I'm reading Dune. I don't get it. It's an absolute slog. Not sure I'm going to finish it.

Frok said:

---

I'm reading Dune. I don't get it. It's an absolute slog. Not sure I'm going to finish it.

---

It definitely started off slow for me too. I think I started it like four times over about ten years and never made it past page 100.

Until finally I just stuck with it and was amazed at how much better it got. I still don't know if it is worth the absolute hype in storytelling alone these days but there is no denying how monumental it was for the time it was released. It is so easy for me to see how Dune was the catalyst to modern sci Fi and I will always appreciate it more now. Dune truly was ahead of it's time and I can only think of a few other stories out there that dare approach the span and width of universe that Dune introduced.

Keep going and you may like it at the end, like I did.

Frok said:

---

I'm reading Dune. I don't get it. It's an absolute slog. Not sure I'm going to finish it.

---

Keep reading!

SpreadsheetAg said:

---

The Dog Lord said:

---

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss

---

I see you too are a glutton for punishment... 11 years and counting waiting for book 3

---

Indeed. Swore I wouldn't start them after being burned by GRRM, but the wife kept asking me to read them each time I'd finish a book. I'm honestly glad I read them anyway. Will definitely be disappointed if we don't get another, but I'm glad I read these at least.

Completed:
Dune Messiah (Dune #2) - Herbert
Auberon (The Expanse 8.5) - Corey
Leviathan Falls (The Expanse 9) - Corey
Restoration of Faith (The Dresden Files 0.1)
Vignette (The Dresden Files 5.5)


The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund Morris (Audible)
First big nonfiction book I've read in a while. This was a pretty fascinating book into the early life of TR. What an incredible personality and man's man. Not sure there has been a more well rounded individual in America since TR. He was almost unbelievably moral, egotistical and brash. Yet, he backed those descriptors up most of the time. Also no secret that he was progressive beyond the norm for his time. Found it amusing that his nickname in his early political career was "The Dude". Pretty much the quintessential American ideal man.

The political backdrop of Republicans vs Democrats was enlightening as well. While the issues and causes are obviously different today as we have gradually moved leftward along the political spectrum since then, the overall battle for supremacy hasn't changed much. You had a clear demarcation between Republican media vs Democrat media so if anyone thinks newspaper media was some kind of balanced endeavor in the late 1800s you can remove that assumption. Assuming of course this book is considered a good indicator of the reality of media then.

New York was effectively the most powerful state in the country. Also not surprising but it gives good perspective on the center of power for American politics including the rampant corruption within governmental institutions and police. You could almost walk away from this book thinking that NY was more of a cesspool than Washington DC during this era. And that might be true based on the forgotten reality of DC politics before the never ending bureaucracy that exists now - back then with each new President that came into office there was a wholesale purging of the apparatus underneath the President that ran the federal government.

