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[Decrepit]

At 1241 this afternoon, 15 Nov 2020, I concluded a fourth read of Michael Moorcock's The Quest for Tanelorn, bringing to a close another reading of The Chronicles of Castle Brass. I found this final volume a bit hard to follow in spots, but enjoyed it nonetheless. (I've felt extra muddle-headed these past few days, which might account for my difficulty comprehending bits of what I read.) I now debate continuing on with more Moorcock or sticking to my original plan to read Sapkowski's The Tower of Fools.

[Decrepit]

At 2127 yesterday evening, 18 Nov 20202, I concluded a second read of Michael Moorcock's The Ice Schooner. First published 1966 in serial form in a sci-fi magazine, mine is a 1987 paperback edition revised by the author. This is not what I planned to read. However, The Tower of Fools proved to be too heavy/cumbersome for my right wrist, constantly painful since last Tuesday's battle with a difficult to open container of Red Pepper Flakes. Another sign of the aging process I suppose. As if I need more such signs. Anyway, early as it is in the cycle, Ice Schooner ties in with Moorcock's Eternal Champion mythos well enough. I wonder if that's due to the revision, not that it matters. My decrepit mind tells me I enjoyed it more this time round than the first, though with a 28 year-plus gap between reads I take that observation with a grain of salt.

I have tentatively begun more early Moorcock, his The Eternal Champion, another 1987 printing of a story that first appeared, in part, in a science-fiction magazine.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 19 2020, 09:24 PM

[Uleni Athram]

Bought and downloaded the following books for funsies:

1. The Seleucid Army: Organization and Tactics in the Great Campaigns by Bezalel Bar-Kochva

2. From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire by Susan Sherwin-White and Amelie Kuhrt

3. Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reformed Armies 168-148 BC, Vol. 1: The Seleucid Army by Nick Sekunda

4. In the Garden of the Gods: Models of Kingship from the Sumerians to the Seleucids by Eva Anagnostou-Laotides

I’m a Seleucidophile, in case you can’t tell. Is Seleucidophile even a word? I dunno, but I just love ‘em thanks to Total War and I figured I might as well get books about them /shrug

This post has been edited by Uleni Athram: Nov 26 2020, 11:14 AM

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Bought and downloaded the following books for funsies:

1. The Seleucid Army: Organization and Tactics in the Great Campaigns by Bezalel Bar-Kochva

2. From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire by Susan Sherwin-White and Amelie Kuhrt

3. Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reformed Armies 168-148 BC, Vol. 1: The Seleucid Army by Nick Sekunda

4. In the Garden of the Gods: Models of Kingship from the Sumerians to the Seleucids by Eva Anagnostou-Laotides

I’m a Seleucidophile, in case you can’t tell. Is Seleucidophile even a word? I dunno, but I just love ‘em thanks to Total War and I figured I might as well get books about them /shrug

That’s a lot of history books! Khajiit approves! That last book sounds especially interesting to me.

[Decrepit]

Bought and downloaded the following books for funsies:

1. The Seleucid Army: Organization and Tactics in the Great Campaigns by Bezalel Bar-Kochva

2. From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire by Susan Sherwin-White and Amelie Kuhrt

3. Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reformed Armies 168-148 BC, Vol. 1: The Seleucid Army by Nick Sekunda

4. In the Garden of the Gods: Models of Kingship from the Sumerians to the Seleucids by Eva Anagnostou-Laotides

I’m a Seleucidophile, in case you can’t tell. Is Seleucidophile even a word? I dunno, but I just love ‘em thanks to Total War and I figured I might as well get books about them /shrug

I was an armchair history buff long before discovering fantasy. These titles sound quite interesting.

As for me, I lost interest in continuing Moorcock's Eternal Champion novels, so am in the midst of a sixth read of Ann McCaffrey's Dragonflight. I plan/hope to reread the entire initial 'trilogy', of which I consider book three, The White Dragon, the gem. We'll see if that holds through this time round. As to continuing on beyond the initial three books, I own them all, I make no commitment.

[SubRosa]

Bought and downloaded the following books for funsies:

1. The Seleucid Army: Organization and Tactics in the Great Campaigns by Bezalel Bar-Kochva

2. From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire by Susan Sherwin-White and Amelie Kuhrt

3. Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reformed Armies 168-148 BC, Vol. 1: The Seleucid Army by Nick Sekunda

4. In the Garden of the Gods: Models of Kingship from the Sumerians to the Seleucids by Eva Anagnostou-Laotides

I’m a Seleucidophile, in case you can’t tell. Is Seleucidophile even a word? I dunno, but I just love ‘em thanks to Total War and I figured I might as well get books about them /shrug

Tons of fun history there. I also recommend Dividing The Spoils The War For Alexanders Empire by Robin Waterfield. It details the rise of the Successor Kingdoms after Alexander's death, focusing on that 20-40 years immediately after her died. So the rise of Seleucus, and all the trials and reverses he faced while founding the Seleucid Empire were definitely in there.

