Just wasted a few hours reading the Codex by Lev Grossman.
Absolute pap!!!!
Do not touch with the proverbial barge pole.
Any more None recommendations out there?
What shouldn't I read next?
Anything by Patricia Cornwell.
I couldn't even get through the synopsis
I wrote a review on the Amazon site but they won't use it because it makes the book look bad, I mean, come on!!!
From the first page of the except it looks well shit...
I remember getting a book out of the library The Tin Man by Dale Brown that was advertised with a big poster at the train station as the the next big thing in thrillers. It was utterly dire about a bloke that invents a bullet proof suit and fights crime (yes really). Made it to the end of the first chapter before I saw sense and took it back.
There's been some ghastly modern hi-tech thrillers... (Temple for a start) anyone know one that's acutally good.
Riptide's a good laugh but hardly brilliant
anything AND I MEAN ANYTHING by Brian Aldiss i have no idea why he is so revered in sci fi writing as (and im not kidding here) i could write better than him and i am pants at writting
Aldiss works much better as a commentator than an author (his 'Billion Year Spree' is a great (if slanted) potted history of SF) but his overlong (which might actually be the point) 'Helliconia' series has a stunning amount of invention to recommend it.
Some genre books I utterly hated, that weren't by Dan Brown:
"Credo", by Melvyn Bragg. Love his radio work, abhored this turgid drivel. The worst kind of historical fiction, where the plot is just a vehicle for the cardboard to meet every contemporary historical figure and explore every philosophical debate of the day.
"Perseus Swirl", by Julian May. Oh. My. God. I want those 2 hours back, damn you.
"Snowcrash", by Neal Stephenson. He turned out to be a great great SF author, but this highly regarded early work is a hopeless mess of a book (An Inuit assassin chases a floating citiy in his kayak? Hello, Mr. Brown? One of your villains has escaped...).
"The One Tree", by Stephen Donaldson. Can I go back and re-read one of the first three instead? Please?
"Eragon", by Christopher Paolini. Okay, the author's only a kid so I suppose it's forgiveable, but does EVERY chapter have to end with the eponymous hero getting knocked unconscious? And I'm all for Mythic Archetypes, but does EVERY character have to be from either Star Wars or LotR? Overhyped nonsense.
A couple
Stephen Baxter - Titan. Completely bloody spoilt by the last 20 pages were the great goddess "Coincidence" rolls her dice.
Stephen Baxter - Moonseed. Completely bloody useless. There is also a laughable ignorance of the fact that geologically speaking Scotland and Ireland are the same.
Stephen Baxter - Time, Space, Origin. Great ideas and a concept that is among the most thought provoking things I've ever read but completely pissed up against the wall. You mean she "willed" herself to live forever? Er Neanderthals?
In fact just read Voyage which on the evidence of the rest of his books was a complete bloody fluke..
Curse you Larf, there I was trying to be positive but this thread is irresistable.
Clive James' literary criticism
Anything by Tim Winton. I've read two of his novels and they are turgid, over-written rubbish
'The Road Less Travelled' by M Scott Peck. It's garbage. The gist is; life is tough and you shouldn't whinge about it, psychoanalysis is terrific, M Scott Peck even more so.
'Emotional Intelligence' in which pretty conventional 'let's be more sensitive' pieties are mysteriously extrapolated from some interesting new brain research at the very beginning of the book
Anything by Tim Winton. I've read two of his novels and they are turgid, over-written rubbish
One question Floyd - how did it take you two novels to find out someone was a rubbish writer?
"One question Floyd - how did it take you two novels to find out someone was a rubbish writer? "
I was thinking the same about Philt - did Stephen Baxter do something awful to you Philt, like run over your cat, pour hot coffee over you on a train or live next door and never mow his lawn?
:-)
Oh yes, him too...
"nything AND I MEAN ANYTHING by Brian Aldiss i have no idea why he is so revered in sci fi writing as (and im not kidding here) i could write better than him and i am pants at writting"
BLASPHEMY! Sorry, but Aldiss is one of my favourite SF writers of all time. Report on Probability A is the best book where nothing happens. Beautifully done. As for Aldiss not being able to write, sorry but that's just ridiculous. Aldiss's prose work is some of the best in the SF field.