Highly recommend it.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)
"Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord: A litRPG Adventure" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"God of War" (Audible): J. M. Barlog; Cory Barlog: C
"Alias Hook" (Audible): Lisa Jensen: A- (Peter Pan told from Captain Hook's perspective; not a kid book, more adult oriented)
"Witches Be Crazy" (Audible): Logan J. Hunder: B+ (would have been better I think with possibly a better reader, although I did warm up to him as the story progressed. Lots of bad puns and hokey stuff, had a very The Princess Bride feel)
"Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story" (Audible): Sean Cummings: B
"High Strangeness" (Audible): Will Maclean: B
"A Dog Called Demolition" (Audible): Robert Rankin: C
"Memory's Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection" (Audible): James S. A Corey: A
"Midnight at the Well of Souls" (Audible): Jack L. Chalker: C+/B-
"Goon Squad-Year One-" (Audible) Jonathon L. Howard: B+
"Warbound: Book III of the Grimnoir Chronicles": Larry Correia: A+
"Two Necromancers, A Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems-" (Audible) L. G. Estrella: B+ (Similar to Witches be Crazy)
"Firefly: Carnival" (Audible) Una McCormack: A-
"The Screwtape Letters" (Audible) C.S. Lewis: B+ (Wanted to give it highest grade but having it read to you makes it very dry, content is amazingly accurate, could've been written today and applied to current times, definitely a worthwhile read)
"Fata Morgana" (Audible) Steven R. Boyett and Ken Mitchroney: A- (WWII B-17 crew gets knocked into another world after coming off of a bombing run over Germany)
"Mr Monk Goes To Hawaii" (Audible) Lee Goldberg: B+
"A Reluctant Druid" The Milesean Accords Book 1 (Audible) John R Osborne: C+ (decent but a little too much nerd pron for my liking but not as bad as some I've listened to)
"A Demon in Silver" Book One of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Hangman's Gate" Book Two of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Spear of Malice" Book Three of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"Shadow and Bone" Grisha Book One (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Siege and Storm" Grisha Book Two (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Ruin and Rising" Grisha Book Three (Audible) Leigh Bardugo B+/A-

Completed:
Dune Messiah (Dune #2) - Herbert
Auberon (The Expanse 8.5) - Corey
Leviathan Falls (The Expanse 9) - Corey
Restoration of Faith (The Dresden Files 0.1)
Vignette (The Dresden Files 5.5)
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund Morris (Audible)

Children of Dune (Dune #3) - Herbert
Frank Herbert wrote his first three books as a trilogy. In a note at the end of Children, he says that he wrote parts of Messiah and Children before the original Dune #1 and this his entire framework for this story encompassed these three books.

Regarding this book specifically, I thought it was better than Messiah. Had more going on than Messiah and sort of returned to the bigger themes in Dune 1. Still didn't have the action of Dune. Messiah and Children were much more philosophical and exploration of a theme than the more practical story of Dune.

I would argue you can still just read the first one and stop there without experiencing any FOMO avoiding Messiah and Children. However, to fully realize Herbert's vision you would want to read all three. The next trilogy takes place thousands of years after these three which is another reason why I think the original Dune can be read as a standalone novel.

Read:


"Jenkins at the Majors" - Dan Jenkins
"Calamity" - Brandon Sanderson (Reckoners #3)
"The Weight of Glory" - C.S. Lewis
"Cat's Cradle" - Kurt Vonnegut
"Skyward" (Skyward #1) - Brandon Sanderson
"Starsight" (Skyward #2) - Brandon Sanderson
"Greenlights" - Matthew McConaughey
"Billy Boy" - Bud Shrake
"Wuthering Heights" - Emily Bronte

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - Douglas Adams: I definitely enjoyed it. Will probably look into the sequels at some point down the road. Can definitely see why some of my favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy authors list this one as one they enjoyed.

"Sunreach" (Skyward Novella)
"Redawn" (Skyward Novella)
"Cytonic" (Skyward #3) - Brandon Sanderson: Still enjoying this series. Just realized while making this list I forgot to go back and finish "Evershore", the last novella.

"The Phenomenom" - Rick Ankiel: As a kid who grew up near St. Louis, and remembers the Ankiel the pitcher flameout vividly, this was fascinating. Even if you don't have an affinity for the Cardinals, it's a great look into a baseball player's psyche and battling the yips.

"Hail Mary" - Andy Weir: Read this one on this board's strong recommendation. Loved it. I made the mistake of watching "The Martian" before reading the book and haven't had the desire to go back and read it, but after how much I liked Weir's writing in this one, I probably will at some point.

"Freed to Lead" - David Redding: Book about the formation of F3 and their workout style, read as I've been a part of the newly established F3 Aggieland.

"Stronger" - Jeff Bauman: Went on an anniversary trip to Boston in May and fell in love with the city. Been trying to consume "Bostoncentric" media since. Watched The Town, Fever Pitch, etc... Enjoyed the inspirational story here. Especially since he doesn't make himself out to be some superhero, just an everyday guy who deals with a catastrophe and comes out on top with the help of friends and family.

