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Post by doc on Jul 20, 2008 9:23:03 GMT -6
I'm starting this thread so that we can all share what books we are currently enjoying, particularly those that pertain to gaming.
I am right now reading The Elfish Gene by Mark Barrowcliffe. It is an autobiographical account of the author as a young boy getting into D&D when it just came out in the mid-70's. While it is written with a decidedly humorous bent, it gives some good insight into what it was like to be a teenager first discovering the game in the days when everything was brand new and nothing similar had ever been seen. It gives one of the best perspectives of the gaming subculture of the time that I've seen.
I'm only about halfway through the book right now, and am finding it very entertaining. While the author was a dedicated D&D geek, he also discusses other early games that he played, particularly EPT. Although the book has been out in Britain for a year or so, it won't be seeing print in the United States until I think November. It's definitely worth a look.
So what is everybody else reading?
Doc
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Post by Finarvyn on Jul 20, 2008 9:42:12 GMT -6
Red Nails by Robert E. Howard. Most of the original REH Conan stories are pretty good reading, and when I heard a rumor of an animated Red Nails movie slowly being created I just had to go dust off the original story and re-read it. :-)
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oldgeezer
Level 3 Conjurer
Original Blackmoor Participant
Posts: 70 
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Post by oldgeezer on Jul 20, 2008 10:15:29 GMT -6
My most recent fantasy was "The Sharing Knife" by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Before that, it was "Curse of Chalion" and "Paladin of Souls", also by Lois.
I cannot recommend them enough.
"Curse of Chalion" is so good it now stands on my top shelf as "Best Fantasy Ever", finally keeping "Three Hearts and Three Lions" company.
Good. Poul was getting lonely up there.
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Post by Rhuvein on Jul 20, 2008 11:41:25 GMT -6
I recently finished the DragonLance Chronicles and was pleasantly surprised. The first book was tentative and I guess basically introduced the characters, history and world.
But the 2nd and 3rd books really kicked ass. They were very well done, IMO. Not the best dialog and occasionally characters were a bit goofy, but overall a good series and entertaining.
I'm now reading Saga of Old City by Gary Gygax and so far it's great.
;D
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Post by BeZurKur on Jul 20, 2008 12:10:50 GMT -6
I'm on book 2, A Clash of Kings, of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R.R. Martin. I know I'm in the vast minority with this one, but it is a chore to read.  The first book was outstanding. It defined the characters, set-up the conflict, and left you wanting more. Yes, it was dark, but not hopeless nor grim for the sake of being grim. The writing struck me as having purpose. A Clash of Kings is chapter after chapter of further driving the protagonists into a corner. Martin is smart; he is not working his way so much into the corner that only some deus-ex-machina will save the characters. They make advancements too. My problem is he spends a page -- if that -- on their successes (usually as an account from somebody else) and whole chapters on the antagonists actions. By this point, I don't care if a comet comes crashing down killing everyone. The heroes don't do anything to deserve living and the villains are despicable. Actually, if I had to choose, I'd rather the antagonists come up on top. At least they take actions the reader follows to earn their place. I get it that he is deliberately splitting the readers tie to the "good" side, but it is too lob sided. I now don't care about anyone. I get the impression he is just dragging out the story with a list of tragedies and then chooses to advance the actual story only at the end of the book to hook the reader. That's how it feels as I approach the end of the second book. I thought it was going to be a trilogy. If that were the case, I'd have suffered the third book just to wrap up the story. Then I heard it is a five book series. I may read the beginning of the third to see how it goes, but I can't trudge through another painful reading only to have to continue it for two more books afterwards. |
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Post by codeman123 on Jul 20, 2008 14:00:17 GMT -6
i have been re-reading all the old conan stories agian... also been reading The sword in the stone, a history of celtic warfare, and The Player Piano.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2008 15:10:10 GMT -6
I just finished re-reading all of Jack Vance's Dying Earth stories. I'll probabky take a que from my fellow posters & re-read R.E.H. I really need to find some new authors doing hard S&S... |
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 22, 2008 15:40:16 GMT -6
I just finished re-reading A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay. Published in 1920, it has never been popular with the masses, though it never ceases to be read by a few.
In terms of its imagery and concepts, it reminds me of Clark Ashton Smith's stories. Lindsay, however, is not a poet (being more of a philosopher) and thus does not have the exquisite prose of Smith.
The story of the protagonist's adventures on the alien world of Tormance circling the twin stars of Arcturus is compelling reading. It is the polar opposite of the tripe junking-up the sci-fi shelves of bookstores. If you want serious, pitiless reading, or something very out of the ordinary, pick this up. It's hard to describe, else I'd describe it better.
In terms of theme, it is most similar to George MacDonald's Phantastes and Lilith. While MacDonald's books embody Christianity, Lindsay's volume embodies Gnosticism.
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Post by coffee on Jul 22, 2008 15:52:18 GMT -6
I'm happy to say I'm finally reading "Three Hearts and Three Lions", by Poul Anderson. I've wanted to read this for a long time, so I finally searched on Amazon and found a copy for just a few dollars.
