the archives
dusted off in read-only
dusted off in read-only
[quote="Entropic_existence":rnne7i3o]Keep a hold of it because that little error might actually end up being rare.[/quote:rnne7i3o] True, but that doesn't help me figure out WTF is going on in that second map. Ah well, I'll just have to get another, (hopefully) legible copy... view post
I'm torn with this. It seems that the Consult (who are quite involved with the Outside, correct?) have no clue as to who or what the Dunyain are (this idea comes from the very ending of TWP). So, why would the Outside know something that the Consult didn't. I guess, as unJon is suggesting, that the Outside drew Mekertrig to the area so he'd run across Kellhus and report back to the Consult that someone new and powerful had arisen?
Now, I could just be talking out of my backside, or totally misremembering the books. (It's happened before, once, twice, 1,000 times. ) 
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[quote="unJon":295b93cv]Hi, Xray!!! Nice to see some more ASOIAF people over here.
I think you are misremembering the connection between the Outside and the Inchoroi. The Inchoroi are waging war against the Outside in order to shut it out of Earwa so that they are not damned. The Outside represent the higher beings of Earwa (gods or God or whatever), and Kellhus [i:295b93cv]might[/i:295b93cv] be some true prophet so that some Outside agency could take an interest in his actions.
[/quote:295b93cv]
I feared as much -- I haven't even started on my re-read yet (trying to blast through a ton of new books, thus don't have time). And thanks for the welcome. Looks like I am going to have to make PoN my "subway" read, and keep my new books for my "home" reads, just to get enough reading done in a short period. 
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That's awesome. Shit, I wish my reading experiences were so .... energetic. 'Round here, the plebes just roll up their eyes and ask why you don't read something sensible, like David Foster Wallace. I don't mind a fisticuffs, but I sure as hell am not going to engage in one over that troll-boy.
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[quote="Warrior-Poet":18fgg23m]Yah I know Im waiting to get ASOIAF. So from what i hear that will keep me occupied.[/quote:18fgg23m]
The 3500+ pages should keep you occupied for a couple of days at least. 
I'm hoping the Erikson, Abraham and Stross will keep me occupied until AE and ADWD come out.
Sorry, that was way OT. Carry on.
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Xray -- from my PhD thesis work on self-assembling molecular systems. I wanted a gender-neutral handle. the Enforcer -- I used to be a mod on another, now defunct feminist board. Not surprisingly, most people (erroneously) assume that I'm a guy because...who knows? Perhaps because I cuss a lot, drink a lot, and ogle women. I've had this handle for...way longer than I care to admit. view post
[quote="Randal":15q81y7h]Perhaps because "enforcer" doesn't sound like a traditional femine profession?
The same goes for Xray. X-ray = science = male. It may not be pretty, but such still is the popular perception.
[/quote:15q81y7h]
But a lady can hope, right? Anyway, considering that my cohorts (at the time) chose handles like "Sparklegirl" ( ), I was eager to develop something a bit less...estrogenic.
In my field -- 10% women... feh.
On Topic: Edge -- nice username. I diggit.
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Mad BSG fan. Well, OK -- I like Firefly better. There are some similarities between the Cylon and the Consult -- but I think it's only superficial. **************SPOILERS***************** OK -- for those who don't watch if often. There is a distinct current of insurrection among the humano-cylons. Caprica Six, Sharon (Eight, but not Boomer) and the Dean Stockwell character all adhere to doctrine not originally intended by the Cylons (e.g. let the humans live). Also, Gina (Pegasus Six) killed herself (there's much speculation as to why, as suicide is frowned upon in Cylon-land). In all, there is much strife amongst the Cylons and humano-cylons that we haven't seen yet amongst the Consult/Inchoroi/etc. I'll be interested to see how things develop in AE.... ...and, for that matter, in next season of BSG. view post
I'll second (third) the GRRM -- [u:3jwa7sy4]A Song of Ice and Fire[/u:3jwa7sy4] series. Great epic fantasy (and dwarf sex. OK, not so much dwarf sex, I swear!) And [u:3jwa7sy4]Hyperion Cantos[/u:3jwa7sy4] by Dan Simmons Currently reading [u:3jwa7sy4]The Hidden Family[/u:3jwa7sy4] by Charles Stross, [u:3jwa7sy4]The Carpet-Makers[/u:3jwa7sy4] by Andreas Eschbach and [u:3jwa7sy4]The Shadows of Summer[/u:3jwa7sy4] by Daniel Abramson. All have their pros and cons... view post
I eagerly await what may come of this....(I am not gifted in the portraiture biz at all). Because there's such a lack of description of each character...I doubt that many of us will agree on a single portrait. For example, I don't imagine Achamian as a "wise old wizard" at all. He's middle-aged, balding and tubby. LOL. Anyway, good luck, all y'all with artistic tendencies! view post
Congrats! SFSite was a surprisingly well-read readers poll. And I was super-excited to see TWP in the top 10. view post
I was pleasantly chagrined to see how craptacular a Preznit Baltar had become. Whoring and boozing (not that I look down on such endeavors) while the rest of the colony still lives in tents? Gah!!! Not such a fan of the new 'stache. Dashing, yes, but also takes away from the gravitas. Then again, he emotes like Kirk's corpse... The worst was Starbuck's hair. view post
[quote="Edge of Certainty":3f2nodwe] I like your name too...stick it to the man! hell i think it's sexy, i'd love to be enforced anyday of the week (not being a chauvinist, just making a bad joke) [/quote:3f2nodwe] You know that old bromide about flattery... *wink* view post
[quote="Entropic_existence":19zi184d] Since I was then engrossed in my BSc in Biology and Chemistry the Entropic part should be perfectly clear.[/quote:19zi184d] Nerd. <=== also has degrees in biology and chemistry. Looking around my book- and paper-strewn apartment, I'd say Entropy and I have tight relationship. It's all about positive delta S. view post
LOL@superkeer. view post
Well -- in "reality" I'd probably end up a prostitute after trying to pass myself off as a man and join some learned order -- if of the Few, Schoolman; if not, then some monastic order -- being turned out upon being discovered because I'm a shitty liar.
