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21/05/2021, 06:19 AM DonutKing - First post

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[bageled]

You guys may remember this old thread I started.

It's one I have gone back to often to check names of books recommended by you lot.

SO I decided to start a new one with a more meaningful title.

If you want to recommend a book or book series, please do so here.

[SolidSmiddi]

lol 1984 ain't allowed in europe for another 8 years and in the u.s. for another 22

BS
sauce

Its not that its not allowed (ie illegal), its not to be sold. There is a difference.
(much like Mein Kampf isnt allowed to be sold in some countries)

Nineteen Eighty-Four will not enter the US public domain until 2044,[13] and in the European Union until 2020, although it is in the public domain in Canada,[14] Russia,[15] and Australia.[16]

ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

My GF is a pom and had never heard of it.
I was dumbfounded as it was a part of our high school curriculum.

.

[DonutKing]

Like I said in my previous post, its talking about the copyright expiring. After a certain number of years any creative works copyright expires. This is known as entering the public domain. Anybody can copy and resell, or even create derivative works using the name, without having to pay royalties.

There is no reason why any bookstore in the US or Europe cannot sell this book.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain

[bageled]

I just knocked over the Destroymen series by Taylor Anderson. WW2 destroyer does through a storm and ends up in an alternative reality. Something about ice ages. Anyways, good fun massive battle scenes. In the same vein of the Prince Roger series Carples mentioned.
He has written one triology, and has a contract to release a second triology in the same buffyverse beginning this year.

[bageled]

Reading E.E Knight Vampire Earth series at the moment.

http://www.vampjac.com/vampireearth/


Up to book 6 of 8, loving it. Interesting take on the vampire myth with a post apocolyptic twist. Nothing policitical in it, just good old actiony fun with heaps of battle scenes, one poeticaly graphic sex scene per book. Comparable to the Bernard Cornwells Sharpe series, though the characters in Vampire Earth are no where near as lovable as Cornwells. But the Vampire Earth universe is ambitious and interesting, and the battle scenes are just as much fun as Sharpe. The pace and plot is similar to Sharpe.

[naf]

I read "Killing Rage" by Eamon Collins of my honeymoon.

It's factual account of Eamon's life growing up in Northern Ireland then joining the provisional IRA and working his way up through it's ranks. Here's some info about his life from wikipedia:

He joined the IRA at the height of the blanket protest by H-block prisoners in the late 1970s, who wanted Special Category Status for republican prisoners. Collins became involved in street demonstrations at the time and was impressed by the left-wing politics of the new generation of republican leadership that had emerged in the late 1970s.

Collins joined the South Down Brigade of the IRA, based around Newry. This was not one of the organisation's most active units, but it sometimes worked with the South Armagh Brigade, which was the most effective of the IRA's command areas.[citation needed] Collins says in his book Killing Rage that he never felt able to kill anyone himself, but instead became the South Down Brigade's "intelligence officer".

This involved gathering intelligence on intended assassination and bombing targets. His planning was directly responsible for at least five killings, including that of Ulster Defence Regiment Major Ivan Toombs. Many of the bombing targets of Collins' unit were of limited significance. For example, they destroyed the public library in Newry and a pub where a police choir drank after practice.

Collins became noted for his hard-line views on the continuance of armed struggle within the IRA and later becoming part of the nutting squad. On the promptings of the South Armagh Brigade, Collins became a member of Sinn Féin in Newry. The South Armagh IRA wanted a hard-line militarist in the party as they were opposed to the increasing emphasis of the republican leadership on the political over the military wing of the movement.[citation needed] Collins was not, however, selected as a Sinn Féin candidate for local government elections. In part, this was due to his suspicion of the IRA and Sinn Féin leadership, whom he suspected of running down 'the war'. He had a public dispute with Gerry Adams at the funeral of an IRA man, killed in a failed bombing, where Collins was accused of calling Adams a 'Stick' (a derogatory name for Official IRA members, who were considered traitors by Provisional IRA supporters). In Killing Rage, however, Collins denies the claim, instead suggesting that he only accused Adams of taking actions likened to those of a 'Stick'.

Despite his militarist convictions, Collins found the emotional strain of the IRA campaign, along with the pressure from the security forces intolerable. On two occasions, he was arrested under anti-terrorism legislation and held in Castlereagh holding centre for seven days and subjected to 24-hour interrogation. On the second of these occasions, in 1985, the police were enraged by the killing, on the day of Collins' arrest, of nine of their colleagues in an IRA mortar attack in Newry. Towards the end of his time in custody, Collins reportedly "broke" and said that he was prepared to co-operate with the police.

In his book, Collins says that the strain of the interrogation exacerbated doubts that he had already had about the morality and direction the IRA campaign. He argues in his book that the republican leadership had already decided that the "war was over" by the mid-1980s and was already manoeuvring Sinn Féin to participate in what later became the Northern Ireland peace process.

It's quite a good book, critical of both sides of the struggle in Nothern Ireland. He was killed in 1999 after writing this book, appearing in a TV show and testifing against Thomas 'Slab' Murphy. It's interesting to get a insiders view of how the IRA worked during his time being a member... read it, it's good.

[DonutKing]

Some of you might have played a game called 'Alpha Centauri', released in 1999. It's a Sid Meier game, and is basically Civilization on another planet. At the time it was made, Sid had just started a new company but didn't have the rights to the Civilization franchise so made a sci-fi version of the game instead, with a different name. The thing about this game is that it has a rich backstory and each playable faction has its own unique idealogies and personality. Its an excellent game and to this day is one of my favourite games.

Before release the creators had an episodic story written by Michael Ely, with a new episode released weekly on their website. After the games release there were 3 novels written based on the games universe, continuing this story. The episodic stories are available for free download at http://www.firaxis.com/smac/story.cfm

I've just finished the first novel, Centauri Dawn and it is actually a pretty good read... although I wonder how good it would be if you weren't familiar with the game and characters already. Its written pretty well so I suspect it wouldn't be a bad book if you didn't play the game or read the episodes beforehand, but its definately enhanced by doing so. It tells of two of the factions as they struggle to build their colony on the new planet, as tensions between them escalate and lead to conflict. I think it borrows a bit from the Illiad though.... overall, I enjoyed it.

I just ordered the second book, Dragon Sun, and was going to order the third, Twilight of the Mind, until I saw that it cost several hundred dollars o_O Cheapest I've found is at Amazon.com who have it second hand for $89.99US. I'm guessing that it had a short print run, being released 3 years after the game was, it probably wasn't a great seller. I've seen prices as high as $600US for it- why, I cannot fathom.

If you happen to see this book anywhere cheap- snap it up and I'll buy it off you... its supposedly the best of the trilogy, and focuses on the University, my favourite faction from the game

[Ametros]

Reading David Eddings' Belgariad right now - I'm mostly through the 4th and I say that Eddings has earned the praise given to him by the likes of Christopher Paolini.

Anybody know when Paolini's next book is due??

[Dex]

probably not for a year or more

[cryptochild4]

Catch 22, my favorite book of all time i think.
Someone said it already but +1 for Terry Pratchett.
anything by Neil Gaiman.
The wolf of wall street (awesome book, on a rich as stock broker, e.g. of his exces, in one weekend binge, racked up a $700 000 hotel bill, sunk a 150 foot yacht, and sank a gulf stream jet).

[Carples]

Do not read Max Brooks "Zombie Survival guide"
It has to be the crapest book I have ever had the mis fortune to come across. Seemed like a fun read but is poorly researched (not the zombie lore), unedited, contraditatory i.e. bow is a good weapon but compound bow is not???. Do not read this pile of shit. I must admit I continue to read it just to see what the next poorly thought out piece of advice will be.
The Destroyerman series is a good one by taylor anderson.

[RainSunshine]

If you haven't already, check out Stieg Larsson "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Trilogy. Recently came out as a movie as well. Great crime read, pity he died shortly after publishing his books so there are no more .

In other news:
Recently Read -
Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson: Epic fantasy read, enjoyed the change from typical cliche fantasy plotline.

Currently Reading -
Superfreakonomics - Steven Levitt
Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Dance, Dance, Dance - Haruki Murakami
Crime and Punishment - Dostoyevsky

[bageled]

Brandon Sanderson eh, I was thinking I Should look him up, he did a great job with the new Wheel of Time book.

[bageled]

Catch 22, I dunno, I read that years ago and liked it, I picked it up again about 6 months ago and couldn't get through the first chapter, it was a little to......self impressed....

[Ametros]

Reading E.E Knight Vampire Earth series at the moment.

Have you read any of his "Dragon" books yet? I've recently read Dragon Champion and Dragon Avenger. Decent books and I liked them.

[Splints]

I read World War Z by Max Brooks, fantastic book.
Gonna make a movie out of it with brad pitt.

ZOMBIES FTW!!!