The Geek Forum
Main Forums => Entertainment => Topic started by: jeee on July 20, 2006, 01:57:21 PM
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I just finished Stephen King's latest novel "Cell" It was a pretty good book that clearly shows what gets into mankind once anarchy is there.
Amazon quote:
Witness Stephen King's triumphant, blood-spattered return to the genre that made him famous. Cell, the king of horror's homage to zombie films (the book is dedicated in part to George A. Romero) is his goriest, most horrific novel in years, not to mention the most intensely paced. Casting aside his love of elaborate character and town histories and penchant for delayed gratification, King yanks readers off their feet within the first few pages; dragging them into the fray and offering no chance catch their breath until the very last page.
In Cell King taps into readers fears of technological warfare and terrorism. Mobile phones deliver the apocalypse to millions of unsuspecting humans by wiping their brains of any humanity, leaving only aggressive and destructive impulses behind. Those without cell phones, like illustrator Clayton Riddell and his small band of "normies," must fight for survival, and their journey to find Clayton's estranged wife and young son rockets the book toward resolution.
I liked it a lot. It's not his best work but it is an old-fashioned Stephen King story.
Now I got to find something new to read, Anyone have a good suggestion ?
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Tried any Neal Stephenson yet? "Snow Crash" was a really fast and pretty good read.
Thanks for the recommendation. I have been meaning to look into some reviews of "Cell" and it sounds like it's pretty good.
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I just finished Dan Brown's Decpetion Point. They should have made THAT into a movie instead of The Davinci Code. It's a damn good book.
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That's the asteroid one right?
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What about the Da Vinci Code ? I have a tendency to skip the real popular books but I am considering to give this one a read.
Actual Conversation just happening here:
me: If you're going to the library tomorrow can you check if the have a book called "Snow crash" by Neal Stephenson ?
The wife: who ??
me: Neal Stephenson
The wife: how did you get into that ?
me: a recommendation of a guy on one of my geeky forums.
The wife: AHA, so you're gonna read a book because some nerd told you so ?
me: no, he likes Stephen King as well, so I wanna give this a try.
The Wife: You are a nerd ,period, I will see what I can do (walks away, shaking head) [mumble]must be a stupid book, must be [/mumble]
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ahahahahaaha. Why don't our people understand us?
Anyway so I just interviewed with a middle school that has a mandatory S&R every day. Meaning, at a certain time, every day, the entire school drops everything and reads for 20 minutes.
I like it!
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Kickass!
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What about the Da Vinci Code ? I have a tendency to skip the real popular books but I am considering to give this one a read.
Actual Conversation just happening here:
me: If you're going to the library tomorrow can you check if the have a book called "Snow crash" by Neal Stephenson ?
The wife: who ??
me: Neal Stephenson
The wife: how did you get into that ?
me: a recommendation of a guy on one of my geeky forums.
The wife: AHA, so you're gonna read a book because some nerd told you so ?
me: no, he likes Stephen King as well, so I wanna give this a try.
The Wife: You are a nerd ,period, I will see what I can do (walks away, shaking head) [mumble]must be a stupid book, must be [/mumble]
You have a mean wife. You need to beat her more and show her who's boss.
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ahahahahaaha. Why don't our people understand us?
Anyway so I just interviewed with a middle school that has a mandatory S&R every day. Meaning, at a certain time, every day, the entire school drops everything and reads for 20 minutes.
I like it!
They had that at my elementary school. I wish that we could still have it at my high school but, it's summer now so it really doesn't matter for me. Hope you get the job Detta.
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ahahahahaaha. Why don't our people understand us?
Anyway so I just interviewed with a middle school that has a mandatory S&R every day. Meaning, at a certain time, every day, the entire school drops everything and reads for 20 minutes.
I like it!
I think my school called it DEAR time - Drop Everything And Read. ;)
Kickass is right.
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You have a mean wife. You need to beat her more and show her who's boss.
We are no republicans at my place
Edit: At least you are consistent with your opinions in the political forum.
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You have a mean wife. You need to beat her more and show her who's boss.
I hope you're not serious.
