What book are you reading...

The Big Show: The Classic Account of WWII Aerial Combat: Pierre Clostermann

For me, its got to be one of my all time best reads. It makes me want to fire up Battle of Britain or Il-2 Sturmovick!

The author meticulously kept a diary of his operations written at the time. An unbelievable account of WW2 aerial warfare where each scramble is recounted in detail.

Very highly recommended.
 
Rids said:
Went through the 3 books in the Mark Lawrence - Book of the Ancestor series in the space of a week. Not really been a fan of Lawrence work in the past but this was easily the best thing of his that I'd read. Its no Book of the Fallen but its a decent enjoyable read.

Just started on the first book in the new Joe Abercrombie series.
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I've liked all of his books thus far but I agree that the BoTA is his best work to date. Enjoy Joe Abercrombie's latest novel - I thought it was fantastic and a great return to form following his Shattered Seas trilogy, which to be fair was aimed at the YA market ( and I don't belong to that demographic ).
 
IvanDobskey said:
How is the consistency throughout the 8 books? Also does the story follow on directly with each one?
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In terms of quality as with most book series, there are peaks and troughs. The first 3 books are generally excellent, most people feel there is a quality drop in book 4 which personally is a favourite of mine so go figure :D

They are written as mini trilogies, book 1-3 closes off some story, book 4 opens more and again closes off with book 6. Generally, as with Empire Strikes back, the mid part of each mini trilogy seems to be the best...so books 2, 5 and 8 so far. There is a massive over arching story with a "big bad" that's been hinted at but not fully realisted even up to the mid point i'm at with book 8 and there is only one more planned.

They are mostly direct continuation, some jarring gaps in time here and there but it does flow well.

If you are to watch the TV series, i'd wait until i'd at least read past where they're at which is book/season 4. The books are, as with most TV adaptions, more rewarding.
 
SixTwoSix said:
In terms of quality as with most book series, there are peaks and troughs. The first 3 books are generally excellent, most people feel there is a quality drop in book 4 which personally is a favourite of mine so go figure :D

They are written as mini trilogies, book 1-3 closes off some story, book 4 opens more and again closes off with book 6. Generally, as with Empire Strikes back, the mid part of each mini trilogy seems to be the best...so books 2, 5 and 8 so far. There is a massive over arching story with a "big bad" that's been hinted at but not fully realisted even up to the mid point i'm at with book 8 and there is only one more planned.

They are mostly direct continuation, some jarring gaps in time here and there but it does flow well.

If you are to watch the TV series, i'd wait until i'd at least read past where they're at which is book/season 4. The books are, as with most TV adaptions, more rewarding.
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Thanks for that :) Will definitely carry on with the series if I enjoy book 1. I'm about 100 pages in so far and it's promising.

Will watch the TV series at some point I'm sure.
 
IvanDobskey said:
Thanks for that :)

Have you read the Algebraist by the way? Also a great Banks non culture sci-fi.
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Yes, it is very good, full of background and world building, with some really clever twists and an awful bad guy, but it doesn't really have a solid resolution, so I kind of felt that the story goes in a circle. But wow, the idea of setting it in these massive gas giants that are hundreds of times bigger than earth and everything works in a totally different way. And that's why Banks was a bit of a storytelling genius.

I do like the Algebraist and seem to like it a bit better every time I read it, but I think Against a Dark Background is just so rich. The solar system floating by itself in darkest interstellar space, with millions of years of human-like history built on top of each other as civilizations rose and fell, with those that are there now grubbing about in the embers of the past for a big payoff. You feel the weight of time in the enclosure of the system where nothing can leave or enter, and everything just gets recycled over and over at a planetary scale. You really feel for Sharrow as she's forced into a path she doesn't want, and as all her devoted friends fail and fall away in her stead. The original ending is quite ambiguous and downbeat, where Banks' later epilogue gives the main character a bittersweet hope for the future, and a bit of redemption for herself.
 
Recently finished:

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Nice easy read. I'm a big fan of the movie, so it was cool to delve into the lives of the characters a little more.

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The extended version of the classic "Who Goes There?" The source material for one of my all-time favourite movies, "The Thing". Brilliant, well worth reading.
 
"The Siberian incident" by Greig Beck. A 'reworking' of "The Thing". 25% through and it's a fun, easy read in Beck's usual style.
 
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