"Black Mass" - Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill: Same as above, read after our trip to Boston. This one was fascinating and a little eery knowing how much someone can get away with if they have the right friends. If you have other good Boston recs, send them my way!

"Pa*****o" - Lee Min-jin: Didn't know much about this one, but had heard the show adaptation was good and then stumbled upon the book at the library. Ended up loving it. Just a masterfully written, beautiful story that traces a family through the generations. Highly recommend.

"Same Kind of Different as Me" - Ron Hall and Denver Moore: Part of my Grandma's book collection I inherited when she passed. Enjoyed the story. Quick read.

"Storm Front" (Dresden Files #1) - Jim Butcher: Another one I read because of this board. Definitely plan to make my way through the rest of the series.

Currently Reading:

"Thunderstruck" - Erik Larson: About the only Larson book I haven't read. He's on the list with Lewis and Sanderson as an author I'll read anything by.

"The Master Plan of Evangelism" - Dr. Robert E. Coleman: Reading as a part of my summer Bible Study.


2022 Goal Update: 21/36 (58%)

Completed:
Dune Messiah (Dune #2) - Herbert
Auberon (The Expanse 8.5) - Corey
Leviathan Falls (The Expanse 9) - Corey
Restoration of Faith (The Dresden Files 0.1)
Vignette (The Dresden Files 5.5)
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund Morris (Audible)
Children of Dune (Dune #3) - Herbert

Vicious (Villain's #1) - V.E. Schwab (Audible)
A play on metahumans/superheroes. It was mildly entertaining and didn't catch my full attention until I got about 40% in. Every chapter is a time jump and I did not enjoy that here. This is also the first book of a larger series that I won't be continuing. Too many other options out there and other series I'm in the middle of that I enjoy much more.

I also did not enjoy the reader for this one on Audible and maybe that tainted my perception of this book. The language sounded very stilted to me.

Have yet to read a fiction book where I didn't find Audible distracting although I haven't done that much fiction with it.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir in-progress

Really enjoyed the Priory. Was looking for standalone fantasy and kept seeing it recommended. At just over 800 pages, it still have a lot as a standalone. Some common criticism is that the last 1/3 felt a bit rushed and that some things were a bit too convenient. The best comparison I can think of is the last 2 seasons of GoT, although the books isn't as bad as it by any means. The characters in this book stayed true to themselves (unlike with GoT).

I do wish we would've gotten more info at times, so it really would have done well as a series. It is nice to get a standalone every now and then though. That said, a prequel is coming out in 2023, and a sequel isn't completely ruled out either. I'll definitely pick up the prequel, although I may not read it for a bit as I already have some plans for 2023.

"Stonehenge" Bernard Cornwell; B- (love Cornwell's work, but this one dragged on)
"God Emperor of Dune" Frank Herbert; A- (just a fantastic series)
"Heretics of Dune" Frank Herbert; A (the first book without a Leto or Paul, about 4500 years after Dune... great new characters introduced that were fascinating to follow)
"Chapterhouse: Dune"; A (again following the same Characters - kind of - from Heretics; great series and the very ending was pretty humorous)
"Daughter of War" Simon Turney - Good quick read, enjoyable but not earth shattering
"Red Rising" Pierce Brown - super impressed; a nice long book that combines Ender's Game, Hunger Games, Dune (kinda), and The Expanse...
"Golden Son" Pierce Brown - Book 2 of Red Rising
"Morning Star" Pierce Brown - Book 3 of Red Rising
"Iron Gold" Pierce Brown - Book 4 of Red Rising
"Dark Age" Pierce Brown - Book 5 of Red Rising (book 6 is scheduled for April 2023; womp womp)
"The Witcher: The Last Wish" Andrzej Sapkowski
"The Witcher: Sword of Destiny" Andrzej Sapkowski
"Start" Jon Acuff
"The Witcher: Blood of Elves" Andrzej Sapkowski


<on pause>
Templar Series with the next one "The Last Emir" SJA Turney

Have seen Priory elsewhere as well. I'll add that to my list.

