Tim's Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi Reads from 2012

[Timstar]

I remember being disappointed by Fall of Giants. It started off brilliantly, but just seemed to fall apart about 2/3rds of the way through, so I never bothered with the sequels.

 

Ah that's a shame, I really enjoyed Pillars of the Earth (*Hides from Steve*  ) and the WW1 setting sounded interesting as well. I'll let you know what I think.

 

Craziest thing happened yesterday, I had an idea pop into my head and felt an overwhelming need to write it down. This became nearly 1,500 words within a couple of hours.  I am not a very creative person at all and although would love to be an author, I have never even thought about writing or attempted to write before. I'll keep at it and see what happens.

[bobblybear]

Ah that's a shame, I really enjoyed Pillars of the Earth (*Hides from Steve*  ) and the WW1 setting sounded interesting as well. I'll let you know what I think.

 

I loved Pillars of the Earth as well, so I thought Fall of Giants would be similar. But don't take my word for it - it has received more praise than criticism so I am in the minority.

[Timstar]

Plan update:

 

A Feast for Crows - George R. R. Martin (Song of Ice and Fire 4)

The Iron Jackal - Chris Wooding (Ketty Jay 3)

Randevous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke

The Dragon Reborn - Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time 3)

Empire of the Sun - J.G. Ballard

The Odyssey - Homer

The Rape of Nanking- Iris Chang

Double Dexter - Jeff Lindsay

The Sign of Four - Arhur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes 2)

Sharpe's Enemy - Bernard Cornwell (Sharpe 12)

Before they Are Hanged - Joe Abercrombie

The Last Argument of Kings - Joe Abercrombie (First Law 3)

Hearts in Atlantic - Stephen King

Beyond Lies the Wub - Philip K. Dick

The Winter King - Bernard Cornwell (Warlord Chronicles 1)

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Ultimate Weapon - Chris Ryan

Green Hills of Africa - Ernest Hemingway

Goldfinger - Ian Fleming (James Bond 6)

Prince of Thorns - Mark Lawrence (Broken Empire 1)

[Karsa Orlong]

Glad you enjoyed AFfC, Tim.  Much as I don't think it stands up to the quality of the earlier books, I think it's a masterpiece compared to the snoozefest that is ADwD

[Signor Finzione]

Glad you enjoyed Feast for Crows Tim. He does have a nice way of making things like dialogue gripping and exciting, especially where the Lannisters are concerned. I think Jaime and Cersei's chapters are some of my favourite POVs in the whole series.

 

 

Craziest thing happened yesterday, I had an idea pop into my head and felt an overwhelming need to write it down. This became nearly 1,500 words within a couple of hours.  I am not a very creative person at all and although would love to be an author, I have never even thought about writing or attempted to write before. I'll keep at it and see what happens.

 

Brilliant! Maybe you should join NaNoWriMo with me, it's doing wonders for making me write my ideas down.

 

Glad you enjoyed AFfC, Tim.  Much as I don't think it stands up to the quality of the earlier books, I think it's a masterpiece compared to the snoozefest that is ADwD

 

*waves papers up and down and shouts incoherent agreement like politicians do in the house of commons* Agreed!

[Timstar]

Glad you enjoyed AFfC, Tim.  Much as I don't think it stands up to the quality of the earlier books, I think it's a masterpiece compared to the snoozefest that is ADwD

 

Looks like i'm going in with low expectations again It will be on my next reading plan.

 

*waves papers up and down and shouts incoherent agreement like politicians do in the house of commons* Agreed!

 

They just got lower, reading amazon reviews didn't help either.

 

 

Brilliant! Maybe you should join NaNoWriMo with me, it's doing wonders for making me write my ideas down.

 

How does it work exactly? I'm not intending to write a novel or anything, i'm just following this train of thought and seeing what happens. How is your writing going?

 

Are you still writing Steve? 

[Timstar]

Started reading Sharpe's Enemy, lost track of which number i'm up to now, 12 or 13 at least  .

 

Also started Hamlet as I didn't have a chance to study it in school and it's on my 50 books to read list. I also want to read all my large Shakespeare Collected Works edition.

[Signor Finzione]

Looks like i'm going in with low expectations again It will be on my next reading plan.

 

 

They just got lower, reading amazon reviews didn't help either.

 

Don't despair, you may enjoy it more if you have low expectations. I'm sure you'll make your own mind up about it either way.

 

How does it work exactly? I'm not intending to write a novel or anything, i'm just following this train of thought and seeing what happens. How is your writing going?