But, for the sake of a good poll (we can't [i:lmbsn668]all[/i:lmbsn668] be Mandate Schoomen), I'd be a member of the Mangaeccan School mucking around with the Tekne -- yes, good people, [b:lmbsn668]the Consult[/b:lmbsn668]. It simultaneously appeals to my scientific curiosity, the impulse to fuck shit up, and my hope that a school so on the outs with typical society might just be wise (or perverse) enough to allow women into their ranks. If not...I'm SOL.
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So, the Hugo Noms have been announced: [url:grqxm6s9]http://www.emcit.com/hugo_section.php?nom.htm[/url:grqxm6s9].
The weirdness? Neil Gaiman's [u:grqxm6s9]Anansi Boys[/u:grqxm6s9] is not on there. It was not the most awesome book of 2005, to be sure, but Gaiman has a much broader audience (and hence more chances to make it onto a ballot) than most.
Of course, [u:grqxm6s9]TWP[/u:grqxm6s9] isn't on there either (bastards), but I can only bribe so many people (like, one) before it starts cutting into my food budget.
Other interesting news: AFFC was nominated, which would make this the second year running that fantasy didn't get the middle finger from the voters. (last year, JS&MN walked away with the rocketship).
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I've never bought into the "slippery slope" (gods, I hate that term) argument on any given subject, although sometimes I get a bit wild-eyed and belligerent at the encroaching theocracy we got going on down here in the U.S. Anyway, I was going to make a well-reasoned argument against germline manipulation, but it seems my neurons are unwilling to cooperate this morning. Must goad them with more coffee. view post
Thinking back to Kellhus's character early in his dealings with society at large, he does come across as strangely neuter, although this may be a result of no on-screen interactions (IIRC) with women until Serwe. I'll pay more attention to this as I re-read the books. But I am not sure that Esmenet's promotion to spymaster can be used to infer the role of women in the Dunyain. Spying, whispers and such, I think, would be seen as emasculating (for the Inrithi) and inefficient (for Kellhus, who seems to prefer the "personal touch" when it comes to manipulating events.) Essentially, spying could be viewed as "women's work." view post
*sings the miserable lament of the employed*
congrats on paying the bills, EoC. Me, I'd gladly pay good hard cash (and perhaps sexual favors too) if I had the chance to throttle my boss. For being an editor-in-chief, the man is such a n00b.
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xray6t7 the enfolftcer damned elbows. view post
Do you think she required it? view post
[quote="Dexious":3b8hk75k] Quick question to all: Do you think Achamian will ever kneel to Kellhus? I hope not.[/quote:3b8hk75k] If so, I'm hoping they'll have to knee-cap him in order for it to happen. view post
[quote="Nasrudin's Shadow":3d0aamb6] Man I have fat elbows[/quote:3d0aamb6] lay off the muffins then, man! view post
This may be a disagree-until-Scott-pwns-us-all point -- but I never got the sense that Emsi needed that final affirmation to cleave to Kellhus. I thought she was (essentially) bought and paid for long before her elevation to spymaster. view post
[quote="Nasrudin's Shadow":3o1ijzau]Shhh, Xray! I'm still a [i:3o1ijzau]Shadow[/i:3o1ijzau] here![/quote:3o1ijzau] One with fat elbows... view post
necrophilia
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sesquipedalian
(and Warrior-Poet -- sorry for the unsavory image. it's from another board I used to frequent to describe one poster whose sole purpose seemed to be resurrecting dead threads. I..er..I'm not going to talk my way out of this one, I suppose. Carry on.)