]The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir


Project Hail Mary definitely lived up to the good things everyone has said. I agree that it's as good or possibly even better than The Martian. It does have some similar elements which take a bit away from it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the addition of aliens. Him solving problems by himself would have been even closer to The Martian. I really wished we would have gotten a glimpse of Earth both while the Hail Mary was away and after the beetles returned. That story would be a fantastic follow-up. Weir mentioned there certainly could be more, but he didn't have any actual plans or intent to do that. There could also be more about exploring the rest of the galaxy to look for more intelligent life.

Up next is either the Shadow series (Ender parallel series) or the Licanius trilogy. Considering Licanius now and Shadow to end the year so that I have some sci-fi buffer before I start Sanderson in 2023. I'm not getting his new books that he announced, but I'm still making 2023 my "Year of Sanderson" as well (starting with Elantris and going through the rest of the Cosmere).

13B said:

---

Have you tried Troy (trilogy) by David and Stella Gemmell? Different time period (obviously) but similar to what you are saying. It is a pretty clever reimagining of the Troy War through the eyes of warrior outside of the known players. Not 100% what you are looking for but very well done and maybe a little closer.

---

This is one of my favorite trilogies of all time... I loved Gemmell's work and really loved this re-imagining of the Troy story. I've tried recommending this one for years on these threads and you're the first person I've seen reference it.

I agree with you 100%!

Completed:
Dune Messiah (Dune #2) - Herbert
Auberon (The Expanse 8.5) - Corey
Leviathan Falls (The Expanse 9) - Corey
Restoration of Faith (The Dresden Files 0.1)
Vignette (The Dresden Files 5.5)
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund Morris (Audible)
Children of Dune (Dune #3) - Herbert
Vicious (Villain's #1) - V.E. Schwab (Audible)

Falling Upward - A Spirituality of the Two Halves of Life - Richard Rohr

This is an interesting little book. You can sort of think of this as a mid-life crisis book for the spiritual. Ha. Rohr is a Franciscan Priest (I think I got that right) and his premise here is that most of us live our lives focused on all the normal things we do in the first half of life - build careers, make money, cultivate our public persona, focus on the material, go to church, synagogue, mosque or whatever your preference might be but aren't really all that in tune with our spirituality, etc.

But the truly enlightened, if you will, figure out in the second half of life that none of the first half focus is relevant anymore. However, Rohr's constant theme is one of paradox and duality and does not denigrate this first half of life focus. He discusses it as necessary and a requirement (everyone has to eat and be able to provide for their families) in order to recognize and figure out the second half where you evolve beyond it and no longer care about it. Another familiar theme is one of failing before you can truly learn and rise above.

This book was a gift to me by a friend after some conversations we had about my own personal journey in life right now which is pretty green field and a bit overwhelming. I left my corporate job of 20+ years and frankly don't care about that stuff anymore. So I've been trying to figure out what I want to do next. This book has been timely because it put to paper some of the things I've been thinking about and feeling. Its a bit of a validation, frankly, and has some good and timely wisdom in it.

