[Jan] What are you reading?

[Mark Chance]

This'll probably be all for January:

Jack & Jill by James Patterson
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way by Philip Jenkins
Socrates Meets Jesus by Peter Kreeft
It by Stephen King

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Cthulhu's Librarian is partially to blame/thank for my fantasy literature renaissance. He convinced me to join the Science Fiction Book Club, where I found complilations of many of those works.

And people say that librarians don't know books anymore...

Now if I could just find some old Conan, of which I have read not a word. Oh well, enough on my plate for now.

Take a look at The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: Book 1
You might also look in your local used bookshop for the Conan paperbacks from the 70s. The stories are often rewritten or edited by L. Sprague De Camp and/or Lin Carter, but they are still good Conan fun.

 

[JoeBlank]

CL, you have done me right again. I just added The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian to my wish list on Amazon, so the next time I order something that will put me over $25 (free shipping) I will remember to include it in the lot.

And it was just published a month ago. You library folk know your stuff.

 

[DanMcS]

This series will give you some great ideas for an epic campaign. Just be warned: Turtledove's villain is not a nice guy - some pretty sick stuff happens in these books. I haven't read all of Turtledove's series, but this guy is easily the most despicable of the ones I have read.

I'm actually fine with that, because most of his books don't seem to have evildoers, period, just opposing sides. Even in the worldwar series, featuring alien invaders touching down in the early 40s, the aliens aren't really evil, nor particularly alien, they're more like WWII japanese with a touch of Imperial Rome, and the humans in the books commit as many atrocities as the aliens.

In fact, now that I think about it, it's kind of refreshing to read a Turtledove book that features a single POV character instead of a cast of thousands. That he's a good guy fighting actual villains is just icing. I finished the book last night, and now I have to skulk around half-priced books to find some more.

 

[Mog Elffoe]

I'm about halfway through Thor Visionaries Vol. 1 by Walter Simonson. I never got into reading the Thor comics while I was in high school when Simonson was writting the book. Boy, did I miss out. Great stories and art.

Simonson's Thor is THE BEST! Good inspiration for gaming material as well! I need to go pick up the Thor Visionaries Vol. 2 book today...

 

[Mog Elffoe]

Now if I could just find some old Conan, of which I have read not a word. Oh well, enough on my plate for now.

Conan, and Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser? Best stuff around! Excellent choices. If you're in a swords & sorcery mood you also can't go wrong with Karl Edward Wagner's Kane books. SFBC has them in an omnibus called Gods In Darkness, I believe. Awesome stuff. Remember that Molly Hatchett album with the Frank Frazetta artwork? That's Kane! Frazetta originally painted that piece for the cover of Dark Crusade.

 

[jester47]

Swords of Lhankmar. So far its Leiber's best of the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser Series. Then its on to Swords and Ice Magic and the Knight and Knave of Swords. Then I leave Nehwon for Jack Vances Dying Earth (now out in an omnibus paperback edition, Cheack it out!). Then on to Eragon, The Blood Meridian, and many others (Treasure Island included). I will also reread Conan (in my newly obtained Comming of Conan the Cimmerian paperback!)

Aaron.

 

[Viking Bastard]

I'm about 1/3 through the first volume (of two) of Don Quixote. I know the
story pretty well (after seeing numerous TV and movie versions), but I got
both volumes for christmas from my dad. Started reading it on New Year's
Day. Although fun, it's a slow text.

Not much has happened yet, except a row of humourus scenes where Don
Quixote gets humuliated. Still, I'm gettin' a bit restless, so I'll probably take
a rest of the book and revisit it in a couple of weeks or so.

On Christmas Day I read The Science of Superheroes by Lois H. Gresh
and Robert Weinberg (my extended family seems to be finally gettin' it into
their heads that I'm not goin' to grow out of this stuff ). While a quite
interesting read, not much of the material was news to me and I don't agree
with their assumption that the lame science in superhero books has much to
do with the lame sale figures (I might think differently if all those big movies
that are all the rage had any better science, but alas, they do not).

Sometime between christmas and new year's I read Mephisto by Klaus Mann.
While entertaining and probably quite important for it's time, I can't shake
the feelin' of Deja Vu. Idealistic Artistic Type sells out to the Fascist Regime
(tm). Probably saw the movie sometime.

 

[Krieg]

Conan, and Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser? Best stuff around! Excellent choices. If you're in a swords & sorcery mood you also can't go wrong with Karl Edward Wagner's Kane books. SFBC has them in an omnibus called Gods In Darkness, I believe. Awesome stuff. Remember that Molly Hatchett album with the Frank Frazetta artwork? That's Kane! Frazetta originally painted that piece for the cover of Dark Crusade.

Kane would whup Conan & Fafrhd at the same time.

:d

Oh and what is this album cover of which you speak?

 

[Nighthawk]

I am reading various books by Agatha Christie and Dick Francis. I am rereading Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman.