it a long time ago, though, so maybe it has more epistolary elements than I remember. Just seems kind of weird that there isn't a whole lot of it out there aside from the same trite "post-apocalypse survivor's journal" stuff. Though it did make me remember House of Leaves, which is a bit closer to what I was looking for. I know a lot of CC is (or was) pretty against that book, but it was still an enjoyable read.
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Oct 6, 2014 21:08
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robotsinmyhead posted:Recommend me a book: I'm looking for something with the same vibe as Conan the Barbarian - gritty/dark/grim/gruesome medieval (fantasy or otherwise) without being too grognard-y. You tried Imaro by Charles Saunders? It's just as  as Conan, only with a cooler setting, no protofascist navel-contemplating, and no weird, creepy early-twentieth-century racial theories. Ignore the offputting marketing on the earlier editions - it's not representative.
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Oct 6, 2014 21:43
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Grizzled Patriarch posted:Does anyone know of any decent epistolary horror novels aside from Dracula? It seems like an interesting form that would play to the genre's strengths, but I can't recall coming across any aside from terrible "zombie journal" stuff. Frankenstein?
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Oct 7, 2014 10:12
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I've been on a Chinese history kick recently and would like recommendations for: modern Chinese novels about what life is actually like there, historical fiction dealing with the Warring States etc, or any non-fiction books that are particularly well researched and written. Thanks.
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Oct 7, 2014 11:12
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Grizzled Patriarch posted:Does anyone know of any decent epistolary horror novels aside from Dracula? It seems like an interesting form that would play to the genre's strengths, but I can't recall coming across any aside from terrible "zombie journal" stuff. I know it's not a true "epistolary" story, but Stephen King's short story "Survivor Type" is written as a series of journal entries from the perspective of a man marooned on an island without many supplies... it's a gnarly, nasty little story--one of King's best. Once again, it's not written in letters, but I guess if you stretch the definition, I suppose he's writing to whoever might find him/his journal...
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Oct 7, 2014 14:33
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Chas McGill posted:I've been on a Chinese history kick recently and would like recommendations for: modern Chinese novels about what life is actually like there, historical fiction dealing with the Warring States etc, or any non-fiction books that are particularly well researched and written. Thanks. Hong Ying is probably the best known "contemporary" Chinese fiction author, so that's a pretty safe place to start. Yiyun Li's A Thousand Years of Good Prayers is a short story collection, but it does a really great job of capturing a lot of different modern perspectives. For nonfiction, Han Han has some great essays, if you can find translations. He's the most famous blogger in China and a pretty controversial figure, but his stuff is really interesting. He's written fiction too, though I think only his most recent novel (This Generation) has a decent translation floating around. I haven't read it yet, but it's apparently kind of a Kerouac-style road trip novel, so that might be up your alley as well. quote:I know it's not a true "epistolary" story, but Stephen King's short story "Survivor Type" is written as a series of journal entries from the perspective of a man marooned on an island without many supplies... it's a gnarly, nasty little story--one of King's best. Once again, it's not written in letters, but I guess if you stretch the definition, I suppose he's writing to whoever might find him/his journal... Yeah, that was definitely a good one. I'm not too picky about it being in the form of letters or anything - I've read interesting pieces in the form of letters, journals, transcripts, even email conversations and such. There just isn't much of it floating around for whatever reason.
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Oct 7, 2014 22:29
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Chas McGill posted:I've been on a Chinese history kick recently and would like recommendations for: modern Chinese novels about what life is actually like there, historical fiction dealing with the Warring States etc, or any non-fiction books that are particularly well researched and written. Thanks. For non-fiction, I recommend Mountain of Fame by John Wills,Jr. A fantastic read!
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Oct 8, 2014 19:35
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Chas McGill posted:I've been on a Chinese history kick recently and would like recommendations for: modern Chinese novels about what life is actually like there, historical fiction dealing with the Warring States etc, or any non-fiction books that are particularly well researched and written. Thanks. From fiction, I really liked Mo Yan's 'The Garlic Ballads' (loosely based on 1987 revolt) and Chun-Chan Yeh's 'The Mountain Village' (Mao's revolution as seen by people living in a remote mountain village). Narrative non-fiction: Ma Jian's 'Red Dust' (a counter-cultural intellectual goes on a run through China because he's facing an arrest) and Peter Hessler's 'Country Driving' (it's supposedly a road-trip kind of thing, but about a third of the book is a great description of living in a Chinese village).
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Oct 11, 2014 18:41
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I just finished reading:  I would now like to read any book that is anything like the one I just read. Or even other books you love if you also loved 10:04 Wow, that was a good book
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Oct 13, 2014 01:34
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Just figured I'd ask about James Ellroy. I've been deep in the L.A. Quartet for a while, find some of it mediocre, find some of it great, I am enjoying some of the great moments with Ellroy's staccato poetic style. I'm on Perfidia now, the first novel in his planned second L.A. Quartet series (all prequels I think). I was just curious for anyone familiar with his writing...does he have anything else particularly good worth reading or is the L.A. Quartet stuff pretty much the cream of the crop when he's concerned?
