I just started on Mammoth myself, and liking it a lot so far.
Last Few Reads
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 ecgordon |
Re: Son of More Reads | #21 | ||
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Posts: 5677 10/22/06 9:27 AM Star's Hero |
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NotAgain |
Mammoth | #22 | ||
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Posts: 196 10/23/06 3:18 PM |
I liked Mammoth, but it was not his best in my opinion. I didn't see the end, well till the end. Sign of a good book.
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ecgordon |
Re: Mammoth | #23 | ||
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Posts: 5677 10/25/06 11:54 AM Star's Hero |
I finished Mammoth last night (early this morning rather), and I am conflicted about whether to write a review of it. While I did like it, I agree with NA that it is not his best (Steel Beach takes that honor IMO), and right now all I can think about referencing are things I think are negative about it. I'll have to think about it a bit more.
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OGRE3000 |
Yep... | #24 | ||
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Posts: 2996 10/25/06 1:22 PM Registered User |
...I did enjoy it, but it was kind of weak after "Red Thunder". I kept thinking the characters in RT were waaaaaaay more likable and intense then in Mammoth. I need to get the rest if they are as good as RT, 'cause I really enjoyed that one, seemed to channel a lot of RAH spirit...
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OGRE3000 |
Red Lightning | #25 | ||
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Posts: 2996 11/13/06 1:10 PM Registered User |
Hmmmm, welp, I had really look forward to this book since I learned there was a sequel to the wonderful Red Thunder. I did like it buttttttt... I had a time with the narrator, Ray. Probably a sign of getting older and definitely unsympathic to yout' angst, I found him to be a major whiner and xenophobic pain in the ass. Yep, he's like 17 or thereabouts, but I loved Manny in the first book since he was an underdog and lovable character; Ray is a flippin' spoiled brat that I wanted to smack more then once. I don't know, maybe he suffered that "celebrity kid syndrome" thang, but for the most part, it seemed like the fame of "Red Thunder" and how they had opened The Final Frontier was forgotten or blown off. The ending of the first book was so cool and how we were finally getting out there and had a really good feeling. The 2nd? More 9/11-disaster except on a bigger scale. Sheesh. A good book, but at least for me, paled next to the original...
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RLHamer |
Re: Last Few Reads | #26 | ||
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Posts: 771 11/13/06 3:32 PM |
Just finished Winter King by Cornwells a retelling of the King Authur legion. Very good Some interesting twist of the old character loved what he did to Lancelot who I always disliked. Looking forward to the next book.
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The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. Niccolo Machiavelli . Cymru am Byth |
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wracked |
Winter King | #27 | ||
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Posts: 396 11/13/06 6:52 PM |
Richard, the sequels to the Winter King, The Enemy of God and Excalibur. have been out for some time. I liked them a lot and his Grail Quest novels set during the 100 years war; The Archer's Tale, Vagabond, and Heretic are pretty good also.
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RLHamer |
Re: Winter King | #28 | ||
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Posts: 771 11/13/06 10:12 PM |
I'm reading The Archer's tale right now I love stories set in that period White Company is one of my favorite stories. I'm also keeping an eye at Half Price Books for the two Authur novels.
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The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. Niccolo Machiavelli . Cymru am Byth |
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OGRE3000 |
Re: Monster Island | #29 | ||
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Posts: 2996 11/27/06 12:43 AM Registered User |
Welp, picked this up 'cause it was a zombie novel and I was really in the mood. It's, ummmm, fairly good except the main character is a bit of a weiner in that even after the big zombie event, he still has a time with his new reality and is like a card-carrying liberal. He never even defends himself till way late in the story and it's really bizarre. The basic story is about a former UN weapons inspector (there's a big part of the problem there) who has to come back from Africa via ship with a phalanx of deadly AK-toting girl commandos (nicknamed the Somalian Girl Scouts) to the USA to get drugs to help the local warlord (who has AIDs). She is holding the inspector's daughter hostage until they return. Welp, the plan is to go to the UN and get the drugs and of course, it's a mad plan since NY is crawling with zombies since barely anyone made it out. Well, while it's fairly good on the zombies and horror, making the main character a whiner and all the bad living leaders they encounter (except for one or two) seem like gun-toting NRA nuts is pretty bizarre. After the zombie balloon goes up, who would you rather be with, the gun nuts or the salad-eaters? And the author tries to explain where the zombies came from and that takes a bit of the mystery away. Bloody, with DOTD action but almost ruined by a weiner narrator. I got mine out of the library and would only buy it on sale myself...
