[Walker]

Ah- gotcha.

The OG Dune books(by Frank Herbert) are some of the very best IMO Sci-fi books ever written. Utter brilliance and an amazing complex weave of technology(computers and their advanced capabilities and impact on humans/religious(mainly muslim and messiah type beliefs, governmental issues and drug influences even though he started working on the story in the late 50's . He was an amazing writer and visionary.

The prequel/continuing stories written by his son and Kevin J. Anderson started out decent though not as good and have since taken a BIG dip in quality in the past two.

[Davisty69]

Recently started reading the Wheel of Time Fantasy series. I'm on book seven (all huge books) and it has me hooked.

Also, any one that likes fantasy books, check out the Bartemeus trilogy. It is pretty damn good.

[Toxie]

Originally Posted by Davisty69

Recently started reading the Wheel of Time Fantasy series. I'm on book seven (all huge books) and it has me hooked.

Also, any one that likes fantasy books, check out the Bartemeus trilogy. It is pretty damn good.

Is the Wheel of Time series written well? The only reason I'm asking is because I'm really tempted to read it, but this really dumb person I know is addicted to it, so I was thinking whether or not I should bother with it. I love fantasy and sci fi books.

[Davisty69]

Originally Posted by Toxie

Is the Wheel of Time series written well? The only reason I'm asking is because I'm really tempted to read it, but this really dumb person I know is addicted to it, so I was thinking whether or not I should bother with it. I love fantasy and sci fi books.

I like the way it is written, but then again I'm not really picky. As long as it isn't like pulling teeth to read it, i'm ok with it. I usually find that I look for good ideas and things that make my mind hit second gear, more than I look for a great writing style.

IMO, if you love fantasy and sci-fi, you'll like these books.

[Sicilian_Esq]

I'm trying to finish up the majority of the Sherlock Holmes works before the RDJ film comes out on Christmas.

So far this year, I've read almost 600 pages of Sherlock Holmes, and to be honest, I've only found them to be ok.

The short stories are hit and miss, but the longer novels, although done extrememly well from a story-board perspective, are awful.

[Darkwraith]

I have tried to read a few of those, but I could never get into them. I know they are classics, but I just can't do it...I would rather read the unabridged Moby Dick...or run a broken pencil through my eye..

[Sicilian_Esq]

Originally Posted by Darkwraith

I have tried to read a few of those, but I could never get into them. I know they are classics, but I just can't do it...I would rather read the unabridged Moby Dick...or run a broken pencil through my eye..

The main problem I have with them is that the stories are written from Watson's perspective.

Watson is an idiot who overlooks nearly every clue.

Therefore, it is impossible in the majority of the stories to pit yourself against Holmes and see if you can deduce the answer first, because you're lacking so many facts.

My favorite example is from " A Study in Scarlet:

Toward the end of Chapter 2:

Originally Posted by Watson

"I wonder what that fellow is looking for?" I asked, pointing to a stalwart, plainly-dressed individual who was walking slowly down the other side of the street, looking anxiously at the numbers. He had a large blue envelope in his hand, and was evidently the bearer of a message.

Originally Posted by Sherlock Holmes

"You mean the retired sergeant of Marines," said Sherlock Holmes.

It is then explained in Chapter 3:

Originally Posted by Sherlock Holmes

"It was easier to know it than to explain why I knew it. If you were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact. Even across the street I could see a great blue anchor tattooed on the back of the fellow's hand. That smacked of the sea. He had a military carriage, however, and regulation side whiskers. There we have the marine. He was a man with some amount of self-importance and a certain air of command. You must have observed the way in which he held his head and swung his cane. A steady, respectable, middle-aged man, too, on the face of him -- all facts which led me to believe that he had been a sergeant.

Thanks Watson for "A stalwart plainly dressed individual"...

[Davisty69]

I remember reading The Hound of the Baskervilles when I was in Middle school and not liking it too much. Given, I was 12-13, however I remember being bored to tears.

However, Lord of the Rings was the same way to me. I tried reading it when I was 12-13 and couldn't get past the first 100 pages of the Fellowship. I tried again on two other occassions the next couple of years. Finally, during my freshman year of college in an extremely cold Grand Forks, ND, I powered through those first 100 pages and ended up liking most of the books. (though I did find all the walking horribly boring)

I really don't know why I'm rambling on and explaining how matured in how I read books now...

[swpthleg]

Originally Posted by Davisty69

I remember reading The Hound of the Baskervilles when I was in Middle school and not liking it too much. Given, I was 12-13, however I remember being bored to tears.

However, Lord of the Rings was the same way to me. I tried reading it when I was 12-13 and couldn't get past the first 100 pages of the Fellowship. I tried again on two other occassions the next couple of years. Finally, during my freshman year of college in an extremely cold Grand Forks, ND, I powered through those first 100 pages and ended up liking most of the books. (though I did find all the walking horribly boring)

I really don't know why I'm rambling on and explaining how matured in how I read books now...

You're doing better than me, I've only got through the first book. My dad read the Hobbit to me when I was in elementary school, and I tried the LOTR trilogy, and was very very bored. I tried again as an adult with the aforementioned progress.

Your mentioning Grand Forks being extremely cold makes me think of the winter that I became a fan of horror fiction. I was a freshman in high school and the school library had a combined edition of Carrie, Salem's Lot, and the Shining.

I remember clearly being up in my room reading the Shining with a huge winter storm happening outside. I would have been hooked, storm or no storm, but it definitely was a plus.

[Sicilian_Esq]

I took a Tolkien class in college. He was far more interested in language than in fantasy, and built a world around the elven linguistics.

Other than the LOTR, his eorks were terribly boring. I've never gotten through the Hobbit. It's like, page 39 where he describes the dwarved with the different colored hats, then I blink, turn the page, and an hour has gone by and I'm on page 117.

This has happened to me on 3 separate occasions.

And the Hounds of Baskerville was horribly boring.