What Did You Read Today?

[Timmoru Suzuki]

I'm reading Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch; it's a police-procedure urban fantasy comedy... It's quite good and short which makes it a refreshing read after A Game of Thrones.

After I've finished that, it'll either be Playback by Raymond Chandler, A Warhammer 40K Novel from an anthology I brought yonks ago, a random spy thriller my mum lent me, A random Jo Nesbo that my mum keeps trying to lend me, or finally getting around to reading Lord of the Rings.

[Benjamin]

Ah ha, an opening! Warhammer, 40K, it's robots with swords, right. I saw a bunch of them at the bookstore yesterday. Can someone tell me how do I start reading it? Like which books to start with?

[hot rod]

Just got the Dead Island book in the mail and put a good 50 page dent in it.

[S.V. Ellis]

I read a little bit of Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. I went hard on it for a few days and knocked 2/3 out and now I can't read more like 5 pages at a time. He's so pretentious.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Ah ha, an opening! Warhammer, 40K, it's robots with swords, right. I saw a bunch of them at the bookstore yesterday. Can someone tell me how do I start reading it? Like which books to start with?

I'll ask my housemate, If he doesn't have almost every damn 40K book I'd be surprised. From my limited experience of them, It's more genetically engineered super-soldiers with guns (and swords) fighting heretics, orcs, demons and tonnes of alien races in a bid to expand/protect the human race. He did advise me to choose a particular series and follow that (one series or another might follow a particular squadron of soldiers, or a particular species or campaigns in a particular sector, or might focus on air combat rather than ground combat). The anthology in my 'To Read pile' collects three books in a series called Gaunt's Ghosts and I brought it because I like the authors comic book work and it was something that I knew my house-mate didn't have.

There is also the big 'event' in the 40K universe called the Horus Heresy (set around 30K really, but still...) which tells of how a large number of the human chapters became heretics/posessed by demons/otherbadshit. Because it's a huge cash cow for them they've released about 20 books (and counting) in the series. I've read the first one and it was solid enough, and I've heard from large numbers of people that if you can pick and choose the important books in the series then they get better and better and better.

So yeah, I'll talk to my housemate! Until then, the publishers have a 'New Reader?' page, which you may find useful. Here.

Edited September 29, 2011 by Yoshihiro timmayyama

[Skummy]

I read a little bit of Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. I went hard on it for a few days and knocked 2/3 out and now I can't read more like 5 pages at a time. He's so pretentious.

Has he compared himself to Christ yet? That was my favourite bit.

[caucasianheat]

Honestly, as both a child then and a man now, Bret Hart is of far greater importance to me. There is no comparison, he does himself a disservice

I picked up an anthology of DH Lawrence stories in a second-hander over the weekend and I've been reading that whenever I've got a spare minute. I've got my eye on a translated collection of de Stijl issues as well on abebooks. I should probably get Infinite Jest at some point too, if I'm to capably seduce a woman who wrote her masters on Foster Wallace.

[Benjamin]

Ah ha, an opening! Warhammer, 40K, it's robots with swords, right. I saw a bunch of them at the bookstore yesterday. Can someone tell me how do I start reading it? Like which books to start with?

I'll ask my housemate, If he doesn't have almost every damn 40K book I'd be surprised. From my limited experience of them, It's more genetically engineered super-soldiers with guns (and swords) fighting heretics, orcs, demons and tonnes of alien races in a bid to expand/protect the human race. He did advise me to choose a particular series and follow that (one series or another might follow a particular squadron of soldiers, or a particular species or campaigns in a particular sector, or might focus on air combat rather than ground combat). The anthology in my 'To Read pile' collects three books in a series called Gaunt's Ghosts and I brought it because I like the authors comic book work and it was something that I knew my house-mate didn't have.

There is also the big 'event' in the 40K universe called the Horus Heresy (set around 30K really, but still...) which tells of how a large number of the human chapters became heretics/posessed by demons/otherbadshit. Because it's a huge cash cow for them they've released about 20 books (and counting) in the series. I've read the first one and it was solid enough, and I've heard from large numbers of people that if you can pick and choose the important books in the series then they get better and better and better.

So yeah, I'll talk to my housemate! Until then, the publishers have a 'New Reader?' page, which you may find useful. Here.

Thanks, man (Y)

[Liam]

I read a little bit of Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. I went hard on it for a few days and knocked 2/3 out and now I can't read more like 5 pages at a time. He's so pretentious.

Has he compared himself to Christ yet? That was my favourite bit.