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RLHamer |
Re: Monster Island | #30 | ||
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Posts: 771 11/27/06 11:36 AM |
Ogre have you read Autumn? Its a Zombie book set in merry ole England, will presend day+ UK. You can read it free on line if you like. Its not great but not bad either kind of middle of the road. Good book to pick up at half price.
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The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. Niccolo Machiavelli . Cymru am Byth |
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OGRE3000 |
Nope... | #31 | ||
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Posts: 2996 11/28/06 5:48 PM Registered User |
...but I need a good zombie book after that half good/half nonsense of Monster Island, thanks!
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OGRE3000 |
More Latest | #32 | ||
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Posts: 2996 02/04/07 4:33 AM Registered User |
Let's see, I bought a bunch of books over the Holidays and read a fraction but here goes:
Mondo Zombie- edited by John Skipp. This is a third collection of zombie tales mostly set in the original Romero Zombie Trilogy world. The first two were Book of the Dead and Still Dead. Welp, I found this one a bit more uneven then the first two collections. There were some really good zombie tales while others were either pretty illogical or over-the-top nausating gross-outs. While I am pretty much immune to a lot of things, some of the authors seemed to want to toss in a lot of necrophilia and incest. Bleah. Mine the good stories, skip part of them... Thinning The Predators- by Daina Graziunas and Jim Starlin. I picked this up a while back, noting that one of the authors was one of my fave artists/writers for some of the best comics of all time, Jim Starlin. And the theme sounded really good, like Johnny Smith in The Dead Zone, David Vandemark has a hideous accident and can read minds after he recovers. Except, his family has been murdered by a serial killer and he becomes a telepathic avenger. I really enjoyed it and read it in about 2 days, loads of action and it reminded me a lot of the Punisher and other vengence-motivated characters... California Demon- by Julie Kenner. This is the 2nd book in "The secret life of a demon-hunting soccer mom". The first was Carpe Demon. The books (I can't recall if I reviewed the first) are about the very busy life of Kate Connor, kind of like if Buffy got married had kids and still fought the good fight against the forces of darkness. A few years later and Kate finds out that demons are trying to bring about the end by using a demonic book and surfer dudes in her teen-age daughters class! Lots of fun and I look forward to more in this series... Tag and Bink Were Here- Dark Horse Comics. A collection of one of the funniest send-ups of Star Wars in comic form, I loved it! Originally a 4 issue 'fill-in' (while waiting for the next Star Wars comics to be written by over-worked staff, they claim) we find that two Rebel soldier screw-ups, Tag and Bink are at almost every single important moment in the 2 Trilogies! Funny stuff! I enjoyed it so much, I read it twice... Welp, that's it for now... |
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OGRE3000 |
And Even More! | #33 | ||
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Posts: 2996 02/07/07 5:25 PM Registered User |
I think what I need to do is stack up my finished books and then review them so I can remember what I've read lately.
Anyway, more: Gil's All Fright Diner-by A. Lee Martinez. Welp, this is a semi-serious SF/Horror send-up about two good ol' boys name Duke and Earl who stop one night at a diner in the middle of nowhere and promise the owner to help with a little problem: zombies. And of course, a sewer pipe as well. And Duke and Earl have a knack for the first since one is a werewolf and the other a vampire. But, they is good people. And it's a pretty fun read, these two supernatural good ol' boys a lil'down on their luck in a showdown with the Forces of Darkness. Martinez is supposed to have another book out (listed in August of 2006) but I've never seen it, a fantasy send-up called "In The Company of Ogres". Of course, I will have to have that one too... Predator: Forever Midnight- by John Shirley. Welp, another novel based on the 20th Century Fox Predator Universe. This one takes place centuries from now, when humans are out in the universe and colonizing distant planets. Welp, it's pretty good, the main story boils down to a Commander Ness and his surviving Colonel Marines trying to reach Midnight's colony, to save his estranged wife and son. And there's a time table too, if the Predators don't defeat the Marines and the colony, they will exterminate all life on the planet... The Kolchak Chronicles- by various. Welp, I got this for Father's Day last year but I kept just hoarding it, reading one story at a time, bit by bit, like trying to make a treat last as long as possible. This is a new short story collection put out by Moonstone Comics all about the original Carl Kolchak of The Night Stalker, The Night Strangler movies and of course, the series. Well, if you are a K:TNS fan, this is an uber-treat! Not a clunker in the book! A few are a bit mild on the shocks, but most are right there, canon-worthy and a bunch were just brilliant! Kolchak vs. The Cthulhu Mythos! Kolchak meets Barnabas Collins! So much more! And also is out is a must-have, a new collection called "K:TNS Casebook" by the same company. And there's more novels due soon! I am just sorry that Darren McGavin is no longer with us to see the new burst of Kolchak goodness... Welp, again, that's it for now... |
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OGRE3000 |
And Further More | #34 | ||
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Posts: 2996 04/25/07 11:35 PM Registered User |
In The Company of Ogres by A. Lee Martinez. Picked this second book by ALM, a fantasy sort of like his first book, Gil's All-Fright Diner, half parody that turns serious in the 2nd part of the book. Never Dead Ned is our poor main character, a human that can die but always comes back. So, for his good accounting in The Dark Lord's Armies, he's rewarded by being put in charge of a unit of Ogres in a distant broken down fortress. Little does he know that horrible enemies are stalking him and how he will bring certain doom down upon his new command. Pretty good, better then Gil's to me at least, very enjoyable...
Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell. Really good fictional history action/drama, recounting the first command of Richard Sharpe of The Rifles, sharpshooters of the British Army during the Napolean Era. Welp, Sharpe, whom is already resented for coming up through the ranks instead of being a proper gentleman officer and his men are trapped in Spain after Napolean's forces have routed most of the British. Really good story-telling and the feel of like you were really there... The Return of Raffles by Peter Tremayne. A pastiche sequel by the author of some of my favorite Dracula pastiches and well-known Celtic historian. Raffles of course was the gentleman thief of the E.R. Hornung stories. This catches us up, four years, like the Great Hiatus of Sherlock Holmes, after Raffles was assumed dead by the world and his friend Bunny Manders. Welp, soon after the two are reunited, they fall back into their old pattern of amatuer house-breaking and safe-cracking and are caught. But Her Majesties Government has another idea, a mission against the dreaded growing Hun menace! A really good read, has the feel of the original books and I read that Tremayne was supposed to do a whole set of new adventures, but since the book came out in '88, I guess that project never went past the first book. If you are a Raffles fan, you can't miss this volume... Welp, more later... |
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Ari Richards |
Re: And Further More | #35 | ||
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Posts: 126 05/13/07 7:50 PM |
After re-reading every heinlein, I am now on a Phillip Jose farmer Marathon.
HADON OF ANCIENT OPAR is todays book. |
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Ari Richards |
Re: And Further More | #36 | ||
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Posts: 126 05/20/07 10:17 PM |
TIMESTOP! today
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RLHamer |
Re: Last Few Reads | #37 | ||
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Posts: 771 05/22/07 2:04 PM |
For some reason I'm still on my historical kick. Just finishing Ellis Peters aka Edith Pargeter first Cadfael novel A Morbid Taste for Bones. Very enjoyable and I keep hearing Derek Jacobi voice when I read Cadfael's lines.
I also picked up a new civil war novel which I will start in the next couple of days. Then I have another Sharpe novel to finish. ****************
To announce that there must be no criticism of the president... is morally treasonable to the American public. Theodore Roosevelt The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Sun Tzu . Cymru am Byth |
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OGRE3000 |
Sharpe | #38 | ||
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Posts: 2996 05/22/07 9:41 PM Registered User |
Yep, I've gone a bit nuts over The 95th too. In the last couple of weeks I've read Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Gold. And watched the movies (of course which they changed a lot of stuff) and have Sharpe's Company on hold at the library. Simply one of the best historical fiction war/adventure stories I have read...
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wracked |
Re: Sharpe | #39 | ||
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Posts: 396 06/25/07 2:29 PM |
Yeah, Sharpie is one cool dude. Wait until you read Sharpe's Waterloo. I think it's the best of a great series. How he finds time for all the romance inbetween battles is a mystery, though.
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OGRE3000 |
Re: Sharpe | #40 | ||
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Posts: 2996 06/25/07 6:06 PM Registered User |
I went back and did the "India" adventures taking the first 3 books with on our Washington DC vacation (which I will be back home tomorrow). Duhhhhhh, I zipped through them and insanely left my other Sharpes back in Tampa. I was jonesing so bad I almost bought them again in DC but the $13.95 copies kept me from that. And none of the regular pbs were the ones I needed of course! But I did at least get the 2nd Kolchak collection: "The Kolchak Casebook", all new stories of my fave monster-hunter besides the later-day ones of Buffy and Angel! More later...
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