On Rohr, while Rohr is a Priest, he's quite liberal so those of you who are not Christians can probably still get something out of this book if you find it relevant for where you are in life. He's basically a believer in Jesus and kind of rebels at the rest of the infrastructure around it. He describes himself as somewhere between conservatives and liberals and then above it. Sounds a little haughty when I put it like that and some will find fault with that, but I'm just giving you some context of the guy so you know what you are getting into if you decide to read it.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)
"Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord: A litRPG Adventure" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"God of War" (Audible): J. M. Barlog; Cory Barlog: C
"Alias Hook" (Audible): Lisa Jensen: A- (Peter Pan told from Captain Hook's perspective; not a kid book, more adult oriented)
"Witches Be Crazy" (Audible): Logan J. Hunder: B+ (would have been better I think with possibly a better reader, although I did warm up to him as the story progressed. Lots of bad puns and hokey stuff, had a very The Princess Bride feel)
"Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story" (Audible): Sean Cummings: B
"High Strangeness" (Audible): Will Maclean: B
"A Dog Called Demolition" (Audible): Robert Rankin: C
"Memory's Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection" (Audible): James S. A Corey: A
"Midnight at the Well of Souls" (Audible): Jack L. Chalker: C+/B-
"Goon Squad-Year One-" (Audible) Jonathon L. Howard: B+
"Warbound: Book III of the Grimnoir Chronicles": Larry Correia: A+
"Two Necromancers, A Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems-" (Audible) L. G. Estrella: B+ (Similar to Witches be Crazy)
"Firefly: Carnival" (Audible) Una McCormack: A-
"The Screwtape Letters" (Audible) C.S. Lewis: B+ (Wanted to give it highest grade but having it read to you makes it very dry, content is amazingly accurate, could've been written today and applied to current times, definitely a worthwhile read)
"Fata Morgana" (Audible) Steven R. Boyett and Ken Mitchroney: A- (WWII B-17 crew gets knocked into another world after coming off of a bombing run over Germany)
"Mr Monk Goes To Hawaii" (Audible) Lee Goldberg: B+
"A Reluctant Druid" The Milesean Accords Book 1 (Audible) John R Osborne: C+ (decent but a little too much nerd pron for my liking but not as bad as some I've listened to)
"A Demon in Silver" Book One of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Hangman's Gate" Book Two of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Spear of Malice" Book Three of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"Shadow and Bone" Grisha Book One (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Siege and Storm" Grisha Book Two (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Ruin and Rising" Grisha Book Three (Audible) Leigh Bardugo B+/A-
"The Priory of the Orange Tree" (Audible) Samantha Shannon: C I am so tired of authors cramming homosexuality and porn into Fantasy books, if I wanted homosexual romance novels or just a romance novel in general, that is what I would seek out.
"The Aeronauts Windlass" (Audible) Jim Butcher: A
"The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down" (Audible) Colin Woodard: A- (Different author but very akin to how Empire of the Summer Moon was written; on par)

P.G. Wodehouse books mainly re:Jeeves a butler Very funny and short!

Completed:
Dune Messiah (Dune #2) - Herbert
Auberon (The Expanse 8.5) - Corey
Leviathan Falls (The Expanse 9) - Corey
Restoration of Faith (The Dresden Files 0.1)
Vignette (The Dresden Files 5.5)
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund Morris (Audible)
Children of Dune (Dune #3) - Herbert
Vicious (Villain's #1) - V.E. Schwab (Audible)
Falling Upward - A Spirituality of the Two Halves of Life - Richard Rohr

The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Centralized Banking - Saifedean Ammous

If you want a good primer on money in general and Bitcoin this is a great book. If you think Bitcoin is a scam and have zero inclination to learn about it, I still highly recommend reading Chapters 1-7 which deal with the history of money, centralized currencies, and how money generally works. These first seven chapters don't even mention Bitcoin. Chapters 8-10 deal with Bitcoin if you want to read further.

This book is not the end all be all book on money but it is a great primer and he references several other economic books if you want to go further into that topic. Of note, this author is of the Austrian school of economics and is not remotely a fan of Keynesian economists, if that matters to you. The style reads a lot like Thomas Sowell.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington in-progress


Really enjoyed book 1 of the Licanius Trilogy. First 100 pages gave me a mix of Name of the Wind, Wheel of Time, and Harry Potter vibes along with something all its own. Definitely has some eventful stuff happen early on too.

