American Gods - Neil Gaiman, Old Man's War by John Scalzi

[meiroy]

 

 

Surprisingly, I haven't read it before, something always kept me away from reading anything by Neil Gaiman.  I'm hooked.  American Gods is really well written, flowing albeit slightly tedious at time. Of course, not Lord of The Rings sort of tedious (which, somehow, I've managed to read three times).  Highly recommended.

 

Also, read this week Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Was enjoyable, like those movies you forget the following day; doesn't get close to American Gods but still is worth a read on a beach somewhere.

 

 

[DooDiligence]

I loved "Old Man's War."

"Ghost Brigades" & "Last Colony" are really good too.

 

If you like the "Old Man" series, try Haldeman's "Forever War".

 

I miss being able to read fiction & plan on hitting "Slaughterhouse Five" over the Christmas Holidays.

I saw a documentary on Vonnegut a few months ago & was surprised that he was a POW in Dresden during the bombings.

 

Do you have any suggestions along the lines of "Old Man's War"?

[DooDiligence]

I loved "Old Man's War."

"Ghost Brigades" & "Last Colony" are really good too.

 

If you like the "Old Man" series, try Haldeman's "Forever War".

 

I read "Coraline", "American God's" and "Anansi Boys" & found Gaiman to be entertaining & a little weird.

 

I miss being able to read for pleasure & plan on hitting "Slaughterhouse Five" over the Christmas Holidays.

I saw a documentary on Vonnegut a few months ago & was surprised that he was a POW in Dresden during the bombings.

 

Do you have any suggestions along the lines of "Old Man's War"?

[meiroy]

 

Thanks, will add those to the list.

 

 

Well, a while back I binged on The Expanse which is the best hardcore sci fi I've ever seen, really good.  It's based on the series by James S. A. Corey which might be worth checking out.

 

 

[meiroy]

 

So, I've read Ghost Brigade, it's a light-spinoff, an easy beach read.  Pleasant enough.  Forgot it about an hour later :)

 

Then, went with Anansi Boys, which is not really a sequel to American Gods, but still worth a read. Quite enjoyable.  Then, Monarch of The Glen, a short story which goes on about Shadow in Scotland.  And last, The Ocean at the End of the Lane which is pretty darn good for a fantasy book.  I would have enjoyed it tremendously as a kid. After that I could not keep reading any of Gaiman's other books, it seems I have overdosed and now in need of some hardcore sci-fi.

 

 

 

[DooDiligence]

 

So, I've read Ghost Brigade, it's a light-spinoff, an easy beach read.  Pleasant enough.  Forgot it about an hour later :)

 

Then, went with Anansi Boys, which is not really a sequel to American Gods, but still worth a read. Quite enjoyable.  Then, Monarch of The Glen, a short story which goes on about Shadow in Scotland.  And last, The Ocean at the End of the Lane which is pretty darn good for a fantasy book.  I would have enjoyed it tremendously as a kid. After that I could not keep reading any of Gaiman's other books, it seems I have overdosed and now in need of some hardcore sci-fi.

 

I'm with you on Gaiman.

A little bit is great, but goes a long ways.

 

I'm thinking about re-reading some Heinlein over the semester break.

 

Red Planet

Starman Jones

Space Cadet

 

They, among other stories, were dubbed the juvenile novels, but I think they crossover well to adults (either that or I'm just a kid at heart.)

Not hardcore sci-fi, but I enjoyed them a lot.

[Liberty]

I'll second Forever War if you like that kind of military sci-fi that StarShip Troopers started (Forever War is to the Vietnam war what Starship Troopers was to WWII).

 

I remember not liking American Gods nearly as much as most people. But that was a long time ago so memory's fuzzy on it... I mostly remember what is basically a short-story stuck somewhere in about the frozen lake with the car on it.

 

Scalzi is one of the original wave of bloggers. One thing that he wrote that got really viral back in 2005 might interest you:

 

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2005/09/03/being-poor/

[DooDiligence]

I'll second Forever War if you like that kind of military sci-fi that StarShip Troopers started.

 

I remember not liking American Gods nearly as much as most people. But that was a long time ago so memory's fuzzy on it... I mostly remember what is basically a short-story stuck somewhere in about the frozen lake with the car on it.

 

Scalzi is one of the original wave of bloggers. One thing that he wrote that got really viral back in 2005 might interest you:

 

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2005/09/03/being-poor/

 

Thanks, I'd never seen his blog.

 

I'm thankful to not have any emotional connection to that poem.

 

But I may have one to Scalzi, that I never knew existed.

 

He likes cats,

I like cats,

But am not presently owned by one.

 

I like the "Whatever Holiday Shopping Guide"

and it's coming tomorrow!

 

Virtue Signaling & other Heresies seals my affection for the guy.

[meiroy]

 

Started KingKiller Chronicles due to the Amazon reviewes and dumped it after reading a tenth.  It's absolute crap. Horribly written.