Anyway, poo books. Really wish I hadn't bothered with the first three Thomas Covenant books by Donaldson. Also The Vampire Lestat made me angry.
Catch 22 and The Rising (Brian Keene) are the only books I haven't finished in the last 10 years.
Unlike these good folks, who aren't afraid to let their opinons be known.
Link: Who'd write a book about segregation anyway?
What's wrong with you man?
Catch 22 is one of the finest books ever written.
As for books I wouldn't reccommend... it's been so long since I read something awful that I can't think of anything.
This was always going to happen, but Catch 22 is my favourite book ever. The narrative does jump around somewhat though, so it can be hard work.
However the sequel - Closing Time - is a waste of time.
I'll possible get flamed for this but The Lord of the Rings Trilogy? I got half way through the second book before just giving up. Strangely enough that's about as far as I got with the films too.
Loads of people I know struggled with the 2nd LotR book. It really isnt much cop.
Clive Barker. Now theres a guy who should crawl back out his own arse.
I also just finished reading Codex and totally agree with you.. I'm always conned into buying books based on what the critics have to say about it on the cover - bit thick of of me really. :)
I thought The Gormenghast Trilogy was utter poop, though I'm sure many people disagree with me 'cause it's popular enough to have been made onto a tv series. It's fair to say I've had more pleasure from Andy McNab books.
I really liked 'Snowcrash', lots its way a bit towardsthe end but it was full of invention & far better than the turgid 'Necronomicon' which I wouldn't recommend to anyone. His best was the one (I forget the title) about the 'Young Lady's Primer' or somesuch. After that he went up his own arse IMO.
Also avoid any Hemingway like the plague. Particularly 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' which I read during a misguided 'self-improvement' spurt during my mid-20's. Ah wasted youth. I should gave been getting wasted not reading some dull Yank misanthrope.
"really liked 'Snowcrash', lots its way a bit towards the end but it was full of invention & far better than the turgid 'Necronomicon' which I wouldn't recommend to anyone."
Hilarious how we differ! I loved "Cryptonomicon" and the superb follow-up "Quicksilver", both of which just tore along - the kind of books I wanted to take whole days off work just so I could keep reading. However I spent the years after reading 'Snowcrash' bad-mouthing Stephenson as an over-hyped Gibson-ripoff. Only that I found the monstrously huge 'Quicksilver' for a quid in a 2nd hand shop having been heartily recommended it by a reputable friend, I'd still have no time for the guy.
"Everything Is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer.
It's crap. I started it two years ago, and couldn't muster the effort to finish it. The family saga bits are done much better by Marquez, and the contemporary bits are tedious. There's twist halfway through that you can see coming a mile off.
Anything by Tim Winton. I've read two of his novels and they are turgid, over-written rubbish
One question Floyd - how did it take you two novels to find out someone was a rubbish writer?
A good question Conexus. It was a bit Emporer's Clothesish. I read one of Mr Winton's awful tomes back in the 80s. Then I returned to Aus after a long time away. Winton was still amazingly popular, in all the stores etc. I think he may have won a Booker prize or something. My sister recommended him. I thought "he's so popular, there must be something in it". So I gave another one a shot.
aieeeee.
Back on topic; don't, no matter how desperate you are for Dr Who related stuff, read 'The Adventuress of Henrietta St'. It's written entirely in the tone of a smart-arse introduction with lots of post-modern touches
"Many thought that the man known as 'the Doctor' was merely a myth, or possibly a graffito, rumoured to be inscribed on the inside of St Paul's Cathedral. This account is, however, disputed by other authorities"
It's like that for the whole book.
Im having real problems with "Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange" at the moment - saw some good reviews, but quite frankly it's pretty pants at the moment.
May become dropped, which is v.rare for me
Good question. I read Voyage and was blown away by it. I thought the rest of his books would be of a similar standard. I was wrong but I hoped otherwise. I've learnt my lesson
In fact the only other thing that comes close to being good is "Traces" a collection of short stories.
