The book discussion thread

[isleepinabed]

I just watched a small clip from the series. Jim acts brilliantly insane! I have to see more of this.

Your writing piqued my interest to take a look at the book. I can appreciate how the author divided the Western and Japanese with different coloring, but that Japanese section looked pretty slim as you mentioned. Pictures look crisp, something you don't always see with these types of books.

Regarding the Royles it's another short series that didn't overstay its welcome, apart from a few Christmas specials, and thus every episode is memorable. I think it was really top rated at the time too. I visited England during those years and there were Jim Royle dolls in shops, stuff like that. It was very popular.
One of the creators, who played Jim's daughter Denise in the show as well, passed away I would have said a couple of years ago but apparently already in 2016 (time flies), so it had a small revival then, rerunning the shows on television.

As for the Dreamcast book, it excels because of its high production values. The author detailed the way he took screenshots, which are from original hardware but through a "special RGB 480p SCART cable from a site called Retro Gaming Cables: this cable isn't supported by normal TVs but it is supported by some video upscaling devices, like the RetroTink 5X (which was also used)" - This might to some extent explain the fine quality of the screens.

The trouble of course is with our memories. When I think of the Dreamcast I think of 15 or 20 great, memorable games. Even if you give those games a full page, and everything else just a quarter of a page, it's still going to be loaded with (yet another) Acclaim, Midway or Infogrames polygonal platformer or racing game. We obviously tend to forget that however good a console or computer's library is, the overwhelming majority is usually mediocre.
That's not really the book's fault of course, it is what it is.

I have a few other similar books on other consoles and computers, none from the same author, and I'd say this is one of the nicest.

 

[peacefulhomecare]

Movies—yep
TV—yep
Music—yep
So where's the book thread? Can't find it, so guess this'll have to do until it shows up. My reading days are mostly done—changed interests, deteriorating sight—but I devoured anything in print in my teens and 20s…literature, non-fiction, scifi, thrillers, mysteries. Never took to drama or poetry in a big way, mostly only for school and college work.

Novels, novellas, drama, poetry, etc etc—all are welcome

Short Stories

Let's start with a poor relation, sandwiched between the upper class Poetry and the hoi polloi Novel. In my reading days I loved short stories—what it says on the tin, devoted usually to a single theme in a single location during a single time span.

Drawing on memory, some of my favs:
William Trevor, Seán Ó Faoláin and Frank O'Connor, probably Ireland's top 3.
Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway and O Henry in USA.
PG Wodehouse, Arthur Conan Doyle, Roald Dahl, Joseph Conrad, GK Chesterton—yeah, Brits like a shorty
Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, masters of scifi shorts.
Forgetting some for sure, it's been a long time…

I used to usually have a short story book going along with a novel, dipping into either depending on time available.

So what about you and short stories?

Great list! Short stories are underrated, but they pack such a punch when done well. I’m a big fan of Ray Bradbury—his stories always have this nostalgic yet eerie vibe that sticks with you. Shirley Jackson is another favorite, especially The Lottery—such a simple but chilling read.

For something more modern, I really liked Ted Chiang (Stories of Your Life and Others is mind-blowing) and George Saunders (Tenth of December is weird and brilliant). Oh, and Jorge Luis Borges—his stuff is on another level, like little intellectual puzzles.

I also love the idea of having a short story collection alongside a novel—perfect for when you just have a few minutes but still want something meaningful. What was the last short story that really stuck with you?

 

[Johnway]

I just finished 2 more books from my list both of them from the warhammer crime series: no good men and Sanction & Sin.

Both books are anthologies of one off stories from both sides of the law. Some good stories there and we will get to see some of these characters get their own full fledged books. But for now the warhammer crime anthologies authors to flex their writing muscles and get some recognition in the warhammer universe.

I'll probably read the next anthology, but i would like to perhaps read some books from other authors or locations. Like cocaine nights.