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Saw that. 2006 has been a bad feckin' year for SF/F. Octavia Butler and Stanislaw Lem are both gone, and RJ up for the fight of his life. I wish him much strength in the coming months. view post
yeah. worst case scenario = Kevin Anderson gets his claws on it and...oh, gods, I cannot bear to watch the carnage... view post
wow. A 2-year resurrect. I was not all that thrilled with American Gods. It was OK, but the ending was such a fucking letdown. Gaimen has great ideas and starts with a great premise...and then fails in the delivery pretty consistently. I still like his ideas, but I haven't even touched Anansi Boys yet just for this reason. view post
I completely agree about Sandman. I was referring only to his long-form novels. view post
*whew* I was getting nervous there with that Diane Keaton rec. heh. view post
[u:3bmaulxj]City of Pearl[/u:3bmaulxj]. So help me gods, I got it because it was SF and written by a female (to balance out all the male-authored fantasy in my clawed mitts). The main alien was [b:3bmaulxj]a militant vegan[/b:3bmaulxj] -- need I explain more?! view post
[u:2r44hasg]A Fire Upon the Deep[/u:2r44hasg] -- Vernor Vinge [u:2r44hasg]River of Gods[/u:2r44hasg] -- Ian MacDonald[u:2r44hasg] The Carpet Makers[/u:2r44hasg] -- Andreas Eschbach view post
Notch one up for the [b:3hq95jgp]XX[/b:3hq95jgp]. woo! we're up to 7 now! view post
LOL@Gierra and TollofDays No kidding. If I wanted a love story, I'd read [i:27c0n9zh]Princess Bride[/i:27c0n9zh] again. Although I agree that having books pointlessly bloody (or outright misogynistic**) is teh suck. **just to clarify: having a (or multiple) rape scene in a book is not inherently misogynistic. but you know, you read some books and you can just tell that the author put it in there for a bit of gratification, or to "show them ladies who's boss." Anyway, I don't think PoN is in that league at all. view post
I really enjoy the social marginalization. LOL (especially because I work in NYC publishing where everyone tries to outcool each other in their reading tastes...nothing like an "I love epic fantasy" to shoot down the conversation airliner...) view post
[quote="Curethan":1uiqwhf7]Terry Goodkind. [/quote:1uiqwhf7] There is not a level of badness that can accurately describe this man's [i:1uiqwhf7]oeuvre[/i:1uiqwhf7]. view post
Ninja High School. It's the only thing keeping me from indulging in a screaming fit in the middle of the office. Nexis searches = soul killers. view post
On the subway to work: started with Killing Joke. no joy. followed it up with Khanate. Much better. Now, Glenn Miller. I can't edit when there's peeps screaming in the background. view post
I'm an editor at a monthly science magazine, based in New York City. What I do most of the day: I explain how something (scientific principle, piece of equipment, bit of software, experiment, phenomenon) works to the non-tech oriented editors, illustrators, art directors, anyone who needs to know...I spend a lot of time on the phone and email with the nerdulent. I also spent a fair chunk of time giving our infographics the gimlet eye. I wrangle some copy, too, but that's not my main role at the mag. "Science Harpy" would be the most accurate thing to put on my biz card. It's a good gig, although there are days when I sorely miss beating the crap out of liquid crystal samples with an X-ray beam. view post
[quote="gierra":1vwza51h] they get rememberance day off as a holiday... and since my birthday is the day before... no hungover work days ! wooo! except for all the other days.[/quote:1vwza51h] No kidding. LOL I'd be rockin' the 2- or 3-day work week if I could stay home every time I woke up with a hangover. view post
cookies view post
At another site I frequent, there are often as many Guests/Lurkers online at the same time as registered users. Here's the current stats: 56 guests, 62 members 14 anonymous members. Better that they lurk and learn the ropes than immediately register and proceed to spam this place to hell and back... *waves to the lurkers* view post
[quote="Entropic_existence":1bm365li]Meh I'd rather they join.[/quote:1bm365li] Well, yeah. Terminal lurking is a weird habit--I've heard people admit that they'd lurk at a board for years (!!) before posting. But the other situation (freaky aggressive spammers) is way more unpleasant than having a few oglers. view post
We seem to be in the middle of another round of "discuss PoN" at another board I frequent. As far as the "treatment of women" issue goes -- that's rather difficult to dissociate from, say, a reader's own experience. Because while it's relatively rare to come across someone who's experienced the horror of armed conflict, it's quite easy to find a person (male or female) who's the victim of sexual violence. Even if one hasn't been victimized in such a manner, it's very prevalent in almost any female reader's mind. I don't get the vehemence of some readers pro or con a certain series. All of them are worthy in their own right, even if it's not to a reader's taste. I mean, it ain't Goodkind.. view post
[quote="Entropic_existence":2rzqy9wp]But then again some people really do have a problem stepping outside of their own little picture of the world full of snuggly pink bunnies to look at things from a different angle 
[/quote:2rzqy9wp]
Well, some do. But the readers who object to the portrayal of female characters in PoN in the places I frequent...I know for a fact that some of them are not coming from the fluffy bunny standpoint at all. They're men and women who have been raped or the victims of sexual violence and have some problem dissociating their experience from what they see on the page.
