What Are You Reading?

[Hawki]

That belongs in "what are you playing?" I have Isolation, but haven't played it yet.

Actually, on the subject, I've been playing Doom, and started Doom II. I'm giving the former a stamp of "good," because even if story's non-existent and I prefer Marathon (story being one of those reasons), it's quite impressive how well the gameplay holds up even to this day.

[TheEconomist]

That belongs in "what are you playing?"

I did a search and found nothing. Weird. I knew I remembered there being a topic on that.

I have Isolation, but haven't played it yet.

You bought it but didn't play it? That's expensive bro. Also, you should really play it. Like now. Excellent game, if its your thing which I'm guessing it is given our conversations.

I was one of the few people that really loved Doom 3. I don't know why. We just clicked back in the day. It in no way holds up today, but it was fun while it was new.



Also, has anyone read the Ringworld series? It's on sale and I've heard a lot of mixed things about. Wanting an opinion from someone I know.

[Hawki]

It's not that uncommon for me. Combination of a lack of time, but also how I spread out what time I do have (writing, wiki editing, reading, electronic stuff). I got Isolation as a pre-order so I could get the DLC packs free as a result, but I haven't got round to playing it.

As for Doom 3, that appeals to me far more than D1/D2 due to its heavier story focus (and I like the D3 novels, unlike the D1/D2 adaptations). However, I thought it would be best to play the originals first given how unpopular D3 is among Doom fans. Even if I end up disagreeing with them, I can at least say that I played the games in the same order and whatnot.

[TheEconomist]

What you've got to understand though (and I'm sure you do now) is that D1/D2 are completely different games from D3, and that's part of the hate. Yes, D1/D2 were timeless classics and D3 was just merely a good game, but the hate goes beyond that. It's more akin to WarCraft fans hating the MMO direction the series took.

Also, Doom 3 novels? I'm intrigued. Was also looking into trying out the Dead Space novels, another series I absolutely love. As an aside, also interested in BioShock books. Read any of these?

I got Isolation as a pre-order so I could get the DLC packs free as a result, but I haven't got round to playing it.

I'd just bootleg the DLC packs. I hate being bothered with that kind of stuff.

[Hawki]

Yeah, I definately get that D1/D2 are separate games from D3 down to their very concept and whatnot. Concerning the D3 novels, there's only two, both of which novelize the game, though the first mainly focuses on events leading up to said game. I can only really recommend them for the sake of a "fun read" though. Nothing particuarly deep in regards to worldbuilding or characterization, but hey, still fun. I like them far more than Knee Deep in the Dead for instance, which tried to marry the D1 mechanics to a novel, and ended up being awful. The D3 books focus far less on the action (even after Hell's invaded) and focus more on characters reacting to the situation and whatnot. It's a case of taking a simple premise (Hell invades, shit happens) and filling in the blanks, while still remaining true to said core premise.

For Dead Space...eh. I've got both of the novels and two of the comics. Both novels take place well before the games (hundreds of years), and don't really fill in anything, nor come off as interesting in their own right. Of the comics I have (Salvage) is set between DS1 and 2, but is very self-contained, and Aftermath (the second anime) fills in the role of an interquel much better. However, I do have the comic Extraction (prequel to the Wii game), which is a very good read. It harkens back to the comic that tied in with the original game, which was excellent - you should be able to find its motion comic form on YouTube.

Far as the Dead Space EU goes, I'd say that the real gems are in the comics, mainly because of the writing, but also because of the art style (Salvage excluded, haven't read Liberation). The two animes produced are okay - I say anime more in the sense of their visual style, but there's no anime tropes or anything, but still, they're only servicable. Novels, meh.

As for BioShock, got nuthin'. Well, haven't read any of the books I guess. Actually have the first two games as part of a bundle I got ages back, but that's another set I've yet to get round to.

[Nissa]

Does anyone else read Robert Heinlein?

[Robear]

Some, yeah, but years ago. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land.

- - - Updated - - -

Some, yeah, but years ago. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land.

[TheEconomist]

Does anyone else read Robert Heinlein?

Got Starship Troopers in the queue. Always wanted to read, I liked the movie, although it's nothing like the book and everyone scifi reader I know hates the movie. I keep getting side tracked with more entertaining scifi military books though.

Anyways, now that the forums back. I guess I'll give an update on my reading.

After burning out harder than anyone's ever burned out before through my most recent semester, I decided i was going to do anything but read and sit on my porch like an old country farmer and digest what I've read. It's been going good so far, although my attention lasted only a week or so. Already getting back into my work but not before I had already done quite a lot of reading.

