What are you reading?

Currently, I'm reading "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan. My mom is a librarian, and likes it, and thus she bought me a copy, and is taking me to the movie next weekend (free food!).

It's starting off somewhat slow, but not horrible. Once I finish, I have Neil Gaiman's "The Books of Magic vol 2: The Summoning".
 
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Currently, I'm reading "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan. My mom is a librarian, and likes it, and thus she bought me a copy, and is taking me to the movie next weekend (free food!).

My younger son is seeing it with a group for his birthday this weekend, and has read the first few books in the series. Hopefully it will be enjoyable for the kids...
 
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Well, it's kind of a youth thing. Not really kiddie, not really teen, etc... Not sure how to describe what I'd consider it as. Then again, I had "The Book of Lost Tales vol 1" for my 4th b-day.

I'm also still working on "World War 1" by S.L.A. Marshal. It's not a "quick read" by any means, and not something that can be read for long periods of time (especially at lunch due to the pics if you have a weak stomach).

I went ahead and read the Gaiman. As usual, his writing is highly entertaining, if strange. Now I need vol 3. *sigh*, so many books, so little shelf space. I'm gonig to hang my bed from the ceiling, so I have room for more books.
 
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Finished the first two volumes of Hellblazer (John Constantine), borrowed from a friend. I liked them and ordered a couple more. I'm re-reading them now, a bit slower, to get the nuances.

The same friend introduced me a year or two ago to Vertigo comics. I've really enjoyed some of them (The Sandman, Lucifer), others not so much (Swamp Thing, Hellboy). Good stuff in general, though. It's interesting how different the style is from the Franco-Belgian stuff I've followed since I was a teenager, even though the medium is ostensibly the same.
 
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Just about to begin Fool's Gold by Robin Hobb which is Book 2 of the Tawny Man trilogy.
 
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Finished the first two volumes of Hellblazer (John Constantine), borrowed from a friend. I liked them and ordered a couple more. I'm re-reading them now, a bit slower, to get the nuances.

The same friend introduced me a year or two ago to Vertigo comics. I've really enjoyed some of them (The Sandman, Lucifer), others not so much (Swamp Thing, Hellboy). Good stuff in general, though. It's interesting how different the style is from the Franco-Belgian stuff I've followed since I was a teenager, even though the medium is ostensibly the same.

Vertigo really is a good line to go to for mature comics; ones that aren't all just the superhero genre. Hellblazer, The Books of Magic, Sandman, etc...

Though Hellboy is Darkhorse comics, not Vertigo (which is a DC imprint). It's all a matter of taste. I like the occult, supernatural stuff, so Hellboy, Hellblazer, and such are right up my alley. I even like the supernatural stuff in the superhero genre, like Dr Strange or Dr Fate.
 
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Vertigo really is a good line to go to for mature comics; ones that aren't all just the superhero genre. Hellblazer, The Books of Magic, Sandman, etc…

Though Hellboy is Darkhorse comics, not Vertigo (which is a DC imprint). It's all a matter of taste. I like the occult, supernatural stuff, so Hellboy, Hellblazer, and such are right up my alley. I even like the supernatural stuff in the superhero genre, like Dr Strange or Dr Fate.

I don't really know squat about the superhero genre -- I haven't read any of them. I do like the occult/mythic/supernatural stuff.

I didn't care much for Hellboy because IMO it made a hash of it. For me, the appeal of the occult/supernatural is that it's scary, powerful, strange, and needs wile, ruthlessness, and strange, supernatural, often demonic allies to deal with. With Hellboy, the demonic ally became the main character, and his way of fighting occult monsters was simply to beat the crap out of them. That kinda defeats the purpose of having an occult/supernatural story in the first place. Always IMO, of course.

As to Swamp Thing, it had its moments, but the bizarre Flash Gordon-style interplanetary sequence was a bit rich for my blood. The initial stories were pretty good, though, as was the idea of a plant elemental in the first place.

My faves are still Sandman and Lucifer, though -- Sandman because of its incredibly impressive peaks, and Lucifer for its well thought-out and consistent overall story arc.
 
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I think it's better to put Hellboy in with Dr Strange or Dr Fate. Superhero comics that focus in on a more occult setting. It's not meant to be a scary, creepy supernatural thriller; it's meant to be a bit campy, Defenders-esque romp.

I haven't picked up Lucifer yet, mostly because I already have no where to put more books, and the piles keep getting larger anyway. That comes when I build about 6 more bookcases. Then I can start stacking books in piles again.
 
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Yeah, the damn things breed like rabbits. I've got the same problem.

As I said, I haven't read any superhero comics to speak of. Perhaps that's why Hellboy didn't click. Where would you suggest I start?
 
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Well, to me my favorites are generally the lower-powered characters. Batman, Azrael (duh), Moon Knight, etc...

For Batman, you might try The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, and Haunted Knight series. All are based on his early career, and IMO are pretty good. Sword of Azrael, followed by Knightfall's three trades also work well; or A Death in the Family. Later, you have No Man's Land, which is 6 (IIRC) trades.

For Marvel, you might try Greg Rucka's run on Wolverine. The Brotherhood, Coyote Crossing, and Return of the Native. I don't really like Wolverine that much, but he's a bit more down to earth and real in Rucka's run.

Also, try to find Dr Strange and Dr Doom: Triumph and Torment. It's out of print and rare, but one of my favorites. Again, a bit of the occult mixed with the superhero biz.