I happen to love PoN, but I can understand their reservations about the brutality. It hits a bit too close to home. As for the pollyannas...not so much sympathy. Earwa is a miserable place.
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kilometers view post
*nods to Stubby* (I think I know ye) For bands. Shit -- so hard to pick depending on mood and general inebriation. High on Fire/Sleep Dismemberment Plan Wu-Tang Clan My Bloody Valentine Sunn O))) Ted Leo + the Pharmacists Perceptionists Minutemen Queens of the Stone Age Public Enemy Propagandhi view post
Curse you that I can only vote for one. Goodkind is offensive for sucking so hard. The whole Randian fetish is merely a side offense to the general suckitude. Hubbard...I can't even begin to list his atrocities; they are legion and I'm at work. Heinlein had some interesting ideas, but his adolescent fantasy free-love big-boobed women make me want to spork my eyes out. I haven't read anything by the last two authors. view post
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Thanks for the clarification, EE. view post
Happy to be of service. Any day I can slag off Hubbard or Goodkind is bound to be good. Heh. view post
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[quote="Randal":383zfbxz]
I rather think the problem of Feast was lack of plot progression.
But on the ASoIaF boards I've seen it done the other way around, with Erikson being denounced as a pre-school writer incapable of forming a coherent sentence, let alone a plot, and Bakker being hailed as the greatest event in fantasy since greek mythology.[/quote:383zfbxz]
True, and very true. 
AFFC was by far my least favorite of the ASOIAF series, although in context I found it to be a worthy and enjoyable "end of slaughter" book. Some readers don't want to read about that shit (the picking up the pieces) and would rather fast forward to the vengeance bits.
I haven't read Erikson, although I plan to. In any case, the hyperbole on both sides can be amusing. I may have to stop lampooning Goodkind fans and move to more fertile ground...
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The Glimmering by Elizabeth Hand. view post
No joke! I was like "cut that shit!" because, well, I dig the ladies with short hair.
I keep hoping there will be more Firefly/Serenity. Another film, or something. It is not natural to love a TV show so much. I'd actually buy a TV for such a show.
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I *heart* bots. view post
fight view post
I *heart* "furrner" bots.
let it never be said that I'm xenophobic towards bots of a different ilk.
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No surprises in my corner, I'm [b:1c94lrh3]Xray the Enforcer[/b:1c94lrh3] over there, too. (I've had this handle for a decade -- maybe it's time to change it up?) view post
At least this bot speaks better english than the last one.
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[quote="Nasrudin's Shadow":1fzikg5b]Xray: why change after so long? What would Mr. X do? I think you should keep it. Your's is one of the first names I remember from Ran's board.[/quote:1fzikg5b] Sweeeeeet. Although, I gotta admit: It makes me feel old. Gah!! 10 years! view post
ship him a case of beer. view post
[quote="Nasrudin's Shadow":2rpy4mpz]What would Mr. X do?[/quote:2rpy4mpz]
Self-actualize? Get a username unrelated to the letter X? 
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Never enjoyed Catcher in the Rye.
Reading [u:2gdyxui9]Spin[/u:2gdyxui9] by Robert Charles Wilson.
Just finished [u:2gdyxui9]Grass[/u:2gdyxui9] by Sherri Tepper. What a wasted opportunity. At least the ice-queen Dworkin-feminist protagonist got to have hawt non-penetrative sex with a fox...oh wait.
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Ha. I had some very good microbrews when I was on assignment in Toronto and Montreal. But it sure as fuck wasn't Coors. For my money, Fat Tire Ale is one of the greats. Too bad it's damned near impossible to find East of the Mississippi. Thank the gods someone just drove east with 5 cases in their trunk. view post
[quote="Virus":331it4b9]More importantly: Why all the homoeroticism???[/quote:331it4b9]
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[quote="Entropic_existence":3oxpzjc5]
- Steam Whistle
- Nickle Creek
- Le Fin De Monde
- Anything by Pumphouse Breweries
- Anything by Picaroons
Those are some of my favourite micro's from Southern Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic Provinces [/quote:3oxpzjc5]
good to know. I can find Fin Du Monde pretty easily here in NYC, but those others aren't so prevalent. Happily, there's a store (Bierkraft) in my 'hood whose sole purpose is to import odd beers. I gotta see if they've any of the others from this list.
[quote:3oxpzjc5]
Anybody who drinks Budweiser, Coors Light, Bud Light, et al should bot be allowed to buy beer... ever. [/quote:3oxpzjc5]
Haha. no shit.
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Yeah, but was that mugwump jism harvested by the light of a gibbous moon? 'Cos it sucks if not.
(although I gotta agree with Gierra. Glenfiddich is awful swill. Gimme a Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Highland Park or Oban instead.)