Later parts still give me NotW and WoT vibes. There is a lot of "you'll know what that means when the time comes" and "who is that really?" going on that I find both intriguing and annoying. Definitely did not see the twist coming that happened in the final pages. On to book 2.

"The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams

What did you think about "I Am Legend"?

Eliminatus said:

---

Frok said:

---

I'm reading Dune. I don't get it. It's an absolute slog. Not sure I'm going to finish it.

---

It definitely started off slow for me too. I think I started it like four times over about ten years and never made it past page 100.

Until finally I just stuck with it and was amazed at how much better it got. I still don't know if it is worth the absolute hype in storytelling alone these days but there is no denying how monumental it was for the time it was released. It is so easy for me to see how Dune was the catalyst to modern sci Fi and I will always appreciate it more now. Dune truly was ahead of it's time and I can only think of a few other stories out there that dare approach the span and width of universe that Dune introduced.

Keep going and you may like it at the end, like I did.

---

I'm also reading Dune for the first time. I'm finally at 54% on my Kindle, and it's starting to pick up. Agree it's slow going. Of course everything is advanced analog -- nothing digital at least so far. The language is pretty dry, but I had to laugh at some 60s slang thrown in when someone "gave them the slip."

13B said:

---

What did you think about "I Am Legend"?

---

I knew the book was different than the Will Smith movie but wasn't sure how exactly. I really liked that some of the vampires were the traditional, intelligent beings while others were more zombie-esque based on how it affected them. Was a short read, and I definitely would've liked more.

Yeah, left me wanting more (I recognized some of the other short stories had film adaptations). I don't consider Will Smith's movie an adaptation of the book. I enjoyed the movie on it's own merits but if you ever want to make a movie the exact opposite (in every aspect) of a book, Will Smith's "I am Legend" is the blueprint. It made me laugh a little, due to the time it was written, when it referenced things that don't really exist anymore (ie running down to the Willys dealership to pick up some spare parts).

It's an interesting dichotomy of book and movie. I Am Legend has been one of my favorite books of all time since I was single digit years. When the movie came out I DESPISED it so much. It is still my soap box when I rant about " creative liberty" in Hollywood.

Then I looked at the whole situation objectively and as an adult.

Yeah, still hate the movie with a passion. Book is fantastic and the final sequences are one of the first "mind blown" I ever had. Probably not as profound these days with how complex modern writing is now, but to 8 yr old me almost 30 years ago it was such a powerful twist and ending.

Looks like we read pretty much the exact same stuff.

Guess I'll finally start contributing here myself and we can see the true parallels

I recently went down a Wikipedia spiral on the history of Central Asia. Does anyone know a good book (fiction or nonfiction) with a setting in historical Central Asia (basically any time period before 1900)? There's a lot of stories there, makes Game of Thrones' political storylines very realistic.

Greeks came in with Alexander the Great and conquered Persians and other peoples. Then the Hellenistic period came about. Alexander named all of his cities Alexandria. Kandahar, Bagram in Afghanistan were some of those cities. A bunch of city-states in Central Asia survived cut off from mainland Greece for hundreds of years and maintained Greek as official languages sometimes even after regime changes.

Meanwhile Rome and Persia fought it out for 900 years off and on and then the Byzantines rose to power.

Then the Arabs came in and conquered everyone in western and central Asia.

After a few hundred years, the Mongolians came and whipped and devastated the region. One prince defeated the Mongolians in battle, named Jalal-Al-Din, and sent a message to Genghis Khan saying "Tell me when and where you want to fight." But a dispute over a white horse resulted in half his army going home.

Anyway a hard request but looking for something different if anyone has any recs.

