With only Nova under one's belt, I am not sure anyone is ready for Dhalgren.Often, at dawn in the mountains or in evenings on the desert, he wondered what terribly important aspects there were to his civilization in excess of a proper ability, at the proper time, to tell the proper tale. But for the civilization in which he lived, this dark giant, soldier, and adventurer, with desires we've not yet named and dreams we've hardly mentioned, who could speak equally of and to barbarian tavern maids and High Court ladies, flogged slaves lost in the cities and provincial nobles at ease on their country estates, he was a civilized man.
Tell Us What Books We Should Be Reading
Moderator: I'm Murrin
- wayfriend
- .
- Posts: 20957
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 12:34 am
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 4 times
Also Tales of Nevèrÿon is quite wonderful. (As are some of the sequels.)
- I'm Murrin
- Are you?
- Posts: 15840
- Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
- Location: North East, UK
- Contact:
- wayfriend
- .
- Posts: 20957
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 12:34 am
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 4 times
I didn't find Aptor to be very compelling. Nor The Fall of the Towers. Both are earlier works.
Delaney's later works tend to spiral into contemplations of sexuality, which I am not interested in pursuing.
So it's his middle works that are the gold. To bring this [more] back on topic ...
Five Samual R Delaney books Everyone Should Read:
- The Ballad of Beta 2
- Tales of Neveryon
- Nova
- Dhalgren
- Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Five more because you liked the first five:
- Babel 17
- The Einstein Intersection
- Empire Star
- Neveryona
- Driftglass (short stories)
Delaney's later works tend to spiral into contemplations of sexuality, which I am not interested in pursuing.
So it's his middle works that are the gold. To bring this [more] back on topic ...
Five Samual R Delaney books Everyone Should Read:
- The Ballad of Beta 2
- Tales of Neveryon
- Nova
- Dhalgren
- Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Five more because you liked the first five:
- Babel 17
- The Einstein Intersection
- Empire Star
- Neveryona
- Driftglass (short stories)
- deer of the dawn
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 6758
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 12:48 pm
- Location: Jos, Nigeria
- Contact:
Thanks for the list!! I wanted to read more but also would rather skirt the sexual weirdness.wayfriend wrote:I didn't find Aptor to be very compelling. Nor The Fall of the Towers. Both are earlier works.
Delaney's later works tend to spiral into contemplations of sexuality, which I am not interested in pursuing.
So it's his middle works that are the gold. To bring this [more] back on topic ...
Five Samual R Delaney books Everyone Should Read:
- The Ballad of Beta 2
- Tales of Neveryon
- Nova
- Dhalgren
- Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Five more because you liked the first five:
- Babel 17
- The Einstein Intersection
- Empire Star
- Neveryona
- Driftglass (short stories)
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle. -Philo of Alexandria
ahhhh... if only all our creativity in wickedness could be fixed by "Corrupt a Wish." - Linna Heartlistener
ahhhh... if only all our creativity in wickedness could be fixed by "Corrupt a Wish." - Linna Heartlistener
- I'm Murrin
- Are you?
- Posts: 15840
- Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
- Location: North East, UK
- Contact:
Have you read The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin yet? Apocalyptic world where extreme seismic activity means human society has adapted to survive frequent major climate events. Also there are people who can control earthquakes with their mind. Won the Hugo Award this year. It's the first book of a trilogy, second has just been published.
- I'm Murrin
- Are you?
- Posts: 15840
- Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
- Location: North East, UK
- Contact:
Yesterday I finished reading Robert Jackson Bennett's City of Blades. It's a really great book that digs into issues of why people go to war, what it means to be a soldier, and the effect that combat has on people (without actually being a war novel). Highly recommend. It's the second book of the series (after City of Stairs, which is also worth reading), but can stand alone.
A generation ago, the city of Voortyashtan was the stronghold of the god of war and death, the birthplace of fearsome supernatural sentinels who killed and subjugated millions.
Now, the city's god is dead. The city itself lies in ruins. And to its new military occupiers, the once-powerful capital is a wasteland of sectarian violence and bloody uprisings.