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Mmmm. Rye. (I switch between Old Overholt and Rittenhouse when I'm using it in cocktails. For straight-up drinking...Sazerac 18-year ain't bad.) view post
oooh. Talisker. a delight. I'd have an easier time listing the scotches I hate than try to come up with all the ones I enjoy. view post
jrock = japanese rock. runs the gamut from the 5,6,7,8s (garage) to Guitar Wolf (garage/punk) to Malice Mizer (not gonna even try to describe them) More "rock" sound than noise (e.g. Merzbow) view post
Hey Sunn: you heard anything yet by Om (two guys from Sleep)? I haven't gotten the chance yet, but I'm curious ('cos I loved Sleep and High on Fire) view post
We had a thread on this over at westeros a month or two back, and the consensus was "utter shite." Much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair (but no tugging of braids, mind you) view post
Was it too....sedate? I had a fear that Om would have left the teeth-gritting behind with Pike... view post
[quote="kalbear":3vihsetp]Hi.
It feels weird to be posting on a fantasy board and have posts == 2 by my name. Better go fix that.[/quote:3vihsetp]
plebe.
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[u:1j7jrt5i]The Hidden Family[/u:1j7jrt5i] by Charles Stross. no so jazzed by it. Also, [u:1j7jrt5i]Vellum,[/u:1j7jrt5i] by Hal Duncan. [b:1j7jrt5i]Fuckin' great[/b:1j7jrt5i], but don't expect anything remotly like a plot to emerge. view post
LOL. Wasn't that the exact question Jeff Van der Meer asked of Scott in that Q&A they did a couple of months ago? Awesome.
[url:2w7xct6e]http://vanderworld.blogspot.com/2006/04/r-scott-bakker-walks-plank.html[/url:2w7xct6e]
I wonder if any unsuspecting shortie victims ever did pick up the book. And if so, did they giggle?
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[quote="Scilvenas":ue67hgoe]<--disappointed by lack of mushroom. [/quote:ue67hgoe] Those have been outlawed. *a kiss to the filthy badger* view post
Mulched by Mog-Pharau. I predict a Lazarus-style Re-Awakening once Aspect-Emperor is published. The same happens at the ASOIAF forums...some just go away until the next book comes out. Aldarion is a nefarious character. Last I heard, he was garroting his way to Buenos Aires. view post
[quote="Aldarion":2h2jqhxw]try to drink him under the table in hopes of forcing him to reveal more plans? [/quote:2h2jqhxw]
*sharpens liver*
Is that even possible? *hic*
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[quote="Scilvenas":nadmzfwr] "But it really is a great book."[/quote:nadmzfwr]
I'm sure that last-ditch effort convinced her.
Slightly OT: I have a hate on for our local independent bookseller. They have the most illogical SF/F section ever. Totally random authors...no sense of purpose...and they looked at me blankly when I asked about TTT back in January. They had a copy of TWP on the shelves, yet they had no plans to order TTT? Boo. I had to buy TTT from Barnes and Noble.
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[quote="Aldarion":2harqjn5]Of course it's possible - it's called [i:2harqjn5]sipping[/i:2harqjn5] while he's [i:2harqjn5]chugging[/i:2harqjn5]. [/quote:2harqjn5]
You, sir, are a heretic.
(and for the record, I was musing if one could "sharpen" a liver, not drink Scott under the table. )
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One can never get enough Goodkind.
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[quote="Murrin":1zt75gjx]I think Scott has gone out of his way to avoid giving us any more information on the Scylvendi and their relationship to the Consult. Suggests it's spoiler material.[/quote:1zt75gjx]
Perhaps The Book That Cannot Be Named is, in fact, titled [i:1zt75gjx]New Earwa Order: Scylvendi Rising[/i:1zt75gjx].
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[quote="Mahajanga Mordecai":y3azb19u]There is also the fact that the glossary is the work of Achamian whose knowledge of the Scylvendi is limited to historical accounts of their involvement in the Apocalypse.[/quote:y3azb19u]
Conspiracy theory killjoy. Always using logic and facts to bust up a heady surmise.
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[quote="Warrior-Poet":38e9cfrk]I don't think anyone knows since Scott has abandoned us for a bit and is busy with Neuropath,but to make a guess im gonna say its going to be awhile like late this year or even next year.[/quote:38e9cfrk]
Let's hope he doesn't follow the Martin model...or we'll be seeing A-E in, oh, 2011. 
