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[Max]

started this

it's old and it stinks. $1.50 was an alright price anyway.

 

[Salazar]

For the Gaffers who hate / are amused by Terry Goodkind - which I hope means all of you:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/43118-goodkind-xlvii/

The most recent of the periodical mockery threads. It's good to vent.

 

[subversus]

Richard Morgan
Woken Furies

 

[Dresden]

For the Gaffers who hate / are amused by Terry Goodkind - which I hope means all of you:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/43118-goodkind-xlvii/

The most recent of the periodical mockery threads. It's good to vent.

Not Goodkind, but close:

When heavy, thick warmth pushed into me, I had no idea whether this was a penis or some entirely different phallus that only gods posessed. I suspect the latter, since no mere penis can fill a woman's body the way he filled mine. Size had nothing to do with it. This time he let me scream.

Someone quoted it from that Hundred Thousand Kingdoms book.

 

[Salazar]

Not Goodkind, but close:

Cocks in Goodkind have vicious spikes. As in Red Dwarf, unusually. In only one of these cases is the spiked cock intentionally played for laughs.

This is the wonderful gibbering tantrum from an interview. So much pumping of his tiny fists.

from "Ashael:" Dear Terry, you have in previous interviews declared that Ayn Rand has been a strong influence on you and your work. Rand's work is very debatable, to say the least, and an increase of her anti-socialist ideas is much felt in her later books. As I have read all books to date (excluding PoC), I felt my interest and enjoyment of the series is decreasing by my difficulty accepting the "Randroid" views pronounced In the later books (Sot and FotF). Aren't you afraid to alienate certain readers by integrating an increasing dosage of those ideals into the newer books?

A: This is a dangerous, devious, and disrespectful question. Therefore, I am going to take it apart piece by piece and answer every part of it so you may all see this question for what it really is. It is riddled with lies aimed at sneaking in, by bold implication, tired old dogma of the mystics disguised as authoritative evidence.

". ..and an increase at her anti- socialist ideas is much felt in her later books."

Did your socialist manifesto tell you this? It's telling you a lie. This part of the question is framed so as to give socialism moral validity it does not have. Ayn Rand held the same views throughout her life. She grew up in Russia after the communists took over. She hated what collectivism did to people, how it savaged the human soul and took lives by the millions. In 1926, at a party just before she was finally able to leave for America, a young Russian said to her "When you get there, tell them that Russia is a huge cemetery and that we are all dying." Her first book, WE THE LIVING. did just that. It put the lie to all forms of collectivism, unmasking it for the murdering debauched perversion it is. There were howls of protests from the socialists in America, Who were powerful at the time, after the book was published. Ayn Rand has been consistent in her philosophy throughout her life and throughout her work. In her later books, especially ATLAS SHRUGGED, she laid out in stunning finality the complete scope of her philosophy upon which all of her work was based. Decades after her death, her books still sell in the hundreds of thousands per year.

Another: "Her work was very debatable, to say the least."

Oh really? This is a devious and despicable attempt to discredit. Debatable by whom? By those who hold to the primacy of consciousness, apparently. This is a clear example of how people believe that just by saying something (primacy of consciousness) In that it will be true.
Ayn Rand's work did lift the wounded howls of the mystic brutes. To accept this rabid ranting as "debate" is no more sound than to accept the self-centered wishes of a murderer as legitimate justification. Brilliant beyond an contemporary thinker, people quickly lost their nerve to stand up and debate her philosophy; she could cut them to pieces with its demonstrable truth. The philosophy she developed stands on its own, because it is an objective view of reality, and provides truth to anyone who uses it.
Ayn Rand was patient, polite unless insulted, and endlessly interested in the importance of ideas, but she suffered no fools while I by no means claim to be her intellectual equal, in this, I would say we are much the same. Just to claim something is debatable does not give the claim credibility. In the mind of the person ruled by whim, anything is debatable because any wish is valid if they wish it. I recall being at my grandmother's house when we watched on television as men landed on the moon for the first time. My grandmother said that it wasn't true, the men hadn't really landed on the moon. She said that they had gone up in the air and come down on the other side of the world and only thought they were on the moon. I asked why she believed that. She smiled knowingly and said that God would not allow men to do such a thing, so He had tricked them. To my grandmother, this was a debate. I thought it was frustratingly cute. There is no way to debate with someone who is holding to irrational notions and is unwilling to consider provable evidence to the contrary. If they are unwilling to use their senses to discover truths of existence, then they have nothing left but the limits of their imagination. It is useless to try to discuss or debate with this kind of person.
Go read INTRODUCTION TO OBJECTIVISM EPISTEMOLOGY by Ayn Rand (epistemology is a science devoted to the discovery of the proper methods of acquiring and validating knowledge), or OBJECTIVISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND by Dr. Leonard Peikoff, and then come back and tell me just what it is you think is debatable. I believe that Ayn Rand was the greatest philosophical thinker since Aristotle and very likely the most brilliant philosopher in the entire history of mankind. Ayn Rand is the first person in history to develop an entire philosophy that is applicable to all knowledge and in every aspect directly provable. For all practical purpose, it effectively ends all philosophical debate. But you go ahead, Ashael, you go find all the glaring and debatable holes in this woman's thinking and vast body of work, and let the rest of the world know what you've come up with. Everyone is waiting.
"Randroid" is a direct insult aimed at discrediting the philosophy of Ayn Rand because that philosophy exposes all flawed thinking about the nature of knowledge. Ayn Rand gave the philosophy she developed the name "Objectivism" because it is an objective view of existence. She did not like her name used, such as 'Randian", when talking about philosophy because she took a sweeping look at philosophy across a vast time scale; it was not about her, but about truth.
Everyone needs philosophy to live. Some choose flawed philosophy. Even a murderer lives by a philosophy that he had to do it because the victim needed killing. It is up to us to use our minds to discover which way of thinking is true, and why it is true. Your life depends on it.
Every other philosophy offers a view of man as immoral, sinful, tainted, corrupt, with only other dimensions or worlds or lives or gods as the hope to save us from sure destruction, retribution, and punishment for our evil ways. Each requires man to adhere to laws from other worlds or from the imaginations of the special few who can interact with these mystical forces. Objectivism stands alone against such mysticism. Ayn Rand said: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity. and reason as his only absolute."

Lastly, "Aren't you afraid to alienate certain readers by integrating an increasing dosage of those ideals into the newer books?"

What readers? Socialists? Murderers? Pedophiles? Whiners? Well, yes, I suppose the light of truth will alienate those kinds of readers. Good. I encourage them to be alienated and to leave. I encourage all those who don't enjoy my books to go read something they do enjoy. Why would anyone spend their life reading something they don't enjoy? Because life has no value to them?
There are hundreds of thousands people who smile with pleasure when they read my books, but they never go on the internet to "share" their feelings. Instead, they go to friends and loved ones and tell them that they have to read my books, that finally there is someone writing stories with which they can identify. There are precious few other
places where thinking people can go for a coherent, uplifting view of life. Each one of my books is dedicated to the concept of embracing life. They use truth to do this, just as we must in real life. My later books, which contain the "increased dosage" you scold me for including, just so happen to have been huge bestsellers, with sales increasing by large margins over each previous book. Seems that those who like my way of writing sort of outnumber those few who are alienated and outnumbered not just by a few, but by hundreds of thousands.
You will have to excuse me if I don't intend to throw away my reasoned philosophy, success, and ever-growing number of fans to avoid offending the handful of noisy whiners. That would be treason not only to myself, but also to all those hundreds of thousands of readers who simply enjoy reading my books, along with a variety of other people's books. I realize that the vast majority of people who read my books enjoy them and wish me to continue telling stories that are fun to read as well as relevant to important issues they face in the real world. I deeply appreciate having these people read my books. I know that many young people read the books simply because they like a good fantasy story. I intend to keep giving them that, as well as works that they can read years later and enjoy even more.
I appreciate all the kind words of encouragement I receive from readers. Such sincerity does not go unnoticed. I also want to say that whenever I do a book signing, the bookstores always comment on how wonderful my fans are, that they are completely different from any other signings they have held. I think that thoughtful books attract thoughtful people.

