Posted by Egocentric, 1:47pm, 26 Jun, 2008

Done! And I don't think you're crazy. It wasn't another "good vs. evil" story, that is, a story where the "evil" side is completely heartless and the "good" side is without fault, even if it seemed like that in the beginning. I liked the twists, which surprised me even if I knew that everything was not what it seemed and I had some (wrong) guesses about what was really happening.

Posted by calvinhobbes, 10:33pm, 26 Jun, 2008

I'm glad you liked it. It's admittedly a little confusing to follow; I sort of had to reread many parts to really understand what was going on. But I think it was worth it. I think it's one of the most realistic books I've ever read in terms of what is good and what is evil.

While we're on this topic, what are everybody's favorite books of all time? I'll post mine tomorrow morning when I get a chance.

Posted by Egocentric, 11:15am, 27 Jun, 2008

I always have trouble chosing favorites, but I think these are pretty close:

The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, especially the Rincewind stories. They are stories set in a fantasy world that parody real-world topics, such as Shakespear, crime stories, opera and newspapers. They are very popular.

The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, a sci-fi story which is about the idea that everything is predictable as long as you know everything that is now, that is, there are no random events, and a society which is protected by such predictions made a long time ago.

There's probably more, but they were the first one I thought of.

Posted by calvinhobbes, 8:00am, 28 Jun, 2008

My favorite book of all time is Grendel by John Gardner. For those familiar with Beowulf, it's Beowulf from the monster's point of view. It details Grendel's life, his first meeting with man, his meeting the dragon (who teaches him existentialism), and his war against Hrothgar. It's mostly a philosophical work, dealing with Grendel trying to find a purpose for living.

I'm a huge fan of the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF, by George R R Martin), my vote for best epic fantasy of all time (yes, much better than LOTR). It gives a much more realistic view of what life would've been like living in the middle ages. It focuses more on planning, backstabbing, manipulation, and trickery than grand, epic battles. Oh, and while magic exists in this world, it's very very rare, and more hidden and sinister that used every other page.

I have more favorites; I'll post them later.

Parle vous...?

Posted by Egocentric, 6:13am, 31 Jul, 2008

It is awful qiuet here. Hope you won't mind if I change the subject.

So, anyone know any good French "stuff" (you know, movies, musicians, books, etc.)? Or rather, any good French-speaking stuff? I used to read French in school, see, and I would like to learn some more. So I use you for my own ends. Mahahaha!