[Uleni Athram]

@Bosslord Khajiit: I agree! Out of all the books I got, that one had the most pull, title-wise. I was actually tempted to start out with that one first but I instead went with Bar-Kochva’s book.

@Bosslord Decrepit: They are! And I’m the opposite lol, I started out with Fantasy but was drawn to history much later. And I like where I ended up! History is so fun lmao

@Sagelady SubRosa: As ever with our Wise Woman’s wise advice! Thank you for the suggestion, I went ahead and copped it alongside Paul Kosmin’s “The Land of the Elephant Kings”. (Yet another title that has a massive appeal title-wise, second only to the Garden of the Gods.)


Heheheh, you guys, by the time I’m done with all these books, I’ll probably be the resident Seleucid expert.

[Decrepit]

At 0654 this morning, 4 Nov 2020, I concluded a fifth read of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonquest, book two of The Dragonriders of Pern. Enjoyed it as usual, though I felt it drags a bit for reasonably short time maybe third-fourths way through. It surprised me in containing one of my favorite events, which I misremembered as occurring near the beginning of book three. Speaking of which, I'll surely begin The White Dragon by day's end. Likely during lunch if not sooner.

[Decrepit]

At 0828 this morning, 12 Dec 2020, I concluded a fifth read of Anne McCaffrey's The White Dragon, bringing to a close her Dragonriders of Pern Series. I once considered it the best of the bunch, and a highlight of my fantasy library. I now consider it on par with the others. It doesn't help that between reads I forgot that I ought to have read McCaffrey's Harper Hall trilogy between Dragonquest and White Dragon. Still, it's an enjoyable read and an easy recommend.

Prior to writing this post I checked online to verify that Harper Hall indeed comes before White Dragon chronologically. I am greatly surprised to learn that there are way more Pern novels that I assumed, several not by McCaffrey. Dragonflight, the first written, is sixteenth chronologically! I thought I had them all. Not even close!

I'm tempted but not get committed to continue on with the Harper Hall books.

[Acadian]

Decrepit, I read Dragonflight quite some time ago and found it enjoyable.

[SubRosa]

I remember reading the Anne McCaffrey's dragon books back in the 90s, and I liked them a lot then.

[Decrepit]

Decrepit, I read Dragonflight quite some time ago and found it enjoyable.

I remember reading the Anne McCaffrey's dragon books back in the 90s, and I liked them a lot then.

Yeah, the Pern books were extremely popular back in the day. It's a shame fantasy is too often a genre that has little respect for its past. Too few younger readers have little interest in reading anything beyond recent releases At least that's what I gather watching BookTube videos.

Speaking of Pern, at 2020 last night, 13 Dec 2020, I finished a fifth read of McCaffrey's Dragonsong, first book of her Harper Hall trilogy. I enjoyed it very much.

[Decrepit]

At 1656 this evening I concluded a fifth read of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsinger, book two of her Harper Hall Pern series. I was a bit apprehensive going in, not being the biggest fan of books set in institutions of learning. They tend to follow the same formula: New student arrives, full of hopes and expectations. New student is mistreated by established students and/or certain members of the faculty. New student is befriending by either one or a small group of other 'misfit' students. New student wins out in the end. Dragonsinger adheres to the pattern. What saves it for me is that it takes place in a music school. And a love for music is central to the story, rather than an incidental backdrop. The school itself has the feel of an honest-to-goodness music school.

A solid thumbs-up for me. In fact, this time round I've enjoyed the Harper Hall books more than the initial Dragonriders of Pern series. I hadn't expected to.

I'll of course begin Dragondrums later this evening.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Dec 16 2020, 12:39 AM

[Decrepit]

At 1158 this morning, lying on the couch, I finished a fifth read of Anne McCaffrey's Dragondrums, bringing to a close her Harper Hall Pern series. I enjoyed it, and the series as a whole, despite Dragnondrums' somewhat ho-hum ending. Then again, I ought to have read Harper Hall in-between Dragonquest and The White Dragon, that being where it fits chronologically. I've not yet decided whether to continue on with the other McCaffrey Pern novels in my possession or move on to other things. My initial-read TBR pile isn't getting any smaller.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Dec 19 2020, 07:25 PM

[Decrepit]

At 2121 Christmas Eve, 24 Dec 2020, I concluded a fourth read of Anne McCaffrey's The Renegades of Pern. Between reads, my most recent prior read ended mid Feb 2012, I misremembered events occurring within its pages as belonging to two separate novels. This led me to initially believe I had somehow misplaced the latter of the two. Opening Renegades to a 'late' page and reading one sentence disproved that assumption.