I am rereading the Wheel of Time books, and a bit now and then of Bruce Duffy's The World as I Found It.

 

[finowns]

Wow you can tell he was frustrated by that question.

 

[Tayo]

not funny but interesting.

 

[Tr4nce]

Can't stop reading the Discworld books!!

 

[-Kees-]

 

[Scythian Empire]

Alice Walkers' The Colour Purple.

Only a few pages in but my god is it depressing.

 

[choodi]

Just started this...still not convinced about the series, but I was just about to get on a 10 hour flight and needed something to read.

Going to get a Kindle soon (Aussie dollar is almost at parity with the US dollar) and going to get a bunch of books I have been meaning to buy as a result of these threads.

 

[Xater]

It's really, really good yes. Do not expect Dostoyevsky, it's not thát good, but this really is pretty much the best the genre has to offer. Almost done with the second book and it's one big WOAH after the other. ALso, he's not afraid to kill main characters, which is awesome as you never know whether or not a character will survive a situation.

I enjoy it more this time around. It might have been my expectations back when I first started it. I only heard awesome fantasy and bought the book. I think I was more prepared for awesome swords & sorcery and instead got a fantasy family saga. Now that I knew what to expect I am kinda enoying it. I am not in love yet but that might come as I go further along. I am just 10% in according to my Kindle.

 

[LordPhoque]

 

[ilikeme]

Wow. :lol Goodkind


I just finished Norwegian Wood by Murakami. (the swedish translation is fantastic)

I began reading it a year or so ago in the summer, at the same time reading The Wind-up Bird Chronicles. I was so enamored by the Bird that Wood felt quite mundane and boring in comparison. This time I was sucked into Wood and Bird feels quite unaccesible.. I'm in the middle of it after a year break, might be why.
I quite ejoyed it! The characters felt like, at least parts of, people I've known or do know.

Trying to read a Nobel Prize winner's work I'm trying our Mario Llosas' 'City and the dogs'. I'm liking it so far, but.. I think I've read this story quite a few times. Kids grow up.
I'm only halfway through so far and it's well-written although the stream-of-consciousness parts and the different points of view just make it feel schizophrenic, at least the way I'm reading it (rather long breaks, also reading other books at the same time).
I'm mostly reading the book because a friend of mine is half-Peruan was born in Peru and there was a chance they would've stayed and she could have grown up over there. This makes it much more interesting even though this is Peru in the sixties.

And finally I'm reading the Ursula Le Guin novel I began a while back. The Dispossessed.
I'm only about 4 chapters in but the story and the writing is just as fascinating as Left Hand of Darkness was.

edit: Oh oh! Almost forgot. I also borrowed Good Night Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian.. this book brings me close to tears so many times. It's like a guide book on how to treat people right. So mushy.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I just finished A Name of the Wind

I thought it was excellent. The setting, characters, dialogue, and overall writing were all great and I just burned through the book. I can't wait for the sequel.

I'm trying to go back to The Lies of Locke Lamora

But it's just not sucking me in like I had hoped. I'm about 100 pages in so far, and I'm not really finding it to be that entertaining. The writing is good, but I think the Italian-esque setting just isn't doing it for me, which is weird because I loved how the Styria setting was handled in Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold. Maybe it's the characters that I'm not liking, or perhaps it's the onslaught of "glossary terms" that Scott Lynch throws at the reader, or how the story kind of jumps around between different points in time. I'm not sure what it is, but I think I'll try another 100 pages before deciding whether to continue or not.

