Whats everyone reading?

[The Adventurer]

just started on the star wars infinities epic collection ,a "what if?" collection of tales and the strip based on the original draft of the saga.

The Star Wars is a very interesting read. The other What If stories are of varying quality. I liked New Hope the most.

[Darren Stephens]

Just started on Star Wars: Skywalker strikes. Very enjoyable, and very Star Warsy in a way some of the old Marvel strips where not.

[Mardroid]

I read a couple of Star Wars collections recently. Shattered Empire which I found so-so and Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir which I thought was pretty good.

The first is set not long after Return of the Jedi. Actually it starts within the time period of the Battle of Endor but following another character, [spoiler]Poe's mum apparently[/spoiler] and continues on for a while after with this character on various missions.

The art is nice. And the stories... Not bad to be fair, overall. My initial assessment of 'so-so' comes from [spoiler]the mission of the last story which I found rather ridiculous. Let's risk our lives to rescue a couple of trees. That are strong in the force. I kid you not.[/spoiler]

I much preferred Son of Dathomir, despite thinking [spoiler]The Clone Wars resurrection of Darth Maul[/spoiler] rather silly. [Spoiler]Actually, I ended up really enjoying the character's arc in the second to last series of Clone Wars, and this is a nice continuation. When are they going to kill the character off for real though?[/spoiler]

I also finally got round to reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8: The Long Road Home.

I enjoyed it a lot, even if it did involve the [spoiler]unlikely return of a character who probably should have remained dead. Oddly, in this universe I found it more believable than elsewhere.[/spoiler]

I'm looking forward to reading the others.

[The Legendary Shark]

Finished the Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy. I found it hard to get on with at the start, probably because I'd just finished a few "proper" science fiction books by Le Guin and Pohl, but stuck with it. What really got on my nerves was the use of objected, countered, shot back and bit out (bit out, ffs?) instead of simply "said" - but that's a minor niggle, really. Enjoyable enough books given the fact that you go in knowing the main characters simply aren't going to die or do anything unexpected.

Are there any SW books that explain some of the things ending up as they do in TFA? Things like, assuming we're still spoiler-averse, how certain people took certain paths, how certain things got misplaced or other certain things came into being?

[SuperSurfer]

Over Xmas or when I have gaps with work I try to catch up with unread GNs.

Since the Xmas break I've been binge reading Charley's War, from volume 2. Just finished volume 7. I still maintain it's the best comic I've read. Can't imagine the effect it had on kids at the time it was first published. I'm reading it for the first time so shocks crop up every few episodes. At times it almost reads like a horror comic. I've never been so engrossed in a comic since Preacher was published in the Meg. 

Other than that, nought much else for me. My usual trips to the superhero shops end up with me leaving empty handed or just with the prog and Meg.

[The Adventurer]

I'm currently working my way through the Uber volume of Stray Bullets I picked up from the last Image Comics Humble Bundle. Thing is massive (2 Gigabytes!), and 11 issues in it's pretty amazing. It reminds me a lot structurally of Pulp Fiction. As it weaves various ongoing character arcs amount a series of mostly stand alone one-shot stories. I can definitely see where the critical acclaim comes from.

[Colin YNWA]

Since the Xmas break I've been binge reading Charley's War, from volume 2. Just finished volume 7. I still maintain it's the best comic I've read. Can't imagine the effect it had on kids at the time it was first published...

You know what calling a comic the best ever, or even my favourite is something I find hard to do as the next day I'll think of an alternative. Charley's War is the possible exception* I've whittered about my love before...

http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php?topic=40387.0

*well I guess there should be an exception to saying something is your favourite as that should be singular...

[Hawkmumbler]

Since the Xmas break I've been binge reading Charley's War, from volume 2. Just finished volume 7. I still maintain it's the best comic I've read. Can't imagine the effect it had on kids at the time it was first published...

You know what calling a comic the best ever, or even my favourite is something I find hard to do as the next day I'll think of an alternative. Charley's War is the possible exception* I've whittered about my love before...

http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php?topic=40387.0

*well I guess there should be an exception to saying something is your favourite as that should be singular...

Indeed, even 12 months after finishing my own Charleys War slog I can still remember everything so vividly. The battle of the sonne, intermnent camps, gingers death, Sarge Tozzar, the russian campaign. Utterly marvelous comics, and one of my deffinative favourites as well.

[Professor Bear]

Starship Troopers.  A kid gets a lecture in high school about why fascism is great, joins the army without knowing why and tries not to think about things too much while getting the same speech he got in high school but from military officers now.  Over the years that follow, he gets the same speech in various forms from various sources, tries not to think too much about things and then he becomes an officer and thinks fascism is great.  The film was better.

[TordelBack]

Like most Heinlein, the book is terrible.  I'll never understand his popularity.

For ages I ploughed through his over-long books, simply because he was one of the holy Trinity of SF so he must be good.  But Asimov and Clarke really are brilliant, at least in their prime. Heinlein... isn't.

[Professor Bear]

This is most unfortunate news, as I do intend to get through the top 100 science fiction novels (only 91 to go) and most lists have several Heinlein outings.  Still, Heinlein is only a bit dull and this is infinitely preferable to being an outright arsehole, which will always be niggling at me while I'm reading Ender's Game.

[The Adventurer]

Like most Heinlein, the book is terrible.  I'll never understand his popularity.

For ages I ploughed through his over-long books, simply because he was one of the holy Trinity of SF so he must be good.  But Asimov and Clarke really are brilliant, at least in their prime. Heinlein... isn't.

Heinlein definitely had some troublesome ideals in his work. Honestly, a lot of writers from that era often have things that make you go... "oh, shit"

Joe Haldeman's The Forever War springs to mind (Which I assume is on your list). Conceptually brilliant military sci-fi. With a horribly reprehensible section concerning homosexuality smack in the middle.

[TordelBack]

Agree about The Forever War - although it remains a great book despite the more unpalatable parts of the compulsory homosexulaity metaphor. In fairness to Haldeman the sequel and companion volumes go a long way towards exploring this setup in a more balanced way.

[JOE SOAP]

Finished the Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy.

Decades ago I tried reading Heir to the Empire; one of the opening chapters described Luke Skywalker on Coruscant drinking a hot chocolate - it's explained Lando had taught him how to make it. It was then I knew this isn't for me. Only the Holiday Special is allowed get away with things like that.

[TordelBack]

Must admit that the Thrawn Trilogy did very little for me, aside from Thrawn himself (who is a fun antagonist), and the idea of Leia being called 'Lady Vader', which I'm sure infringes an Ann Summers trademark.