I have been reading Blood, Sweat and Pixels by Kotaku's Jason Schrier - very interesting if you want to know more about how games get to be done (or not).
@Feena Finished B,S and P by Schreier recently, thought its was brilliant, really interesting insight into game development. I'm reading Ten things video games can teach us (about life, philosophy and everything else). It's an interesting book but it's pretty heavy reading, taking my time going through it. Thinking of starting Joe Abercrombies First Law trilogy too
Recently, I finished the both books of The Kingkiller Chronicle and I really recommend it, it will be a trilogy and I'm not sure when the third book is coming. It's a fantasy series.
Now I'm reading Neuromancer (sci-fi cyberpunk similar to Matrix), it's great but really difficult, imo. Hope I can finish it and understand the whole plot, lol.
@PS_Nation Omg, yes, both books in The Kingkiller Chronicles are awesome. But Rothfuss has been working on the third book forever now (The Wise Man's Fear was released early 2011). And I'm starting to doubt if we'll ever get it. Unfortunately he is following the example of George R.R. Martin and taking his sweet time between books. And I think I read where he penned a deal with a studio for the rights to a related TV show, movie, and video game, also reminiscent of Martin, ala Game of Thrones. (He even looks kinda like a younger version of Martin with that righteous beard.)
Actually Rothfuss did release that little novella "The Slow Regard for Silent Things" which was a charming side story following Auri, which is just completely bonus and doesn't advance the overall story at all. But if you're hungry for some more reading in that world, then it's worth it for a quick read, if not just to experience more of the expertly weaved narrative style of the author.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution I still need to read "The Slow Regard for Silent Things", Auri is a great character. The books are great indeed, just hope now for a great TV show or movie for the series, it has great potential to be the next thing on tv. And of course, i can't wait for the third book. =P
@Th3solution@PS_Nation I really liked the Kingkiller books, but Slow Regard was not something I found myself enjoying - Rothfuss himself pretty much says he doubts the book is for most people so that is worth keeping in mind if you do read it.
His third book is written, but is going through the edit and redrafting phase last I read. Can't remember where I found it, might have been Good Reads or something along those lines, but people were discussing the third book and, as with any site that lets you review unpublished material, some people had reviewed it. The funny thing was Rothfuss popped up in the comments asking the people from the future who had given his book five stars to please send him their copies as the manuscript in its current state he rated at around three stars and it would save him lots of time in editing and rewriting. Made me chuckle at least I would give the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie a go if you haven't, they are some of the best gritty fantasy books I've read.
I've personally just gone back to my journey through the Dark Tower books, so I'm a short way through book five. I read the Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) detective books before that that coincidentally hit TV here in the UK when I was about half way through them. Pretty sure I've read some other stuff since I last posted here too, but my mind is blank at the minute.
Killer Angels — a book of historical fiction about The American Civil War, and more specifically about the Battle of Gettysburg, which ended up being a turning point in the war.
I think when Michael Shaara wrote this back in the 70’s, there wasn’t a lot of historical fiction written in a novel format, which is more commonplace now. I could be wrong but I think the book was a trend setter in that regard. Killer Angels won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1975 and is required reading in many high schools today.
In his preface Shaara acknowledges that the conversations and thoughts of the characters are his own interpretation of what may have happened or been said, but that he made every effort to be as accurate as possible. He wanted to display the story in an interesting but educational way. His interest in doing this project was piqued when he visited the battle grounds in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and imagined the scene unfolding in his mind. It has been of great interest to scholars that how could the South have blown this battle when they had the numbers and the strategy and should have had the advantage. Of course they were marching toward Washington DC and if they would have taken Gettysburg, then the outcome of history could have been very, very different. The gate of history turns on very small hinges and this concept of one or two small decisions or events making huge differences has fascinated me. For this reason, I found the book enthralling.
The book reads like a novel, told more like a story rather than text. For example, Shaara describes the heat and the cherry blossoms and the tells the story with full quoted dialog, like a novel. Therefore it is more approachable to the casual reader who has just a fleeting interest in history but doesn’t want to delve too deep into the academic muck.
What I enjoyed was not only gaining a better understanding of military strategy, but in seeing these generals and commanders as real people. People with faults and errors in judgment. The story revolves around Robert E. Lee, the commanding general of the Southern confederate army, a historical character who has been largely misunderstood and misrepresented by the lay citizen in my opinion. I don’t want to get political, but I believe people who read this will find the modern villainization of Lee to be completely unfounded. A man respected not only for his military acumen but his integrity and loyalty, he made a serious tactical error in this battle, and went against all his usual tendencies when he stormed the Union army relentlessly, despite the counsel of his generals, namely Longstreet to retreat and swing around the army’s flank.
If you have an interest in military history, especially from the mid 1800’s, and the thought processes that go into leading a complex army and battle plan, you’d appreciate this book.