 

[nakedsushi]

I think I was more prepared for awesome swords & sorcery and instead got a fantasy family saga. Now that I knew what to expect I am kinda enoying it. I am not in love yet but that might come as I go firther along. I am just 10% in according to my Kindle.

I was the opposite. I don't like swords and sorcery fantasy, so I was really scared that Song of Ice & Fire would have crazy magic and dragons and what not, but luckily, I was pleasantly surprised. Probably gonna start his Wildcards anthology next month as well as that collection of romance short stories he's putting together.

 

[Tim the Wiz]

Cocks in Goodkind have vicious spikes. As in Red Dwarf, unusually. In only one of these cases is the spiked cock intentionally played for laughs.

This is the wonderful gibbering tantrum from an interview. So much pumping of his tiny fists.

:lol

There are many targets of hate, there are fewer focal points of justified hate. This is one. Feels good, man.

 

[Tayo]

this is a good book.

 

[thomaser]

Started Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger, winner of the Booker in 2008. Around 15 pages in, and I can tell this is going to be a fantastic ride!

 

[Kodiak]

OK so I started reading "His Majesty's Dragon" in print, and its my first print book since I got my Kindle - and I have to say, I actually enjoy reading on kindle more than reading in print. Its virtually the same experience except the physical book is more clunky, especially a small paperback while trying to read on the MUNI.

The only thing that annoys me about the Kindle is the percentage at the bottom that is always displayed - I find it really distracting. Does anyone know how to turn that off?

As for His Majesty's Dragon

It's like Harry Potter meets The Terror. :lol and I'm really enjoying it.

 

[Blackace]

:lol

:lol :lol :lol :lol

 

[kinn]

Richard Morgan
Woken Furies

Enjoyed this. Was a good read but Altered Carbon is still the best IMHO.

 

[Alucard]

So, is Wizard's First Rule really that bad?

 

[Sotha Sil]

So, is Wizard's First Rule really that bad?

It's tolerable. The nightmarish stuff happens later on.

 

[KidDork]

Goodkind always reminds me of those fly by night karate instructors you sometimes find in strip malls. Just intense, and invariably filled with bullshit.

 

[Salazar]

So, is Wizard's First Rule really that bad?

If you read it and stop there, you won't suffer lasting damage.

Suggestions from ASOIAF for Goodkind shirts. Bolded are the ones I would buy and wear.

"Kicking Kids in the Jaw Since 1994!"
"Communists are Pussies!"/"Hippies are Pussies!"
"Kahlan is a Slut!"
"Love Life or I'll Kill You Myself"
"What Would Richard Rahl Do?"
"Hot and Sweaty Yeard Love"
"I'll Salt Your Fields, Bitch."
"Please Don't Beat Me Up"
"Delightfully Truthy, yet Uneducated"
"Richard Happens"
"It's Not Fantasy! It's Really NOT!"
"You Can't Argue With 39 Million Imaginary People"
"My Boss Is A D'Haran Dictator"
"The Only Sure Things in Life are Gang-Rape and Long Speeches"
"Carpe Yeardum"

 

[Granger Danger]

The only thing that annoys me about the Kindle is the percentage at the bottom that is always displayed - I find it really distracting. Does anyone know how to turn that off?

I want to know this too. It's very annoying.

 

[FnordChan]

Last night I finished Cryoburn, Lois Bujold's latest Vorkosigan novel. If you've never read this series, Cryoburn really isn't the place to start; while it works well as a stand alone novel and can be enjoyed strictly on the basis of the quality of the writing and the intriguing plot, a fan of the series and it's characters will get a lot more out of it than someone walking in cold. On the flip side, a fan of the series doesn't need any encouragement to want to rush out and read the latest installment immediately. That said, I'll soldier on with a brief description.

