Author Topic: What have you read lately, and was it any good?  (Read 22297 times)

Online Nekobaghira

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #30 on: July 24, 2017, 03:55:43 PM »
Wrath and Ruin by C.W. Briar .... its a collection of short stories. I liked it.

Blood Betrayal by Tessa Dawn (Blood Curse series, book 9). It was also good but I'm totally biased because she has yet to let me down in her series. :)

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #31 on: August 15, 2017, 05:33:03 AM »
The World of the Dark Crystal: An audio book fan reading, I think it's read by the same person who voiced the fan reading of the Dark Crystal novelization. Most of the story is told from Aughra's point of view, the one and only of her race, the prophet born of rock and stone. She explains the history of Thra, of the first and second great conjunction, the great divide of the Urskeks, the creation of the uUru and the Skeksis. When the Crystal creaked, the extermination of the Gelfling race, when she retreated to her observatory, of Jen and Kira's journey, the healing of the Crystal and Aughra reflecting on her life, or as she puts her it, her song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g5iM-UYqi0
« Last Edit: August 15, 2017, 10:41:29 PM by RomeoSvengali »
https://vimeo.com/49613968
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Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #32 on: January 18, 2018, 05:44:39 AM »
No Country For Old Men: The book is pretty actuate to the film, there are a few things different here and there. But some scenes were actually better in the film, while in the book, some scenes are kind of confusing.

Deep Space Nine: Fallen Heroes: An interesting story where Odo and Quark are sent three days into the future, but during those days, just about everyone on the station has been killed and they must try to find a way to be sent back before that happens. It's both tragic and a uplifting story, the nameless (at first) alien race comes across as frightening, it manages to have major character deaths and not just new or nameless characters and brings them all back by the end. But there not meaningless deaths, each character gets there moment to shine. Actor Rene Auberjonois, who of course played Odo, does a wonderful job in the audio book version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEFl1nXXGQE
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline bark_no_byte

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #33 on: January 18, 2018, 09:32:39 AM »
Have you read Blood Meridian? Only McCarthy work I've read other than The Road and it's fantastic but super depressing (well, both are).

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #34 on: February 23, 2018, 01:13:48 PM »
Second Variety: It's a short story, but an interesting one, although, nearing the end it seems as if it just wants to wrap up the storyline, and while the ending is a bit bleak, it's satisfying from the last line. I remember watching the film Screamers back in the mid 90s, it was ok, it's not a 100% accurate to the story, but it's not as inaccurate as one might think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vi-72hCvm4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnqYjKkyGZs
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #35 on: May 10, 2018, 05:17:34 PM »
The Eugenics Wars, Vol.2: A wasted opportunity and contradicts everything we know about Kahn in TOS and ST-II: TWOK. You would think that since it's about The Eugenics War that it would star Kahn... but no, he's hardly in it... instead the characters Gary Seven and Roberta Licoln are the main characters even though they should not be in this story at all. Apparently the Augments and everyone else are so stupid that only these two can save the world. TOS and the 2nd film very well stated that Khan had an empire, took over one-quarter of Earth's population, other nations combined their efforts to defeat them and while a ruthless tyrant, Kirk and the others reluctantly admit to having a degree of respect for what Kahn accomplished, despite his many faults and crimes.

In the book, Khan has no empire at all, he wins no battles, Khan and the Augments are just dumb and weak, in fact the book pretty much states that The Eugenics War wasn't really a big deal. Why? Because since it didn't happen in real life (there are so many references to the 90s), therefore it's just some small conflict that hardly anyone hears about... someone should have told the politically-correct left-wing writer, Greg Cox, that the ST universe is NOT OUR universe.

Years later when Kirk and the others are deciding on what to do with a planet that wants to become a member of the Federation, but this planet's population has genetic engineering and since the Federation outlawed that because of The Eugenics War, that lead to WWIII, the planet will be put under quarantine... but if the book made it seem that The Eugenics War wasn't that important, just skirmishes among minor warlords and Khan wasn't even known and forgotten... then the quarantine and the outlaw of genetic engineering is meaningless. One has to wonder how the Federation and Kirk even know anything about that war or Khan himself and the book in no way states that it's an alternate reality, this is supposed to be in the canon ST universe.
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #36 on: August 03, 2018, 02:46:51 AM »
The Outsiders: I never read the book in school, I guess I didn't take any classes that did. I watched the film before I was in my teens, I didn't finally read it until a few years ago and recently I decided to listen to a fan audio reading. There's a few things that the book does better, but there's also a few things that the movie does better as well, but there's too much to list.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPk1Tz3DGg99rYJjEKT7SaLZ9gr7M-L1N
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #37 on: September 29, 2018, 09:31:52 AM »
Persephone: A fan made graphic novel of the Greek mythology gods Hades and Persephone. Most versions people are familiar with is the one where Hades kidnaps Persephone, he takes her to the underworld, not because he's cruel and he doesn't harm her. They come to love each other, marry, Persephone becomes queen of the underworld, she spends the spring and summer time with her mother and the fall and winter with her husband. Most modern versions have been pretty awful, Hades is depicted as the devil and having a loveless marriage with Persephone.

In this version, as the website states, is different, the artwork has a cartoon look to it which helps with the humor, but it's not a kid's book as there is some nudity and two sex scenes, but it doesn't show too much.
https://hivemill.com/products/persephone

There's a few other versions that are pretty good.
http://asphodelon.com/post/88185785462/bringer-of-spring

https://tapas.io/episode/209758

Animated Tales of the World - The Myth of Persephone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrmQYsMnl14
« Last Edit: January 05, 2019, 05:32:08 PM by RomeoSvengali »
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #38 on: October 28, 2018, 12:20:52 AM »
"The Pacific Pearl" Original Creepypasta: Based on one of the Heavy Metal animated shorts, B-17, that takes place during WWII in a B-17 bomber and the Locknar makes the dead come alive. This is a pretty good reading of that animated short.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKNQB9yZ9_Q
« Last Edit: October 28, 2018, 12:26:30 AM by RomeoSvengali »
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #39 on: January 05, 2019, 05:32:39 PM »
Jabberwocky: Not a book, but a poem, I came across these two videos on Youtube by accident.

The Jabberwocky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr4GH61VStM

Jabberwocky By Lewis Carroll - Read by Benedict Cumberbatch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_Um3787fSY
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline Dantay

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #40 on: January 05, 2019, 10:53:24 PM »

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #41 on: January 11, 2019, 09:53:43 PM »
The Raven: Another poem, a lot of kids from my generation first heard this from the Simpsons and to quote a Youtube comment
Amazing that Sith Lords read this poem better than anyone else.
1.) James Eal Jones/ aka Darth Vader
2.) Christopher Lee/ aka Darth Tyranus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BefliMlEzZ8
« Last Edit: January 11, 2019, 09:57:41 PM by RomeoSvengali »
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #42 on: January 18, 2019, 12:21:45 AM »
Marianne Dreams: Marianne, a 10 year old, is able to create a dream world by drawing it and meets another person in it who also dreams the same dream. Normally I don't read books about kids since there usually annoying and dumb. But I can make an exception and I'm a sucker for stories about dreams, I can still remember dreams I had years ago and I'm not talking about nightmares. There have been two adaptations of this book, Escape Into Night, a 1972 black & white British TV mini-series and Paperhouse, a 1988 British film. While the mini series is more accurate to the book, the two main leads in the film are more likable, but I like both versions.
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline RomeoSvengali

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #43 on: February 07, 2019, 02:36:50 AM »
When it comes to mythologies, it's usually Greek and American Indian mythologies that interest me, but then there's Norse mythology. I already knew some of it, but thankfully there's audio books and Youtube videos to explain it in detail.

Feature History - Norse Mythology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Br9bfvN7g

Norse Legends [Audio]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PVhFy4cmS8
https://vimeo.com/49613968
-Romeo Svengali (Monican swordsman)

Offline bark_no_byte

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Re: What have you read lately, and was it any good?
« Reply #44 on: February 07, 2019, 11:48:05 AM »
Currently reading: Dune by Frank Herbert. Amazing so far.


Just finished: A Study in Emerald graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Rafael Albuquerque. Also great. Actually had to re-read the ending bc I didn't get it at first and then it hit me like a brick wall.