 

The aim is to write 50,000 words by the end of November. Not fantastic, final, novel-quality words; more like first-draft, idea-splurging, cobbled-together words. It's to get you in the routine of writing regularly rather than to produce anything of quality, as I understand it (at least, I hope . . .).

 

Basically you join up (free) and get access to the forums and writer's advice (there was one from Pat Rothfuss recently). You also get a profile page where you keep track of your novel and enter your title, cover, synopsis etc. The best thing for me is the stats page: you update your word count daily (or whenever you want) and it lets you know how many words you need to do each day to meet your target, with charts and everything to show your productivity. I'm on just over 18,000 words at the moment (since the 1st Nov), and the whole word target thing has really been spurring me on. Today is the 'Writing Marathon', and I'm hoping to have a lot more words by the end of the day.

 

It'll be interesting to see where your ideas take you, whether it's a novel or not!

 

Started reading Sharpe's Enemy, lost track of which number i'm up to now, 12 or 13 at least  .

 

Also started Hamlet as I didn't have a chance to study it in school and it's on my 50 books to read list. I also want to read all my large Shakespeare Collected Works edition.

 

Hamlet is my favourite Shakespeare play ever. (The Tempest is a very close second).

[vodkafan]

Tim, that's more or less how I started writing ! It was so weird!

Signor Finzione, can I join that website  without joining in that particular writing challenge? (I think I am too late for it and I want to write to my own plan rather than have someone elses imposed on me) I like the idea of  being on an encouraging forum of other would be scribblers...

one question, if you put your synopsis up how can you stop someone stealing your original idea and writing something almost identical?

[Athena]

Great review of A Feast for Crows! Now that we've started to watch the second season of Game of Thrones I'm quite eager to start reading the third book (it's split into two so, the first part of the third book).

 

Great news on the writing! That's awesome .

[Signor Finzione]

Tim, that's more or less how I started writing ! It was so weird!

Signor Finzione, can I join that website  without joining in that particular writing challenge? (I think I am too late for it and I want to write to my own plan rather than have someone elses imposed on me) I like the idea of  being on an encouraging forum of other would be scribblers...

one question, if you put your synopsis up how can you stop someone stealing your original idea and writing something almost identical?

 

As far as I know the website only really runs for this one month/challenge, although perhaps there are others out there that do similar things all year round.  The link's here, anyway.

 

As for the idea stealing, I haven't posted a synopsis for this reason. Other people discuss their ideas freely on the forums but I'd be really uncomfortable about them seeing my stuff and maybe stealing it. It's mine, mine I say! Preciousss, gollum, gollum, etc.

 

I suppose the trick is to have a really general/vague synopsis, and maybe change the names of characters if it bothers you.

[Timstar]

The aim is to write 50,000 words by the end of November. Not fantastic, final, novel-quality words; more like first-draft, idea-splurging, cobbled-together words. It's to get you in the routine of writing regularly rather than to produce anything of quality, as I understand it (at least, I hope . . .).

 

Basically you join up (free) and get access to the forums and writer's advice (there was one from Pat Rothfuss recently). You also get a profile page where you keep track of your novel and enter your title, cover, synopsis etc. The best thing for me is the stats page: you update your word count daily (or whenever you want) and it lets you know how many words you need to do each day to meet your target, with charts and everything to show your productivity. I'm on just over 18,000 words at the moment (since the 1st Nov), and the whole word target thing has really been spurring me on. Today is the 'Writing Marathon', and I'm hoping to have a lot more words by the end of the day.

 

It'll be interesting to see where your ideas take you, whether it's a novel or not!

 

 

Hamlet is my favourite Shakespeare play ever. (The Tempest is a very close second).

 

50,000!? yikes, if I did 50,000 in a year i'd be really proud   Other than that it sounds quite interesting, I will have a look.

 

Glad to hear about Hamlet, enjoying it so far! My wife says The Tempest is her favourite so I will have to read that afterwards

 

Great review of A Feast for Crows! Now that we've started to watch the second season of Game of Thrones I'm quite eager to start reading the third book (it's split into two so, the first part of the third book).

 

Great news on the writing! That's awesome .

 

Thanks! The third book is the best, I know you'll love it.

[Karsa Orlong]

Are you still writing Steve? 

 

No, not at the moment    Good luck with yours, though - it's a great feeling when the inspiration strikes 

[Timstar]

Prince of Thorns - Mark Lawrence

 

 

Synopsis

 

Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I
had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and
what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers,
quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this
broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the
end of days when the dead roam and monsters haunt the night. All that's
true enough, but there's something worse out there, in the dark. Much
worse.