I'm now some pages into All the Weyrs of Pern, which concludes the tale begun in Dragonflight. Or it did when I bought what I own of the Pern series. I recently discovered that McCaffrey and others went on to publish many more Pern related novels, not in my possession. For all I know, some of them might revisit/extend the initial main storyline.

[Uleni Athram]

To take a break from the head-busting complexity of my Seleucid books, I copped myself a bunch of Warhammer Age of Sigmar e-books to... refresh my mind back into something easy to digest. For those who aren’t in the know, Warhammer Age of Sigmar (AoS) is miniature wargame where you control armies and battle it out using dice and rules. You probably heard about it’s more popular cousin, Warhammer 40K. Anyway, I got the following:

The Court of the Blind King, the Sea Taketh, and The Learning, all by David Guymer.
They’re not a series, mind you, but they do focus on a race called the Idoneth Deepkin, a savage subset of ocean-dwelling Aelves (that’s how elves are spelled/called in-universe lmao) whose majority population go by without souls. They go on raids to steal the spirits of the setting’s other races, because if they don’t, the afflicted would quickly wither and die.

I finished the Learning and I have to say I’m liking the way Guymer writes. Compact and straight to the point, with just enough tactical ‘oomph’ in his prose and flow to keep it fresh. If that makes sense.

[Decrepit]

I thought for sure I'd end the year with 46 completed books to my credit. Instead, it's 45. I failed to take into account that All the Weyrs of Pern is not a pager-turner for me. Were it almost any other book in the series (that I own and plan to read this go-round) I might well get through its final 80 pages before falling asleep tonight. (Were it any of those other books, I'd likely have finished it by now.) Forty-five ain't all that bad. In fact, it's a recent high. I suspect I'll never equal it again this lifetime, let alone surpass it.

While buying TurboTax Deluxe 2020 at Amazon.com yesterday I decided to add two Bernard Cornwell Saxon Chronicles novels to my cart; books 2 & 3. I read book 1 just over five years ago. I like it well enough, but don't consider it anything special. However, I own Cornwell's three-volume Arthurian saga and like it quite a lot. Enough so to be willing to take a risk with two further Saxon novels.

[Decrepit]

At 1532 this afternoon, 2 Jan 2021, I concluded a fourth read of Anne McCaffrey's All the Weyrs of Pern, bringing to an end the storyline begun with Dragonflight. I expected to finish it days ago, making it my 46th novel-length book completed during 2020. I failed to remember between readings that sections of Weyrs are too hi-tech sci-fi for my taste, thus slow-going. The 'good parts' were as engrossing as ever. As usual, I read the close through tears, inner (but not outer) romantic that I at. (I wouldn't mind being an outer romantic, but have never had the equipment for it.)

The Pern series contains many more entries. I own a few of them. I've not yet decide whether to continue on with what I have or more on to other things.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 3 2021, 02:27 AM

[Burnt Sierra]

Forty-five ain't all that bad. In fact, it's a recent high. I suspect I'll never equal it again this lifetime, let alone surpass it.

After I saw this, I just did a quick adding up of mine from the year, and I didn't even get close

26, or a book every 2 weeks, though 2020 was such a weird year I'm quite surprised I got that high to be honest.

At least I have my target for this year now!

[Decrepit]

Forty-five ain't all that bad. In fact, it's a recent high. I suspect I'll never equal it again this lifetime, let alone surpass it.

After I saw this, I just did a quick adding up of mine from the year, and I didn't even get close

26, or a book every 2 weeks, though 2020 was such a weird year I'm quite surprised I got that high to be honest.

At least I have my target for this year now!

Twenty-six ain't bad at all. There are years when I don't reach that number.

At 2035 last night, 13 Jan 2021, I completed a fourth read of Paul O. Williams' The Breaking of Northwall, book one of his Pelbar Cycle. It's another of those sagas set long after 'our' civilization was utterly destroyed due to nuclear conflict. Remnants of survivors exist as hostile tribes (for lack of a better term). Book one's chief protagonist belongs to a peaceful, woman-run, tribe who remain safely isolated within their several well-built fortress-cities. Through his many adventures/misadventures, he manages to instill a fledgling union with several formerly adversarial tribes, capped at book's end by those tribes coming together to defeat a new, cruel, technologically advanced enemy bend on capturing Northwall, one of the Pelbar strongholds. The book is overall well done, with an especially strong closing battle.

My originally intent was to not continue the series but instead move on to something in my initial-read TBR pile. I'm reevaluating that.