[Tainari88]

Lately I've been fascinated with this travel blog - which is also a blog about sex, drugs, and other things. Written by a woman. Very intimate, amazing writer. I ordered her book, too: https://thezoeverse.com/

I read some of the blog. Since it is written by a woman? I got curious. I found it incredibly bad. Badly written and she is an airhead and not insightful. A dull woman in general. But I guess every person has different tastes.

I have no idea if she has a lot of followers. If she does? A lot of ignorant people think she has something to say. She is superficial in the extreme. Her writing sucks too. Just my opinion.

[Heisenberg]

Decided to try Exhalation by Ted Chiang. I read the first story last night (The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate) and it was just brilliant. I definitely need to make a habit of reading more short stories.

[Red_Army]

I'm reading through a 4 volume set of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and it's amazing. Anyone familiar with a good series or movies (maybe Chinese?). It would make for a great Game of Thrones style prestige HBO show if done right. I watched John Woo's Red Cliff and it was alright.

I also got a couple books on the Russian Civil War: Bulgakov's Notes on the Cuff as well as Novel With Cocaine and another one I forgot the name of that hasn't arrived yet.

[Potemkin]

I'm reading through a 4 volume set of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and it's amazing. Anyone familiar with a good series or movies (maybe Chinese?). It would make for a great Game of Thrones style prestige HBO show if done right. I watched John Woo's Red Cliff and it was alright.

I also got a couple books on the Russian Civil War: Bulgakov's Notes on the Cuff as well as Novel With Cocaine and another one I forgot the name of that hasn't arrived yet.

It better be Isaak Babel's Red Cavalry. Unless, of course, you've read it already.

[Red_Army]

It better be Isaak Babel's Red Cavalry. Unless, of course, you've read it already.

I have read that already, but I might have to again. It's a fantastic collection of stories. You can see how a guy would get tired of civil war!

[Potemkin]

I have read that already, but I might have to again. It's a fantastic collection of stories. You can see how a guy would get tired of civil war!

It's always worth reading Red Cavalry again.

[John Hubbard]

I played the game a little. Have you read Game of Thrones (and not watched the tv show)?

i know it will take a long time, is it really worth it?

[Heisenberg]

It's always worth reading Red Cavalry again.

To my delight, this is available as an e-book from the New York Public Library. I'll be checking this out next.

i know it will take a long time, is it really worth it?

It's better than the TV series, particularly the last couple of seasons, which, barring a few moments, were complete drivel. Once the source material ran out, Benioff and Weiss were exposed as dreadful writers. It's lucky for them they managed to get big contracts elsewhere based on the earlier seasons, which were entirely George RR Martin's work.

As for the time commitment: like most fantasy series, the books are pretty long, but it's not hard going (except for the fourth book, Feast for Crows, which was a bit of a slog).

The writing style is very simple; it's not like reading Tolkien. But the books add a level of depth to the world that is (necessarily) missing from the TV series, and in most cases the characters are more interesting in the books. Tyrion, for example, is much more complex than in the TV series, where over time he basically gets distilled into a "wisecracking hero" trope.

[late]

i know it will take a long time, is it really worth it?

If you like that sort of thing, yes. Just get Game of Thrones from the library, and read a couple chapters. I will warn you, it's not an easy book to get into, tons of characters, history and subplots. The author loves to surprise and shock his audience; so he's always leaving you in the dark.

But I gotta say, the show was also terrific.

[Potemkin]

If you like that sort of thing, yes. Just get Game of Thrones from the library, and read a couple chapters. I will warn you, it's not an easy book to get into, tons of characters, history and subplots. The author loves to surprise and shock his audience; so he's always leaving you in the dark.

But I gotta say, the show was also terrific.

Game of Thrones is good, but still not as good as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Real history beats fantasy history every time.

[Heisenberg]

Game of Thrones is good, but still not as good as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Has anyone ever told you that you can be a real smartarse sometimes?

[Potemkin]

Has anyone ever told you that you can be a real smartarse sometimes?

Frequently. Lol.

[Heisenberg]

Frequently. Lol.

[late]

Game of Thrones is good, but still not as good as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Real history beats fantasy history every time.

I have read tons more history, than fantasy, but I like both.

[wat0n]

Game of Thrones is good, but still not as good as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Real history beats fantasy history every time.

Well, one could then read The Accursed Kings, which influenced George RR Martin in his writing of the series and is also a series of novels. It narrates the end of the Capet dynasty in France and the beginning of the Hundred Years' War with quite a bit of detail.

[Rugoz]

I just finished The Fall and Rise of China. Basically the history of China of the past ~200 years.

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Fall-and ... 7YCZAVBTCZ

It's great, highly recommended.

[John Hubbard]

If you like that sort of thing, yes. Just get Game of Thrones from the library, and read a couple chapters. I will warn you, it's not an easy book to get into, tons of characters, history and subplots. The author loves to surprise and shock his audience; so he's always leaving you in the dark.

But I gotta say, the show was also terrific.

Thank you! I will follow your advice!

[fuser]

Actually I also read first two book in ASOIF series after the show ended and I must say dialogues written by GRR Martin is some of the best I have read. Also his description of battles and per-battle planning and logistics and the after math is also one of the best I have read. In fact I will go and say that in my experience I haven't read any better description of battles in the sense of realism in a fictional work as in ASOIF series.

Although his prose can get a bit jarring and stretched out needlessly.

[Potemkin]

Actually I also read first two book in ASOIF series after the show ended and I must say dialogues written by GRR Martin is some of the best I have read. Also his description of battles and per-battle planning and logistics and the after math is also one of the best I have read. In fact I will go and say that in my experience I haven't read any better description of battles in the sense of realism in a fictional work as in ASOIF series.

Although his prose can get a bit jarring and stretched out needlessly.

George RR Martin spent most of his life working as a screenwriter. This is why his dialogue is so snappy, and why Game of Thrones adapted so well to television. His prose tends to be a bit stodgy though, as you say, which probably explains why his novels are so freakin’ long.

[fuser]

I didn't knew he was a screenwriter. Just checked and it seems he did TV mostly and I haven't seen any one of them.