What else do you read??

**Sirkana** · December 28th, 2009, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Icelands

And Sirkana-- What does "steampunk" connotate? I've heard the word before and all I know is that it means people putting metal parts on their body or something weird like that... and somehow I doubt that that's what the book genre is focused on...

Sorry, I should have explained! Basically steampunk imagines that society developed differently, and the basis of technology was founded on Victorian steam engines and clockwork - so we'd have copper and leather all around us, not silicon and steel. Steampunk also has post-apocalyptic aspects sometimes. Some people like making steampunkish stuff or dressing in a steampunkish way, like in your picture

Steampunk novels are usually set in something like the Victorian era but much more advanced technologically. So "Leviathan" is set in 1914 (not Victorian, but anyway...), but it contains far more advanced technology. The British have fabricated - genetically modified - animals and airships, as in this universe Darwin discovered DNA, and the Germans and Austro-Hungarians have metal war-machines. But all the materials used are still those that would have been in use at that time, and the societal structure is still as it woulkd have been in that time. It's odd, but really awesome.

Philip Reeve's "Mortal Engines" series would be another example of steampunk fiction which, I think, is better than "Leviathan". It's set hundreds of years after an apocalypse and in that time scoiety and technology has re-developed but very differently, with moving cities and airship travel. It's incredibly imaginative as well as hav ing a great plot and charaters.

I hope that answered your question...

**Maximus** · December 28th, 2009, 01:58 PM

That sounds like a good book, but now to answer the question of the topic "What do you read?"

Hmm...I honestly don't buy many books as I don't have much money but read the ones my good friend Josh lets me borrow and they are ALL Fantasy. And I never really read books outside of school before I met Josh either so he kinda started me of, he 1st lent me the 1st book in Trudi Canavan's "The Black Magician Series" which blew me away, thats when I became hooked on Fantasy and reading in general. I then read the rest of the Trilogy which I enjoyed highly and would strongly recomend to anyone as it is a great book set in a world where we have not had the need to produce firearms as Magic has replaced that. I then read The Pellinor Books, wow. I loved them and I am now addicted to them, I am saving up enough money to buy them so I can read them all the time but I am short on cash so it's slow progress, I then read World War Z - Author: Max Brooks which was great as it made my..err.."Slight" obsession with Zombies look not so crazy, an interesting style of writing as well as it is set as him as a Journalist after the 10 year Zombie War and it is a collection of reports from the survivors. Very enjoyable. I then carried on reading a whole manner if Sci-fi and Fantasy books and continue to today. I need to read this thread more often so I can get more Ideas for books to read, if any of you do have recomendations please POST THEM ON MY PROFILE!!

**roberth** · December 28th, 2009, 03:52 PM

Mid way through Gardens of the Moon by Steve Erikson. Quite a chunk of a book, all things considered, its one of the hardest books to get into that ive read in a long time, but brilliantly written, and delightfully intriguing

Also got Under the Dome by Steven King, and the Stand, which everyone tells me to read, so i decided to get it, but they take second place to Gardens

**Icelands** · December 28th, 2009, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by Sirkana

Sorry, I should have explained! Basically steampunk imagines that society developed differently, and the basis of technology was founded on Victorian steam engines and clockwork - so we'd have copper and leather all around us, not silicon and steel. Steampunk also has post-apocalyptic aspects sometimes. Some people like making steampunkish stuff or dressing in a steampunkish way, like in your picture

Steampunk novels are usually set in something like the Victorian era but much more advanced technologically. So "Leviathan" is set in 1914 (not Victorian, but anyway...), but it contains far more advanced technology. The British have fabricated - genetically modified - animals and airships, as in this universe Darwin discovered DNA, and the Germans and Austro-Hungarians have metal war-machines. But all the materials used are still those that would have been in use at that time, and the societal structure is still as it woulkd have been in that time. It's odd, but really awesome.

