Looking for some interesting reads.

[pakman]

I have been recently plowing through the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Yesterday (more accurately this morning) I finished Faith of the Fallen which is the sixth book in the series. I also recently finished Shadow of the Hegemon which is part of the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card.

However, I know that I will soon be finished with the Sword of Truth series seeing as there are only 8 paperback books. The ninth came out today. I will be lost on what to read next. Are there any books recommended that arer close to the world that Terry Goodkind has crafted? I am also interested in non-fiction, mostly WWII stories and books on tactics and the politics of the time. A friend of mine recommended If You Survive which is a first hand account of the Battle of the Bulge.

Other things that I would be interested in are Tom Clancy stories, but I already have my lost of those. History of objects or things is another of my favorite areas, for example, Salt by Mark Kurlansky, Tobacco, Black Gold, etc.

What suggestions can you guys make?

[Occhidiangela]

To me, Terry Goodkind is not so hot, but it appears that a lot of folks disagree with me.

Kurlansky's "Cod" is excellent, as is his "Basque History of the World."

"Longitude," forget the author.

"Fup." Jim Dodge the author. Short novel, and word for word, pound for pound, some of the best story telling I have ever read.



Or, you can open any newspaper, or any web news site, and read crap like this:

Action Vs. Talk In Indonesia
For a realistic, on the ground account of what’s happening in Sumatra, check out The Diplomad <http://diplomadic.blogspot.com/>, a blog written by American foreign service officers. Their comments on the U.N.’s contributions are amusing:

Well, dear friends, we’re now into the tenth day of the tsunami crisis and in this battered corner of Asia, the UN is nowhere to be seen—unless you count at meetings, in five-star hotels, and holding press conferences.
Aussies and Yanks continue to carry the overwhelming bulk of the burden, but some other fine folks also have jumped in: e.g., the New Zealanders have provided C-130 lift and an excellent and much-needed potable water distribution system; the Singaporeans have provided great helo support; the Indians have a hospital ship taking position off Sumatra.&nbsp; Spain and Netherlands have sent aircraft with supplies.
The UN continues to send its best product, bureaucrats.
Most interesting to me was this memo written by Dutch diplomats and circulated at an EU meeting in Indonesia:
The US military has arrived and is clearly establishing its presence everywhere in Banda Aceh. They completely have taken over the military hospital, which was a mess until yesterday but is now completely up and running. They brought big stocks of medicines, materials for the operation room, teams of doctors, water and food. Most of the patients who were lying in the hospital untreated for a week have undergone medical treatment by the US teams by this afternoon. US military have unloaded lots of heavy vehicles and organize the logistics with Indonesian military near the airport. A big camp is being set up at a major square in the town. Huge generators are ready to provide electricity. US helicopters fly to places which haven’t been reached for the whole week and drop food. The impression it makes on the people is also highly positive; finally something happens in the city of Banda Aceh and finally it seems some people are in control and are doing something. No talking but action.&nbsp; European countries are until now invisible on the ground.&nbsp; IOM staff (note: this is a USAID-funded organization) is very busy briefing the incoming Americans and Australians about the situation.
Aussies, Yanks, and Indians?&nbsp; Hey, that coalition sounds familiar!&nbsp; Wasn’t there an announcement about this, and then a lot of bitching from UN-types about America doing an end-run around the UN?&nbsp; Perhaps the Americans, Australians, Japanese, and Indians (and New Zealanders) are on to something after all.&nbsp; Substance over style.&nbsp; Action vs. photo op.&nbsp; Do first, then pose.&nbsp; There’s a novel idea....

Here we have one of the biggest natural disasters in some time, and folks just can't keep from sticking the needle in, from that silly UN bureaucrat day 2, whose instant gratification urge over ran his brain, to tripe like the above all over the place.

Jesus wept.

There's folks who just need help. Folks from all over the world are stepping up to the plate to help. Humanitarian aid is hard to do, ad hoc. I got involved in a couple of very modest ops some years ago. Something this big boggles the mind. It is also a great opportunity for the UN to shine, hell, for everyone to shine by bringing out the best in human nature: our capacity to lend a hand to our fellow man.

Why, then do so many folks use it as an opportunity to emphasize the negative, the petty?