Bujold's science fiction has always been more interested in technology surrounding genetics, life, and death than the space opera trappings of it's universe. In Cryoburn, Miles is sent on an investigation on a planet whose major industry is the cryogenic preservation of humans until they can be woken again in a future where medical advances will hopefully have caught up with old age, fatal illness, or what have you. Miles (naturally) finds himself in the thick of the planet's problems, and from there it's corporate and political intrigue through the end of the book. We also get to follow some other viewpoints, such as the long-suffering Armsman Roic (who gets to play Zeppo to Miles' Groucho) and a local boy caught up in the plot.

All in all, it's a fine entry in the series, if perhaps not up with the absolute top tier of Vorkosigan novels. That said...well, I'm going to be vague here but let me break out the spoiler tags anyway.

Spoiler

Everything is chugging along nicely and you think, "This is all quite interesting" until the very end of the book, at which point the other shoe drops and you realize that Bujold is exploring an interesting part of her SF universe while also riffing on it thematically in a way that's a lot more apparent once you're done reading the novel. If Cryoburn isn't the pinnacle of the series, it is an important transitional book. Miles is about to begin a new chapter in his life and I'm looking forward to seeing where Bujold goes from here.

As an aside, the hardcover comes with a CD that (I'm told, having not checked it out myself) contains the entire Vorkosigan series (except Memory, which apparently was accidentally left out) in a variety of digital formats, along with speeches, articles, and more. If you enjoy reading ebooks, are interested in checking out the Vorkosigan saga, and would like to get 15 or so novels at once (and cheaply to boot), here's your chance.

Next up, a serious change of pace and a fast read while I wait for Side Jobs to arrive from Amazon: Death Squad, the second novel in the long running Executioner series. In the first, Mack Bolan came home from Nam to find that the Mafia caused his entire family to be killed and, naturally, went out to slaughter a whole bunch of them before going on the lam. Now he's arrived in LA where he's going to put a team of his old war buddies together and, presumably, kill even more mob members. Awesome.

FnordChan

 

[Xater]

I want to know this too. It's very annoying.

You can't deactivate it.

I like to know how far along I am but I would prefer a page count instead of the percentage. The Sony reader I have gives me a page count.

 

[manofmandango]

Having just recently finishing the four A Song of Ice and Fire books, I just read this for fun:

Not the most amazing read but quick and enjoyable.

This is coming in the mail today.

 

[Enco]

Pretty interesting. Got it for £2.99 on iBooks. Worth the money.

 

[Guileless]

Started The Night Country by Stewart O'Nan. The prose itself is a joy to read, but the book is unrelentingly bleak and depressing. Weird juxtaposition. I think I'd rather read his great prose on a lighter subject than this (death, the randomness of fate, and emotional breakdown.) Not really enjoying it but I'm halfway done and will finish it.

Definitely need to pick this one up. You get Witmark Demo's yet? Excellent!

Not yet, but it's on my list.

 

[Jarlaxle]

So, is Wizard's First Rule really that bad?

I would go so far as to say that Wizard's First Rule is actually pretty good. The next 3 books are ok. The remaining books (starting with Soul of the Fire) are all absolutely terrible and not worth anyone's time. Although I kind of enjoyed Faith of the Fallen. Sorry GAF.

It's worth picking up the book just to see Terry's picture at the back of the book. This guy actually believes he is the main character. It's hysterical.

 

[aidan]

So, is Wizard's First Rule really that bad?

I've always felt that the first six novels are pretty good. It's after that that the series really falls off a cliff (Naked Empire in particular). That said, I haven't read them since I was a teenager, so my opinion might be different if I read them now.

 

[coldvein]

love that Terry Goodkind pic.

I remember reading the first couple books in the series as a kid and loving them..what makes the rest of the books so bad? any examples? i don't plan on ever reading them, just curious..

 

[aidan]

love that Terry Goodkind pic.

I remember reading the first couple books in the series as a kid and loving them..what makes the rest of the books so bad? any examples? i don't plan on ever reading them, just curious..

