Karsa Orlong

Yes, that would be my choice too. What an absolute waste of time it was. The strange thing was, for me, if I had caught it late night on tv without knowing anything about it I probably would have found it quite unsettling, so the hype worked against it in that regard. Still, fair play to the people who made it - it was probably the first example of the internet being used to create hype in that way, and it worked for them. I'm not sure I agree with the earlier posts about Avatar. For me the comments are the wrong way around - I didn't think it was poorly made at all. As a 3-D cinematic experience, it was unlike anything I'd seen before, and even on blu-ray in 2-D it is still stunning. What lets it down for me is the story, which is just a re-hash of many that have gone before (Ferngully, Dances With Wolves etc etc) and there are some really stupid gaps in its logic which make it fairly laughable as a result. But then you kind of expect that from James Cameron, and it's still much better than most other blockbusters. Just about every Michael Bay film, for a start

Mentioning Seth Green (when he was Oz in Buffy) reminds me I used to fancy Alyson Hannigan as Willow. She was a redhead, wore dungarees and turned out to be gay. That just made her hotter as far as I was concerned

Hello, another sci-fi/fantasy fan here [quote name='Sk

Had a look at Avatar on blu-ray. It still looks stunning without the 3-D, but it's also still just a very average film underneath all the shininess.

You're not the only one to have felt that way, which gives credence to his quote I used in the first post. It's definitely fantasy aimed at an adult audience and is a lot harder hitting as a result. Having said that, it is very funny in places, especially as the series progresses. At least you gave it a try!

I finished Joe Haldeman's The Forever War at about 1:30 this morning. Thought it was fantastic. Haven't quite decided what to read next. It's between Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination and George RR Martin's A Feast For Crows. I'll probably go with the latter so that I can put that series to bed until the next one comes out.

Yay, a reply Yes, and I think that's what puts a lot of people off. Funny thing is, I didn't find it that way (although there was probably a lot of frowning going on when I first read it!), perhaps because I'd read a lot of comments about it and was expecting it to be far worse. I think - and this is just a personal opinion - that maybe it's best not to try and understand everything the first time around. It was only when I read the following books that things started to become clear, particularly stuff like the warrens and how they work/what they are. I re-read it a few months ago, having only just finished Dust of Dreams, and raced through it. It was almost like reading a different book, with all the knowledge I had gained since. GoTM was written several years before the rest of the series. He had an awful job trying to get it published and ended up coming to the UK to get it done. As a result there are some stylistic differences between it and the rest of the series, and there are some ideas he puts forward in it that have never been mentioned again. It doesn't make it any less of a book, but forewarned is forearmed etc etc. Good memory! So you've met my namesake, then Havok, the blood oil, the wooden sword etc all belong to Karsa Orlong As it goes, if you were to dive into the series halfway through, House of Chains isn't quite so bad, because the first 300 pages or so are all about Karsa and his history, and it doesn't tie into the ongoing story until after that point. Once it gets him up to the 'present', though, it links in with Deadhouse Gates so I'd imagine it can be a bit bewildering. My work here is done Thanks - for the drink (I needed it!) and the kind words. And if you feel like coming back to this thread and discussing GoTM when you get around to reading it, please do!

