Current / Recent Books

[UltraBudgie]

Two book as an Easter bump for this thread. One I reread last year, another I haven't read in a while. Both are fun, if your sense of humour is so aligned.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. "Everyone knows about the immaculate conception and the crucifixion. But what happened to Jesus between the manger and the Sermon on the Mount? In this hilarious and bold novel, the acclaimed Christopher Moore shares the greatest story never told: the life of Christ as seen by his boyhood pal, Biff."


The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin. "Once upon a time Jack set out to find his fortune in the big city. But the big city is Toy City, formerly known as Toy Town, and it has grown considerably since the good old days and isn't all that jolly any more. And there is a serial killer loose on the streets. The old, rich nursery rhyme characters are being slaughtered one by one and the Toy City police are getting nowhere in their investigations."

[Sirius]

Dude it's so good.
I didn't buy it when it came out cuz in 2013 I thought I knew better but now I know I know nothing. 
I look forward to your thoughts. 
It's a lot like what Donald Tyson I think tried to do with his book on Lovecrafts Dreams , but I think better.

Review 100-420-666, Summoned Cthulhu, adopted a raven mask, went to hell and caught a spider. Spider legs always tickle my nose. 

Peter writes good horror, so 10/10 there. He misses allot otherwise and I learned more than I cared for about Aleister Crowley, a recuring theme.

[Oldcarpy2]

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/john-...ler/kirov/

The Kirov saga.

A Russian missile cruiser shifts thru time.  Memorable clashes with the German and Japanese navies in WW2 etc, but there are 84 books!

Life's too short but interesting to dip your toes into.

I'm a big fan of alternative realities fiction.

[Karl12]

For sci-fi I would nominate Hyperion Cantos. Still having nightmares about the shrike. 

'Hyperion' is awesome mate - very good call.

Have you read 'Ghostwritten' by David Mitchell - as first novels go thought it was an amazing book


Review

Cheers.

[Oldcarpy2]

Hyperion books are indeed, awesome.

"You do realise the ****ING Shrike is standing behind you"?

[Roma]

I haven't read anything for a long while.  I jumped back in and started the Three Body Problem trilogy.  So far it's good.

[UltraBudgie]

I haven't read anything for a long while.  I jumped back in and started the Three Body Problem trilogy.  So far it's good.

I've heard that! And perhaps I'll give it another go. I got a chapter or two in and was like "oh no this is going to make me contextualize current world events, I was looking for some optimistic escapism". Ha, I'll either read fairly heavy non-fiction, or really light stuff if my critical mind is overworked.

Like this LitRPG Isekai I'm currently ploughing though:

Azarinth Healer Book One: A LitRPG Adventure

Ilea likes punching things. And eating.

Unfortunately, there aren’t too many career options for hungry brawlers. Instead, the plan is to quit her crappy fast-food job, go to college, and become a fully functioning member of society. Essentially - a fate worse than death.

So maybe it's lucky that she wakes up one day in a strange world where a bunch of fantasy monsters are trying to kill her...?

On the bright side, ‘killing those monsters right back’ is now a viable career path! For she soon discovers her new home runs on a set of game-like rules that will allow her to punch things harder than in her wildest dreams. Well, maybe not her wildest dreams, but it’s close.

With no quest to follow, no guide to show her the way, and no real desire to be a Hero – Ilea embarks on a journey to discover a world full of magic. Magic she can use to fight even bigger monsters.

She’s struggling to survive, has no idea what will happen next, and is loving every minute of it. Except, and sometimes also, when she’s poisoned and/or has set herself on fire. It’s complicated.

I'm not proud. It's fast-paced and the protagonist is snarky and not a piece of garbage. Currently on Book 2.

[sahgwa]

Review 100-420-666, Summoned Cthulhu, adopted a raven mask, went to hell and caught a spider. Spider legs always tickle my nose. 

Peter writes good horror, so 10/10 there. He misses allot otherwise and I learned more than I cared for about Aleister Crowley, a recuring theme.

Hi Sirius, thanks for your review.
What do you feel that Levenda misses in his discussion of Tantra, Thelema, and Lovecraft?

[sahgwa]

Good dayvening everyone.

Finished 2 books this week. One fiction one nonfiction like my RULES say.   

The fiction was an old fantasy from the old Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from the 70s (began in 1969). This series was edited by Lynn Carter and every selection is a gem and often hidden or unknown by both the standards of the day, and of today.  The covers are also often great. I have been casually collecting this series ( https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pubseries.cgi?26 )


This title finished was 'Lilith' by George MacDonald.  This was written in 1895 and is one of the format popular at the time, which is an 'other world ''fantasy' quest with high Christian allegory.  The main character inherits a large estate (don't they all) and discovers an unlikely visitor in the form of a former librarian who also tended to his ancestors library. How is such longevity possible? He corners the man in an attic garret and discovers a portal via light and mirrors.  Innocence and good must be saved, shepherded and properly grown, while corruption, evil and lust for power must be checked and transmuted.  The Genesis of Man is mentioned and drawn upon.
A bit slow to boil, but recommended in the end!


The nonfiction title which also counts for the metaphysics category was 'Dawning Moon of the Mind' by Susan Morrow which is a new translation of the Egyptian Pyramid Texts.
She adds to the voluminous numbers of translations of these carvings/ hieroglyphic texts found inside an Old Kingdom tomb in Saqqara in 1880
Said to be the oldest text of religious philosophy in the world, Morrow gives a spiritual and poetic translation of the text, rather than the often clunky and materialist translation which does not fit, in my opinion.  Sons cannibalising and eating fathers after death? No. 
It describes the light body leaving the physical body after death ,ascending the spine and leaving out the mouth and top of the head.  Such concepts as divine virgin birth, and a Sun king's resurrection after death are here, stolen by Christianity thousands of years later.   She also teaches how to reach hieroglyphs.  Recommended :) (partial review https://fivebooks.com/best-books/hierogl...book-61161 )

[Moon68]

Monday I read "Five Years After", the latest book in the "One Second After" series by William R. Forstchen.