Or, being lazy, just pick up the Marvel Essentials series for any character that catches your eye. They're thick books, reprinting a good many issues in black and white. I have Dr Strange vol 1,2, and 3; Defenders vol 1, and Iron Man vol 2. Quality varies of course. There's also the Batman Chronicles, which has 8 volumes out as of now. That's reprinting every Batman comic every published. Again, quality varies story to story, and it can seem a bit strange since volume 8 is still from the 1940's. Specifically, 1942.

You might also try Marvel Zombies. It's superhero zombies, who eat people. :p Or 1602 (also Marvel) which is basically their main lines, set in the New World colonies instead of modern day New York. Both are unusual though.
 
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Currently reading "Wolfsangel" by M.D. Lachlan, a story of vikings meet werewolves. Pretty good and far less cheesy than the setting would lead to believe.

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I've just read "Prince of thorns" by Mark Williams. It's a fantasy first novel that hasn't been published yet, but soon will be.
It's the first time I find a "bad guy" hero who is really, really evil. Stan Nicholls' "Orcs" were not, The black company (whom I love immensely) are really OK guys, Glotka in "The first law" is ambiguous but not bad "per se", and the list goes on…
Jorg is a real evil motherfucker. He kills, rapes, burns, lies, betrays, and is so desperate and dark, even undead back away from him. And yet he's a worthy hero, mainly because he doesn't try to justify himself.
So if you want to see what a nasty hero is (and this is coming from a Codex guy) check this one out when it's released.

Final line of the book is :
"It's what I am, and if you want excuses, come and take them."
 
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nora roberts trilogy, well im in he series born trilogy ^_^ currently in book born in fire
 
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Just finished The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington.
*** Mild Spoilers follow ***

This is another book with protagonists that one could call 'evil.' In this case it's an interesting take on sociopaths set in the 1300's. It was a good read initially, though the author seemed to be trying too hard to be shocking, e.g. the events at the beginning of the book (Sorry, to me killing children with attention to detail is crossing a line between tasteful artistic freedom and being edgy for the sake of being edgy). And a little over halfway through ground to a tedious halt (when the brothers got to Venice) imo. The frequent philosophical discussions between the brothers were not particularly interesting to me either. Also, the whole storyline with Heinrich seemed a bit of an afterthought with the ending hastily put together. On the other hand, his treatment of European mythical creatures and legends of the time was nicely done.

Not a bad book, though it left me a bit disappointed. I bought this book looking for a fantasy novel along the lines of The First Law series, which I enjoyed immensely, but was too cheap to buy the hardbound Best Served Cold. While the combat was described as effectively, the rest paled in comparison. I'll take Abercrombe over Bullington next time.
 
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Starting "Fulgrim", the 5th book in the Horus Heresy series of Warhammer 40k books. Love it so far, it's going into the lore of the Emperor's Children legion and their primarch, Fulgrim.

Finished "The Flight of the Eisenstein", the last book a couple days ago. Basically, the tale of the messengers trying to bring the news of Horus's treachery to the Emperor. Ive seen some negative comments about the book as being just a space chase type story, which is total bullshit. While sure, the core of the book is the titular flight to Terra, the personal stories of the characters as their outlook and philosophy is questioned then turned on it's head is great. The growing of the character of Euphrati Keeler as a "saint" and the beginnings of the Imperial dogma - I seriously wonder if people who claim it's just a space chase even read the book.

Great series, anyone who likes warhammer 40k is missing out if they dont read it imho
 
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Just finished The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington.
*** Mild Spoilers follow ***
I've got that one in my drawer. It looked pretty good. Hopefully I won't end up disappointed like you. We shall see.
 
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Finished the new Harlan Coben, Long Lost in one straight read last night—rather a different take for Myron Bolitar, Jewish sports agent and unofficial murder investigator, and his preppy WASP martial arts killer friend, Windsor Horne Lockwood III. As usual, there's a lot of humor and repartee between Myron, the tongue in cheek emo boy scout, and Win the cold blooded but loyal deceptive poor little rich kid stereotype grown up. This time, instead of New York's transvestite scene or the seamy side of sports, however, they're in a post-911 world of terrorists, dystopian genetic kidnapping, torture and the Mossad.

I have to say it works, though a lot of his long time fans have panned the book. I liked it. Series writers tend to get very worn down by their compulsory characters over time(witness John Sandford and his Lucas Davenport novels) and I think they have to venture beyond just writing endless replicating adventures. Coben did that, and though at times the book is just a little extraneously sloppy emotionally for me, he pulled it all together and made it work, though the ending very much leaves any further books on the adventures of Bolitar and Win up in the air.

Good read for those fond of the crime and detection genre, with a little overlap into thriller on this one.
 
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Still reading the Hyperion/Endymion tetralogy by Dan Simmons. I'm on book 4 now, which I think is better than the 2 preceding it.

One funny detail: One of the characters need medical treatment near the end of book 3. Of course 1000 years in the future they have automated medkits to take care of that. On this particular occasion one specific drug is recommended by said medkit: ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is a drug used today, as an antiinflammatory agent and as a painkliller (I find it especially efficient against skeletal pain and toothache). Says something about the drug that it will still be used after 1000 years. Maybe I should buy some stocks.

Ibuprofen is marketed as "Brufen", "Ibuprofen","Neurofen", "Ibux", "Ibumetin"….
 
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