Amph What was the last book you bought?

Which is why it shouldn't be included. We should have some sort of a history nerd corner at the JC.

But that's probably enough derailing of this thread for now.

 

SIGN ME UP FOR HISTORY NERD CORNER (Amph?)

I might have to track down a copy of the first volume. How many pages is it? (I'm thinking something long and boring for plane rides . . .) And I agree - technically the Eastern Roman Empire, but still And no matter how many times I hear that HRE joke, I still like it

I hate delayed releases in different countries. IIRC Ben said Warbreaker wasn't out in the UK (or just came out, or something). No point.

As for Amazon being weird . . . after that thing last year with Macmillan, I don't trust them.

 

The Amph would be a bad place for that - there, a good story, not the truth, matters.


Yeah, I don't really trust Amazon for release dates. But they do a good job of shipping the books once they actually come out.

 

The terms "holy" and "empire" have always been pretty inaccurate, IMO.

History nerd? Oh, yeah. Guilty as charged.

 

The Meri by Maya Kaathryn Bonhoff

 

Sign me up for the history corner as well since the last book I bought was The Time Traveller's Guide to the Middle Ages by Ian Mortimer.

 

I read that when it first came out. I enjoyed it!

 

There's something strange going on with these this time, used to be you could get US editions after a week or two but that doesn't seem to be so now.

 

I phoned FP up earlier this week and they had only gotten issue 3 in at the end of November. I've since gotten an email that it has shipped. No news on issue 4 so far though.

 

BAM still dosent have Vortex almost a week later....

 

Yikes...

 

I just picked up Asimov's Foundation, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, and Tolkein's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which isn't really SSF, but that's where I found it.

 

In order: excellent choice, what the heck were you thinking, and good choice.

 

Yeah, I know SotME is pretty out there most of the time, but it was half priced.

 

Granted, I already have a copy (when I was working at making my SW novel collection complete and before I had ever read it)... but if I'd known better, someone would have had to pay me to take it off their hands. I did get it for about half price myself (used bookstore), but I way overpaid for it. Out of the hundred and something SW books out there, I would rank it dead last, and its not close. New Rebellion? Crystal Star? Planet of Twilight? I'd take any of those in a heartbeat over SotME, and my ... lack of enthusiasm (to put it exceptionally nicely)... about them has been mentioned on several occasions around here

FTR, the comic version of SotME isn't any better. Its in one of the Omnibuses (Early Victories, I believe) and I forced myself to read it.

But Foundation is awesome, and I like SGatGK as well. I'll actually be reading the latter before too much longer - getting ready to start reading all the Tolkien books I have, including that one.

 

I feel like's something that I should own, even if I despise it. That's why eventually I'll get New Rebellions, the Crystal Star, and Planet of Twilight again in the future.

I almost bought Prelude to Foundation instead, but one of the other customers said that the original Foundation trilogy is a lot better than the rest of the books. I looked at the copyright dates, and decided to go with the original once, and then go from there, if I like it. I've never read Asimov before, so it'll be interesting. But I still have about four or so books to read before I get to that one.

I've only read a couple medieval stories/books (like Abelard's The Story of My Misfortunes and Chretien de Troyes' Ywain the Knight of the Lion), but it's an era that I'm interested in, and popular literature can be semi-helpful as a historical source. I don't know how good Tolkein's translation of the story is as opposed to another scholar's, but I expect that it'll be good.

 

Huh, as much as I like the original Foundation books, I like Asimov's later additions even more - Prelude to Foundation, Forward the Foundation (those two should be read together), and most especially Foundation and Earth (should be read last of the Foundation books). The Robot books are likewise awesome, and are part of the same universe despite being separated by thousands of years. He also wrote 3 Empire novels, which are decent but notably weaker than the others, IMO.

However, the "Second Foundation Trilogy" that was written by 3 different authors after Asimov's death? Skip it. They'd be decent enough stories if they didn't keep manipulating and changing what Asimov had already established... they completely changed how interstellar travel worked, dang it! Imagine if someone came in to write a SW novel and suddenly ships were using warp speed instead of hyperdrive. Yeah.

 

I'll be sure to keep that in mind as I go forward. Thanks, R...J.

 

Clarifying point: Foundation and Earth should really be last of the whole series, because it misses much of its impact if you haven't read the Robot books and particularly Robots and Empire (the last of the Robot books). I said last of the Foundation books, but that's really not sufficient

 

Just ordered Caine Black Knife, The Return of the Crimson Guard and Shadowheart from Amazon.

 

I second the "what were you thinking" - horrible book. (Though I have to say, I did like The Crystal Star and actually read it multiple times. Mind you, this was several years ago.)

 

Really? I think SOTME blows any and all of them out of the water. The New Rebellion is, hands down, the worst Star Wars book ever written. It's not even close. It's an embarrassment to every single person even peripherally involved in the process of bringing it to market. It's a book that should have ended careers. The Crystal Star is a stupid, poorly-written, insanely dull disaster with no feel for the universe. Planet of Twilight is, in addition to being dumb, quite possibly the most outrageously boring book ever attempted within the context of an adventure franchise. SOTME is merely silly pulp from the immediate post-ANH period; it's not even in the category of bad. Just middling. I bet I can name at least twenty books worse than SOTME off the top of my head.

I won't disagree with your right to dislike it, and it doesn't do much for me either, but I'd never put it even close to the bottom of the pile when there are so many other stinkers out there. What gets you so down on it?

 

Only just spotted this.

Unless it's changed, I think the UK is officially getting Warbreaker and Elantris next year, with War of Kings in a couple of weeks. (I already have US imports on my bookcase! )

 

Havac: I don't disagree with your assessment of those other three at all (other than comparing them to SotME at least)... I've said quite a few times that I can't stand them. SotME just irks me even more. Can't say exactly what as its been several years since I actually forced myself to read it. The Luke-Leia relationship is seriously disturbing, though I can forgive it that since it came out before they were decided to be brother/sister. The Kaiburr crystal and the rest of the plot though... ugh. When I say "force" myself to read it, I mean exactly that.

Though, to be fair, I have to force myself to read those others, too.

 

I oh so hope that BAM will have Abyss in a few when I go before we go see Tron Legacy..... wish me luck!