Makes me sick.

Happy New Year, folks, the human race is the same as it ever was. PS: Mr Byrne, your lyric is timeless.

Occhi

[ShadowHM]

&nbsp; History of objects or things is another of my favorite areas, for example, Salt by Mark Kurlansky, Tobacco, Black Gold, etc.

What suggestions can you guys make?
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I lost interest in the Terry Goodkind series at about book three, so my novel tastes may not be of any interest to you.

Farley Mowat has a few interesting histories written.

The Farfarers is an interesting speculation about the people who might have preceded the Norse to the Americas. It includes a fair bit of the history of the walrus hunt.

Sea of Slaughter gives a history of the exploitation of the resources of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The Serpents Coil is the true story of a cargo vessel with a doomed design and the amazing salvage of it by a group of Newfoundlanders.

And, lastly, a book that caught me by surprise. People of the Abyss by Jack London is something I picked up recently just because I wanted to read another "White Fang" kind of story. But it is not fiction. The author went 'underground' as a sort of investigative reporter in the slums of London in 1902. This is his account of what he found there.

[Doc]

The Rituale Romanum. Good reading. Might keep you up late at night though.

Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans. Once again, bound to keep you awake at night. May also cause butthole puckering. If anything in your home creaks, rattles, or makes noise in the dark, you may very well piss your pants.

To go with the above, see also, The Demonologist and The Exorcist. Not the movie, and not the book based on the movie. It tells the story of Douglas Dean, who, back in 1949, became posessed. The accounts of the priests, and the witnesses are astouding. A boy vomiting up rivers of blood, so much blood that it flooded the bedroom floor and ran down the stairs in a torrent, while two doctors watched and tried to explain the phenomenon. The boy spoke in several languages, none of which a child should know. It will make you rethink what you think you know or what you believe about the supernatural.

Zombies. Science Fact. Talks about the Zombie Drug, and the zombies of Haiti. Explain in depth, with hard science, the how and why real zombies exist. Goes into great detail about the toxins of the toads and the puffer fish that are used, and the effect on the human body. Also briefly discusses the University of North Carolina study, as well as Nasa's ideas to use the Zombie Drug in various applications for deep space exploration. Also goes into detail on the military applications of said drug, and the potential for super soldiers.

[jahcs]

I lost interest in the Terry Goodkind series at about book three, so my novel tastes may not be of any interest to you.
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Faith of the Fallen was an engaging read but the two books following that were quite boring for me. It did feel like the series lost it's direction around book three.

For Fantasy The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is worth a look. LE Modesitt's Saga of Recluse is also a set I enjoy. The first two books of the DemonWars Saga by R.A. Salvatore, The Demon Awakens and The Demon Spirit, are quite good. The third book was dissapointing though.

Harry Turtledove's World at War series (beginning with Into the Darkness) is also a set I would ask about in your local bookstore. It is a story that parallels WWII but is set in a world where magic works. As you read the books there are many different character paths to keep track of but many begin to merge, sometimes on opposite sides of the battle lines.

For SciFi try Armor by John Steakley. While not a great novel, it is a good story.

Shogun by James Clavell. The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy.

Non fiction: If you haven't read it yet get Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.

edit to avoid repetitive phrasing

[pakman]

In response to both ShadowHM and jahcs, what was it that you found uninteresting about Mr. Goodkind's writing? There are some things that I am disappointed about, like how some characters seemingly dropped out of the story for no apparent reason, but I still find the character development and the story quite engaging. Just a question, no offense meant :)

[Kylearan]

I haven't read Goodkind, and I've quickly lost interest in The Wheel of Time (too much standard/cliche fantasy for my taste, and the characters are too shallow). But if you're looking for some original fantasy, you should try the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, starting with "A Game of Thrones". Fantastic writing with well-developed and different characters, and a nice story with a less than usual amount of fantasy (not much magic, and only hints at fantasy creatures like undead and dragons, at least in the beginning) but with a lot of politics, intrigue, and warfare. Additionally, it's not a simple black-and-white world, and I found myself sympathizing with a character that seemed to be one of the "bad guys" in the beginning.

A refreshing read after all the other Tolkienesque books I've read during the last years.