As for other books? I'm still reading through the rise and fall of the trigan empire vol 3. might finish that off tonight and move to the books again tomorrow evening.

 

[isleepinabed]

GameCube Anthology by Mathieu Manent, Geeks-Line

This is probably the only available book on this strange machine. The book itself presents a bit of conundrum in that it is quite uneven.
On the one hand, and comparing it with the Dreamcast Encyclopedia, it has an extensive coverage (I would go so far as to say it is too extensive, going far beyond what would be necessary or even interesting) on the machine itself: from the design stage, to announcement, bringing to market and discontinuing it, almost quarter to quarter in depth.
There's also an extensive look at the hardware itself, including its various accessories. This section presented, in my opinion the most jaw dropping pages that included photographs of every variation and special edition the console was available in, as well as the whimsical Panasonic Q variation.

On the other hand it suffers from a fatal characteristic that deals a fatal blow as an objective document: it's not impartial, as it's palpably written "in defense" of Nintendo. Even while presenting hard facts on sales the author would have you believe the Nintendo 64 and this one were an incredible success. But in case it wasn't it was the public's fault because Nintendo did everything right. This, as well as some awkwarding phrasing from a sometimes very literal translation from French, makes for some difficult reading.

This is compounded by the "meat" of the book: the full library of games. Here, especially when compared to the Dreamcast Encyclopedia, things become harder to stomach, as it's got loads and loads of poor licensed games. Amusingly the author decided it would be a good idea to rate each and every game from 1 to 5 stars - I can't see the point. Screenshots are usually small and low quality and only the usual suspects get more than a quarter page worth.

As it is, then, it's difficult to recommend wholeheartedly. It is both the best and worst GameCube book available. It's strength is in the incredibly in-depth feature on the machine itself - if you can battle through the Nintendo bias - while the photos of the machine and accessories are great. The section on the games themselves I would put it as a miss. As it is, it's a fans-only affair.

 

[isleepinabed]

SEGA CD Summer by Matt Adams

When I ordered this I thought I was ordering the same sort of "collection/anthology" historical book on the Mega Drive/Genesis add-on, as I had got one a few months ago on the 32X. To my surprise this a semi-autobiographical novel.

The tone is that of a slice-of-life of, I have to imagine, a typical north-american 12 year old kid during the Summer of 1994. The big premise is the trials and tribulations he has to go through to be able to afford the SEGA CD, particularly in becoming a paperboy and how he deals with his customers but also the relationship with his mom & dad, his brother and his friends. There's also a lot of summer baseball action that, quite frankly, goes a bit over my head as a sport I am not very familiar with.

The book is typo-free (always a plus in these self-published works) but there's otherwise not a lot of depth to the story. The big takeaways are really the nostalgia of what seems now a weird time and, I guess, the relationship he builds with his family and some off-the-wall episodes with his friends, family and neighbours.
There is some insight into videogame situation in that particular summer: the SEGA CD is out but the 32X and Saturn are incoming, and so is the Sony Playstation. The Atari Jaguar and the 3DO get mentions. Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat are the hit games. This is perhaps the most relatable part of the book as I also lived through 1994 as a Mega Drive playing kid. Some parts are somewhat jarring in the way that the author or the protagonist relates things as if he were in the present, with the knowledge of all that happened to SEGA, Sony, Nintendo, etc in the following 25 years.

There's also a huge bit on what Star Wars was in those times. The trilogy was already over 10-15 years old and the new ones still a few years away. Kids were fascinated by the films but had never watched them in the cinema. However, VHS tapes are now affordable. I have never been a big Star Wars fan but I remember that time the series was quite mythical. There weren't that many toys of it around as there are today, videogames on it were not that great but everytime it would show up on the regular channels on a saturday matinee or something, it was quite an event. Remarkably, there's also quite a bit of time dedicated to those summer movies, with Ace Ventura leading the pack. Surprisingly, no cartoons.

