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What are you currently reading?
Trebane:
I went through a period of trying to break out of fantasy novels, unfortunately classical literature and depressing real life books like Thousand Splendid Sons just don't do it for me.
I decided to be true to myself as a person and read what I love, not reading what I "should" be reading. I finished Half a King by Joe Abercrombie which was just ok, It was paced well but felt too cliche. I read the first 4 books of the Earthsea which was fantastic, on the lookout for more. I'm currently rereading the Abhorsen trilogy. I think Lirael might be my favourite character in all of fantasy.
pwhodges:
Aeschylus - The Oresteia; Murakami - after the quake and Underground.
Well, so far I have read the introduction to the Aeschylus in my Oxford edition, which is as long as the text of the three plays (and the notes on the text are as long again); also the first Murakami, which is a collection of short stories themed around the Kobe earthquake of 1995.
I am reading these as background after finding a series of articles which tie the themes of both The Oresteia and Underground to the plot and individual personalities of the anime Marawu Penguindrum. The anime is built on the idea of inescapable familial guilt, and specifically it references the Tokyo underground (subway) sarin gas attack, also of 1995. The idea of responsibility being passed down a family is present in Japanese society as well as in Greek myth, which is obviously where the Aeschylus comes in; and the second Murakami book is his account of interviews with survivors and other people affected by the gas attack. One of the short stories (Super-Frog saves Tokyo) becomes a plot item in the anime, and is about forestalling disaster by challenging and placating the gods (a giant worm in this instance).
All very educational, at the least.
LeeC:
I took a plunge and read The Iliad by Homer. It takes place in the 9th year of the Trojan War and largely follows Achilles and Hector. There was a lot of drama between the Achaeans and their champions. Some I never heard of (like Diomedes) but it was fun to learn about them. Hector just out and out hates Alexandros (aka Paris) for being a little arrogant punk. Helen at one time decides to give herself up to end the war, but Aphrodite threatens to make her existence a living hell for the rest of her life if she does. Poor Helen. Most of the story seems to be x killed y with their z, which made the story a bit of a slog at times. I felt like sometimes my mind checked out until a familiar or important hero shows up like Diomedes or Aeneas. It does paint quite the picture on how the ancient Greeks performed war. Its less like phalanxes coming at each other (that's way later in the historical record anyway) and more like a brawl of dogs fighting over meat (in this case dead men's armor). Also there is no cavalry. Cavalry didn't exist yet as horses where not bred for that (which matches historical/archaeological evidence), but there were a ton of chariot fights. Sometimes fighting like a mobile platform, sometimes as mobile archery positions, and sometimes just to drop off and pick up champions in the fight. The Olympians get funky fighty with themselves and the mortals too. Always trying to undermine Zeus and each other by helping/hindering the mortals. You learn about some of the physical features of the gods too, like Athena having grey eyes and a storm cloud on her shield. I thought that was pretty cool. I also liked that they illustrated the time frame of when this event took place as they mentioned that several of the fighters are literal sons of Hercules. Which is kind of cool, as now you have a sense of time in the legends.
I liked it, but would only really read it again for research purposes. It doesn't read like a compelling novel and there are many parts that you have to slog through as its just x killed y with z and repeat. It is a great piece of work when it comes to historical warfare and Greek mythology though. The language can be a bit dense at times and beautiful at others, but that may depend on what translation you read. I don't really give out ratings for the books I read, but I'll make an exception and rate this a solid 3/5 golden apples.
:mrgreen:
edit:
Also this legit happens in the book.
(click to show/hide)
le sigh, I really miss Hark a Vagrant. :-\
SordidEuphemism:
I've discovered that my library now has audiobooks online available for checkout, so I've been re-"reading" my favorites from Gaiman. Just finished Anansi Boys, and Lenny Henry was an excellent choice for the narrator.
Thrillho:
--- Quote from: SordidEuphemism on 18 May 2018, 10:03 ---Lenny Henry was an excellent choice
--- End quote ---
THINGS I NEVER THOUGHT I'D READ EVER FOR 500
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