-Kylearan

[Occhidiangela]

I haven't read Goodkind, and I've quickly lost interest in The Wheel of Time (too much standard/cliche fantasy for my taste, and the characters are too shallow). But if you're looking for some original fantasy, you should try the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, starting with "A Game of Thrones". Fantastic writing with well-developed and different characters, and a nice story with a less than usual amount of fantasy (not much magic, and only hints at fantasy creatures like undead and dragons, at least in the beginning) but with a lot of politics, intrigue, and warfare. Additionally, it's not a simple black-and-white world, and I found myself sympathizing with a character that seemed to be one of the "bad guys" in the beginning.

A refreshing read after all the other Tolkienesque books I've read during the last years.

-Kylearan
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Agreed, but when will he come out with his next book, I wonder? I am dying for the story to progress. He does have a lot of irons in the fire in the story arc, though at least a few of the players are out/dead/marginalized. Very enjoyable. Yes, Tirion is such a great character, I expect he is Martin's alter ego in the tale.

Occhi

[jahcs]

For me the Sword of Truth series seemed to "lose it's roots." In the beginning there was character development and action related to that development. Much of the action taking place does not have the urgency and sense of danger that previous scenes had. Sure, the characters are in mortal danger but it just isn't as threatening for them and the world. Later in the series entire novels are barely related to the plot that was established in the first several books. Also, Richard and other characters were learning and growing as they helped to teach other characters. Now it seems like Richard just "is."

I am happy I read the series and I will continue to read the series. Terry Goodkind does include many themes and ideas that reflect the modern world situation and some of his writting has made me look more closely at world events and think more deeply about events and consequences. And that is more than I can say for most forms of media in this day and age.

[Cryptic]

I only recommend Wheel of Time to my enemies - it starts off great, then falls to pieces around book 4, and by book 7 it's such a textbook example of A Great Idea Gone Horribly Wrong that it's recommended reading for anyone who is striving to write the worst, most self-obsessed novel of all time. But beware, if that's your goal ... the bar has been set quite high.

Since you're not an enemy, I recommend anything by Neil Gaiman.
:P

[Mithrandir]

Agreed, but when will he come out with his next book, I wonder?

Amazon.com has the released date listed at July 26th, and that seems to be in line with what I've read. He has released several excerpts (one on his webpage and a couple others on this forum) if you're so starved that you just *have* to read something that he's written :)

I believe that reading all those scattered, out-of-context excerpts would eventually take away from his finished product when it eventually does arrive since they are spoiler-ridden supposedly.


As to Wheel of Time and Sword of Truth, they both have just gotten too big for their own britches. WoT at least has been able to maintain a very small amount of plot cohesiveness and direction but the last few books of SoT have done nothing to advance the story in any way whatsoever. SoT has devolved into "brand new and shallow character introduced, 90% of the ensuing pages sucked up with drivel, main characters make the customary guest appearance in the last 5% of the book, new character departs to make room for the introduction of a newer character in the next book."

It's gotten rather stale, to say the least.


Anyways, it's unfortunate that blasted text books absorb so much of my reading time now-a-days that I have grown apart from a once favorite past-time.

[Assur]

Hi

I don't know if the series is availiable in the US, but I can recommend the Malazan Series from Steven Erikson. Big story arc, magic until your head explodes, powerful elder races ^_^

This is a fansite

www.malazanempire.com

good karma

[Kylearan]

Hi,

Amazon.com has the released date listed at July 26th, and that seems to be in line with what I've read.

I wouldn't trust Amazon on that. I had preordered the book about two years ago, and they (as well as other sources) had listed lots of different release dates since then...

Quote from George's website: "I still hope to finish by year's end, but of course I have said that before." :whistling:

-Kylearan

[ShadowHM]

In response to both ShadowHM and jahcs, what was it that you found uninteresting about Mr. Goodkind's writing?&nbsp; There are some things that I am disappointed about, like how some characters seemingly dropped out of the story for no apparent reason, but I still find the character development and the story quite engaging.&nbsp; Just a question, no offense meant :)
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I am sorry, but I cannot recall exactly. Frankly, it was so long ago that I am hard pressed to come up with details of why I stopped caring about the characters. I do have a vague recollection that I was starting to feel the same way about Richard as I did about the character in the Thomas Covenant series. He was so damn stubborn that he annoyed me.