Essentially, his insane political and philosophical meanderings start overtaking any semblance of storytelling. The novels often devolve into chapter long speeches promoting objectivism.

 

[Az987]

Finished what I was reading, about to start Irving Stone's Lust for Life.

 

[luxarific]

Just Finished Surface Detail last week. If you're a fan of Bank's previous Culture novels, I'm sure you will love the last page as much as I did. (Resist the temptation to skip! :lol)

 

[Sotha Sil]

Question for aidan (and for any GAFer, but he's clearly our fantasy expert): ever read The Red Wolf Conspiracy? It has been sitting on my backlog shelf forever.

 

[chuckddd]

Meh. It's ok to not love it. Of course, it isn't ok to say you don't love it on GAF, but you don't have to feel bad.

Speaking of my unpopular opinions, I'm gonna give that hack Banks another shot. Player of Games, here I come.

Why not go straight to Use of Weapons. If you hate on that book, I will then give up on you and your reading comprehension. I will also troll ERod. Well, I'll troll him some more!

 

[TestMonkey]

After how the last Dresden book ended I needed more. Halfway through the new short story and I'm enjoying it.

 

[coldvein]

After how the last Dresden book ended I needed more. Halfway through the new short story and I'm enjoying it.

i've always wanted to read some of these books but the covers all suck so much that i can never bring myself to buy one.

 

[Xater]

i've always wanted to read some of these books but the covers all suck so much that i can never bring myself to buy one.

"Never judge a book by it's cover."

 

[HamPster PamPster]

I saw a book posted on gaf (guessing one of these threads or one of the martial arts threads) about a american who went to learn kung fu from buddist monks

Ring a bell? Anyone know what the title is?

"Never judge a book by it's cover."

Those "_______ Mage" books by Karen Miller (I think) have such great covers. I want to get them just because of the covers

 

[aidan]

Question for aidan (and for any GAFer, but he's clearly our fantasy expert): ever read The Red Wolf Conspiracy? It has been sitting on my backlog shelf forever.

It (and its sequel) are on my backlog, too. From what I've heard, The Red Wolf Conspiracy is great, with a wonderful Gormenghastesque setting, but toes the line with YA-ish prose. The second volume, (The Rats and) the Ruling Sea (it's got a different title in the UK/USA), is supposed to be decent, but suffers from middle-book syndrome and doesn't live up to the quality of the first.

Either way, it's been on my radar since it was first released, despite all the other books that have been released since then.

 

[coldvein]

"Never judge a book by it's cover."

i know! but those covers are just so, SO appalling to me for some reason. it makes me think that everything inside the cover is garbage. do i have a problem?

 

[Toby]

i know! but those covers are just so, SO appalling to me for some reason. it makes me think that everything inside the cover is garbage. do i have a problem?

Only if we both do. I also think they look awful, which makes me not want to try them.

 

[LocoMrPollock]

Finished The Long Ships awhile back. Loved it.

Been reading various stuff but got into this recently -

A little over halfway through it right now, and just read George R. R. Martin's "Meathouse Man" that is included in the collection, and it just totally blew me away. Very dark and depressing. The collection is worth picking up for that story alone.

 

[aidan]

A little over halfway through it right now, and just read George R. R. Martin's "Meathouse Man" that is included in the collection, and it just totally blew me away. Very dark and depressing. The collection is worth picking up for that story alone.

GRRM's short fiction is as good, or better, than his work on A Song of Ice and Fire. If you're into short fiction at all, be sure to pick up Dreamsongs Vol. I&II. They're an unreal collection of great stories.

 

[LocoMrPollock]

GRRM's short fiction is as good, or better, than his work on A Song of Ice and Fire. If you're into short fiction at all, be sure to pick up Dreamsongs Vol. I&II. They're an unreal collection of great stories.

Will do. Thanks for the recommendation.