Finally, while we tend to think about the SEGA CD these days as a failed product that however, had a few remarkable games like Sonic CD, Afterburner, Snatcher, Lunar, Robo Aleste or Popful Mail. However, the announcement at the time made more sense than it does today in hindsight and, what the kids really wanted to play was not obscure japanese games but the same sports games, Star Wars and fighting games.
In the end this ended up being a light and pleasant read that I'm sure a lot of gamers who lived through these times might relate to. It's not Dickens or Melville nor I think does it intend to, but it doesn't offend and provides a vivid window into a forgotten time.

 

[isleepinabed]

Teddy Boys: Post-War Britain and the First Youth Revolution

I would consider music to be my main hobby even though it seems I've been spending less time on it. Teddy Boys by Max Decharné is a brilliant book that is not just about music but about the entire phenomenon, from fashion, to gang violence to music. It reads as a historical document, from its origins in pre-WWI Britain, to the period between the wars, to post-WWII and its 1980s revival.

This being both my second book by this author (A Rocket in my Pocket, about the rock 'n' roll and rockabilly tribes), as well as my second book on this subject (Teddy Boys a Concise History and Teddy Boy Wars) I have to say Decharné's writing stands out as being extremely well researched and insightful. When covering popular culture there's an usual knack for authors to either use only interviews or personal experiences, cite other modern books or even cite themselves - not so here as the material referenced is usually published at the time the events described were taking place, for example the first instances of the name "teddy boy" being used in newspapers, novels or film or the news reports on gang violence and criminal trials. This gives the book a very authoritative take on the subject, including its presence in other media like cinema and books, as well as its problematic association with crime and many instances of race riots - I would find it hard to imagine something better written or more in-depth. The subject itself is quite boundary-free, as most urban cultures constantly evolve and its a hard thing to try to compartmentalize it in order to seriously study it.

This is then a story about the dawn of the teenager and how very specific world affairs, namely depression and war, gave rise to this revivalism of Edwardian England, created something which didn't exist in state before (the unworking teenager with disposable income) and how this trend was influenced by what was going on in America, particularly from the mid 1950s on, with the wave of rockabilly and rock 'n' roll, and then back again to America as Teds like The Beatles went on Beatlemania. Thus what was once confined to war rooms and Finance chancellors' offices now unfurled into the street to become a proper culture with an ethos, a look and a soundtrack, that itself was influenced by events elsewhere and in turned influenced back, somewhat becoming the cornerstone of popular culture in the second part of the XX century. Fascinating stuff.

In all, this is a brilliant read. If there's quite a fair few books on rock 'n' roll, teddy boy-ism, per se, is much less researched. That there is such a complete and well made book available is quite a bit of old luck, indeed!

 

[Johnway]

I finished Broken city, another warhammer crime anthology f short stories from both sides of the law. Some good stories in this book, the first and main one is robert Rath's Bleed out story where a mysterious ganger stumbles into a slum clinic and all hell breaks loose from there. Luckily enough the slum clinic is staffed by a former Guard medic with (essentially) special forces training and has a heart of gold to save any and all that steps foot in her clinic. its an action packed story as there are high speed chases, bent cops and a siege at the end. Well worth a look i say.


I'm still reading through the fourth volume of the rise and fall of the trigan empire. But another comic i've been reading is Where Monsters Lie – Cull-De-Sac a story where horror movie level killers go to secret communities to lay low from their crimes and live a mostly quiet life until their next rampage. The first volume introduces the concept and when it all goes to hell when Agent Connor Hayes discovers its existence and mounts an assualt on the community resulting in everyone pretty much dead except himself. The second volume continues on from the first where after a couple twists of fate, Connor is made to become a serial killer under the "manic cop" guise. But its all a farcade as Hayes uses it as a way to infiltrate another similar community to eliminate these murderers as well. The challenge is a lot higher now that all the serial killers there are aware of his background and actions and he has to face off against more supernatural foes.