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To all the beautiful Hessian women of metal....HAIL! </Manowar> view post
I've succeeded with a couple of people -- the SO (who will start reading this summer) and a colleague (I even convinced her to buy the damned book instead stealin' mine -- she still owes me my [u:m7q8cd9d]Hyperion Cantos[/u:m7q8cd9d] back!) view post
[quote="sunnKHANN":d85rnr7n]There's a ridiculously irresistable charm about ManOwaR for me...[/quote:d85rnr7n] yeah. kinda like ogling a train wreck, or really loving true crime novels. view post
[quote="Izz":p83qp0sn] One thing I will say about marijuana, however, is it makes the mind flow. This makes it very easy to make connections of logic as things gravitate together. But I think the memory issue tends to be exaggerated. Unless I am baked out of my gourd, I remember things just fine. [/quote:p83qp0sn] For you, this may be the case. I have had a different experience with THC, and consequently I don't touch the shit anymore. It's all about personal chemistry -- and what may work for you may do something really fucked-up to me. After a fairly dissipated youth, I'm down to caffeine and EtOH these days -- anything else and I can feel my IQ and "Goodwill towards Humanity" points leach away... view post
I've had an Aldarion sighting...I think. He was cheering on the US footy team and crying into his vodka after their loss. He'll take is revenge on Argentina once he arrives in B.A. in 2013. Traveling by pack-llama is slow going. view post
*hauls Inchoroi and Mog-Pharau out of the deep freeze in my basement* *sprinkles salt across the threshold* *turns on ESPN Classic to endless loop of Cricket matches and Bowling* *Leaves case of beer in the fridge* That ought to confuse and distract him long enough for me to make my escape. view post
[quote="Aldarion":gzjqer2m] The ad hominems above to me I'll just ignore. I don't know you, you don't know me. Fair enough. [/quote:gzjqer2m] Exactly. For instance, he doesn't know that you prefer to be called Larrita these days, owing to your proud status as your county's only male-to-female pre-op trannie. view post
[quote="mystar":3zqe7193] I think not. [/quote:3zqe7193] "Bravely running away, away" FTW! view post
I am the Walking Wounded today, suffering from way too much tequila ingested during a going-away fete for a beloved colleague. If I could've stayed home, I would still be in bed, trying to sleep the misery away. Instead I'm hunched in front of my computer, waiting for the goddamned Table of Contents to route back to me so I can make changes in the Quark file and get that fucker out the door. The subway ride from Brooklyn was its own hellish travail. At least I didn't barf on a child. And what the hell is it about tequila that makes for such a horrid drunk? Four gin drinks and I'm merely cross the next day. Today, post-Agave, I am ready to give myself the Final Swazond to end the agony. </boozy pain whinge> And, what the hell -- a poll. view post
[quote="Anonymous":t67sz69q] lol I expected as much from you. [/quote:t67sz69q] You need a better put-down. The 1,500th time I see it, it just doesn't sting as much as the first. view post
I'll go back to a TRUSTED liquor, namely sweet, sweet gin. And believe me, Aldarion, you come drinking with the Xs in NYC, we will make you rue the day you were born at least once during the trip.
Oddly, I have a desire to watch Ladyhawk now. The shame!
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Sympathy pains for Gierra, Curethan and Zarathustra. Oh, I have been there, all of them (except the meth, that is). Curethan and Gierra, I think I revisted my hangover just from reading your posts. In any case: 1) I am done with the tequila forevah, 2) I'm laying low on the EtOH front for awhile, 3) Kal knows the score, for he is all-knowledgable on booze, 4) cheep whiskey will kill moose and 5) I am surprised (well, sort-of) at the LLL antipathy. LOL. Next up, Time Bandits, The Hunger and Liquid Sky! view post
[quote="Aldarion":1d044zob]Umm...no. I don't kiss dudes. Not even when I've been drinking. [/quote:1d044zob]
Your loss, man..er..woman.
(when's your operation scheduled?)
But what the heck, I'll give Mystar a smooch. We both like Goodkind's books, if for very different reasons.
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LOL view post
stop lying. I know you can be bought with four mojitos, a box of Chicken Kickers, and an evening spent watching ECW on the Sci-Fi channel. Yeh hoor.
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LOL. Larrita Teak Liver, sure. view post
heretic. go massage yer livver. view post
I'm...OK with it. The same way 10,000 brain-damaged mangabeys might be good at it... view post
The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. Fun. Veniss Underground by Jeff Vander Meer. Too early to tell. view post
fuck it aldarion. you should be watching football. what's this about [i:syflshs1]books[/i:syflshs1]?! view post
Heh. Who wants to put money down on that? (I'm still hoping to get to Readercon -- provided I'm not homeless, living in a disused subway station in Brooklyn come July 1. If I'm there, beers will be purchased using my filthy lucre.) view post
wise words. too bad I'm sometimes too stupid to follow them.
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I thought that was when you were bedding the foreign women. view post
I believe I would have to poll the women to get a good answer for that.
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I speak the International Language. Of LOVE! view post
Only you'd know, old man. view post
Every time I shed my spiny ninja exoskeleton, I am born anew.
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First of all, congratulations on your successful recovery. And big ups to having good friends who will provide you with distraction during such a crappy time. That you could take something positive from your experience and turn it into a life-anchor is great (and I love the tattoo you got. Very cool looking). Finally, welcome to the boards. view post
[quote="Curethan":38vrzg8a]"Always offer soldiers (and anyone else who is trained to kill) servile respect. Use caution when deciding how badly they want that discount."