Mindstar Rising - Great cyberpunk by Peter F Hamilton, who writes some of the most epic science fiction there is. This is the thinking man's cyberpunk, if you will. Great book, highly recommended.

The Prefect - Last of the Revelation Space books, after this that'll be it, and I'm kind of sad. I really liked this series, and it holds a special place in my heart for being the first serious, epic science fiction series I took the time to read to completion and because it was there for me through my breakup with StarCraft 2. I think I'm going to be getting into Iain M Banks's Culture series next.

Fool Moon - Finished the second book of the Harry Dresden series. Fun and entertaining, like a TV sitcom, not much else. Good for what it is.

The Drawing of the Three - Second book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Strange series and a really strange book. I don't think there's anything else like it. Only Stephen King could pull these characters off.

Deadhouse Gates - Finally finished the second book in the Malazan series after taking a long break 2/3 through when school started in August. This book was long and complex, its damn near impossible to get all of the subtleties the first time around, but the ending was amazing. One of the most epic, unexpected endings in any fantasy I've read. Moving on to book three, which an even more massive, complex, ungodly monster. I dunno why I do this to myself.

Solaris - The highlight of my current readings. This is a classic of science fiction up there with Dune and the Asimov books. It's got a really interested premise and is actually one of the few books that I could actually say is a bit off putting in a horror sort of way, although its not scary. It poses a lot of thought provoking questions and I recommend all serious science fiction readers to read it someday.


Since I'm doing almost nothing but reading right now, I've decided I'm going to read several books simultaneously so that I can keep reading all day without getting bogged down in the slow parts of individual books or losing interest in a story. Here's what I'm reading through now.

Promise of Blood, Powder Mage trilogy - First book in a fantasy series in the setting of an industrial, revoluton-era Americaish kind of place. Really interesting so far and pretty unique. Not the usual fantasy stuff.

The Final Empire, Mistborn trilogy - First book of the now famous Brandon Sandersons's trilogy, Mistborn. It's got interesting characters, good writing, but its still fairly fantasy, not cliche, but not entirely unique either.

Dragons of Winter Night - An old favorite from high school. I'm reading it solely for the warm fuzzies it gives me, no other reason. It's dated, simplistic, cliched, and ultimately pointless, but I love every minute of it.

Shards of Honor - First book in one of the most well-loved, awarded series in science fiction. It's character-driven, action-oritented science fiction, though, so it's mostly for fun but it seems really good so far.

Snow Crash - I was in the mood for another cyberpunk, and I thought about reading the second book of the neuromancer series, but Neuromancer was my first audiobook and I wasn't really able to enjoy it or remember it because listening to a narrator for ten hours and focus was beyong my capability of the time. So I decided to go with the other behemoth of the genre, which is Snow Crash. Its pretty good so far, again, a thinking man's cyberpunk. It's especially interesting to me because it has a dystopia setting based around the assumption that Japan would have continued to kick our asses in technology and eat all of our lunches into the future.

Prince of Thorns - Interesting grimdark book that could accurately be described as war and torture porn, but it also goes a bit deeper. Definitely not for the squeamish or the sensitive.


Yes, all of this reading (other than Deadhouse Gates and a portion of Stephen King's book) was done since the eleventh. I've been on a roll recently.

[Robear]

That is an impressive load, Economist. I'm glad for you that you're able to get that much reading done.

Snow Crash - I was in the mood for another cyberpunk, and I thought about reading the second book of the neuromancer series, but Neuromancer was my first audiobook and I wasn't really able to enjoy it or remember it because listening to a narrator for ten hours and focus was beyong my capability of the time. So I decided to go with the other behemoth of the genre, which is Snow Crash. Its pretty good so far, again, a thinking man's cyberpunk. It's especially interesting to me because it has a dystopia setting based around the assumption that Japan would have continued to kick our asses in technology and eat all of our lunches into the future.

Oh man, this was like a canonical book for my beginnings of delving into sci fi. I think I read it first when I was 13, and I got my copy signed by the author a couple years back. I think it appealed to teenage me more than it does now, in part because of how intentionally over the top a lot of it is, particularly the whole intro describing the pizza delivery business and all. But I definitely prefer it to Neuromancer.

It's also great for its very early exploration of what people would do with digital avatars in cyberspace (iirc it popularized the word avatar for that meaning), with people who can't afford much having super low-res default avatars, or others with personalized superpowerful ones, others who just spend money on cosmetics, others who embody completely nonhuman avatars like dragons or whatever. Good stuff. I'll be interested in your thoughts on the overall plot.

[Visions of Khas]

That is an impressive load, Economist.

... *snicker* ...

I'm starting on Three Musketeers, by Alexander Dumas.