...Snow Crash... ...Brian Aldiss... ...Hemmingway... ...Steven Baxter...
Oh dear, this thread has just filled up with wrong-headedness hasn't it?
"Im having real problems with "Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange" at the moment - saw some good reviews, but quite frankly it's pretty pants at the moment. "
I read that, had some trouble getting through it, but overall quite enjoyed it really - looking forward to the next one.
The 'Young Lady's Primer Thing' is The Diamond Age... which is excellent. Although Neal Stephenson has a problem with endings and I've not tried is has vast more recent stuff (the rumours of page-long descriptions of eating cerial put me off)
Aldiss wrote some brilliant stuff... Hothouse is a work of genius. (and he did have a story the featured rampant bestiality published in Interzone - that's got to count for something)
I too agree that Aldiss has his moments. Catch 22 is genius.
I would not recommend John LeCarre's 'The Honourable Schoolboy' which is the dullest spy story I have ever read.
The Bible.
I really like "The Wheel of Time" series, but you could easily skip book 8 "The path of Daggers".
Nothing happens in the entire book :(
Wheel of Time... It think I'll wait for it all to be published. Then not read any of them. (As some one said about L Ron Hubbards 13 book epic)
Band of Brothers was as dull as ditchwater from the ditchwater shop. Surprising given how good the TV series was.
I'd not recommend reading Beowulfs Children by Niven, Pournelle and Barnes, especially if you have read Dragons of Heorot by same. I'd further recommend not buying Beowulfs Children, as I did recently only to find out its the same bastard book as Dragons of Heorot. Bastard. Seven quid. Bastard. American Import. Bastard.
Off topic - Legacy of Heorot and Dragons of same actually damn good read.
And obviously I enjoyed BAND OF BROTHERS.
The only two books I've never finished* are
ON THE ROAD - tedium personified
BLEAK HOUSE - I gave up when a character convenienently spontaneously combusted. I know Dickens likes his co-incidences but that was just ridiculous.
*which is odd considering I've finished a Jeffry Archer and a Dan Brown book. Fuck, I had to get up early in the morning just so I had more hours in the day to hate THE DAVINCI CODE.
"However the sequel - Closing Time - is a waste of time"
My thoughts exactly. I kept waiting for it to get better, only it never did and I was actually quite annoyed by the time I finished it.
Absolute bobbins from begining to end.
I've also had the Lord of the rings trilogy since my 11th birthday and never got further than about a quarter of the way through the the first book every time I've tried to read it. Not even when I used to work 12 hour shifts at night, practically alone and with fuck all else to do BUT read. I even read the Sport from cover to cover one night, repeatedly, rather than carry on with that fucking book for a page longer.
Dull as fuck.
God, I fucking HATE that book!
Normally I suggest to people that don't like LOTR that you need plenty of time to read to get into it (the language can be a bit archaic and fifteen minutes every couple of days doesn't do it justice).
That clearly wasn't the case for you as you had plenty of time.
So I think you must just be wrong.
It's great.
I got halfway through 'The Vesuvius Club' by Mark 'LofG' Gatiss and realised that I couldn't care less what happened next.
Currently working on 'Planet Simpson' which despite loving the source material I'm finding heavy going. Bit too anal even for this fan boy.
LotR bored the arse off of me as well. However it's a classic and enough people get something out of it that i'd never give it an anti-recommendation: It;s more that it's just not my style.
Now, weird hippy 60s weirdo fantasy slash 'em ups by Michael Moorcock, that's more my kind of thing.
I thought LOTR was brilliant when I was 14. I don't know how I'd like it now. I used to love Moorcock's
"weird hippy 60s weirdo fantasy slash 'em ups".
The Bible is like Ulysses. It's brilliant provided you're patient and are prepared to skip the dull bits.
I recommend NOT reading any Erica Jong books after "Fear of Flying" unless you read them in an amused "how bad can this get?" kind of way. Especially her poetry.