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What book are you reading now/have finished?

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  • edited March 2012
    That's not how I read it... I read it as Gale and the tech guy (forgot his name) developed the bomb but had nothing to do with it's use. In fact, it was never shown definitively in the book that it was the rebels that dropped it and not a last trick by Snow before his death..
    Post edited by 2bfree on
  • Should be able to finish The Thousandfold Thought tomorrow. The Second Apocalypse series is of course fantastic, but I think I'll take my time until I start with The Aspect Emperor.

    Will get started on The Hunger Games on Monday.
  • Thinking back on what would most likely be the best recipe for Hunger Games - especially the first one, It's 1984+Gladatorial Games+Myth of Theseus. Battle Royale doesn't really come into it - It's similarities are more because they've drawn a lot of their water from the same wells, rather than Battle Royale really having anything at all to do with Hunger games.
  • I went to the used book store to buy the "A song of Ice and Fire" collection but alas they did not have it. Instead I got "American Gods" which I thin will do just fine :P
    Also, after watching "Battle Royale" I am just going to just go ahead and buy the book instead of reading The Hunger Games thank you very much :P
  • Also, after watching "Battle Royale" I am just going to just go ahead and buy the book instead of reading The Hunger Games thank you very much :P
    Go for it, it's one of the more popular japanese light novels of the last decade-and-a-bit for a reason.

  • Currently reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, since I just finished Angels and Demons before that. Yeah, not the best books by any stretch, but they are fun romps.

    Will dig into Hunger Games next.
  • Finished reading Hunger Games. I've seen Battle Royale. Now I have to read Battle Royale and watch Hunger Games.

    The scenarios do have a lot in common, but it's definitely not a rip-off situation. The biggest difference is that Hunger Games is from the perspective of one character, Battle Royale gives you the big picture.
  • edited April 2012
    Go for it, it's one of the more popular japanese light novels of the last decade-and-a-bit for a reason.
    Not a light novel. Just a novel. Light novel is something very specific.

    Post edited by gomidog on
  • Finished reading Hunger Games. I've seen Battle Royale. Now I have to read Battle Royale and watch Hunger Games.

    The scenarios do have a lot in common, but it's definitely not a rip-off situation. The biggest difference is that Hunger Games is from the perspective of one character, Battle Royale gives you the big picture.
    Well, it seems to be a good sign that you aren't outwardly hating on the book. At least, not immediately.
  • I also want to say that a lot of people rip on things for being rip-offs. I think there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, it's called a remix. It's 90% of what we do. I say if you want to write a book that is sort of a Lord of the Rings redo that is tweaked slightly so, then go for it.

    The only problem I have is when people do such a thing without giving credit to the original. If Lion King had just acknowledged Tezuka and Kimba in the credits, then I could not fault it. If Hunger Games just mentioned Battle Royale or any other inspirations on the copyright page, then I would not fault it, even if it were a complete rip-off.

    Keep in mind this is assuming that there is enough remixing for it to be considered its own work. Plagiarism is not ok.
  • Go for it, it's one of the more popular japanese light novels of the last decade-and-a-bit for a reason.
    Not a light novel. Just a novel. Light novel is something very specific.
    Oh! Sorry, My mistake, I didn't realize. I just thought it was something like a young adult novel often is, Short and tending to be more simply worded or written, y'know, light reading.
  • The author did not know about Battle Royale until she had finished her first draft. She was more inspired by Roman gladiators and the weird combination of war journalism and reality shows on TV. I can believe that. It's actually not that rare of a story device.
  • edited April 2012
    The author did not know about Battle Royale until she had finished her first draft. She was more inspired by Roman gladiators and the weird combination of war journalism and reality shows on TV. I can believe that. It's actually not that rare of a story device.
    That's true, and there are a bunch of pretty clear indicators, like for example, the fact the country is called Panem, an allusion to the phrase panem et circenses, literally meaning "bread and circuses", and for the quick double up, being a metaphor for how the roman government essentially kept it's population under control. Or the whole Tributes thing, how they take a number of them and put them in an arena where most die, to punish and control outer provinces, that's straight out of the myth of Theseus.

    Post edited by Churba on
  • Just finished The Wise Man's Fear, sequel to The Name of the Wind. Both excellent books which, while long (Wise Man's Fear hits 1000 pages in paperback), are definitely worth a read. Apparently the author worked on the story for fourteen years before publishing, and, well, it shows. "Hero story" genre conventions are bucked at every turn, and explicitly acknowledged in the text, as the novels play out as the main character telling his life story to a scribe. Smartly written, and an intriguing universe - very much looking forward to the eventual third (and presumably final) book.
  • The author did not know about Battle Royale until she had finished her first draft. She was more inspired by Roman gladiators and the weird combination of war journalism and reality shows on TV. I can believe that. It's actually not that rare of a story device.
    That's true, and there are a bunch of pretty clear indicators, like for example, the fact the country is called Panem, an allusion to the phrase panem et circenses, literally meaning "bread and circuses", and for the quick double up, being a metaphor for how the roman government essentially kept it's population under control. Or the whole Tributes thing, how they take a number of them and put them in an arena where most die, to punish and control outer provinces, that's straight out of the myth of Theseus.