Not a bad little series, Connor Hayes is best described as "final girl" where after surviving his first encounter with a serial killer when he was a kid he vowed to vanquish them all. Cue his training with various masters and law enforcement to become the ultimate hunter. It does have that sudden reversal cliche where he survives as he pulls one trick after another to thawt each of the killers.

 

[isleepinabed]

The Dictionary of Imaginary Places (1980; 1999)

This is a wonderful book, the kind you're grateful someone actually made this. This is, in fact, a compilation of imaginary places in fiction, from a wide berth of literature, from Homer to Rowling. Perhaps because the authors are Argentinian and Italian, it seems Umberto Eco and Italo Calvino's books, in particular the latter's Invisible Cities, were the great instigators to this work. On the other hand there are very few non-european or north american authors.

The dictionary is presented like an encyclopedia, in alphabetical order, a description of the place, occasionally a map or illustration, when it is so described and the reference work. The fact that the reference comes last is perhaps my only criticism as descriptions are long and often go beyond the same page. It makes more sense to me that they would list the original author and work right at the beginning, rather than having to skip to the next page and go back.

The authors' self-imposed rules are simple in that only locations on planet Earth and in the past or present are included: nothing in the future or other planets thus excluding a lot of science fiction and its more otherwordly themes. As you'd imagine there is a lot of JRR Tolkien but also the likes of Rice Burroughs, CS Lewis and non-English writers like Borges or Rabelais. It's a real treat that the authors took upon themselves to review such a wealth of literature and condense it in encyclopedic form, describing each location thoroughly in terms of place, population, customs and any other objective or subjective information. There is also an authorial feel to it. The commentary has an artistic slant rather the objectiveness to a fault present in most dictionaries. The illustrations are often surrealistic. And the selection as well, being in concept an unfinishable book has to take into account the sensibilities of the authors. Thus, rather than a dictionary it is something you can casually read from start to finish rather than just as a reference book.

The fact that it is centered on planet Earth and in present or past times was a good idea. The descriptions become a little more believable, with an air of surreality. In fact, I was often reminded of 80 Days or Savannah or the strange worlds from Cyan (Worlds) - themselves very familiar and human-like, but odd all the same - applicable, of course, to all fantasy realms. A limitation, due to the subject matter, is that even though there is the odd smattering of 18th and 14th century literature, the bulk is XXth century. As it is somewhat intrinsically related to a literature style, some periods are void of these sort of places and imagination. I found especially odd that they consider Middle-earth and Earthsea as being on Planet Earth, particularly as they take up quite a bit of entries by themselves. Perhaps due to being "earth" places? I will put it down as a director's cut type of decision...

I should also add that there are some non-literature entries, like film (Freedonia from Duck Soup), the land from Tannhäuser (play/opera) ... You would imagine a revised edition would include a few from video games. In all a real treat of over 700 pages (excluding index and references) which should appeal to any book afficionado.

 

[Johnway]

i've finished a graphic novel series: Kill or Be Killed by Ed Brubaker. A 20 issue story set in New York, university student Dylan hits rock bottom with his life that decides to kill himself by jumping off a building. Somehow he survives with at most minor injuries but it soon transpires that a demon saved his life and now he wants recompense: Kill one bad person each month or the demon kills Dylan.

i won't spoil the story or events, but i found the series jolly entertaining. Its narrated by Dylan so we get to understand his reasons and motives for his killings. The story has plenty of twists and turns, as Dylan tries to find his next target(s), all the while the net starts to close in on him from the police and (more worryingly) the Russian mafia.

 

[isleepinabed]

i've finished a graphic novel series: Kill or Be Killed by Ed Brubaker. A 20 issue story set in New York, university student Dylan hits rock bottom with his life that decides to kill himself by jumping off a building. Somehow he survives with at most minor injuries but it soon transpires that a demon saved his life and now he wants recompense: Kill one bad person each month or the demon kills Dylan.

i won't spoil the story or events, but i found the series jolly entertaining. Its narrated by Dylan so we get to understand his reasons and motives for his killings. The story has plenty of twists and turns, as Dylan tries to find his next target(s), all the while the net starts to close in on him from the police and (more worryingly) the Russian mafia.

