Saapanael
Ancient Mariner
The second best book of the series after Wizard and Glass, in my opinion. And I’m currently halfway through the last book.
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
It’s the second reading. I stucked in the third book in my first reading. I have to take it and finish the saga before end of the year.
I’m agree with you at this point. Until now the second book is the best of the first three.
Saapanael
Ancient Mariner
I hope you’ll fall in love with Wizard and Glass like I did. It’s a marvellous story.
TheMercenary
Ancient Mariner
Magnus
Pica Serdica
Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile and City of Illusions in one volume.
Had read a Russian translation of Rocannon's World serialized in Техника — молодёжи many years ago, in another time and another world, had forgotten how strong it was actually, a remarkable debut.
Into Planet now.
![Standing at the Gate: Seasons of Man Book 3 by [S.M. Anderson]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41xGx2B0l6L.jpg "Standing at the Gate: Seasons of Man Book 3 by [S.M. Anderson]")
Maturin
Sköldpadda
No way, VII is the best!
Saapanael
Ancient Mariner
Could be. I’ve yet to finish it.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
So, just today, after year and a half, I finished my first longer series in English, The Wheel of Time (I read Malazan translated)
Yep, this:
In my book, it's definitely worth it, but with some caveats. I'll write more on this later.
Yep, this:
In my book, it's definitely worth it, but with some caveats. I'll write more on this later.
Saapanael
Ancient Mariner
Will you write about it in your book?
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
In my Tolkien ultimate-mega-reading list (I actually added two more books about him to study, bringing the number of books up to over a hundred, give or take - the whole History of Middle-earth is for these purposes just one book, btw), just today I finished Finn and Hengest.
In case you didn't know, it's a collection of essays on the Finnesburg Fragment and the respective short and vague episode in Beowulf concerned with the same matter (lines 1068–1158), a textual and translation commentary, trying to make sense of it, reconstructing what probably happened, philological and historical argumentation for the nationalities and genealogies of the actors; in fact there's a huge list of named characters with various degrees of depth on their identity, allegiance, ancestors.
A lot of it does not really require a knowledge of Old English per se, but a lack thereof makes it significantly harder.
Let me just say that I did study both law and theology at the university, I read Sartre and Heidegger and just recently I have read 3000 pages about the history of Czech Catholic literature in the past 150 years...
...and yet this was probably the most hardcore stuff I have ever read. At times I thought my head is going to crack open.
It was fascinating and in many ways often interesting, but... like I said, utterly hardcore.
And as for the Tolkien experience, this is going to be probably the only book that even a truly fanatical fan of Tolkien isn't going to truly enjoy in the slightest - I mean, I find most of this stuff rather interesting, 1. I am insane, 2. even then, going so deep on something so obscure in such a way... was a bit of a chore.
The only people here I can (vaguely) imagine of being interested in ... well, probably not precisely reading it, but at least getting acquainted with it might be @Perun and ... dunno, @Brigantium ? (though geographically it's way too far from the lass' Northumbrian home).
But as an experience, it was definitely unique.
In case you didn't know, it's a collection of essays on the Finnesburg Fragment and the respective short and vague episode in Beowulf concerned with the same matter (lines 1068–1158), a textual and translation commentary, trying to make sense of it, reconstructing what probably happened, philological and historical argumentation for the nationalities and genealogies of the actors; in fact there's a huge list of named characters with various degrees of depth on their identity, allegiance, ancestors.
A lot of it does not really require a knowledge of Old English per se, but a lack thereof makes it significantly harder.
Let me just say that I did study both law and theology at the university, I read Sartre and Heidegger and just recently I have read 3000 pages about the history of Czech Catholic literature in the past 150 years...
...and yet this was probably the most hardcore stuff I have ever read. At times I thought my head is going to crack open.
It was fascinating and in many ways often interesting, but... like I said, utterly hardcore.
And as for the Tolkien experience, this is going to be probably the only book that even a truly fanatical fan of Tolkien isn't going to truly enjoy in the slightest - I mean, I find most of this stuff rather interesting, 1. I am insane, 2. even then, going so deep on something so obscure in such a way... was a bit of a chore.
The only people here I can (vaguely) imagine of being interested in ... well, probably not precisely reading it, but at least getting acquainted with it might be @Perun and ... dunno, @Brigantium ? (though geographically it's way too far from the lass' Northumbrian home).
