• COVID-19 Book suggestions

    From Kevin@VERT/MMN to All on Saturday, April 18, 2020 05:19:00
    Hola todos !

    Since we're now in week 5 of the old quarantine over on this side of the pool, I've been
    blitzing through books pretty quickly on my Kindle (yes, I know Amazon, I was *desperate*).

    Does anybody have any suggestions for reading materials ? We're expected to be at
    minimum still inside until 11 May, but the rest of the country remains closed until at
    least mid-June.

    I'm pretty flex, any genre, theme, let's have them :)

    From my side, I've been reading :

    Brown Girl in the Ring https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19163118-brown-girl-in-the-ring

    Midnight Robber
    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71409.Midnight_Robber

    and Every Grain of Sand https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50363768-every-grain-of-sand

    -Kevin
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  • From Dr. What@VERT/TWODUDES to Kevin on Sunday, April 19, 2020 11:17:00
    Kevin wrote to All <=-

    Does anybody have any suggestions for reading materials ? We're
    expected to be at minimum still inside until 11 May, but the rest of
    the country remains closed until at least mid-June.

    Loserthink by Scott Adams is really useful.

    Anything by Joshua Dalzelle is really good (military-style science fiction).

    If you like Zombie Apocalypse, Frank Tayell has a good series.

    Also, check out the Joseph R. Lallo series. He has several. Mostly in the fantasy genre.


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  • From Dumas Walker@VERT/CAPCITY2 to KEVIN on Sunday, April 19, 2020 18:04:00
    Does anybody have any suggestions for reading materials ? We're
    expected to be at minimum still inside until 11 May, but the rest of
    the country remains closed until at least mid-June.

    I have lately been reading H.G. Wells stories. Just finished War of the Worlds. Before that, I read the Time Machine, the Island of Dr. Moreau,
    and the Invisible Man.

    Before that, I read a couple by Jules Verne... From the Earth to the Moon,
    and its sequel, Round the Moon.

    I would recommend them all.


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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to Dr. What on Monday, April 20, 2020 07:51:00
    Dr. What wrote to Kevin <=-

    Anything by Joshua Dalzelle is really good (military-style science fiction).

    Anyone who hasn't read Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" might want to give it
    a read. Barely resembles the "90210 meets Aliens" movie adaptation.


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  • From Dr. What@VERT/TWODUDES to Dumas Walker on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 09:46:00
    Dumas Walker wrote to KEVIN <=-

    Before that, I read a couple by Jules Verne... From the Earth to the
    Moon, and its sequel, Round the Moon.

    If you can, get a good translation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The original translation was horrible.

    There's one whole chapter that had been removed that was very funny.
    The Professor, Conceil and Ned were at the Nautilus view port watching the fish go by.

    The Professor could look at a fish and tell you what it was. Conceil couldn't tell a whitefish from a flounder, but once he knew the fish could quote the genus and species. Ned Land, however, only had 2 categories for sea life: tasty and not tasty.

    Ned and I have much in common. 8)

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  • From Orbitman@VERT/PHARCYDE to Dr. What on Thursday, May 14, 2020 09:12:17
    Re: COVID-19 Book suggestions
    By: Dr. What to Kevin on Sun Apr 19 2020 11:17 am

    Kevin wrote to All <=-

    Does anybody have any suggestions for reading materials ? We're
    expected to be at minimum still inside until 11 May, but the rest of
    the country remains closed until at least mid-June.

    Try the "Spinward Fringe" series, it's excellent military-style sci-fi.

    I've been reading the apocolyptic style books from author Bobby Akart. I've yet to read anything from him that was not good. Look him up.

    I have several more I could suggest, but I'm at work and don't have access to my Kindle.

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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to Orbitman on Thursday, May 14, 2020 12:47:10
    Re: COVID-19 Book suggestions
    By: Orbitman to Dr. What on Thu May 14 2020 09:12 am

    Try the "Spinward Fringe" series, it's excellent military-style sci-fi.

    Seconded.

    Another series I could recommend is the Star Trek Vanguard series - it's 10 books written by David Mack and others, set in the TOS era, but not based on it. There are some nice inside references to the series and some nice fleshing out of minor characters of the show. I didn't think I'd keep up reading a 10 book series, but I did and was sad when it was done.

    Christopher Nuttall wrote the "Ark Royal" trilogy, about a washed up ship's captain in the British Space navy who ended up sidelined captaining an antiquated museum piece of a spaceship which ends up being pivotal in an interstellar war with an unknown alien foe. Starts out shadowing BSG, but picks up on its own.

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  • From Chickenhead@VERT to Orbitman on Friday, May 15, 2020 17:58:54
    Re: COVID-19 Book suggestions
    By: Orbitman to Dr. What on Thu May 14 2020 09:12 am

    If you are looking for sci-fi, might I recommend Dan Simmons "Hyperion" saga. The first two books, "Hyperion" and "The Fall of Hyperion" are awesome. The two that followed it, "Endymion" and "Rise of Endymion" are a bit more..intense? Personal? But awesome just the same.

    Also good: "Chasm City" by Alistair Reynolds.

    Let's see...as far as "out there" material goes I just finished "Dr. Mary's Monkey" by Edward Haslam...kind of where JFK assassination theories meet early bioweapons development.

    "The Giza Power Plant" by Christopher Dunn is also good for alternative theories about what the Great Pyramid was created for.

    "Solving the Great Airship Mystery" by Michael Busby is really good if you are into pre-UFO strangeness in the skies.

    For fantasy style stuff that isn't Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, I'd suggest Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar stuff (starting with "Magician: Apprentice") and ending with "A Darkness at Sethanon." Feist just gets no love.

    Also I'd suggest the more challenging (have a Thesaurus handy) Stephen R. Donaldson series about Thomas Covenant: Unbeliever. Which starts with "Lord Foul's Bane." I'd stop reading at "White Gold Wielder" however...the final "trilogy" (in 4 parts) was total crap.

    Books? I've got loads of 'em both in paper and on Kindle..although I'm preferring paper these days.

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  • From Gamgee@VERT/PALANT to Chickenhead on Friday, May 15, 2020 21:22:00
    Chickenhead wrote to Orbitman <=-

    For fantasy style stuff that isn't Harry Potter or Lord of the
    Rings, I'd suggest Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar stuff (starting
    with "Magician: Apprentice") and ending with "A Darkness at
    Sethanon." Feist just gets no love.

    GREAT series. Fantastic. I agree on Feist, he has other
    excellent stuff that I've read, but can't recall at the moment.

    Also I'd suggest the more challenging (have a Thesaurus handy)
    Stephen R. Donaldson series about Thomas Covenant: Unbeliever.
    Which starts with "Lord Foul's Bane." I'd stop reading at "White
    Gold Wielder" however...the final "trilogy" (in 4 parts) was
    total crap.

    Another EXCELLENT recommendation, and concur on the final 4 books
    being very optional. This one is challenging, not so much the
    vocabulary for me, but the jumping around in time/place that
    happens.

    Books? I've got loads of 'em both in paper and on
    Kindle..although I'm preferring paper these days.

    For years I (only had) paper, like everyone else. I'm firmly in
    the Kindle camp now, though, and greatly prefer reading on one
    over a paper book.

    Just to add to the thread, probably the greatest Sci-Fi series
    I've ever read is "The Foundation Trilogy" by Isaac Asimov. Like
    the Covenant series, it had prequels/sequels written many years
    after the original three, which are not nearly as good. It's the
    middle three that you want: "Foundation", "Foundation and
    Empire", and "Second Foundation". This is one (like LOTR) that
    I've read completely numerous times. Absolutely great.



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  • From Ogg@VERT/EOTLBBS to All on Saturday, May 16, 2020 12:39:00
    Hello Gamgee!

    ** On Friday 15.05.20 - 22:22, gamgee wrote to Chickenhead:

    Just to add to the thread, probably the greatest Sci-Fi series
    I've ever read is "The Foundation Trilogy" by Isaac Asimov. Like
    the Covenant series, it had prequels/sequels written many years
    after the original three, which are not nearly as good. It's the
    middle three that you want: "Foundation", "Foundation and
    Empire", and "Second Foundation". This is one (like LOTR) that
    I've read completely numerous times. Absolutely great.

    PMFJI. I don't think I ever tackled the prequels or the one's after the
    main trilogy.

    Meanwhile those are getting a fresh release in Dec 2020 by DelRey publications with new cover art.


    ../|ug

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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to All on Saturday, May 16, 2020 08:45:00
    If you like noir detective stories, check out the "Bernie Gunther" series by Philip Kerr.

    Bernie Gunther is a tough talking, brash, ex-cop turned private detective.
    The twist? He's a German working alongside the kripo in 1930's Berlin. The series carries Bernie through the tumult of the rise of the Nazi party, the chaos of WW II, the fall of Germany and occupation, re-building and the post-war period - just the kind of place a street-wise ex-cop willing to
    bend the rules can get by.

    The book to start with is Berlin Noir, which is a compilation of his first three stories.

    If you like Dashiell Hammett, Mickey Spillane, Michael Connolly, Jo Nesbo,
    and James Ellroy, check them out.

    Sadly, Philip Kerr has passed away, so the story ends here. Or does it?
    Maybe someone will take the helm. See my next post...


