Whats everyone reading?

[JayzusB.Christ]

Irvine Welsh's last one, the subtly-titled Skagboys.  Much better than I expected - though as I get older I find Welsh's stuff more depressing  than shocking.  Still excellent and gripping all the way though; better than anything he has done since Porno.
Oh, and for anyone who has read Porno (the sequel to Trainspotting, that is, not the fun internet-based pastime), Sick Boy shows in Skagboys that [spoiler]he's even more of a morally bankrupt prick than I'd realised, and thoroughly deserves the soul-shattering downfall he will suffer 15 years later.[/spoiler]

[judgefloyd]

I read Trainspotting back in the day and found it gripping.  This is the first good review I've read of Skagboys.  Is the internal dialogue a bit implausible, as some reviewers have said?

[JayzusB.Christ]

Not that I noticed, to be honest. Thought it was pretty good, except for the thoughts of a new character called Nicksie from London - 'Farking' just isn't phonetic cockney in my book, and he says it a lot.
Generally speaking, it's Welsh's third-person narration that gets my goat (I really didn't like Crime, for example, some of his metaphors are painfully contrived), but he seems to have nailed it in Skagboys.  The last line of the book is just beautiful, it really is.

Porno, though, is probably a better book.  It's all internal monologue and it works perfectly; it's also more much more tightly-scripted.  Get oot thair n fuckin read it, ya radge!

[Basilisk]

Is Fear agent any good?. A colleague from other forum bought the first library edition from Dark Horse. I've investigated and they're only two LE, with the 2nd coming in July. He says is good, but i haven't read it in my life. I've only seen illustrations and covers.

[Davek]

Was lent Princess of Mars by coincidence after recently watching John Carter.  A few chapters in - the writing isn't the best but it looks like a quick read so I'll stick with it.

[judgefloyd]

(this should probably go in the politics thread) LRB review of three books about Northern Ireland and why they can't just all get along, patch it up and join the rest of Ireland.  Interesting stuff. 

[TordelBack]

... join the rest of Ireland.

Ah hey.  They might be a mix of orange bastards, fenian scum and (-choke-) comics professionals, but they aren't insane.

In honour of the remarkable Nemo: Heart of Ice, I'm giving LoEG a full re-read, even the text bits.  You know what?  It's astonishing.  Every new installment enriches the ones that have gone before, and The Black Dossier provides a magnificent skeleton to hang the whole endeavour on.  This is one of Moore's longest comics works (chasing Promethea, which is what, 700-odd eye-meltingly lovely pages, and Swamp Thing at about 900), and it's moved on from a mix of entertaining entry in the Wold Newton/Kim Newman school and a Where's Wally for the Google generation to something really rich and satisfying.  Not just the ingenious way conflicting fictions are stitched seamlessly into a coherent harmonious world of, and humorous commentary on, the collective imagination, but the way interesting and complex characters move through and shape that environment, and each other.  It's gone way beyond a gimmick now, and beyond anything anyone else has attempted in this vein.  The visual consistency, manic detail and deep perversity O'Neill brings to it is also staggering.  As always with Moore's great works the end product is a seamless blend of both principal creators' strengths and interests.

With the release of the first spin-off in Nemo, stepping away from the League itself, the potential breadth of the endeavour becomes clear.  I am now literally itching to see other aspects of this world, as well as seeing what Mina, Orlando and Emma do next.  Also, the possibility of enjoying comics in the French mode is an exciting one: picking up a handsome hardback from the bookshop every year or so really appeals.

[Sideshow Bob]

Just started today on my Kindle....NOS-4R2 by Joe Hill... ..
A vampire / horror story......and who I just found out recently is Stephen Kings' son.....
Talent obviously runs in the family....
His books are a good read.....Heart Shaped Box is excellent..as is 20th Century Ghosts.
Will do a quick review when I've finished it...

[Albion]

Just started today on my Kindle....NOS-4R2 by Joe Hill... ..
A vampire / horror story......and who I just found out recently is Stephen Kings' son.....
Talent obviously runs in the family....

Have you read the Locke & Key comics by him? They're very good.

[Link Prime]

Have you read the Locke & Key comics by him? They're very good.

More than very good- the finest comic being produced stateside bar none IMHO.

[Hawkmumbler]

Wow, Nemesis of the Daleks is a genuinly amazing comic. Top stuff.

[Sideshow Bob]

Albion and Link Prime,
No,  I haven't read any of the Locke and Keye comics yet...
I was under the impression that they were for 'young' adults.....not the "cough" more mature reader like myself !!..
I'll have a look on ebay and see what I can find..
Cheers..

[Link Prime]

Albion and Link Prime,
No,  I haven't read any of the Locke and Keye comics yet...
I was under the impression that they were for 'young' adults.....not the "cough" more mature reader like myself !!..
I'll have a look on ebay and see what I can find..
Cheers..

Ah Bob, you're in for a shock.
Locke & Key is no more for the younger reader than any of Hill's other work.

Prepare yourself for macabre murders, adult orientated horror-fantasy and peerless levels of tension building towards the ultimate endgame (it's finished in about 3 months by the way).
And the art is top notch too.

[Sideshow Bob]

Albion and Link Prime,
Just ordered the 1st Volume of Locke and Key from eBay for £7 so will give it a look.
Cheers..

Also,  just picked up a copy of The Exterminators by Simon Oliver ( Hellblazer and Wildstorm I think ) and Tony Moore ( who I think does artwork for Walking Dead ).......The 1st Volume Bug Brothers is brilliant !! ..... Conspiracies, Horror, Man v Nature, Pest Extermination ( cockroaches in particular ) with some really interesting facts and ideas....so much so, that I've gone ahead and ordered Volumes 2,3, 4 and 5...

Anyone read this ??

[Link Prime]

Albion and Link Prime,
Just ordered the 1st Volume of Locke and Key from eBay for £7 so will give it a look.
Cheers..

Also,  just picked up a copy of The Exterminators by Simon Oliver ( Hellblazer and Wildstorm I think ) and Tony Moore ( who I think does artwork for Walking Dead ).......The 1st Volume Bug Brothers is brilliant !! ..... Conspiracies, Horror, Man v Nature, Pest Extermination ( cockroaches in particular ) with some really interesting facts and ideas....so much so, that I've gone ahead and ordered Volumes 2,3, 4 and 5...

Anyone read this ??

Good man Bob.

By the way, if you're of the digital persuasion, the collected editions are very nicely priced on Comixology.
I think there might be one or two free single issues on there too.

Never read 'The Exterminators' by the way, despite being impressed with the odd comic rack flick through when it was being published.
Shall keep an eye out for the trades.