This is the first thread I've started on here - I feel like I'm dangling my foot over a vast abyss ... Anyway, bear with me, cos this is going to take some explaining, and there's nothing like beginning with an author whose work, I know, divides readers Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of The Fallen is a sequence of ten novels set in a fantasy world created by himself and his friend, Ian Cameron Esslemont, and sees the Malazan Empire waging campaigns on three very different continents. The world, its various races, gods and history etc were all created as part of a role-playing game in the early 80s, and the pair subsequently developed a film script based on it, which Erikson later turned into the first novel of his series, Gardens of The Moon. Here's Amazon's blurb for it: The Malazan world is a very complex one. For me at least, the sense of place, and of witnessing only a small part of its vast history, lends the writing a depth and richness that I have rarely encountered in other fantasy works. There are no orcs, dwarves, elves or any other recognisable genre standards (apart from dragons - and even they have a different slant to them). Each race is new and unique, and their enemies and allegiances have grown over thousands of years. He tells his story from the viewpoint of the grunts, the lowly soldiers whose futures are being decided by leaders thousands of leagues away. There is sorcery, but it is portrayed in a manner unlike any other I have read. Oh, and there are gods and ascendants, all of whom have their own agendas and don't mind interfering and manipulating when it suits their needs. There are three major storylines, each of which is dealt with separately over the course of the first five novels before being brought together in the sixth. Here's the crunch: Erikson's middle name might as well be 'Marmite' because I don't believe there's any middle-ground to be found - you either love him or hate him. He does not hand anything to the reader on a plate. Gardens of The Moon throws you right into the centre of things, with everything already in motion, and asks you to either sink or swim. He hints at huge, earth-shattering events, which everyone seems to know about except you. He tosses out throwaway comments which only become important five, six, seven books down the line. I have found that this series benefits from re-reading like no other. In fact, there are so many revelatory "oh that's what that was all about" moments that at least one re-read is almost essential. As he says in his brilliant preface to Gardens of The Moon: "I quickly discovered that 'back story' was going to be a problem no matter how far back I went. And I realised that, unless I spoon-fed my potential readers (something I refused to do, having railed often enough at writers of fantasy epics treating us readers as if we were idiots), unless I 'simplified', unless I slipped down the well-worn tracks of what's gone before, I was going to leave readers floundering [...] Better, I think, to offer readers a quick decision on this series - right there in the first third of the first novel, than to tease them on for five or six books before they turn away in disgust, disinterest or whatever." Personally, I'm really glad he went the way he did. These are the novels, in order: Gardens of The Moon Deadhouse Gates Memories of Ice House of Chains Midnight Tides The Bonehunters Reaper's Gale Toll The Hounds Dust of Dreams The Crippled God (to be released 2010) Anyway, forgive my waffling - these books hold a special place for me. I realise I'll probably be talking to myself, but hopefully there are some other fans here, or maybe this thread will spark some interest from people who haven't heard of/considered these books before. I should probably also mention that Erikson's cohort, Ian C Esslemont, is writing his own interlinked series - Malazan Empire - and that Erikson has published four novellas set in the same world, and has signed up to write two further trilogies. For anyone interested, you can read the beginning of Gardens of The Moon here: http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765322889/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271860658&sr=8-1#reader_0765322889 And now that I've driven myself mad over this post for over an hour I think I need to go and lie down

I finished Wolf Hall last night. Absolutely loved it

Glad you enjoyed Ender's Game - I loved that book I read the two immediate sequels. I enjoyed them but I didn't think they were as good. Re Hyperion - that's one to add to the list then ...

A friend of mine recently tried to read Wolf Hall and gave up after 90 pages. On talking to him about it he echoed almost exactly what the review above says. Unperturbed, I dived into it a couple of days ago and am currently about 320 pages in - and I think it's utterly brilliant. I feared the worst after my friend gave his views but nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps there is an element of reverse psychology going on. I certainly wish he'd given it more of a chance but, in the end, it just comes down to differing tastes. I think Mantel's writing style flows wonderfully, and it's carried me along to the point where only the need for sleep has stopped me from reading all night. The 'he' business mentioned in the review has not really jumped out at me at all.

Poor Black Company

These all rank among my favourite books. I read Triffids years ago and thought it was excellent. If you can, seek out Wyndham's The Kraken Wakes as well. When I was about 12 my teacher decided to read a passage from it and it scared me witless. I read it for myself a few years later. Great stuff. Magician, Ender's Game, Dune - all classics, particularly the latter two. I recently re-read Dune, about 30 years after I first read it, and it hasn't aged at all. A Game of Thrones - the beginning of, imo, one of the best fantasy series written to date. Must start a thread about it at some point ... I just bought The Stars My Destination yesterday, so looking forward to that. Would also be interested in opinion of Hyperion, as I've read a couple of Dan Simmons' books and enjoyed them (most recently The Terror). Enjoy!

Yeah, I've yet to get one from the series which I haven't enjoyed. And far be it from me to judge a book by its cover, but they do look rather nice together on the shelf

Last night I read the first hundred pages or so of Wolf Hall. So far, utterly brilliant. Today I have been sucked in by Waterstones' 3-for-2 deal on some of the SF Masterworks series, so I bought Cities In Flight by James Blish, The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester and I Am Legend by Richard Matheson which - to my eternal shame - I have never read. And I had some money left on a gift card so only paid

I noticed the hardback version of The Desert Spear has just come out. I'm looking forward to it, too, but I'm going to wait for the paperback I suppose I should do my usual bit and recommend Steven Erikson and George RR Martin. I avoided them in my first post 'cos I'll start sounding like a scratched record. But I ... just ... can't ... seem ... to stop myself

Yes, if the OP likes David Eddings then Feist is a good way to go Also: The Painted Man by Peter V Brett The 'Memory, Sorrow & Thorn' series by Tad Williams, starting with The Dragonbone Chair The Robin Hobb books mentioned by nicholbb Eon: Rise of The Dragoneye by Alison Goodman

Spot on! Back in the days when he was funny ... Over to you Chesilbeach

It's from a Steve Martin film ...

Yeah, it happens to me too. It's just too tempting - my eyes are just naturally drawn towards the last line. I usually cover the final paragraph with my thumb to make sure it doesn't happen

Thanks! How about this one: Gosh! You have my last name tattooed right there under the j's! First I get my name in the phone book and now I'm on your ass! You know, I bet more people see that than the phone book.