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Would it suprise you if he were?
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Heh, I read new and old. Right now I'm on Brave New World, which brings up some interesting points. (Especially about morals)
Self-Made Man was also very good, as is the series by David Weber. (Honor Harrington)
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I haven't read anyting in a while but I will agree with the Crystalmonkey on the David Weber series. I haven't read them all but the ones at the Baen free internet library were pretty good.
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Terry Goodkind just had a new book come out in the "Sword of Truth" series that I have been enjoying. The first title is "Wizard's First Rule" It's an awesome story with very strong characters (a must in my books), and it's a hefty read at 8-hundred something odd pages. I reccommend it to all of my friends. Main problem is Goodkind's book are VERY addictive. Seriously. They make J.K. Rowling look like Kool-Aid. Also, if'n you're as pennywise as myself, Baen has en entire library online HERE (http://www.baen.com/library/) (including the first of David Weber and John Ringo's respective series'), and Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/) has a library of 1700+ public domain books.
So there ya go. The Lord of the Book Nerds has spoken!
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I hope you're not serious.
I was absolutely joking. Hitting something over a snide comment is just barbaric.
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Terry Goodkind
RAPE RAPE RAPE RAPE KAHLAN NOOO RAPE RAPE RAPE RAPE INSTITUTIONALIZED BONDAGE RAPE RAPE RAPE JAGAAAAAANGGGG RAPE RAPE RAPE
There, now you don't have to read the first five of his books.
To be fair, Wizard's First Rule is a decent read, but something about the tone of the books (read: RAPE RAPE RAPE) just makes me uneasy.
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To be fair, Wizard's First Rule is a decent read, but something about the tone of the books (read: RAPE RAPE RAPE) just makes me uneasy.
WFR and Stone of Tears are, to my mind, his best works to date. After the Imperial Order gets introduced I'll admit his writing goes much darker. But the Order is a barbaric enemy, they represent the uncivilized parts of us. If you read the new one, Phantom, be prepared for more of the same as 3 chapters is dedicated to a firsthand account of the second taking of Ebenessia. But at least he doesn't ramble as much as Robert Jordan.
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The Old Testament.
Some pretty weird stuff going on in there.
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No lie. I've had weird nightmares after reading that.
The Bible in general is really warped. Definitely not material for kids, that's for sure.
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And you know, if you read the stuff in the beginning with a fresh eye, you have to wonder what all the fuss over the Scientologists is about. From breathing life into clay and making chicks from ribs is not a big jump to aliens living in volcanoes. If you believe the former, you aren't considered irrational, yet if you believe the latter -- which doesn't even contradict the former -- you're suddenly in a cult. I don't get it.
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And all of these several hundred year old dudes getting it on and begetting sons.
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Cult. Religion.
I'm the guy with the Kool Aid.
(http://www.guildhaven.org/images/ash_evildead_hand.gif)
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And all of these several hundred year old dudes getting it on and begetting sons.
I liked that part.
Gives one hope.
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Yeah so where are all of the 700 year old dudes today?
Well besides Enoch Root, of course...
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I don't know. Ask me in 651 years.
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Will do :lol
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I liked that part.
Gives one hope.
click (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441810764/sr=8-1/qid=1153867155/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2466359-6444625?ie=UTF8)
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click (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441810764/sr=8-1/qid=1153867155/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2466359-6444625?ie=UTF8)
Oh, yes. I read that in my formative years.
And very formative they were.
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Yep, Lazarus kicks ass!
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I gotta side with David Cross on this one; when you read the Bible as an adult it's just the worst kind of middle school D&D bullshit ever. God, if there is a God, is a kid with a chemestry set at best, and a part-time dad at worst. I lean to the latter. Just look at the Old Testament, it's full of the kind of shitfits 9 year-old throw. WORSHIP ME OR I'LL BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN! Oy Vey!
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... and then might burn your house down anyway just for larfs.
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I gotta side with David Cross on this one; when you read the Bible as an adult it's just the worst kind of middle school D&D bullshit ever. God, if there is a God, is a kid with a chemestry set at best, and a part-time dad at worst. I lean to the latter. Just look at the Old Testament, it's full of the kind of shitfits 9 year-old throw. WORSHIP ME OR I'LL BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN! Oy Vey!