You might enjoy The Afghan Campaign. Historical fiction about Alexander's campaigns in Bactria/Afghanistan.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)
"Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord: A litRPG Adventure" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"God of War" (Audible): J. M. Barlog; Cory Barlog: C
"Alias Hook" (Audible): Lisa Jensen: A- (Peter Pan told from Captain Hook's perspective; not a kid book, more adult oriented)
"Witches Be Crazy" (Audible): Logan J. Hunder: B+ (would have been better I think with possibly a better reader, although I did warm up to him as the story progressed. Lots of bad puns and hokey stuff, had a very The Princess Bride feel)
"Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story" (Audible): Sean Cummings: B
"High Strangeness" (Audible): Will Maclean: B
"A Dog Called Demolition" (Audible): Robert Rankin: C
"Memory's Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection" (Audible): James S. A Corey: A
"Midnight at the Well of Souls" (Audible): Jack L. Chalker: C+/B-
"Goon Squad-Year One-" (Audible) Jonathon L. Howard: B+
"Warbound: Book III of the Grimnoir Chronicles": Larry Correia: A+
"Two Necromancers, A Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems-" (Audible) L. G. Estrella: B+ (Similar to Witches be Crazy)
"Firefly: Carnival" (Audible) Una McCormack: A-
"The Screwtape Letters" (Audible) C.S. Lewis: B+ (Wanted to give it highest grade but having it read to you makes it very dry, content is amazingly accurate, could've been written today and applied to current times, definitely a worthwhile read)
"Fata Morgana" (Audible) Steven R. Boyett and Ken Mitchroney: A- (WWII B-17 crew gets knocked into another world after coming off of a bombing run over Germany)
"Mr Monk Goes To Hawaii" (Audible) Lee Goldberg: B+
"A Reluctant Druid" The Milesean Accords Book 1 (Audible) John R Osborne: C+ (decent but a little too much nerd pron for my liking but not as bad as some I've listened to)
"A Demon in Silver" Book One of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Hangman's Gate" Book Two of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Spear of Malice" Book Three of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"Shadow and Bone" Grisha Book One (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Siege and Storm" Grisha Book Two (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Ruin and Rising" Grisha Book Three (Audible) Leigh Bardugo B+/A-
"The Priory of the Orange Tree" (Audible) Samantha Shannon: C I am so tired of authors cramming homosexuality and porn into Fantasy books, if I wanted homosexual romance novels or just a romance novel in general, that is what I would seek out.
"The Aeronauts Windlass" (Audible) Jim Butcher: A
"The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down" (Audible) Colin Woodard: A- (Different author but very akin to how Empire of the Summer Moon was written; on par)
"The Lies of Locke Lamora" Gentleman ******* Book 1 Scott Lynch: A (that's funny, it censors "illegitimate born")
"Red Seas Under Red Skies" Gentleman ******* Book 2 Scott Lynch: A
"The Republic of Thieves" Gentleman ******* Book 3 Scott Lynch: A

I am hip deep in Dresden Files. Currently on book 11...I think... I finish one and go right to the next book.