_Curethan's "Guide to Longevity"[/quote:38vrzg8a]
LOL. Wise words, for an eyeball.
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I am reading...crap, what [i:2xcldtfl]am[/i:2xcldtfl] I reading at the moment? Oh yes. The Novellas shortlisted for the Hugos. view post
PoN in class? *shudder*
Well, Mr X. is 1/2-way through TWP and is loving it. I'm 2 for 2 on epic fantasy series with him (he also loved ASOIAF), so I guess I can keep him around.
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Tol -- you make me feel fucking ancient! Gopher!!!
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[quote="alhana":3orphy76]Many of my females friends and I will avoid consuming calories before going out drinking thinking that we can fend off the dreaded "beer belly" only to find that our self-imposed-temporary-anorexia actually makes us sicker in the morning.[/quote:3orphy76]
Done that. Then I got wise -- better to be a little weird shaped than to spend one's evening reeling around the NYC Subway system.
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Me too. we just acquired a new bottle of the stuff, too. view post
[quote="Tol h'Eddes":3s50rnvn][quote="Xray the Enforcer":3s50rnvn]Tol -- you make me feel fucking ancient! Gopher!!! [/quote:3s50rnvn]
Maybe you are [/quote:3s50rnvn]
not that ancient. Just old enough to no longer be trustworthy.
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"Dont trust anyone over 30." (jacked from a quote by Jack Weinberg: "We have a saying in the [Free Speech Movement] that we don't trust anyone over 30.") view post
aaaaaahhhhh. long weekend is nearly here. tried a new gin cocktail last night -- not impressed. I dumped 1/2 of it, attacked a beer instead (practice for the heavy drinking and molotov cocktailing required for any decent July 4th disaster-weekend.) view post
I celebrated Merica, Fuck Yeah! Day by drinking Irn Bru. (all the cocktail glasses were packed for the move, and all the beer was disbursed for help-with-moving bribes...) view post
I bit the bullet. I'm reading [u:7dtq0zyj]Gardens of the Moon[/u:7dtq0zyj] by Erikson.
There's a whole lot of Tupac vs. Biggie Smalls-style hate going on between Bakker fans and Erikson fans over at Westeros, and I guess I prefer to be at least mildly informed before I'll hand out beatdowns. I've vowed to read GotM and Deadhouse Gates (seems to be a general consensus that things get way better after the first book) before I'll make the final call, but I gotta admit, I am fucking BORED TO TEARS by GotM thus far.
To take the edge off, I'm also reading Gene Wolfe.
Finally, I'm reading 5 different cookbooks for an article I have to write in August. Nothing worse than perusing recipes from the French Laundry when you've skipped lunch. 
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[quote="Murrin":1vquiak3][quote:1vquiak3]There's a whole lot of Tupac vs. Biggie Smalls-style hate going on between Bakker fans and Erikson fans over at Westeros, and I guess I prefer to be at least mildly informed before I'll hand out beatdowns.[/quote:1vquiak3] That's interesting, because over at Malazan Empire there are a lot of Bakker fans, probably because Steve recommended him way back when [i:1vquiak3]The Darkness That Comes Before[/i:1vquiak3] came out. I don't think I've seen anyone there arguing about it - they all think both series are great. I've started Mark Z Danielewski's [i:1vquiak3]House of Leaves[/i:1vquiak3], and seven chapters in, I can say it's pretty damn good.[/quote:1vquiak3] House of Leaves is great. I think the animosity comes from Westeros being a Martin forum (i.e. not dedicated to either Bakker or Erikson) and it attracts a somewhat different style of reader. I'm also noticing that many of the women either hate both writers, or love to hate Bakker in particular (this is, of course, not universal -- I mean, I'm here, as is Tol and gierra and at least a few other XX bearers). Finally, we (generally) don't pit Martin against other writers in threads -- there's no point because anyone who's there is at least tangentially interested in ASOIAF. OTOH, if someone were to start a Bakker vs. Martin thread at Malazan, you might see similar levels of bitching that we see at Westeros. Anyway, just a few half-baked thoughts. (and GotM is getting...more interesting. thank the gods.) view post
Vellum by Hal Duncan City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy view post
Yeah -- that's about all I've heard, too. And I think if anything had changed, somebody would have spilled the beans by now. Maybe Scott finally discovered the Cursing Singularity (motherfucker!), where there's so much swearing in a single book that it folds in on itself and disappears from the visible universe. view post
I'll be interested what you think of Erikson. I am not impressed with his writing, although he finally created an interesting character in Felisin. I swore to the Erikson fans at Westeros that I'd read thru DHG, and I will. After that, though, I don't think I'm going to continue the series. I guess it comes down to what you're looking for in books. Nifty battles and cool world-buidling, with uber-1337 characters who never die? Multiple non-human races who do cool shit? Magic, magic, even more magic. It's magic all the way dow? Erikson is your man. Structured narrative, character development and an inspired command of the written or spoken word (while also delivering the goods when it comes to world-building flava, etc -- what we read this stuff for in the first place)? Find another author, because that is definitely not Erikson's forte. He does do blood well, though. Maybe not Cormac McCarthy levels of blood, but he's better than most. I dunno -- I can certainly see why others like the books. view post
No shit. Somebody needs to come in here and clean out the spammy rabble. view post
[quote="Deornoth":1thrvbfs]Night of the living Guest?