I've never conversed with anyone before who actually knew who David Cross was. I respect you.
I have major issues with the Bible, the main one being what a sick bastard God is depicted as. That guy, was it Abraham? Who God told to bring his son up on this mountain and kill him. And at the last minute he was like, "Oh noez, I was just kidding! Here's a goat!"
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Ok, I got me a copy of Snow Crash, or The Babel Virus as it is called in Dutch. The genre is called "cyberpunk".
So if I like it I can add that to my C.V.
Sounds rather cool:
"What's your favourite literature ?"
"I read mainly cyberpunk"
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I like cyberpunk. I'm not sure if it's considered cyberpunk, but I just read Neuromancer, and it was pretty good.
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I think it may have been the original cyberpunk. Great book in my opinion.
But I ain't looking it up.
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I did just look it up...it is cyberpunk.
I haven't read Snow Crash yet, but I have it. Right now I have to focus on summer reading.
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I knew it was cyberpunk. I just wasn't positive if it was the first.
But I'll always believe it was, no matter what anyone says.
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Well how long ago was it published? It can't be that old, but then neither is the genre of cyberpunk.
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I must admit with some trepedation that I have not heard of this genre. But, alas, I suppose it is past time I broaden my horizons. What would you recommend as a good introduction in that world?
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The original of the genre.
http://wsu.edu/~brians/science_fiction/neuromancer.html
Why start any where else.
Oh and 1984 was when it was published.
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But I'll always believe it was, no matter what anyone says.
I believe the move you are looking for is:
"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
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I believe the move you are looking for is:
"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
That could have been true until I did look it up and Washington State University agreed with me. :-D
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I must admit with some trepedation that I have not heard of this genre. But, alas, I suppose it is past time I broaden my horizons. What would you recommend as a good introduction in that world?
If you want to broaden your horizons, you should do what Randal did; start watching hemaphroditic pornography.
And in reference to the previous conversation about the Bible...
*gets into Mary Katherine Gallagher mode*
My opinions would be best explained in a quote said by Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects:
"Keaton always said, 'I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him.' Well, I believe in God -- and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze."
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So you're quoting someone... quoting someone? No offense, I just think my brain blew
a gasket... gasget up.
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So you're quoting someone... quoting someone? No offense, I just think my brain blew a gasket... gasget up.
No, I'm doing an impression of someone quoting someone who is quoting someone. It really isn't all that complicated.
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Ummmmmm...
*BLAM!*
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Speaking of explosions, has anyone read Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll? I'm supposed to do a paper on the changes Disney made to the story, and I think I want to incorporate all that sexual innuendo/drug reference stuff. But I have to actually read the story, so I'd like to know what I'm in for.
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Go ask Alice.
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When she's ten feet tall.
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Ah, Jefferson Airplane. :-D
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One thing to remember when reading that book... Lewis Carroll was TERRIFIED of women. Like psychotically so.
Keep that in mind while you're reading it and some parts will make more sense.
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One thing to remember when reading that book... Lewis Carroll was TERRIFIED of women. Like psychotically so.
Keep that in mind while you're reading it and some parts will make more sense.
I did not know that; and you're right.
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Ah, Jefferson Airplane. :-D
They were better as Starship. :wink:
Marconi plays "La Bamba..."
Thanks for the Alice in Wonderland advice...I just started reading it and so far I'm beginning to see what you're talking about. So he wasn't a masogynist, he was just a gynophobic? That's interesting.
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They were better as Starship. :wink:
...
Sacriledge!
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Sacriledge!
Blasphemy!
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Speaking of explosions, has anyone read Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll?
I read it last year from http://www.gutenberg.org/, as well as the original Dracula. It was an interesting read that didn't make much sense to me at the time. Now that I know a bit more about the author, I really should re-read it and see if it makes more sense to me.
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Thanks for the Alice in Wonderland advice...I just started reading it and so far I'm beginning to see what you're talking about. So he wasn't a masogynist, he was just a gynophobic? That's interesting.
