TSF Book Club

taniwharugby

I realise that, nerd! 
 
there are others mentioned not in the fantasy genre though <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />

Crucial

Nepia, the Khan and Caesar books are far closer to historical fiction than fantasy . They may take licence with events but are great stories.

Nepia

Grrr! I didn't say all were - just that there seems to be lots! Stop picking on me <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />.

Mokey

[quote name='Kehua o Jury']I don't know if this would be everyone's cup of tea, but Mrs Jury bought a book called Wulf Hall. I saw the title, picked it off the book shelf and started reading it. I thought she must have got some fantasy fiction that I hadn't heard of. Anyways, it's about Cromwell's rise to power under the Tudors. It's written from Cromwell's point of view and when Henry first meets Anne Boleyn. I really enjoyed it and I thought the writer did well because ... well, we all know how it turns out, but I give her props for writing events as they unfolded from Cromwell's point of view without letting future events cloud the work. 
 
There's going to be a sequel and I'll grab it. If you like historical fiction, this might interest you.[/QUOTE] 
 
I havent read that, but someone else recommended it so I must get onto it. Felt that way reading Alison Weir's Innocent Traitor (about Lady Jane Grey) even though you know she gets her head lopped off, utterly gripping. Love Tudor books, completely fascinating time period. 
 
Used to read heaps of Regency-era, but not so much now that I write it. Like others, find the military history stuff quite interesting, so in my first book have the hero go to France to rescue a soldier who went missing after the Battle of Bayonne in April 1814. 
 
Talking about military stuff, has anyone read Colin Peel? Written about 25 military thrillers. Met him last weekend at a writers retreat. He's similar to Bob Mayer (met him at a conference in August) in that a lot of his stuff is written from first hand knowledge. Both interesting guys.

BartMan

Colin Peel - thanks mokey - website? sounds like my sort of thing - what era?

Mokey

colindpeel.com 
 
Here's his bio: 
 
Following a career designing weapon systems in the aerospace industries of Europe and North America, and after living in four countries in twelve years, Colin Peel settled in the South Pacific where his reputation was established as a writer of high-concept thrillers for a truly international market. 
 
He is the author of more than twenty books. His work has been translated into six languages and published in ten different countries including Russia. Nearly all his books have been republished, either as paperbacks, large print editions, ebooks or as unabridged audio recordings. 
 
Although many of Peel’s books reflect his experience of working on classified defence projects, his stories range from terrorism and nuclear-testing to gun-running, the heroin business, diamond smuggling and the illegal market for plutonium. 
 
With his wife Julie, he lives on a remote peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand.

red terror

[quote name='Nepia']I tried reading The Great Gatsby and found it tedious ...[/QUOTE] 
 
Gatsby is an easy read. I've read it 5 or 6 times, like Catcher in the Rye, and it gets better with each reading. I don't look at either as anything more than pulp, and from that perspective, both are artistically fabulous.

BartMan

someone a quick synopsis of the Great Gatsby please, and catcher in the rye - two books you always hear about, but are never inclined to read now that you have finished school!!

Crucial

Catcher in the Rye = teenage angst

Nepia

[quote name='red terror']Gatsby is an easy read. I've read it 5 or 6 times, like Catcher in the Rye, and it gets better with each reading. I don't look at either as anything more than pulp, and from that perspective, both are artistically fabulous.[/QUOTE] 
My scorn for The Great Gatsby is more than doubled for Catcher in the Rye. When it first came out I can see how it may have been a good read for the youth of that time but FFS, it's awful (in my opinion), if I ever meet someone named Holden my first inclination will be to punch them square in the face. 
 
I like my pulp as much as the next man. I love Hemingway and find all his stuff easy reads. 
 
Bart: 
Catcher in the Rye: Teenager whining like a bitch for 200 odd pages. 
 
The Great Gatsby I can't help you with as it was too tedious.

red terror

[quote name='BartMan']someone a quick synopsis of the Great Gatsby please, and catcher in the rye - two books you always hear about, but are never inclined to read now that you have finished school!![/QUOTE] 
 
Bart - 
 
Catcher in the Rye is about a juvenile delinquent who tells lies to himself. It seems to be found in the hip pockets of psychopaths like David Hinkley and Mark David Chapman, who being foolish psychopaths worship Holden Caulfield but fail to recognize the irony of a protagonist who supposedly hates phonies but is in-fact a phony himself, i.e. he hates himself. The whole book is told from Holden's self-absorbed first-person perspective, so you have to be prepared to get inside the head of a whiny dick. 
 
The Great Gatsby is about "new money" vs. old, the Jazz Age, prohibition, love, murder, morality, the American Dream, and a dozen-or-so other themes. The plot is too convoluted to repeat here, but it's a skinny book and easy read. I read it in high school. It was okay, but, I thought, what's the big deal? I re-read it in university, and appreciated it more. I've since re-read it about every 5 years and enjoy it for it's simplicity, even if the plot doesn't do much for me, the ideas in the subtext and the eyewitness to the era (New York, 1920s) make it a classic, and he can occasionally string together some beautiful sentences that you'll remember for a long time. 
 