Brubaker is one of the most interesting comic book writers. I read the entire Criminal and Fatale. But perhaps I burned myself out because after a while they tend to become quite similar to each other. No one else writes it like he does, however.

 

[isleepinabed]

Terry Jones' Barbarians (2006) and Terry Jones' Medieval Lives (2004)

Oof. I admit to having had higher hopes for this one. Terry Jones is a favourite of mine. His illness and death was as keenly felt as if we were related. The topic in this one is tackling the sentiment that the view on barbarian peoples was slanted due to the domination and scorched earth policy of imperial Rome.

It's over four episodes, which reflect the original TV series, on the Celts, the Goths, the Persians the Huns. Of course, this isn't a historical reference book - it's an accompanying book of a television programme, created and presented by a celebrated humourist. So, while some insights are interesting, this is very light entertainment and not deep. Some of the sub-topics on each of the peoples are as short as only a few paragraphs long.

Not being an historical reference book it does commit a couple of other deadly sins. The first is that in the effort to push away their self-perceived slant from Roman history, they went too far the other way, usually in a very simplistic, poorly referenced, manner. Perhaps it would lose its edge as an entertainment piece but the approach is less than scientific as the authors try to win the reader over how these peoples were actually a whole lot better than the Romans ever were. Strangely, while continuously pointing out that Romans and Catholics erased a lot of barbarians' written history, and how the Roman authors wrote inane or unfactual documents, more often than not they used those very same authors, particularly Julius Caesar and Plutarch as their reference.

The second sin is, even more unfortunate, the lack of historical context as many features are clearly looked at with modern eyes and in the modern context which, in a historical book (light entertainment or not) is simply inane. More disappointing is the lack of broad humour. As there are two authors signing on, it's not clear who wrote what. There are a few quips but it stops at that. This is, if anything, a real let-down. Most chapters include some sort of anecdotal evidence on some historical figure but it's mostly devoid of real interest - you'd be better served elsewhere if you were looking for deep knowledge.

As it is, the book is quite light reading and perhaps a prod to explore some of its issues in more in-depth books. Unfortunately there's little substance and quite an un-scientific approach with only the slightest hint of Terry's humour. In all, an unfortunate edition that perhaps would fare better on screen.

The book on medieval times is somewhat similar. Now, there are eight episodes, each dedicated to a strata or occupation (Peasant, Monk, Damsel, Minstrel, Knight, Philosopher (Alchemist), Outlaw, King). Strangely despite this the book is almost one hundred pages shorter than the barbarians one. The premise is the same: they state that "medieval" like "barbaric" has a negative connotation and propose to give the reader a different view.

However, and again, there's very little depth here, with anecdotes on historical figures like Chaucer, Robin Hood (?) and Henry VIII, and various trivia and tidbits - honestly, at times it reads like a "fun" book for young teens. The disappointment continues with the apparent lack of Terry's wit, while pretty much going through the same lack of references of the other book. While the barbarian book also tried to give a full scope western and eastern people, here the focus is very much anglocentric, thus becoming needlessly narrow, to almost razor-thin levels of knowledge.

In all, quite a disappointment.

 

[Johnway]

Another book finished, this time its Grim Repast by Marc Collins. Another warhammer crime book for Quillon Drask. The story takes place after his first story.

We return to the Polarius sector of Varangantua, Drask barely recovered from his last case is handed his next case; a murder taking place in the slums. The mystery deepens when the victim is a reasonably affluent person and has no reason to be there. Things get even stranger when another murder nearby uncovers a strange set of clues pointing to affluence involved.

As Drask tugs and pulls on the clues, he is slowly drawn into a dangerous mystery involving members of the powerful Vranx merchant-combine and violent and perverse secret society that indulges in cannibalism in the throes of a violent coup.