Would anyone believe me if I said those posts were mine? 
Sometimes my computer logs me in, sometimes it just laughs at me and says I'm a guest...
Oh well...[/quote:1thrvbfs]
Sure it was, n00b.
actually, though, I figured it was you or Wert -- since I think both of you were at the London signing, yes?
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Not since I left California....and almost got all my teeth knocked out by some crazy 200-lb weight-lifting hussy with elbows of iron.
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[quote="Entropic_existence":33thfuzd]I heard Scott read a chapter from Neuropath and there was definitly alot of cursing But it was all very natural really.[/quote:33thfuzd]
That seems to be the consensus of anyone who has had any experience with the book. "Well, there was a lot of swearing."
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I just got back from WorldCon and am predictably brain-fried. But I'll try to get a list together for ya. A warning should go with Vellum, though. It's a love or hate book depending on how one feels about narrative gymnastics and general wankery. As in: the book is ridiculously high-concept, and your tolerance for those kinds of stunts vs. your interest in the story being told will dictate if you like the book. I have very low tolerance for wankery, but was quite taken by the story and some of the themes in Vellum. It was touch and go for awhile, though. I very nearly landed in the hate column. view post
the book is about, well, the World of Ice and Fire. Maps of Westeros, the Free Cities, the Summer Isles, etc. Heraldry and myths and legends. It's a companion book to the series, not a prequel or sequel or even an alternate universe. Also, there are a couple websites to check. www.westeros.org (has basically everything about ASOIAF, including the So Spake Martin threads which compile everything Martin's ever said about the books at signings, at cons, at dinner, over drinks, etc) www.georgerrmartin.com the mo'fficial site. view post
I've heard love for Janny Wurts. I would recommend Gene Wolfe's The Books of the New Sun. Some great writing in there. Also some people love Greg Keyes (Blood Knight, etc.) view post
If you must get your Goodkind-related mayhem in, try the fight happening at Wikipedia right now. Holy gods, what a clusterfuck.
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the mighty puissance of the moderator!!! (I just got made a mod at Westeros, and am still drunk on my awesome powers. or perhaps that's gin?) view post
noodles -- gods, that's kind of a tall order. But I can try: the story is about the torturer's travels up the river and (eventually) to his great destiny. along the way he gets laid, fights, wonders on the nature of a magical stone, and falls in with brigands. He also meets some people, executes others, and battles a gigantic lizard. anyway, the story is really told as a flashback in the waning days (IIRC) of the torturer's life. I highly recommend it, although the prose is somewhat impenetrable to those used to straight-forward description. And there are some nasty surprises in the story along the way... is that sufficiently spoiler-free? view post
Ha. The sum total of my mod duties have been 1) smackdown on a bitchfight between two posters, 2) deleting dual posts, 3) random posturing. I am happy with this. Modding flamewars is a bitch. view post
[quote="Hellscythe":3ovt7hgn]eh, i know a few moderators of various forums, and they sometimes use their mod powers a bit too much, sometimes locking whole threads. Usually it something that pisses them off...but anyway.[/quote:3ovt7hgn] Well, there's locking a thread from spite, and then there's locking a thread because a) it's a dupe, b) it's a flamewar (or will be one soon) or c) it's spam. view post
[quote="Scel":2fsl0nju]That sucks...I actually got Chills when I read the final was going to be "A Time for Wolves". In the "Graphic Novel" Edition of A Hedge Knight, there was a chapter from The Sworn Sword...are they doing a full Comic/graphic novel of that too? I love Dunk and Egg.[/quote:2fsl0nju] Again, check Westeros.org. If it belongs in the Martinverse, it'll be mentioned on Ran's site. view post
Hrm. maybe I should try that.
(ha. I kid. I don't like locking threads in general, although sometimes it's the only way to get people to calm down.)
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I was kidnapped by the ev0l spambots and forced to read Goodkind novels for weeks on end. I only just escaped. Fuckers!!! view post
Mostly hang out at ASOIAF boards at Westeros (even since that bastard Ran made me a mod, I've neglected almost all of my other online haunts.)
Also, I've got a posse at LiveJournal, and have been pulled into Galactica Watercooler. And Medieval 2:Total War has totally sucked up a bunch of my computer time. Damned strategy games... 
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