Yeah, whilst it is arguably the best wrestler autobiography out there, I came out disliking Hart even more than I did already.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Ah ha, an opening! Warhammer, 40K, it's robots with swords, right. I saw a bunch of them at the bookstore yesterday. Can someone tell me how do I start reading it? Like which books to start with?

I'll ask my housemate, If he doesn't have almost every damn 40K book I'd be surprised. From my limited experience of them, It's more genetically engineered super-soldiers with guns (and swords) fighting heretics, orcs, demons and tonnes of alien races in a bid to expand/protect the human race. He did advise me to choose a particular series and follow that (one series or another might follow a particular squadron of soldiers, or a particular species or campaigns in a particular sector, or might focus on air combat rather than ground combat). The anthology in my 'To Read pile' collects three books in a series called Gaunt's Ghosts and I brought it because I like the authors comic book work and it was something that I knew my house-mate didn't have.

There is also the big 'event' in the 40K universe called the Horus Heresy (set around 30K really, but still...) which tells of how a large number of the human chapters became heretics/posessed by demons/otherbadshit. Because it's a huge cash cow for them they've released about 20 books (and counting) in the series. I've read the first one and it was solid enough, and I've heard from large numbers of people that if you can pick and choose the important books in the series then they get better and better and better.

So yeah, I'll talk to my housemate! Until then, the publishers have a 'New Reader?' page, which you may find useful. Here.

Thanks, man (Y)

His quick answer was, "it depends what he likes to read generally."

His longer answer was explaining that while the 40K universe deals with war and lots more war, it is also one giant sandbox that writers and game-makers have dumped stuff into, so if for example you like Vampire fiction then you might enjoy the novels about the Blood Angels. He likes the books about the Spacewolves; who, you guessed it, are Werewolves in Space, with a culture based off Norse mythology. If you like crime novels then you might like novels about The Inquisition.

If you're just looking for a general overview though then your probably best off with either the Horus Heresy stuff I mentioned earlier, novels about the Imperial Guard, or the Gaunt's Ghosts series.

Wiki has a nice list of all the (many) Warhammer 40K novels. List.

Edited October 1, 2011 by Yoshihiro timmayyama

[Benjamin]

Thanks. I liked the look of Ciaphas Cain, as it looks to have politics and conspiracy. I might read something like the Horus Heresy or that thing I saw that tells about the history (Warhammer 30000 or something like that?) first, then head to this one.

[KONGO]

Been reading Robert Howard's Conan story "Red Nails" on the john for the past few days. Always been a huge fan of Conan stories, they're generally lots of fun. However, I've never been able to get that feeling in stories of my own. Beyond Howard's racism and sexism, I've found out why: Conan is a really shitty character. No flaws at all. Not sure if I'll be able to continue this.

[SRN]

I've been reading alot of Conan stories lately as well; might as well since I got the Centenary Collection with what I think is every published story about Conan. And I must say; he does have flaws, he isn't just some godly character walking around and maiming everything. I've read many stories where he almost dies; read "Tower Of the Elephant", you'll see.

He is supposed to be an unstoppable warrior, not an invincible death machine. That is a fine line and I think Robert Howard's manages it very well in many of Conan stories.

[KONGO]

Almost dying is not a flaw, especially if you then win. Conan basically does just walk around and maim everything. "Tower of the Elephant" is one of the better stories because it deals with him interacting with the supernatural, but "not being supernatural" is not a character flaw.

[SRN]

He is prideful, he has no fear and thus charges headlong into everything without a second thought, I would think those are flaws. And when did I ever say that "not being supernatural" is a character flaw?

[KONGO]

They would be flaws if they ever didn't work out for him. And Conan is plenty cautious when it's warranted.

[SRN]

But... they don't work for him. In "The Scarlet Citadel" he gets an entire army killed because of his pride. But then again, this is low fantasy, short fiction. I guess the whole concept of character development isn't THAT prevalent.

[KONGO]

Um. In "The Scarlet Citadel," his armies are beaten because of a wizard and his supposed ally betraying him. That has nothing to do with his pride. It's completely assumed that in a fair fight, he would have defeated his enemies, and you can't really assume that people are going to have a wizard on his side or that he's going to be betrayed. He is always a frank judge of the odds and risk. He does sometimes throw himself at enemies when he's overmatched, but in those situations his back is always against the wall, and he also wins.

And really, that last bit is exactly why people don't respect the genre. I think you can get it all in the same package.

[SRN]

Guess it has been too long since I read "The Scarlet Citadel". Well, whatever, I am still going to read the Conan stories. Although it seems it isn't allowed.

[KONGO]

They are fun stories, as I said. I just want more out of them than there is.