Exactly. From what I've read, it sounds like he was really a pretty nice guy... but terrified of anything female past the age of puberty.
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as well as the original Dracula.
Dracula is an AWESOME book. One of my favorites. I'm like halfway through Alice in Wonderland and it's not as bad as I thought it would be.
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Lunch time! I'm off to read more of System Of The World.
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In addition to Alice in Wonderland, I'm reading The Mask of Red Death. I don't really know what it's about yet but I'll keep you all posted.
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The last book I actually read was "The Devil Wears Prada." :oops:
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The last book I actually read was "The Devil Wears Prada." :oops:
I saw the movie and it sucked.
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I saw the movie and it sucked.
Haven't seen the movie, and I don't think I really want to. Movie adaptations of books hardly ever do them justice.
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Haven't seen the movie, and I don't think I really want to. Movie adaptations of books hardly ever do them justice.
Plus it sucked. I read the book and the book sucked too.
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I just finished "Snowcrash". It was a good book allthough the whole explaining about where the virus came from could have been a little shorter. All in all it was a good read. Based on a 10-1 scale, 10 being best, I give it a 7.
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Haven't seen the movie, and I don't think I really want to. Movie adaptations of books hardly ever do them justice.
But that is because there is so much MORE in a book than in a movie. Your imagination fills in the gaps, so to speak, and you essentially make a movie that appeals to you.
An individual movie based on the author's cues.... no movie studio can compete with that.
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I just finished two books.
The first was a quick read, Vampire High by Douglas Rees. It was witty and more or less good, although it was like a seventh grade reading level. The second one was VERY good, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman...I could not put it down. The plot was amazing and his descriptions...my goodness. Now I'm reading the sequel, The Subtle Knife.
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I just finished "Snowcrash". It was a good book allthough the whole explaining about where the virus came from could have been a little shorter. All in all it was a good read. Based on a 10-1 scale, 10 being best, I give it a 7.
That's pretty close to my assessment of it as well, though I really liked Stephenson's characters and flow, so I give it closer to an 8.
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I give it a 9.
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Currently I'm about halfway through Faerie Tale (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553277839/sr=8-1/qid=1155594797/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6772246-2603307?ie=UTF8) by Raymond E. Feist.
It's excellently written... I found myself reading all this mundane character development for the first 100 pages or so where nothing really happens. Then when something does happen I realize that he's been subtly building the plot and the tension since page 1 and I'm totally engrossed in it without even being conscious of it.
It's a good writer that can pull that off.
Anyway, even though I'm not finished with it yet, "Faerie Tale" is one I can feel safe in recommending to others so far. It's very dark and while it's pretty tame compared to some horror out there, it isn't a warm, cuddly story like you might think, given the title and subject matter. It's probably a lot more like these things would actually be like if they really existed, which isn't a pleasant thought.
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Great. Now I'll have to read it.
I'm halfway through The Subtle Knife now, and it's nowhere near as good as The Golden Compass. Pah.
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I'm halfway through The Subtle Knife now, and it's nowhere near as good as The Golden Compass. Pah.
I hear ya. I did enjoy the series as a whole, but 'The Subtle Knife' wasn't the hottest book, by far.
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Reading some of the early pages of this thread, we had D.E.A.R too. That was in Alabama though, I moved after that grade.... :(
(http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8109/flyboysbk1.jpg)
Flyboys: A True Story of Courage.
A well told version of truths entailing a collection of "flyboys" that is military airmen during World War II. A well researched, and documented story, of mainly 9 airmen who were shot over Chichi-Jima, a sister island of Iwo Jima, just north of it. While Iwo Jima was hell, Chichi would have been even worse. It was even more highly guarded. The main reason the flyboys was to secure and destroy key communication towers that were feeding progress back to Tokyo. It tells the story not only from the Japanese stand-point, but also from the airmen who survived raids on the island, family members of the deceased, and the only one who crash landed to make it out alive. George Herbert Walker Bush. Name sound familiar? <_< .