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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to All on Saturday, May 16, 2020 08:54:00
    Laurie R. King has written an series around an interesting premise. Late one night, an unknown visitor dropped off a series of manuscripts on the door of the author, who compiled them into books.

    They describe the adventures of Mary Russell, a young woman who falls in
    with Sherlock Holmes long after he's retired, and moved from London to
    Sussex, where he's a moderately successful beekeeper.

    They form an unlikely pair who carry the stories of Sherlock Holmes into the 20th century. She's written 16 books in the series, Some of which are
    repeat reads for me.

    True Sherlock Holmes fans can re-read the Arthur Conan Doyle stories in
    their entirety fairly quickly - I've seen older versions online as PDFs, and there's an AmazonClassics Kindle version for free. I love the writing and
    the immersive feeling of being in 1870s England is helped by the movies (and going to the Dickens Fair around Christmas time). They're easy to get lost in.


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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to All on Saturday, May 16, 2020 08:55:00
    Dune, by Frank Herbert. Read the story that borrowed from Laurence of Arabia that Star Wars borrowed!

    Seriously, he does a great job of world building. I'm afraid the other
    novels in the series don't hold up, IMO, but the first is an entertaining read.

    Read it before the new movie comes out, then watch the De Laurenti/Lynch movie. Then, watch the SciFi version and let us know what you think.


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  • From Ogg@VERT/EOTLBBS to All on Saturday, May 16, 2020 13:13:00
    Hello poindexter!

    ** On Saturday 16.05.20 - 11:45, poindexter.fortran wrote to All:

    If you like noir detective stories, check out the "Bernie Gunther" series by Philip Kerr.

    Bernie Gunther is a tough talking, brash, ex-cop turned private detective..


    PMFJI, but I think Philip Kerr did a fine job on "The Grid".

    " WELCOME TO THE MOST INGENIOUS BUILDING EVER DESIGNED. NOW TRY TO GET OUT ALIVE... "

    " In downtown Los Angeles it stands as a monument to man's genius--a glittering, high-tech office tower that washes its own windows, purifies
    its own air, and even knows which of its employees is using drugs. But
    now, the building known as the Gridiron has turned malevolent. And its
    first victim is about to die.

    From its hardware-jammed computer room on the fourth floor to the 300- foot-high tree that rises in tis atrium, the Gridiron for the men and
    women trapped inside, there is only one way out: through the raw, human
    will to survive. "

    There's a bit of sex in there, and it happens in the midst of chaos, in
    the elevator! LOL. I don't remember too many details, but I assume it
    was a quickie because I thought this is totally realistic since the
    elevator was in control of the sentient building.

    But the totally of story was well imagined pre IoT, 1997.


    ../|ug

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  • From Chickenhead@VERT to Gamgee on Saturday, May 16, 2020 16:49:41
    Re: Re: COVID-19 Book suggestions
    By: Gamgee to Chickenhead on Fri May 15 2020 09:22 pm

    Another EXCELLENT recommendation, and concur on the final 4 books
    being very optional. This one is challenging, not so much the
    vocabulary for me, but the jumping around in time/place that
    happens.


    "Fatal Revenant" was the best of the final "trilogy." It was the only one that had me up all night reading, even with the time travel crap. The one that followed...can't remember the name of it, might as well just call it "Linden Avery's Endless Angst" was so awful.

    The real problem with the "final" chronicles was the lack of basically everything that made The Land special. Hell most of it took place in the rocky craphole outside of the Land. No Earthpower, no Lords, nothing. In all those years from Covenant's last visit...NOTHING HAPPENED. Sunder and Hollian failed, leaving behind an idiot son who ran away with the Staff (and ended up falling through a hole in time...god..)

    Donaldson says the "lack of the Creator" at any point in the final trilogy is important, but he never elaborates and it is not remotely obvious what he means. I've been on that Kevin's Watch fan site...no one seems to know what he's talking about.

    Ignore the "Final Chronicles." It ended properly with "White Gold Wielder." (Which he totally contradicts in Fatal Revenant in many differnt places).


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  • From Gamgee@VERT/PALANT to Ogg on Saturday, May 16, 2020 21:32:00
    Ogg wrote to All <=-

    Hello Gamgee!

    ** On Friday 15.05.20 - 22:22, gamgee wrote to Chickenhead:

    Just to add to the thread, probably the greatest Sci-Fi series
    I've ever read is "The Foundation Trilogy" by Isaac Asimov. Like
    the Covenant series, it had prequels/sequels written many years
    after the original three, which are not nearly as good. It's the
    middle three that you want: "Foundation", "Foundation and
    Empire", and "Second Foundation". This is one (like LOTR) that
    I've read completely numerous times. Absolutely great.