 

From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath
has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim
band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in
chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to
master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a
chill in him. Returning to his father's castle Jorg must confront
horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands
turned against him.

 

Review

 

It seems to me that everyone has been talking about this book and it's sequels over the last six months, and not just on BCF other forums, twitter and facebook etc. It was originally my tentative plan to read it sometime next year as I have plenty of series on the go already but the pressure mounted to too much and I had to see what all the fuss was about.

 

After finishing it I can certainly see what the fuss is about, although I didn't find it amazing or as controversial as some have made out, it did feel very unique. Lawrence as created a fascinating character, added some colourful companions and built an interesting world around them. The writing is excellent, the vivid descriptions and fluid prose pull you right into the story alongside Jorg, it gets you inside his head, and it's not a pleasant place to be. But if people expect dark fantasy to be a pleasant experience then I can understand some criticism towards it :S

 

The only negative I can say is that this form of storytelling leaves the reader a bit cold with a lack of empathy. But I'm certainly looking forward to reading the sequels, which I have heard get even better.

 

Overall 8/10

[Signor Finzione]

I'm glad you enjoyed it Tim! I can see what you mean about Jorg not being empathetic, but I think he definitely improves on this in the next two books. (Which I really hope you're planning on reading!) 

 

Yeah, I heard all the uproar about it (particularly the fuss about the 'rape' scene), and when I read it I was a bit like, 'what's the problem?' Obviously the incident in itself is deplorable (in real life), but in the book it serves a purpose by setting the tone and introducing us to the characters, and I don't think it's gratuitous in any way (it's barely even a scene.)

 

But then again, we're part of the grimdark club, so I guess we can handle darker stuff than most.

[Raven]

A good review of A Feast for Crows; it's pretty much what I thought as well. 

 

Don't for the love of God go anywhere near my Game of Thrones thread until you've finished A Dance with Dragons (unless you like spoilers, that is). 

 

I don't think you will find it as dull as some people may lead you to believe!

[Timstar]

I'm glad you enjoyed it Tim! I can see what you mean about Jorg not being empathetic, but I think he definitely improves on this in the next two books. (Which I really hope you're planning on reading!) 

 

Yeah, I heard all the uproar about it (particularly the fuss about the 'rape' scene), and when I read it I was a bit like, 'what's the problem?' Obviously the incident in itself is deplorable (in real life), but in the book it serves a purpose by setting the tone and introducing us to the characters, and I don't think it's gratuitous in any way (it's barely even a scene.)

 

But then again, we're part of the grimdark club, so I guess we can handle darker stuff than most.

 

Yeah I will be reading the others.

 

I read the scene and didn't even realise at first that that was it, but when nothing else came I though, 'oh, it must have been that.'

 

I can handle Jack Ketchum easily enough, and he makes Lawrence look like he writes for kids.

[Karsa Orlong]

I read the scene and didn't even realise at first that that was it, but when nothing else came I though, 'oh, it must have been that.'

 

That was exactly my reaction, Tim.  And some of the people complaining about it like GRRM, who's done far worse in his books.  Double standards!

 

Hope you enjoy the others

[Timstar]

That was exactly my reaction, Tim.  And some of the people complaining about it like GRRM, who's done far worse in his books.  Double standards!

 

Hope you enjoy the others

 

Thanks I'm sure I will.

 

I know! especially coming off the back of A Feast for Crows, Even the Sharpe book I read was more centred around rape, I know it's not the main character doing it but he isn't exactly the most empathetic of people

[shelley.s]

Im glad you enjoyed Frankenstein as i bought a really nice old copy today from a charity shop and ive not read it before either despite how famous it is! Congrats on finishing your reading list too! 

[Timstar]

Im glad you enjoyed Frankenstein as i bought a really nice old copy today from a charity shop and ive not read it before either despite how famous it is! Congrats on finishing your reading list too! 

 

Thanks, i'm hoping to get a better copy as well.

[Devi]

In case you don't read my thread, thought you might be interested in this book. Contains a novella by GGRM from his GOT series.

 

http://www.bookworld.com.au/book/dangerous-women/42985604/

Edited November 25, 2013 by Devi

[Timstar]

Thanks Devi, I am an avid follower of your thread

 

I have seen that as Joe Abercrombie has been promoting it, hopefully one I can pick up for Kindle when it comes down in price.

[Timstar]

Just noticed that Levianthan Wakes by James S.A Corey is only 0.99p on the kindle so I snapped it up

[Athena]

Nice! It's been on my wishlist for a while, I hope you enjoy it !