Synapsis
This acclaimed bestseller brilliantly illuminates a hidden piece of World War II history as it tells the harrowing true story of nine American airmen shot down in the Pacific. One of them, George H. W. Bush, was miraculously rescued. The fate of the others-an explosive 60-year-old secret-is revealed for the first time in Flyboys.
From the author:
I was interviewing him once, and he asked me if I knew anything more about his two crewmen. I said, Mr. President, I'm sorry I don't have any more information. And then with a pained look on his face he said, "it plagues me still today if I gave those guys enough time to get out." And then he was quiet for a second. He stood up. I went back to putting my notes away, and then when he didn't walk away, I looked up and he was standing by the window and he was looking at the sky and he said, "I think about those guys all the time."
This is also in the book.
(http://www.moviexclusive.com/review/vendetta/poster.jpg)
Other book I've read recently, for that matter watched on DVD, and have changed my username for on several sites... V for Vendetta.
Very good movie, but I recommend the book more. Why? Because, as with most cases It's sooo much better. It gives the same basic description, but in a few key points, it has much more depth, and you get a better sense of the characters through literary works rather than visual. You feel what they feel. You see what they see. Not what a director wants you to feel/see.
Synapsis
The futuristic tale unfolds in a Great Britain that's a fascist state. A freedom fighter known as V uses terrorist tactics to fight the oppressive society. He rescues a young woman from the secret police, and she becomes his unlikely ally.
From the book.
"Remember, remember the fifth of November.
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot."
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Most all of the recent Alan Moore adaptations have been crummy. I think V was alright, but they really pounded the audience over the head
unnecces unnessi … when they didn't need to. Why else would Moore have requested to be left off the credits? Because he hated it! On the good side, Hugo Weaving was superb as V, and the fact that Natalie Portman was down with a head shave for the part gained her mucho karma in my book.
If you enjoy graphic novels, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "300", all of "Sin City", and any Hellboy issue is awesome. You might also check out "Johnny The Homicidal Maniac" by Jhonen Vasquez (the brains behind Invader Zim, but don't expect the kiddie stuff here), "The Hobbit" by David Wenzel (adapted by Charles Dixon and Sean Deming), and the early John Constantine Hellblazer issues. Lastly, Marvel has finally released the full run of the original Age of Apocalypse run from 1995 in chronological order in 4 volumes. Vol 1-3 are available now, and vol. 4 hits in October.
You may resume your daily lives, the Nerd has spoken.
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I've finished the Feist book and have started on rereading the Robert A. Heinlein classic "The Number Of The Beast", which I haven't read in a while. It has always been one of my favourite novels, and now that I'm better-read on Lazarus Long, perhaps the ending will make better sense now. :)
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I can attest to the incredible awesomeness of Johnny the Homocidal Maniac, as I'm a huge Happy Noodle Boy fan (he's popular among the homeless insane). Also, if you haven't read the Sin City graphic novels you ought to.
I read the Subtle Knife, and now I'm reading the Amber Spyglass. It's better than the Subtle Knife, but nowhere near as good as the Golden Compass.
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Hellboy's awesome and so are the Alan Moore books I've read (V, Watchmen, and LXG). Poor Alan Moore...his adaptations are always a lot different than the books, and I hope to whatever gods give half a shit that they never make that Watchmen movie they've been talking about.
Still, I thought that the V for Vendetta movie kicked ass, and that the changes made were just a conversion to the new medium. I treated it as a wholly seperate thing from the book, but based on similar themes. That being said, a comic virgin that I brought with me to watch came out saying he wanted to borrow my copy, so it was a good experience.
The last fiction book that I read would have to be Peter Benchley's (the Jaws guy with the shark fixation) 'White Shark' which is about a half-Nazi half-shark thing.
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The last fiction book that I read would have to be Peter Benchley's (the Jaws guy with the shark fixation) 'White Shark' which is about a half-Nazi half-shark thing.
That sounds awesome. I may have to get off my ass someday and MS Paint a half-shark people D-Day battle. That would rock.
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I spent around eight hours learning to draw sharks so I can move on to half-shark half Nazis.