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Oct 13, 2014 04:39
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TheFallenEvincar posted:Just figured I'd ask about James Ellroy. I like his Underworld USA Trilogy even more than the LA Quartet. It starts out with American Tabloid, which definitely ranks up there as one of his best single books. I just finished Perfidia earlier this week and goddamn that poo poo was so good. It has Dudley Smith as a POV character and his chapters are just insanely dope. You should check out David Peace, he's like the English James Ellroy. His most famous stuff is the Red Riding Quartet. It's set in Northern England from the early seventies to the early eighties, revolves around the Yorkshire Ripper case, and is about the most dark and brutal crime writing I've read. Anyway, if anyone knows any other authors similar to Ellroy or Peace(brutal, well-written crime), I'd love to check em out.
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Oct 13, 2014 05:19
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savinhill posted:I like his Underworld USA Trilogy even more than the LA Quartet. It starts out with American Tabloid, which definitely ranks up there as one of his best single books. I just finished Perfidia earlier this week and goddamn that poo poo was so good. It has Dudley Smith as a POV character and his chapters are just insanely dope. Quite liked The Black Dahlia, nice simpler intro novel, took a while to warm up to The Big Nowhere but I really liked it ultimately. L.A. Confidential I felt was okay, I think admittedly I'm a bit tainted by loving the film and I was surprised by the differences (not that I necessarily disliked them). I think White Jazz might actually be my favorite of his thus far, maybe The Big Nowhere. I've really gotten attached and immersed in Ellroy's style and slang much like I get when I read Irvine Welsh, though he does have a few habits that annoy me like the whole "There's Always the Sissyboy Smartguy Cop and he's Never As Cool as the Rugged Badcop Who Constantly Emasculates Him and Makes Him Pee His Smartboy Pants" and "All Gay Cops are suuuuuper hosed UP". The former really really hit a peak of bugging me with L.A. Confidential (at least with The Black Dahlia, Bucky holds his own enough to buck being that character most of the time), it gets to the point of ridiculousness where it feels like Bud White is an author insert coolguy character or something. Exley really can't do anything right because if he does something cool Bud would do I guess it's not cool because he did it out of some calculating political motive and not sudden emotional impulse. Meanwhile all the female characters around Exley basically seem to exist for the purpose to nag him about HOW SUPER COOL BUD WHITE IS. Inez or w/e particularly got on my nerves, just her whole character, I didn't "buy" her. I guess they toned that down in the movie in a way one could argue made the characters more simplistic but it gets super grating in the novel. Novel Bud White just pissed me off, he has way less justifiable greivances against Exley compared to the movie considering some of the poo poo he pulls. And I guess the latter you could attribute to the societal pressures weighing on closeted gay characters at the time, I mean, Junior and (particularly) Upshaw are pretty sympathetic characters ultimately. Punkin Spunkin fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Oct 13, 2014 |
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Oct 13, 2014 05:41
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savinhill posted:It has Dudley Smith as a POV character and his chapters are just insanely dope. After reading Perfidia I want a series of Dudley Smith detective books. Good God what a great character. Edit: Everyone is different, but I prefer the LA Quartet over the Underworld Trilogy. I just got burnt out on Ellroy's staccato style (I never read the last book in the trilogy). Still I thought American Tabloid was a masterpiece. I keep hearing about David Peace, but my fear is the story would be too British for this lame American (am I wrong?). One thing I love about reading Ellroy is the glimpse at the dirty underworld of America. I need to finally read some old school writers like Jim Thompson or Dashiell Hammett. nate fisher fucked around with this message at 12:59 on Oct 13, 2014 |
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Oct 13, 2014 12:48
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A friend of mine just asked me if I had ever read a gay romantic novel, and being a gay guy, she was surprised that I haven't read any at all. This made me look around and googled a bit, and there doesn't seem to be many of high quality or worth reading as, atleast what I've got the impression of, is that seem to be mostly wank material with novel covers ripped straight from some kind of softcore magazine. So I guess I am trying to find some romantic novels that are not straight-from-the-kiosk trashcan quality, gay or straight, whatever. Something that focuses on character development, and I guess "deeper" than what you'll usually find. It doesn't have to be in the romance genre specifically, it could be an important side-story in some other novel but it would be preferable if it was the definitive genre.
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Oct 14, 2014 00:57
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Stalins Moustache posted:A friend of mine just asked me if I had ever read a gay romantic novel, and being a gay guy, she was surprised that I haven't read any at all. This made me look around and googled a bit, and there doesn't seem to be many of high quality or worth reading as, atleast what I've got the impression of, is that seem to be mostly wank material with novel covers ripped straight from some kind of softcore magazine. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, maybe? It's not strictly romance but it hits a few of the notes you're describing (gay characters, character development, something "deeper" than most). It's a brilliant book in its own right so I would recommend it anyway.
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Oct 14, 2014 02:18
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As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. Terrific historical fiction centered on a gay relationship in 1600s England.
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Oct 14, 2014 02:24
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Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon, maybe?
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Oct 14, 2014 16:55
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Maurice by EM Forster?