    PMFJI. I don't think I ever tackled the prequels or the one's
    after the main trilogy.

    Well, as I said above, you haven't missed much. I suppose a
    "purist" would say that you should probably read them anyway, just
    so you can form your own opinion... ;-)

    Meanwhile those are getting a fresh release in Dec 2020 by DelRey publications with new cover art.

    Cool, didn't know that! It might be time to re-read them, again.



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  • From Gamgee@VERT/PALANT to poindexter FORTRAN on Saturday, May 16, 2020 21:41:00
    poindexter FORTRAN wrote to All <=-

    Dune, by Frank Herbert. Read the story that borrowed from
    Laurence of Arabia that Star Wars borrowed!

    Seriously, he does a great job of world building. I'm afraid the
    other novels in the series don't hold up, IMO, but the first is
    an entertaining read.

    I'd go one step further and say the first THREE were very good.
    Then there were a number of sequels that really went downhill
    quickly. Now I've lost track of how many there were, but it was
    quite a few. Filler/fluff work designed only to milk out a little
    more cash from the "franchise".

    Read it before the new movie comes out, then watch the De
    Laurenti/Lynch movie. Then, watch the SciFi version and let us
    know what you think.

    Didn't know there was a new movie coming - very likely that I'd go
    see that. I liked the Laurentiis movie pretty well, although I
    think it wasn't "critically acclaimed". <time passes> Now I see
    that the new movie is due out in December, hopefully the theaters
    will be open again by then!



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  • From Vk3jed@VERT/FREEWAY to Ogg on Sunday, May 17, 2020 14:54:00
    On 05-16-20 12:39, Ogg wrote to All <=-

    @VIA: VERT/EOTLBBS
    Hello Gamgee!

    ** On Friday 15.05.20 - 22:22, gamgee wrote to Chickenhead:

    Just to add to the thread, probably the greatest Sci-Fi series
    I've ever read is "The Foundation Trilogy" by Isaac Asimov. Like
    the Covenant series, it had prequels/sequels written many years
    after the original three, which are not nearly as good. It's the
    middle three that you want: "Foundation", "Foundation and
    Empire", and "Second Foundation". This is one (like LOTR) that
    I've read completely numerous times. Absolutely great.

    PMFJI. I don't think I ever tackled the prequels or the one's after
    the main trilogy.

    I LOVE the Foundation series. Yes, the main trilogy are the best, but I do like the other books in the series, both sequels and prequels. Got them here, actually, and have read them all several times.


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  • From Ogg@VERT/EOTLBBS to Gamgee on Sunday, May 17, 2020 01:30:00
    Hello Gamgee!

    ** On Saturday 16.05.20 - 22:32, gamgee wrote to Ogg:

    PMFJI. I don't think I ever tackled the prequels or the one's
    after the main trilogy.

    Well, as I said above, you haven't missed much. I suppose a
    "purist" would say that you should probably read them anyway, just
    so you can form your own opinion... ;-)

    Sometimes I do reread books that I have read decades ago. Often, there is
    a wow moment when I realize that there was something I missed or
    interpreted differently. It is interesting that we can gain a whole new perspective on a story after a few decades of life experience have passed.


    Meanwhile those are getting a fresh release in Dec 2020 by DelRey
    publications with new cover art.

    Cool, didn't know that! It might be time to re-read them, again.

    From my experience in the book industry, when a publisher schedules a re- printing with new cover art it usually means 1 or more of the following:
    [1] testing the market for a new generation, [2] to commemorate an anniversary, [3] a film is in the works, [4] a TV series is in the works.


    ../|ug

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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to Vk3jed on Sunday, May 17, 2020 10:06:00
    Vk3jed wrote to Ogg <=-

    I LOVE the Foundation series. Yes, the main trilogy are the best, but
    I do like the other books in the series, both sequels and prequels.
    Got them here, actually, and have read them all several times.

    Ditto. Definitely a good recommendation for a pandemic read.


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  • From Vk3jed@VERT/FREEWAY to poindexter FORTRAN on Monday, May 18, 2020 19:08:00
    On 05-17-20 10:06, poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Vk3jed <=-

    @VIA: VERT/REALITY
    Vk3jed wrote to Ogg <=-

    I LOVE the Foundation series. Yes, the main trilogy are the best, but
    I do like the other books in the series, both sequels and prequels.
    Got them here, actually, and have read them all several times.

    Ditto. Definitely a good recommendation for a pandemic read.

    Will keep you occupied for a while.

    For a longer read set not so far into the future, I like Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars). This series chronicles humanity's first 200 years or so on Mars, and each book is quite thick, so it will keep you going for a while! :)


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