At some point I want to start these.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)
"Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord: A litRPG Adventure" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"God of War" (Audible): J. M. Barlog; Cory Barlog: C
"Alias Hook" (Audible): Lisa Jensen: A- (Peter Pan told from Captain Hook's perspective; not a kid book, more adult oriented)
"Witches Be Crazy" (Audible): Logan J. Hunder: B+ (would have been better I think with possibly a better reader, although I did warm up to him as the story progressed. Lots of bad puns and hokey stuff, had a very The Princess Bride feel)
"Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story" (Audible): Sean Cummings: B
"High Strangeness" (Audible): Will Maclean: B
"A Dog Called Demolition" (Audible): Robert Rankin: C
"Memory's Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection" (Audible): James S. A Corey: A
"Midnight at the Well of Souls" (Audible): Jack L. Chalker: C+/B-
"Goon Squad-Year One-" (Audible) Jonathon L. Howard: B+
"Warbound: Book III of the Grimnoir Chronicles": Larry Correia: A+
"Two Necromancers, A Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems-" (Audible) L. G. Estrella: B+ (Similar to Witches be Crazy)
"Firefly: Carnival" (Audible) Una McCormack: A-
"The Screwtape Letters" (Audible) C.S. Lewis: B+ (Wanted to give it highest grade but having it read to you makes it very dry, content is amazingly accurate, could've been written today and applied to current times, definitely a worthwhile read)
"Fata Morgana" (Audible) Steven R. Boyett and Ken Mitchroney: A- (WWII B-17 crew gets knocked into another world after coming off of a bombing run over Germany)
"Mr Monk Goes To Hawaii" (Audible) Lee Goldberg: B+
"A Reluctant Druid" The Milesean Accords Book 1 (Audible) John R Osborne: C+ (decent but a little too much nerd pron for my liking but not as bad as some I've listened to)
"A Demon in Silver" Book One of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Hangman's Gate" Book Two of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Spear of Malice" Book Three of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"Shadow and Bone" Grisha Book One (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Siege and Storm" Grisha Book Two (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Ruin and Rising" Grisha Book Three (Audible) Leigh Bardugo B+/A-
"The Priory of the Orange Tree" (Audible) Samantha Shannon: C I am so tired of authors cramming homosexuality and porn into Fantasy books, if I wanted homosexual romance novels or just a romance novel in general, that is what I would seek out.
"The Aeronauts Windlass" (Audible) Jim Butcher: A
"The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down" (Audible) Colin Woodard: A- (Different author but very akin to how Empire of the Summer Moon was written; on par)
"The Lies of Locke Lamora" Gentleman ******* Book 1 Scott Lynch: A (that's funny, it censors "illegitimate born")
"Red Seas Under Red Skies" Gentleman ******* Book 2 Scott Lynch: A
"The Republic of Thieves" Gentleman ******* Book 3 Scott Lynch: A
"Bounty Hunter: Lone Gunfighter of the Wastelands" Book 1 Rachel Aukes: A- (poor man's "Firefly" meets "Mandalorian")
"Bounty Hunter: Dig Two Graves" Book 2 Rachel Aukes: B+
"Bounty Hunter: Nothing to Nobody" Book 3 Rachel Aukes: B
"Bounty Hunter: Rake and Scrape" Book 4 Rachel Aukes: B
"He Who Fights with Monsters" Book 1 Travis Deverell: B+/A- (slow to get behind main character early but builds momentum as story progresses)
"Skyward" Brandon Sanderson: A-
"He Who Fights With Monsters" Book 2 Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon): A-
"He Who Fights With Monsters" Book 3 Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon): A-
"He Who Fights With Monsters" Book 4 Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon): A-
"The Seventh Son" Tale of Alvin Maker Book 1 Orson Scott Card: B-

Just finished The Chris Farley Show. It's a collection of interviews of his brothers, childhood friends, SNL cast members, etc, that tells his story. Very good, very funny, but also very sad. Highly recommend.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington
River of Souls (WoT short story by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
How Old Holly Came to Be by Patrick Rothfuss
The Light of all That Falls by James Islington in-progress


Really enjoyed book 2 of the Licanius Trilogy as well. Took me a while to finish though since I'm in a bit of a slump with things going on at work/home. It can be a little confusing when first picking it back up, and in general, but I'm still eager to move on to the last one soon.

Before diving into book 3, I read 2 VERY short stories from the Wheel of Time and Kingkiller worlds. The first is basically a deleted chapter from the final WoT book. Was a decent read but nothing too crazy. The second was a bit odd. There's speculation about who is actually in the story, and I don't remember enough for even the speculation to make sense.

Will likely take my time with this next one too. Trying ti decide how ti finish out the year though. Definitely taking a break from fantasy and may not read much at all even. I've decided 2023 will be my Year of Sanderson since he proclaimed it as such already. I didn't buy his 4 new books, I'm just going to read everything that's already out.