So it makes perfect sense that General Turyin Mulaghesh- foul-mouthed hero of the battle of Bulikov, rumored war criminal, ally of an embattled Prime Minister-has been exiled there to count down the days until she can draw her pension and be forgotten.
At least, it makes the perfect cover story.
The truth is that the general has been pressed into service one last time, dispatched to investigate a discovery with the potential to change the world--or destroy it.
The trouble is that this old soldier isn't sure she's still got what it takes to be the hero.
- aliantha
- blueberries on steroids
- Posts: 17865
- Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2002 7:50 pm
- Location: NOT opening up a restaurant in Santa Fe
I'm gonna plug my friend Chris James's new book, Repulse. If you like military alt-history, it's right up your alley. Plus it's currently #2 in the Hard Sci-Fi category on Amazon UK (surprising even the author!).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Repulse-Europe ... 01IL7G6JM/
It's also available at Amazon US. Just change the "co.uk" in the link to ".com" and it'll get you there.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Repulse-Europe ... 01IL7G6JM/
It's also available at Amazon US. Just change the "co.uk" in the link to ".com" and it'll get you there.
EZ Board Survivor
"Dreaming isn't good for you unless you do the things it tells you to." -- Three Dog Night (via the GI)
https://www.hearth-myth.com/
- SoulBiter
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 9279
- Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 2:02 am
- Has thanked: 79 times
- Been thanked: 13 times
For anyone that likes non fiction adventure books this is one of my favorites. Its hard to find
Three wheeling through Africa, Hardcover 1936
Three wheeling through Africa, Hardcover 1936
An account of a motorcycle trip made in 1927 through 1928 across Africa from Lagos, Nigeria. North to the southern edge of the Sahara then east through French West Africa, French Equatorial Africa, the Anglo Egyptian Sudan, and Eritrea to the Red Sea. This was the unquestionably the most under financed under planned under equipped successful expedition to explore Africa. Two crazy Americans drove dragged and carried with the help of camels at times two motorcycles and sidecars through the dense steamy jungles of southern Nigeria up to the savannah grasslands then east through the desert with its mountainous dunes of sand.
- Fist and Faith
- Magister Vitae
- Posts: 23633
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
- Has thanked: 6 times
- Been thanked: 33 times
- Linna Heartbooger
- Are you not a sine qua non for a redemption?
- Posts: 3894
- Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:17 pm
- Been thanked: 1 time
I want to know how you first found it!SoulBiter wrote:For anyone that likes non fiction adventure books this is one of my favorites. Its hard to find...
"People without hope not only don't write novels, but what is more to the point, they don't read them.
They don't take long looks at anything, because they lack the courage.
The way to despair is to refuse to have any kind of experience, and the novel, of course, is a way to have experience."
-Flannery O'Connor
"In spite of much that militates against quietness there are people who still read books. They are the people who keep me going."
-Elisabeth Elliot, Preface, "A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael"
They don't take long looks at anything, because they lack the courage.
The way to despair is to refuse to have any kind of experience, and the novel, of course, is a way to have experience."
-Flannery O'Connor
"In spite of much that militates against quietness there are people who still read books. They are the people who keep me going."
-Elisabeth Elliot, Preface, "A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael"
- SoulBiter
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 9279
- Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 2:02 am
- Has thanked: 79 times
- Been thanked: 13 times
A friend of mine from High School now lives around Hartsford, Connecticut. He and I exchange books from time to time. He goes to yardsales and flea markets, etc etc and finds stuff to sale on Ebay. Long story short, he bought a number of boxes of 'stuff' for a flat rate and this book was in one of the boxes. After reading it, he sent it to me to read as well.Linna Heartlistener wrote:I want to know how you first found it!SoulBiter wrote:For anyone that likes non fiction adventure books this is one of my favorites. Its hard to find...
- Fist and Faith
- Magister Vitae
- Posts: 23633
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
- Has thanked: 6 times
- Been thanked: 33 times
I probably already mentioned this. Emerald Eyes After a veeeery long hiatus, the author is returning to the Continuing Time. There are four books already. I got it back when I was reading a lot of telepathy stuff. It's just amazing stuff, and the telepathy is not nearly all of it. Among my handful of favorite series.
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon