Kevin's Watch

Was looking for any sort of Covenant fan art I could find and I happened upon this place. It seems more active than it should be, considering that I've never met anyone else personally who has even heard of Stephen R. Donaldson.

Anyways, I'm 26 and have been reading Donaldson since I was 13. My father was a big fan and had hyped up the first Chronicles so much that I had to read them for myself. Read the first two trilogies while I was very young. I've reread bits and pieces of them. Read Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through sometime around the age of 17 or 18. I think I liked those more, though it might have just been my maturity level allowing me to enjoy them on a different level.

In 2006 my father started talking about the Gap Cycle, and how it was the best Science Fiction he has ever read, and he's pretty well read in the Sci-Fi department (Dune, Ender, things like Solaris and Lathe of Dreams) and he kept pushing me to read them. Couldn't find them anywhere, though. Gave those to me for Christmas of 2007 and I finished the last book in the summer of 2008.

Since then I've picked up the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and have almost finished Fatal Revenant (probably tomorrow). I wasn't really sure how much I liked The Runes of the Earth, but this book has been magnificent, and I'm really enjoying it. Also checked out Reave the Just from the library and read most of the short stories by the time it was due back (had two really hard work weeks).

Not really sure what else to put here...
I'm pretty well read in the fantasy department, and enjoy other literature as well. I'm up-to-date on both Wheel of Time and Song of Ice and Fire, gave up on the last book of Terry Goodkind's Ayn Rand rip-off, and have sitting, waiting for me, The Name of the Wind and the first two books of the Malazan series. Eventually I'd like to read David Gemmell as the single book of his I read, purchased for $1 at a sidewalk sale, was amazing.

My favorite author is actually Umberto Eco. I've also read a lot of Murakami recently. The other books I tend to read are on physics, like Penrose and Greene.

My background is in physics. I'm planning on teaching high school physics, or mathematics, once I get certified. Job market has forced me into it. I'm an avid DnD gamer, love punk music in addition to every other genre ever, and am an avid movie goer.

Yeah, so welcome me and stuff.

Good entrance, martryn. I dig your avatar, too. You seem very well-read to me. It's also always nice to know of another who enjoys science books. Carl Sagan is my science "hero," as his Cosmos series left an indelible mark on me as a kid. I haven't read Penrose, but recently got my hands on Greene's The Elegant Universe. I'm almost done reading Donald Goldsmith's The Runaway Universe, but he does throw in equations and graphs that I don't entirely follow, being a layperson. But I guess if you want to understand the universe beyond generalities, there's no getting around having to learn some of the nuts-and-bolts equations.

Oh yeah, I really liked Fatal Revenant as well. I'm very excited about Against All Things Ending.

Be Welcome to the Watch, martryn.
Be Well Come and True.

Never met anyone who has heard of SRD before?
Check out the Watch's phoogle map (at the bottom of the Index page).
You may just find other Watchers fairly close by!

Welcome to the Watch, martryn!

Not sure whether your poll refers to your post, SRD's works, or the contents of the Watch. I suppose a case could be made for any of these, but I stand by my No vote.

If you are an avid DnD gamer, do look into the games in our Gravin Threndor forum. Not my thing, but you may enjoy them.

Welcome to the Watch. It's active because we're into everything. As SD said above, check out Gravin Threndor for RPG's, also Vespers for music and the LoresRaat for science stuff. (And the Erikson forum for the Malazan books once you get going. ) And that's not even scratching the surface.

As a big fan of Gemmel myself, I must ask which one you read?

--A

Welcome, martryn! Judging by your reading list, you'll find that you're among friend here.

Welcome!

I haven't read Penrose, but recently got my hands on Greene's The Elegant Universe.

That's actually sitting on my desk right now, unread. Well, this copy. My wife purchased it a few months ago, but she's not started, I don't think. She's a software engineer and came home today with two books on some computer crap. She'll never get around to reading physics.

I actually prefer Fabric of the Cosmos.

Oh yeah, I really liked Fatal Revenant as well. I'm very excited about Against All Things Ending.

I just finished the book a few minutes ago. I was waiting around to finish before I started posting here. I'm quite active on other internet forums (I'm an anime geek), but I hope to find time to post here a few times a week, at least.

Man, the ending of the book... wow. Didn't see it coming. Honestly.

Never met anyone who has heard of SRD before?
Check out the Watch's phoogle map (at the bottom of the Index page).
You may just find other Watchers fairly close by!

Excellent. I will certainly do that. Cool feature.

Not sure whether your poll refers to your post, SRD's works, or the contents of the Watch. I suppose a case could be made for any of these, but I stand by my No vote.

I was referring to my opening post. I thought it might be a bit wordy for an introduction thread.

If you are an avid DnD gamer, do look into the games in our Gravin Threndor forum. Not my thing, but you may enjoy them.

Likely not my thing either. I don't really do the play-by-post thing.

As a big fan of Gemmel myself, I must ask which one you read?

I read Winter Warriors. Not something I'd pick up by the title alone, but the cover art caught my eye while I was walking past, and, like I said, it was only $1, so I impulse purchased it. Read it several months later when I was out camping and thought it was amazing. Didn't really understand the story, as there seemed to be a lot of history I was unaware of, but the characters were very poignant. I thought the story was very powerful.

martryn wrote:

If you are an avid DnD gamer, do look into the games in our Gravin Threndor forum. Not my thing, but you may enjoy them.

Likely not my thing either. I don't really do the play-by-post thing.

All I'll suggest is check it out.
GT seems to have drawn several players who had the same attitude before joining in.

I'll look into it, then. I guess it never hurts.

i thought for half a second you were gonna say "so welcome me and sh*t..."

WELCOME! /hugs and sh*t

martryn wrote:

As a big fan of Gemmel myself, I must ask which one you read?

I read Winter Warriors. Not something I'd pick up by the title alone, but the cover art caught my eye while I was walking past, and, like I said, it was only $1, so I impulse purchased it. Read it several months later when I was out camping and thought it was amazing. Didn't really understand the story, as there seemed to be a lot of history I was unaware of, but the characters were very poignant. I thought the story was very powerful.

A good one, but by no means his best. Although it's set in the Drenai world, it's pretty much considered a stand-alone in terms of its relation to other books. Although of course the history would be a common thread.

Do yourself a favour and check out his other books. Starting with his first, Legend if you can. (It's not mandatory though.) There are very few of his that are anything other than excellent.

--A