I like the original short story so it was good see more of Drask. Grim Repast was a entertaining read as The troubled drask fights and struggles against the odds to solve the case and bring it into a violent conclusion against all those involved. There isn't a great mystery as to who the culprits are (it doesn't deviate that far to someone within the Vranx), its more the magnitude of uncovering a conspiracy/cult that has existed before even the reunification of the imperium.

Will read the next book: the vorbis conspiracy.

 

[Johnway]

Another warhammer crime book finished. This time its the Vorbis conspiracy. Our story revolves around the Korsk district of Varangantua. A catastrophic mid air collision between 2 shuttles over Korsk results in cataclysmic destruction with the entire district flattened along with half of the Vorbis space port. Thousands are dead and the authorities are stretched to the limit and its not long before other district law enforcement and retired ex PDF and Guard soldiers are brought in. Despite the horrific nature, this seems to be just one big horrific accident. or was it?


The book is an anthology of short stories with various aspects and perspectives of those affected. Soon things aren't what they seem; who was responsible for the crash? who is attempting to cover up events and sell the accident narrative? why did the crash occur? with all the big players impacted by the tragedy, who stands to gain from it? its not long the presence of powerful factions become active and more worryingly, the presence of the inquisition taking interest to events and society as a whole.

whilst each story is separate stories there is overall coherence to the whole thing. its good to see many of the existing cast make a return such as Lux from the mechanicus, Agusto Zidarov, Baggit and Clodde, tal noron, orthoptera and colbrand all play a part in events to piece together the mystery. There is a satisfying conclusion and explanation to events and they're all a pretty good set of stories and it was an enjoyable read.

Will continue reading more of the warhammer crime books (only 1 or 2 more books left in the my collection).

 

[Johnway]

Another warhammer crime book finished, this time its The King of the spoil by Jonathan D beer.

As the title suggests, our story takes place at the Spoil; a walled off sprawl controlled by a loose nit of gangs (the Har Dhrol) led by gangster kingpin Andreti Sorokin (aka, the king of the spoil). When the King is brutally assassinated, the fragile peace and unity collapses, bringing turmoil as the gangs begin turn on each other.

The city (Varangantua) wouldn't care what happens in the spoil were it not a lucrative trade/smuggling route for various nefarious trade cartels and merchant combines operating in the neighboring districts and none stands to lose more then the Valterri. Melita Voronova, an information broker is tasked in solving the murder. Voronova quickly realizes that there's more then meets the eye , as who ever assassinated Andreti has bigger plans then the spoil itself but for Varangantua...


I found it an enjoyable read as we have a longer story for a returning character (Melita Voronova). its a thrilling story filled with mystery, violence and action as the story escalates and the carnage moves into the tri district area and soon the city is embroiled in conflict. Whilst the main crisis is resolved, there are still a lot of unanswered questions for example the culprit for the assassination remains at large to continue her nefarious schemes (whatever that is) and some of the main suspects remain at large.

 

[Johnway]

Another 2 books finished. Well, more like graphic novels.

I finished the 5th volume of the rise and fall of the trigan empire. At t his point in the series, the trigans/ tribe people of Vorg have moved on from simple nomads to living like the a modern society. in that regards, the stories aren't as interesting as more modern problems. For a series written in the 70s its still cracking good artwork and ahead of the times. But we're still no where near reaching the fall of the the trigans though.


The other book was The Puma Blues written by Stephen Murphy and drawn by Michael Zulli. Its set in an alternate dystopian future with environmental issues and instability. Most notable are strange flying manta rays. The story revolves around Gavia Immer as he spends time in the cabin in the woods at a nature reserve. The story becomes increasingly bleak as immer ages and moves off grid as society collapses. it does have a lot of food for thought with modern society that is every bit as relevant to us today. But honestly, i felt that the story is more avent garde making it mostly impenetrable at times.