    When I realized it was an allusion to Bread and Circuses, I thought it was quite clever. I think it's pretty believable that she arrived at this place through a mythological route rather than a Japanese cult cinema one.

  • These ones have been high on my priorities forever. I still need to pick them up...
  • Reading Neverwhere and Anathem right now. I have a boner for Neal Stephenson's brain.
  • I finished A Bad Idea I'm About to Do by Chris Gethard the other week, and man was it excellent. Perfect blend of funny, bizarre, and heartwarming. Can't recommend it enough.
  • Just finished The Wise Man's Fear, sequel to The Name of the Wind. Both excellent books which, while long (Wise Man's Fear hits 1000 pages in paperback), are definitely worth a read. Apparently the author worked on the story for fourteen years before publishing, and, well, it shows. "Hero story" genre conventions are bucked at every turn, and explicitly acknowledged in the text, as the novels play out as the main character telling his life story to a scribe. Smartly written, and an intriguing universe - very much looking forward to the eventual third (and presumably final) book.
    Yeah the main charicter does get to me a bit after a while. I like him but hes a bit to much of a vunder-kinder, picking up a language in a couple of days, spending two months to part master a sword form, becoming a sex-o-mancer due to having a magic dick. That sort of stuff.

    Re Hunger Games; There is a light dash in comparison to the Roman gladiatorial games but not as much as people would think. More due to the fact that the Games were not really what people thought.
  • I like the Oglaf strip about Roman Gladiatorial Combat.
    Hehe.
  • Oh how I wish it was all like that. Half the time it was bat-shit bonkers, Nero made the Equites and Senators fight each other for his amusement.
  • Yeah the main charicter does get to me a bit after a while. I like him but hes a bit to much of a vunder-kinder, picking up a language in a couple of days, spending two months to part master a sword form, becoming a sex-o-mancer due to having a magic dick. That sort of stuff.
    I will admit the last third of the book did turn into a bit of that, yeah. Wasn't the best development, but by the end it seemed that perhaps this streak had been (or will soon be) broken. The foreshadowing seems to be that things are about to take a rather dramatic turn for the worse, and given Kvothe's attitude, I'd imagine he won't be able to pull his "I'm brilliant, whee" card much longer, so I'm not terribly worried.
  • edited April 2012
    I'm reading The Hunger Games In Your Pants and it is good enough that I went out and ordered the other two books in the series from amazon: Catching Fire In Your Pants and The Mockingjay In Your Pants.
    Post edited by chaosof99 on
  • I'm reading The Hunger Games In My Pants and it is good enough that I went out and ordered the other two books in the series from amazon: Catching Fire In My Pants and The Mockinjay In My Pants.
    I would have bought the second two, but they were hardcover only. I pirated The Mockingjay in My Pants.
  • Has anyone ever read the The Kingkiller Chronicle (the first book being The Name of the Wind)? If so, is it any good? It was recommended to me by a few of my friends today.
  • Its rather good. Im not sure what to say really. The thing could murder a small dog and there is enough of everything to keep you interested. However, and this is a big one, shit happens slowly. I've nearly finished the second book and he still has not knob the right girl yet. That and the main character is a vunder-kinder. Other than that it is really good with a tight world to back it up.
  • edited April 2012
    Has anyone ever read the The Kingkiller Chronicle (the first book being The Name of the Wind)? If so, is it any good? It was recommended to me by a few of my friends today.
    They are solid and very entertaining but a bit wish-fulfill-y. Lots of crunchy world building and clever uses of fantasy tropes.

    I guarantee you will care more than you ever have about how much money a wizard has.
    Post edited by DevilUknow on
  • edited April 2012
    Started reading I am Not Sidney Poitier. It's pretty damn hilarious, kinda reminds me a bit of the Boondocks with Ted Turner as a weirdo thrown in.
    Post edited by MATATAT on
  • Just re-read Paul Auster's New York Trilogy a little while ago. Now reading The Count of Monte Cristo.
  • Finished The Hunger Games a couple days ago. Like Rym, I was pleasantly surprised and ended up liking quite a bit of it. Following two books are up next, but I'm taking a break from reading to do other things.
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