 

Somehow I ended up with Guns, Germs and Steel (why tech/nations developed in certain parts of the world) which I have been meaning to read for awhile now and All the Light We Cannot See (WWII fiction).

 

 

 

 

 

[Liberty]

 

Started KingKiller Chronicles due to the Amazon reviewes and dumped it after reading a tenth.  It's absolute crap. Horribly written.

 

Somehow I ended up with Guns, Germs and Steel (why tech/nations developed in certain parts of the world) which I have been meaning to read for awhile now and All the Light We Cannot See (WWII fiction).

 

Guns, Germs and Steel was a good read. Makes you think about humans from a macro perspective. Sapiens was like that too.

[writser]

Funny, I really liked the Kingkiller Chronicles. Different tastes I guess. Now reading the Dresden files. Bit over the top but very enjoyable, especially the later books. Old Man's War is on my to-read list. I read American Gods as well a long time ago. It was good but Gaiman is a bit too pretentious for me. If you enjoy stuff that's a bit harder to read you might like 'Seveneves'. Really enjoyed that one. My all time favorite is probably the Hyperion saga by Dan Simmons (except for the pretentious poetry parts). I hope they turn that into a great movie at some point.

[meiroy]

 

Started KingKiller Chronicles due to the Amazon reviewes and dumped it after reading a tenth.  It's absolute crap. Horribly written.

 

Somehow I ended up with Guns, Germs and Steel (why tech/nations developed in certain parts of the world) which I have been meaning to read for awhile now and All the Light We Cannot See (WWII fiction).

 

Guns, Germs and Steel was a good read. Makes you think about humans from a macro perspective. Sapiens was like that too.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking about as I have previously read Sapiens; how would you compare the two?

 

Regarding thinking about humanity/humans from the macro perspective, you also got that in science-fiction...

[meiroy]

Funny, I really liked the Kingkiller Chronicles. Different tastes I guess. Now reading the Dresden files. Bit over the top but very enjoyable, especially the later books. Old Man's War is on my to-read list. I read American Gods as well a long time ago. It was good but Gaiman is a bit too pretentious for me. If you enjoy stuff that's a bit harder to read you might like 'Seveneves'. Really enjoyed that one. My all time favorite is probably the Hyperion saga by Dan Simmons (except for the pretentious poetry parts). I hope they turn that into a great movie at some point.

 

What did you like about Kingkiller Chronicles?  I hope I don't put anyone off with my harsh comment if it's any good... some peopel seem to love it.

 

Funny you mention Dresden, that's how I got to the current list of WWII books as I was looking for some info on Youtube about the rebuilding of Germany after WWII and the impact on Dresden.  There's plenty of footage in color, showing the aftermath; rows and rows of ruined buildings, people pushing carts as no gas is available, the wounded laying on the sides of the road. And it's all in silence; no booming guns, no thunders planes.  Horrorifying.

 

[DooDiligence]

Funny, I really liked the Kingkiller Chronicles. Different tastes I guess. Now reading the Dresden files. Bit over the top but very enjoyable, especially the later books. Old Man's War is on my to-read list. I read American Gods as well a long time ago. It was good but Gaiman is a bit too pretentious for me. If you enjoy stuff that's a bit harder to read you might like 'Seveneves'. Really enjoyed that one. My all time favorite is probably the Hyperion saga by Dan Simmons (except for the pretentious poetry parts). I hope they turn that into a great movie at some point.

 

What did you like about Kingkiller Chronicles?  I hope I don't put anyone off with my harsh comment if it's any good... some peopel seem to love it.

 

Funny you mention Dresden, that's how I got to the current list of WWII books as I was looking for some info on Youtube about the rebuilding of Germany after WWII and the impact on Dresden.  There's plenty of footage in color, showing the aftermath; rows and rows of ruined buildings, people pushing carts as no gas is available, the wounded laying on the sides of the road. And it's all in silence; no booming guns, no thunders planes.  Horrorifying.

 

I recently saw a documentary on Vonnegut & found out that he was a POW in Dresden during the bombings.

I was going to read Slaughterhouse 5 next but decided that I just want to be entertained instead of being taught hard life lessons.

 

Hence, the Heinlein juvenile novels are on deck.

[Liberty]

I was going to read Slaughterhouse 5 next but decided that I just want to be entertained instead of being taught hard life lessons.

 

I think you misunderstood what Slaughterhouse 5 is. Read it. You'll be entertained.

[DooDiligence]

I was going to read Slaughterhouse 5 next but decided that I just want to be entertained instead of being taught hard life lessons.

 

I think you misunderstood what Slaughterhouse 5 is. Read it. You'll be entertained.

 

Your recommendation has me intrigued.

Will I have to think a lot?

 

After finals next week, my thinker will be temporarily out of commission.

[Liberty]

Your recommendation has me intrigued.

Will I have to think a lot?

 

After finals next week, my thinker will be temporarily out of commission.

 

No, it's a fun novel, it's funny, it's kind of sci-fi. It's a fun ride, and pretty short. It's not Serious Literature.