As a side note, Michael Shaara has long since passed away, but his son Jeff picked up the banner and continued writing historical novels like this and has a whole host of novels about the Civil War, WWII (both the European and Pacific theaters), WWI, and even the Mexican-American War. In my opinion they are a more entertaining way to learn War history. @Kidfried
Wow, you do know how to sell a book. I'll see if I can find it somewhere! Still have some "free book vouchers" laying around here (I don't know if that is a "thing" in other countries).
In one of the courses I followed this year, I got to delve a bit deeper into the American Civil War -and subsequent confederate statues- and this book seems like a fine way to learn more about it.
I don't have any way to return the favor and give you some great tip, as I mostly read literature in my own language. (Comics I do read in English, though.)
@Th3solution@Kidfried A very good book and, I believe, the inspiration for the 1993 Gettysburg mini-series. I'm British but did a lot of university work on the American Civil War including a thesis. This battle is a fascinating one as is the decision process of Lee. From a historical perspective, if you have the time I would recommend the American Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote. Though a little dated (and at three huuuge volumes, quite long) but it is written in an engaging manner and covers an awful lot.
Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot
i joke i'm currently reading Written in Blood by Caroline Graham, it's part of the Inspector Barnaby Mysteries series (the basis for the UK show Midsomer Murders)
if you want the basic plot
"The Midsomer Worthy Writer's Circle, a group of amateur novelists, invite celebrated author Max Jennings along as a special guest. However, host Gerald Hadleigh is opposed to the idea but refuses to explain. After the somewhat uncomfortable event, Hadleigh's companion Rex St. John is tricked into departing, leaving Hadleigh alone with Jennings. The next morning Gerald is found murdered with a candlestick, his corpse stripped and all his clothes stolen and Max has vanished."
i like murder mysteries and while i know the outcome because i watch the show the book is still an interesting read
"I pity you. You just don't get it at all...there's not a thing I don't cherish!"
"Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!
@Kidfried Happy to be of service. I enjoy trading recommendations with people that have my same quirky interests. And yeah, unfortunately, English is my only language, and I barely speak that. 😉
(By the way, a lot of the dialog in Killer Angels is between the Southern generals and so I’m unsure how hard the jargon would be for a non-native English speaker. Your English appears to be excellent so probably you’ll be fine if you choose to read it)
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution Late response, as I was out for the weekend. I cannot recall ever having trouble understanding English at any point (even accents or jargon). So I'll probably be fine. That being said, I don't always feel like I'm able to express myself as well as a lot of others on the site. It might be just some personal insecurity, but I always feel like I come across as being way more blunt than I want to.
@Th3solution So I ordered the book at my local book store and it came in this weekend. I'm already at the second day, so have been reading quite a bit from it over the weekend.
I keep browsing back and forth in the book, because the names can be quite overwhelming. And sometimes difficult to tell apart who's who and where at what moment.
I really like the book. It surely is a cool way to learn about and look at that defining moment in US history. The books not about the politics behind the war, but rather zooms on the people out there, which I dig here.
So thanks for recommending. It's pretty cool reading a book that is considered a classic in another country, but is not at all known here.
@Kidfried Awesome! I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Yeah, the names and identity of the characters is kind of hard to keep track of. Robert E. Lee is easy to remember, and Longstreet, but even the average American can’t name and identify these other people unless they happen to love American history. I think it’s great how he introduces all the major characters in the beginning though, so you can reference back. The other generals will crystallize more and more as you progress through the battle. For instance, Pickett is memorable because of the famous “Pickett’s Charge” he is known for at the end. I loved reading the background of some of the people too, and it makes them feel so real. Chamberlain, for example, who ends up pretty much saving the Union’s bacon, so to speak, by holding his own against overwhelming Confederate odds, was just a simple teacher before being drafted into the army, iirc.
The little details like how Hancock and Armistead were such close friends, literally having to fight against one another, and the tragedy of how the closing charge against each other turns out. And the curious details about how Lee, known for his brilliance in stratagem, made such uncharacteristic errors in judgment at that battle. There is just so much to love about it, and seeing these historical figures as real people with all their faults and virtues.
After you read the book, if you want then you can track down the movie “Gettysburg” made in 1993, and watch it. It’s basically the book put to film, with Martin Sheen as Gen. Lee and Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain. It’s pretty good, but not near as good as the book, imo. I refrain from going on and on, it just makes me happy that you like it. If you’re interested then you can look up the books by his son Jeff Shaara, who continues his legacy by writing these novels using the same pattern but doing different wars and battles. There are several about WWII (I think 3 on the European theater and 1 on the Pacific), as well as WWI, American Revolutionary War, Mexican-American War, etc., etc. I have only read a couple of them and I liked them, but “Killer Angels” is still the best.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
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