Philip Reeve's "Mortal Engines" series would be another example of steampunk fiction which, I think, is better than "Leviathan". It's set hundreds of years after an apocalypse and in that time scoiety and technology has re-developed but very differently, with moving cities and airship travel. It's incredibly imaginative as well as hav ing a great plot and charaters.

I hope that answered your question...

Hmm, that sounds cool. What's funny is that I saw that book in my local Borders today and thought of this conversation, lol.

**Icelands** · January 17th, 2010, 12:04 PM

I just read A Stranger to Command, the prequel to Crown Duel. It was excellent!

**Maerad(",)** · January 18th, 2010, 12:46 AM

Who is the author of the story?
I am searching for new books to read, any advice?
My sister's booklover friend advised to me "how to kill a mocking bird" is exellent, what can you say about the book?

**Jolly** · January 18th, 2010, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by Maerad(",)

Who is the author of the story?
I am searching for new books to read, any advice?
My sister's booklover friend advised to me "how to kill a mocking bird" is exellent, what can you say about the book?

It's an alright read in my opinion. It's about the racial tensions in America concerning black and white people. You gain insight of everything through a child's view, which is completely innocent. I'm not a big fan of historical kind of books, more so of those which revolve around racial problems.

Try The Wish List by Eion Colfer.

**Loerwyn** · January 18th, 2010, 11:12 AM

Outside of Fantasy/Sci-Fi, I don't really read much. If I do, it's either "horror" (i.e. Lovecraft and Poe) or political satire stuff (Atlas Shrugged, 1984, We, Animal Farm etc).

**Icelands** · January 18th, 2010, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Maerad(",)

Who is the author of the story?
I am searching for new books to read, any advice?
My sister's booklover friend advised to me "how to kill a mocking bird" is exellent, what can you say about the book?

Hmm, well I like fantasy mostly, but I really really loved To Kill a Mockingbird. It has many great life lessons, but is far from being an uncomplicated right vs. wrong sort of thing. I've read it twice, and the second time I think I liked it even more. There are so many little gems of wisdom and little snippets that make you just stop and think...

So if you can look deep beyond surface events in the books you read, then I think you'll enjoy it.

And if you're asking who the author of A Stranger to Command is, it's Sherwood Smith-- but you won't want to read that without reading Crown Duel first, by the same person. Crown Duel is amazing.

**Sirkana** · January 18th, 2010, 03:26 PM

To Kill A Mockingbird is amazing; I did it at school a couple of years ago, and just . . . wow.

**ServalSpirit** · January 18th, 2010, 06:33 PM

I don't remember if this has been brought up before, does anyone read Paulo Coelho?

**Jolly** · January 19th, 2010, 04:50 AM

Originally Posted by ServalSpirit

I don't remember if this has been brought up before, does anyone read Paulo Coelho?

He wrote The Alchemist.

My teacher loves that book. I'm sorry, but I seem to dislike a lot of the famous books!

**ServalSpirit** · January 19th, 2010, 12:59 PM

!

I liked the Alchemist!

**rosygirl** · January 19th, 2010, 03:33 PM

i'm cuurently reading a book called Genesis, by Bernard Beckett. i suggest you look it up, as this explaination probably won't make much sense.
but basically, it is a post-apocalytic type thing, and tells the story of how the surviving republic has structured itself, and the development in this. it tackles quite a lot of complicated philosophy on conciousness and thought, but is definitely worth the effort. overall a great book, with fantastic twist at the end, well worth a read.

**Savendia** · January 20th, 2010, 09:28 AM

Hey, if anyone's into science - I'm reading The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. It's about quantum physics and special relativity and other dimensions and superstring theory and all that cool stuff. It's crazy.

For example: Time is relative. It passes faster or slower for you depending on how fast you are moving. Space is also relative. Things really do shrink or grow larger depending on movement.

But here's the really cool part: Pretend you're driving really fast in a car on the highway, and you look at the dotted lines in the middle. You know how they look shorter than they do when you look at them while standing still? Not only are they shorter, but for the random pedestrian standing on the side of the road watching your car go by those lines, they are longer. Both points of view are correct at the same time.