But as an experience, it was definitely unique.
Magnus
Pica Serdica
I remember reading it with pleasure a long time ago but I think it was my interests in the history of that time and area rather than being a Tolkien fan that made it for me. And yes, it makes little sense if you're not familiar with Beowulf (although I don't think Old English is necessary at all); and yes, if it wasn't by Tolkien this kind of book would have never been released in that form most probably.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Well... yes and no. I mean, I am interested in that as well, but the story/material at hand is so obscure, so vague, with such sparse evidence that I could not truly accept it as an excurse in history, because there is a lot of reach in general. Tolkien truly does a lot of inductive reasoning - but that is always subject to doubt and despite the fact that what he does here is quite impressive, I can't help but feel it's more of... an exercise, a certain academic playfulness that leaves me more frustrated than not.
Especially since in the appendix written by the editor several decades after the fact there is presented a rather believable case of disproving (or at least seriously challenging) for example Tolkien's conclusions about Hengest's nationality.
And it's not like I expected concrete evidence and definite proof - but the dearth of information we have in this particular case, combined with how deep JRRT tries to go made it feel more like a philologist's pastime that was never to be really published (which it more or less was).
I am familiar with Beowulf and the general history of the time and place at hand - somewhat. But considering that a lot of the commentary discusses translation and works with the original text itself, the language stuff being the most represented and somewhat presuming knowledge, or at least acquaintance therewith, I think that at least some basic knowledge of OE would make the reading experience significantly easier. Combine that with all the genealogies of both known and unknown people with alliterative names and with differing genealogies in the various nations' histories and the experience becomes almost overwhelming at times.
One word on this book: Wow.
"It ain't nothin' like you've ever seen before, Sheriff."
That was when Sheriff Cotton Briggs found the body, slaughtered beyond recognition inside a random boxcar. The trains have always moved through McGregor Falls, Texas, but now they have brought something into town, something Briggs had hoped was forever in the past.
Fifteen-year-old Travis Braniff while exploring an old trainyard with a friend, encounters that same something. Both boys escape the creature's murderous intent, but now it is after them and will stop at nothing to prevent its secret from being revealed...too soon.
In Lyn I. Kelly's newest novel, the werewolf mythology is explored and rewritten, as vengeance is rendered onto a small Texas town and secrets are revealed. Skinwalker. Lycanthrope. Werewolf. Whatever the name, whatever the legend, an old evil has found its way into McGregor Falls, and no one is safe.
"It ain't nothin' like you've ever seen before, Sheriff."
That was when Sheriff Cotton Briggs found the body, slaughtered beyond recognition inside a random boxcar. The trains have always moved through McGregor Falls, Texas, but now they have brought something into town, something Briggs had hoped was forever in the past.
Fifteen-year-old Travis Braniff while exploring an old trainyard with a friend, encounters that same something. Both boys escape the creature's murderous intent, but now it is after them and will stop at nothing to prevent its secret from being revealed...too soon.
In Lyn I. Kelly's newest novel, the werewolf mythology is explored and rewritten, as vengeance is rendered onto a small Texas town and secrets are revealed. Skinwalker. Lycanthrope. Werewolf. Whatever the name, whatever the legend, an old evil has found its way into McGregor Falls, and no one is safe.
Last edited:
Maturin
Sköldpadda
Read A History of What Comes Next (2021) by Sylvain Neuvel.
Being the author of Sleeping Giants and it's two sequels - I knew what I was getting into. Dialogue heavy, fast reading science fiction. This book is the start of another trilogy. Very similar to his previous efforts, except for taking place in the past. Not really alternate history, but more the "aliens had a hand in our scientific progress"-kind of story. You will probably find it at airports and the like. Perfect reading while traveling, without being from the Dan Brown School of Bad Writing.
Being the author of Sleeping Giants and it's two sequels - I knew what I was getting into. Dialogue heavy, fast reading science fiction. This book is the start of another trilogy. Very similar to his previous efforts, except for taking place in the past. Not really alternate history, but more the "aliens had a hand in our scientific progress"-kind of story. You will probably find it at airports and the like. Perfect reading while traveling, without being from the Dan Brown School of Bad Writing.