And now it's here and it's what I'm reading.
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Thorulfr
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 264
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Post by Thorulfr on Jul 22, 2008 16:26:48 GMT -6
Well, in the few spare minutes between testing Chinese software, retesting German software, rewriting test documents, helping my parents groom dogs, moving the entire contents of the upstairs about as the contractors put down new flooring, entertaining my son, and getting far too little sleep, I've been going back and forth between several books as my mood shifts:
The Craft of Intelligence, by Allen Dulles (maybe one of these days I'll get to run Top Secret again...)
Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940, by David Kyvig (working on a 'jazz age' sequel to my 'gaslight' monograph for Chaosium)
and
Runic Amulets and Magical Objects by Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees (...it's a long story...)
This is, of course, when I'm not poking at 'Wanderer'
And, like several others here, I have out the first Conan collection sitting by my bed to reread for the unpteenth time when I am finally done testing Chinese...or maybe not. I'll see how it goes.
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Post by coffee on Jul 22, 2008 17:09:33 GMT -6
The Craft of Intelligence, by Allen Dulles (maybe one of these days I'll get to run Top Secret again...) If you ever get an online game going, let me know. |
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Thorulfr
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 264
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Post by Thorulfr on Jul 22, 2008 17:52:13 GMT -6
The Craft of Intelligence, by Allen Dulles (maybe one of these days I'll get to run Top Secret again...) If you ever get an online game going, let me know. If I ever got one going, the mood would be far more John LeCarre and 'Sandbaggers' than James Bond (And if you have never seen 'Sandbaggers': run, do not walk, to the nearest DVD store and watch them - probably the best espionage series ever put on TV) |
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Post by doc on Jul 24, 2008 22:43:48 GMT -6
This week I'm reading a book called Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds. It was written back in 1982 during what could now be said to still be the relatively early days of our hobby by a sociologist named Gary Alan Fine who immersed himself in the culture of gaming from 1977 onwards and not only gamed on a regular basis, but also with MAR Barker whom is extensively cited in interviews throughout the book (as well as other gaming luminaries, including our own Dave Arneson). The book discusses gaming from a sociological standpoint, delving into why people game and what interactions make up a gaming group. There are some interesting bits on cheating during the game and the phenomenon of "dice myths" (e.g., lucky 20 siders and the like). On a personal note, I was chuffed to see that the author briefly cites a D&D campaign that was set in the world of Barsoom in the late 70's  All in all, an interesting little book. Doc |
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Post by ffilz on Jul 25, 2008 10:01:36 GMT -6
Shared Fantasy was definitely a good read, and a must for any Tekumel fan. I really appreciated that his take was that it was a healthy hobby and that most participants were well adjusted people.
Frank
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Post by makofan on Jul 28, 2008 14:12:48 GMT -6
I haven't read any fantasy in years, unfortunately. I just lost the taste for the genre.
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scogle
Level 3 Conjurer
Posts: 69
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Post by scogle on Jul 28, 2008 21:52:55 GMT -6
I hardly ever read fiction tbh, don't know why but I've just always been rather art-impaired. Still, I decided to read the Conan stories and afterwards Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser; Conan for obvious reasons, Fafhrd for the same reasons and because an English professor recommended it. The Conan stories are fun; certainly not great literature or whatever, but he was a pulp fantasy writer so what do you expect? They're definitely good, and have inspired me to use the Hyborian Age as my campaign setting; I like the "advanced-medieval" theme he has going |
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Post by redpriest on Jul 29, 2008 13:58:15 GMT -6
I just started reading Glen Cook's The Black Company. I was sufficiently impressed with his Passage At Arms to give this series a go.
Funny, when I was posting to DF about reading this book, I was thinking of describing his style as like reading a hard-boiled detective story. I just discovered, a few minutes ago, that Cook has a whole series of detective novels. Doh!
Anyway, I think Cook has this nice Mamet, smart & smart-assed guy thing going on.
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Post by Rhuvein on Jul 29, 2008 19:40:33 GMT -6
I haven't read any fantasy in years, unfortunately. I just lost the taste for the genre. Then read sci-fi!! I've always liked it better than fantasy, even though I prefer fantasy/S&S to sci-fi when it comes to RPGs. ;D |
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Post by doc on Aug 4, 2008 15:25:10 GMT -6
Right now I'm close to finishing Blood Meridian, a western novel by Cormac (No Country for Old Men) McCarthy. This is no John Wayne/Gene Autrey tale, but instead a bleak, gritty, and horrifically graphic novel that isn't meant to be enjoyed as much as survived.
Loosely based on a true story, it chronicles the life of a violent teenaged drifter who joins up with a band of mercenary scalphunters who are hired by the Mexican government to exterminate rampaging Apaches. The band is captained by an ex-cavalry officer with not a shred of mercy or remorse for his prey, and his compatriot, a looming, brilliant, and completely psychopathic albino who may or may not be the Devil himself.