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Oct 14, 2014 18:31
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Stalins Moustache posted:A friend of mine just asked me if I had ever read a gay romantic novel, and being a gay guy, she was surprised that I haven't read any at all. This made me look around and googled a bit, and there doesn't seem to be many of high quality or worth reading as, atleast what I've got the impression of, is that seem to be mostly wank material with novel covers ripped straight from some kind of softcore magazine. I'm in the same boat. Adding 'GLBT' to my recommendation shelves on Goodreads gave me a couple of John Green books and then a bunch of embarrassing schlock with oily shirtless dudes on the cover. It took a lot of winnowing down to find some decent queer lit with actual depth to it. Anyways, my stock recommendations for this: The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault (also a book of the month here on TBB) which is a really examined look at a period of Ancient Greece that faithfully renders not only its historic setting but also the authentic gay relationship at the heart of its story. In a slightly similar vein, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a retelling of the Iliad under the conceit of Achilles and Patroclus as lovers that again features a very convincing gay relationship. Someone earlier mentioned Chabon's Mysteries of Pittsburgh which seems more clearly within the realm of gay lit, but I think his The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is the superior work that still has that element present, albeit not as its central feature.
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Oct 15, 2014 02:02
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moot the hopple posted:
These are both pretty solid recommendations. Almost anything Michael Chabon has ever written is about gay Jewish dudes. Even Gentlemen of the Road managed to be Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser as gay jewish dudes. I also have yet to read anything by him that's bad -- he's just a solidly talented writer -- so you might just be able to pick any of his books off the shelf and have it be a solid recommendation for this category.
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Oct 15, 2014 04:17
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I second the Mary Renault recommendations and actually urge you to go even farther into her books if you find yourself enjoying The Last of the Wine. Because the Alexander the Great trilogy she wrote and a lot of her other standalone novels in addition to Last of the Wine like The Mask of Apollo and The Praise Singer also sort of apply and are well worth reading.
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Oct 15, 2014 08:14
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Time Cowboy posted:As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. Terrific historical fiction centered on a gay relationship in 1600s England. I second this but prepare to be gut-wrenchingly depressed after finishing this book. It is worth the read but definitely not upbeat. Other names that always get mentioned to me by my gblt friends are Allan Hollinghurst and Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City).
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Oct 15, 2014 20:03
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Hoping the third time will be the charm for posting itt. I'm going to Istanbul next year so I'd like to know what some good reading about that city would be. A general overview would be good but some specific topics that interest me are archaeological excavations and an account of organized crime in the city's recent history, if one exists. Can anyone help?
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Oct 16, 2014 16:44
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twitter and bisted posted:Hoping the third time will be the charm for posting itt. I'm going to Istanbul next year so I'd like to know what some good reading about that city would be. A general overview would be good but some specific topics that interest me are archaeological excavations and an account of organized crime in the city's recent history, if one exists. Can anyone help? I've read a few good books about Constantinople's history, if that interests you: Constantinople: City of the World's Desire, 1453-192 by Philip Mansel Constantinople by Edmondo De Amicis Not entirely set in Turkey, but incredibly well written: A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: From the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube by Patrick Leigh Fermor
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Oct 16, 2014 17:40
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I'm looking for any cool-looking books on daemonology. You know in horror movies when they show forbidden texts about devils? Things like that, or at least the illustrations. Sorry if this isn't the appropriate forum, but I can't find any topics solely on art books.
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Oct 17, 2014 06:05
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I'm looking to pick up Wool in audio book for a road trip this weekend. I just don't know which to get, I have an Audible credit available and there are two Wool audiobooks of the complete series, both at about the same user score with a close number of user reviews: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Wool-Audiobook/B00C7R2NQ8/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1413523227&sr=1-1 http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Wool-Omnibus-Edition-Wool-1-5-Audiobook/B00904FYUI/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1413523227&sr=1-2 One is narrated by Amanda Sayle and the other by Minnie Goode. I don't listen to enough audio books to know if that matters. Which would be the one to get?
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Oct 17, 2014 06:29
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dokmo posted:I've read a few good books about Constantinople's history, if that interests you: Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out.
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Oct 17, 2014 14:00
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twitter and bisted posted:Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out. Orhan pamuk has a book about Istanbul and it's fantastic
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Oct 17, 2014 15:12
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Stalins Moustache posted:A friend of mine just asked me if I had ever read a gay romantic novel, and being a gay guy, she was surprised that I haven't read any at all. This made me look around and googled a bit, and there doesn't seem to be many of high quality or worth reading as, atleast what I've got the impression of, is that seem to be mostly wank material with novel covers ripped straight from some kind of softcore magazine. Melissa Scott is pretty good too, the Point series lead characters are gay, although I think pigeonholing her as a "gay" writer is a mistake.
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Oct 17, 2014 16:20
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Sad Mammal posted:I'm looking for any cool-looking books on daemonology. You know in horror movies when they show forbidden texts about devils? Things like that, or at least the illustrations. Sorry if this isn't the appropriate forum, but I can't find any topics solely on art books. If you have a tolerance for warhams then Liber Chaotica is exactly what you're looking for.
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Oct 17, 2014 18:13
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