[Occhidiangela]

I have been recently plowing through the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.&nbsp; Yesterday (more accurately this morning) I finished Faith of the Fallen which is the sixth book in the series.&nbsp; I also recently finished Shadow of the Hegemon which is part of the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card.
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Why Goodkind, a popular writer, is not on my list of "to read" folks, ever.

1. Wizard's First Rule is a stroke book about bondage, some standard cliche fantasy stuff thrown in. He does create a few neat monsters, though not a coherent world in which to place them, as well as a very nice Peckinpaw moment where he describes the explosion of the head of one of the monsters Richard Cypher has just hit with his sword.

2. Shallow. I wrote a review on Amazon.com a few years back on it, wish I had saved the text.

3. In general, hints of very nice writing overwhelmed by filler. Goodkind has some talent, no question. What I did not see was his talent growing as he went from volume to volume. This is too bad, since he shows sparks of "the good stuff" here and there.

4. I got to page 50 of book 2 and simply could not force myself to pick it up any more.

5. Example of where he and his editor need a spanking.

Wizard's first rule is "people are stupid." This throwaway bit of prose shows, to me, a betrayal of his gift, and establishes his editor's status as an imbecile. "People are gullible" is both better use of the language, and more accurate, fits into the theme in his story of "folks will believe what they want to believe, what you have to do is lead them to it."

6. "Luke, I'm your father, give in to the dark side of the force." Sorry, "Richard, I'm your evil father, give in to the dark side after you've made it with that hot babe . . ."

I actually don't blame Mr Goodkind, I blame his editor for not motivating him to tighten up his prose. The talent it there, I'd say, what is lacking is the discipline to tighten up the story, and the prose.

There is hope. In that the collection of Short stories by varied fantasy writers, his short story, along with "The Hedge Knight" by George RR Martin, fit into a nice quartet of well written fiction. Terry Goodkind can hang with the excellent authors when he takes the time and effort to mine his talent.

Occhi

[jahcs]

Wizard's first rule is "people are stupid."&nbsp; This throwaway bit of prose shows, to me, a betrayal of his gift, and establishes his editor's status as an imbecile.&nbsp; "People are gullible" is both better use of the language, and more accurate, fits into the theme in his story of "folks will believe what they want to believe, what you have to do is lead them to it."&nbsp;
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Small nit:
Wizards first rule: People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true.

I do agree that a rephrasing might be in order for the first part of the rule.

[Rinnhart]

In response to both ShadowHM and jahcs, what was it that you found uninteresting about Mr. Goodkind's writing?&nbsp; There are some things that I am disappointed about, like how some characters seemingly dropped out of the story for no apparent reason, but I still find the character development and the story quite engaging.&nbsp; Just a question, no offense meant :)
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His blood has no red, his fights have no grit, his characters are psychopathic nymphomaniacs (and not in an interesting way), his dialogue is irrelevant, and his scenes and settings are half-articulated.

His writing is violent and disturbing in it's lack of passion. There is no humor or spice to his books.

Reading his work is akin to eating a piece of dry toast when there's a gourmet buffet of other literature available.

At least Robert Jordan's elephant of a series is interesting for a few books.

I strongly suggest waiting until it's finished to read any of the Wheel of Time. Perhaps a drop in sales would prompt the #$%&er to finish the damn story.

He's doing prequels now.

Fricken prequels.

[Occhidiangela]

Small nit:
Wizards first rule: People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true.

I do agree that a rephrasing might be in order for the first part of the rule.
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We agree on the "people are stupid."

The other bit I wrote as paraphrase, and was identified as a theme, not as a direct quote. I think I wrote it better than he/you did, but then, I am an egomaniac, so take that with a large grain of salt. :lol:

By the way, you now get a +1 mana charm for free, since you got me to quibble about something as inane as Goodkind!

You win!

The joke is on me!

Caffeine, I do curse thee!

Occhi

[SpazBear]

I'm a fan of alt-history novels. If you like WWII, you might want to look at Turtledove's Worldwar series. A good read; I found it hard to put down.

~SB~

[jahcs]

Occhi,

It was a quote from his website.

And I'll buy the first round - of Guinness, not coffee. :)