If you're a fan of Boot Hill in any of it's incarnations (the pamphlet, boxed set, or 1991 rulesbook) and you want to see just how far you can take a western campaign and keep it vibrant while still satiating your players' taste for gunplay, then this book is worth a reading. I'm a fan of McCarthy's prose, with his doomed characters and odd combination of modern and archaic speech with often blatantly made-up words. Blood Meridian is as good as he gets.
Doc
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Post by driver on Aug 4, 2008 17:08:01 GMT -6
Blood Meridian is my favorite McCarthy book by far. Unfortunately, I read the edition with the Harold Bloom introduction, in which he gives away the ending within the first couple of pages. I almost drove up to Pittsburgh for the open extras casting for The Road, as they were looking for pale, gaunt folks who could pass for cannibals.
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Post by makofan on Aug 5, 2008 8:35:11 GMT -6
Private Eye/Detective novels have consumed me lately (probably because I am currently writing one)
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Post by bigjackbrass on Aug 21, 2008 4:13:49 GMT -6
I am right now reading The Elfish Gene by Mark Barrowcliffe. Michael Cule, who features in the book, is still an active gamer and shows up on RPGnet quite often. Most people probably remember him as the Vogon guard from the old Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. |
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Post by Random on Aug 23, 2008 23:03:37 GMT -6
I just started reading the Conan stories for the first time, and one of the very first things I noticed was the use of the term "fighting-man". Hm...
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Post by doc on Sept 22, 2008 22:30:17 GMT -6
i've been reading The Maze of Peril by Dr. J. Eric Holmes. Written in the mid-80's this is a novel based on characters and situations that came about in Dr. Holmes' D&D game that he ran with his kids (who must have been in their late teens or early adulthood at the time). While Dragonlance or Wheel of Time represent what most players would like to think their games are like, Maze of Peril is actually what most D&D games ARE like. It's a world where warriors are referred to as "fighting men" and mages are referred to as "magic users." The characters start out by plundering the mazelike underworld in search of loot (sound familiar) and end up earning the emnity of the toadlike members of the Cult of Dagon. Characters in Maze of Peril are far more likely to be motivated by the lure of a large golden statue than by making a difference for the good or saving the world. We see a horny halfling named Boinger (seriously), a magic user named Murray the Mage, a Friar Tuck-like cleric who speaks his spells in Latin and bears a crucifix, a virgin amazon, an insane midget sorcerer, and a militant Christian knight amongst other characters. The party faces down classic D&D critters including pig-faced orcs, an ochre jelly, a purple worm, and a flesh golem who is later transformed into a stone golem following an encounter with a basilisk.
And you just haven't lived until you see a halfling swearing by bloody-handed Crom.
All in all it's a very entertaining little book that reflects the earlier days of the hobby better than Quag Keep did. It is still available through it's publisher for seven bucks, plus two dollars postage and handling. You could do far worse than to add this little book to your collection of gaming books.
Doc
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Post by grodog on Sept 24, 2008 20:15:48 GMT -6
Just finished The Conquering Sword of Conan, and am reading Bran Mak Morn now.
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Post by geoffrey on Sept 24, 2008 22:18:46 GMT -6
Just finished The Conquering Sword of Conan, and am reading Bran Mak Morn now. I just finished reading Kull and am reading Bran Mak Morn now. |
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Post by Tim Shorts on Sept 25, 2008 6:46:48 GMT -6
I recently picked up a copy of Orcs by Stan Nickolls. I’m having a tough time getting through it. I’m not sure if my expectations were too high. My favorite series of fantasy book I always like to revisit is Thieves World. Great series although it does seem to peter out around 6th and 7th book. Probably the most impressive fantasy series I’ve read is The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.
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Post by Finarvyn on Sept 25, 2008 7:12:53 GMT -6
Private Eye/Detective novels have consumed me lately (probably because I am currently writing one) I particularly like Raymond Chandler (Philip Marlowe) and Ross Macdonald (Lew Archer) books. I love the two-fisted pulp detective type character, but have a tough time running a RPG campaign in this style. |
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Post by stonetoflesh on Nov 12, 2008 23:28:35 GMT -6
I recently finished Paragaea: A Planetary Romance by Chris Roberson. A 1960s Russian cosmonaut gets drawn through a mysterious portal in her ship and ends up on a parallel earth, where she teams up with a 19th-century English swashbuckler and an exiled jaguar-man prince to find her way back home. Sky pirates, androids, metamen (jaguar-men, bird-men, snake-men, etc.), prehistoric beasts, monsters... Dedicated to Edgar Rice Burroughs and Alex Raymond, the influence of those authors and others (Brackett, A. Merritt, et al) is evident but not overpowering. The book is lots of fun, highly recommended for fans of Sword & Planet yarns!
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Post by kesher on Nov 14, 2008 10:37:36 GMT -6
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The first book was outstanding. It defined the characters, set-up the conflict, and left you wanting more. Yes, it was dark, but not hopeless nor grim for the sake of being grim. The writing struck me as having purpose. 