From wikipedia: 
 
[QUOTE][COLOR=#000000][FONT=sans-serif][I][B]The Great Gatsby[/B][/I] ... is today widely regarded as a paragon of the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Novel"]Great American Novel[/URL], and a literary classic. [SIZE=2][COLOR=#ff0000]The [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Library"][COLOR=#ff0000]Modern Library[/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#ff0000] named it the second best novel of the 20th Century[/COLOR][/SIZE].[SUP][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby#cite_note-0"][1][/URL][/SUP] 
 
[SIZE=4][B]Reception[/B][/SIZE] 
[I]The Great Gatsby[/I] received mostly positive reviews,[SUP][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby#cite_note-13"][14][/URL][/SUP] but not the commercial success of Fitzgerald's previous novels [I][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Side_of_Paradise"]This Side of Paradise[/URL][/I] and [I][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beautiful_and_Damned"]The Beautiful and Damned[/URL][/I]. The book went through two printings. Years later, some of these copies were still unsold.[SUP][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby#cite_note-14"][15][/URL][/SUP]Many of Fitzgerald's literary friends, however, wrote him letters praising the novel. 
[/FONT][/COLOR] 
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=sans-serif][SIZE=2][COLOR=#ff0000][B]When Fitzgerald died in 1940, he had been largely forgotten.[/B][/COLOR] [/SIZE]His obituary in [I][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times"]The New York Times[/URL][/I] mentioned [I]Gatsby[/I] as evidence that he had great potential that he never reached.[SUP][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby#cite_note-15"][16][/URL][/SUP] But people began to read his book again, aided in part by the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Services_Editions"]Armed Services Editions[/URL] giving away around 150,000 copies of [I]Gatsby[/I] to the American military in [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II"]World War II[/URL].[SUP][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby#cite_note-16"][17][/URL][/SUP][/FONT][/COLOR] 
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=sans-serif] 
In 1951 Arthur Mizener published [I][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Far_Side_of_Paradise"]The Far Side of Paradise[/URL][/I], a biography of Fitzgerald. By the 1960s, [I]Gatsby[/I]'s reputation was established, and it is frequently mentioned as one of the great American novels. 
[/FONT][/COLOR] 
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=sans-serif][SIZE=2][COLOR=#ff0000]Critics have viewed it differently in each decade[/COLOR][/SIZE], and in recent years [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht"]Brechtian[/URL], [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud"]Freudian[/URL], [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern"]postmodernist[/URL] and [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist"]feminist[/URL] perspectives have joined the more traditional interpretations.[SUP][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby#cite_note-17"][18][/URL][/SUP][/FONT][/COLOR] 
 
[SIZE=4][B]Film[/B][/SIZE] 
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=sans-serif][I]The Great Gatsby[/I] has been filmed six times and is being filmed for a seventh time.[/FONT][/COLOR] 
[/QUOTE] 
 
[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby 
 
[/URL]It does seem pretty damn cool that the novel got a new life and critical reappraisal after getting shipped to G.I.'s at war. 
 
Also, being Modern Library's #2 book of the century, it's a much, much, much easier read than their #1 choice, James Joyce' Ulysses, which is undoubtedly a work of genius but it's an incredibly difficult read; whereas Gatsby is a quality pulp soap opera novel for the masses.

jegga

Talking about kiwi writers , is anyone else here a fan of Paul Thomas?Tito Ihaka is a fantastic character, not sure Tem Morrison got it right on tv though.

Cactus Jack

[quote name='taniwharugby']of which one? 
 
A song of Ice and Fire or Conquerer, given both I mentioned were book 1 <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' />[/QUOTE]The second Conquerer one is Lords Of The Bow from memory and if you are anything like me you wont want to have to wait for it after Wolf Of The Plains .

taniwharugby

Yeah if I like a book Ill rip through it and want the next one straight away...still waiting as I am getting the audio book version to go alongside the book (plus not yet finished Game of Thrones)

Chris B.

I see I've got "Catcher in the Rye" and "The Great Gatsby" side by side in a bookcase. <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
Here's a sort of short Christmas list of some of the books I've most enjoyed in recent years: 
 
"No better death - the Great War diaries and letters of William G. Malone". I thought this was superb - I started collecting a few Gallipoli books a few years back, but this is easily my favourite. War, heroism, love story, family, disaster - and, bizarrely, given the provincial structures of the NZ (and ANZAC) army, it almost reads a bit like "The Hurricanes go to war". 
 
"Memoirs of a fox-hunting man" - Seigfried Sassoon. Also on a WW1 theme, this is the first of an autobiographical trilogy - and is really the calm before the storm. Growing up in privileged, pre-war England. Follows up with "Memoirs of an infantry officer" which is also good, but brutal. And "Sherston's Progress", which I didn't like. 
 
"In my father's shadow - a portrait of Justice Peter Mahon" - Sam Mahon. Not sure many would like this. Years ago, I read "Letters to Sam", which was a collection of Justice Mahon's letters to SM and others. They were quite light, clever and funny - including to Sam, who was starting a sort of hippy, artist life in North Canterbury (in fact in the village where I grew up). This book is a pretty dark counterpoint, Sam explaining plenty about why he didn't get on with his father. 
 
For science fiction fans, some older ones you might dig into: 
 
"Dancers at the end of time" trilogy by Michael Moorcock. Might need to hunt in a 2nd hand bookshop (for "An alien heat"). It's basically a morality play in which the people at the end of time with unlimited powers and zero morals meet Victorian England. Quite light and funny, but a bit out there. Starts out with a bit of blatant incest, but don't let that put you off...it's just setting the scene. <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
More recent, Julian May's "Intervention, Galactic Milieu, Saga of the Exiles" series. It's actually two interlinked series plus a prequel and properly, you should probably read Saga of the Exiles first - but, I liked the other series more and would probably start with Intervention - I don't think you'd miss much by doing so. 
 
A bit older - from the 1980s I think, but still in the bookshops - Stephen Donaldson's "First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant". More fantasy than fiction, and pretty dark - but, excellent nonetheless. Much better than the second chronicles - which are still OK and you'll have to read as well, though I'm still not entirely sure what happened at the end. <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
And finally, for everyone who hasn't tried them - P.G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves and Wooster" books. Probably the funniest books I've ever read. They're full of "in jokes", so you need to be a bit careful where you start. Probably the set of short stories in "Very good, Jeeves" is good place, in which they battle vicious swans, ex-headmasters, hot water bottles (armed only with a darning needle tied to a stick), and an aunt or two.

taniwharugby

[quote name='Chris B.'] 
More recent, Julian May's "Intervention, Galactic Milieu, Saga of the Exiles" series. It's actually two interlinked series plus a prequel and properly, you should probably read Saga of the Exiles first - but, I liked the other series more and would probably start with Intervention - I don't think you'd miss much by doing so.[/QUOTE] 
 
I have the set, find them hard going, but are still good books once you get into them, have the last one to go. 
 
Have also just finished Game of Thrones, I enjoyed it, and feel they did a cracking job with the series, felt they captured Tyrion Lannister perfectly, he is a brilliant character! Contrary to some comments in the TV Series thread, I didnt feel I missed much by watching the series having not read the book. 
 
Unfortunately, my requests from the library for Clash of Kings and Wolf of the Plains both arrived yesterday, so now I have to decide...the fact that Clash of Kings looks like a mammoth effort will probably sway me!

BartMan

[QUOTE]Stephen Donaldson's "First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant"[/QUOTE] 
 
have heard of these - what're they about?

Chris B.

[quote name='BartMan']have heard of these - what're they about?[/QUOTE] 
 
Funnily enough, given the author's name, redemption. 
 
They're pretty complex books, but basically starts out with a guy whose life has turned to crap - he's caught leprosy of all things, and it's gone downhill from there. Narnia-like, he gets transported to another land where he's instantly cured and also get's some pretty potent powers and status - but, being a bitter and cynical man, he doesn't believe in any of it, so wanders about behaving like a bastard. He gets caught up in a pretty clear-cut good vs evil "lord of the rings" type struggle, but he's really only dragged into his missions reluctantly - he's sceptical that it's happening and thinks the whole thing is a trap to lure him into letting his leprosy getting out of control. 
 
That probably doesn't sound very appealing, but there's lots of great settings and characters, but it's not light fantasy, it can be heavy going. Probably a bit slow moving and angst-ridden at times - but, good nonetheless. I probably need to re-read them to try to work out what happens in places (including the end).

Nepia

[quote name='Chris B.']I see I've got "Catcher in the Rye" and "The Great Gatsby" side by side in a bookcase. <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
Here's a sort of short Christmas list of some of the books I've most enjoyed in recent years: 
 
"No better death - the Great War diaries and letters of William G. Malone". I thought this was superb - I started collecting a few Gallipoli books a few years back, but this is easily my favourite. War, heroism, love story, family, disaster - and, bizarrely, given the provincial structures of the NZ (and ANZAC) army, it almost reads a bit like "The Hurricanes go to war". 
[/QUOTE] 
Do you have sections on your bookshelf - i assume the section you're referring to is Overrated? <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
Malone's diaries are an interesting read - my MA was about NZ command structures - so have read a bunch of stuff in this area. 
 
I really want Peter Jackson to remake Chunuk Bair (Once on Chunuk Bair) as an actual movie and not as a filmed play.

Cactus Jack

[quote name='Nepia']Do you have sections on your bookshelf - i assume the section you're referring to is Overrated? <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
Malone's diaries are an interesting read - my MA was about NZ command structures - so have read a bunch of stuff in this area. 
 
I really want Peter Jackson to remake Chunuk Bair (Once on Chunuk Bair) as an actual movie and not as a filmed play.[/QUOTE]I was an extra in Once On Chunik Bair when I was posted at Trentham . We got to spend a couple of days continually pretending to get shot . Did my knees no good at all for what has to be one of the worst war films ever made .

The Silver Fern

TSF Book Club