What fiction book are you currently reading?
- Thread starter arnisador
- Start date
Still working may way through the Honor Harrington series so that I can read the new ones that my missus bought me for Xmas 
.
Am up to "Ashes of Victory" presently - my problem being that computer gaming is eating far too deeply into my reading time - that's something I need to get a handle on I reckon.
.Am up to "Ashes of Victory" presently - my problem being that computer gaming is eating far too deeply into my reading time - that's something I need to get a handle on I reckon.
Big Don
Sr. Grandmaster
After ten in a row, I needed a change up.
Apache Kid
White Belt
I write my own novels. My first sci-fi novel (The Sword of Urmas) had this scene: Setting - the Great Pyramid, in a parallel timeline.
"Stuart's eyes glinted with a deadly sheen in the moonlight. "It's time for my revenge, Caldwell. You're gonna love it." He pointed toward the pyramid entrance. Move!"
Caldwell's mind raced into overdrive, sorting through his catalog of dirty tricks for anything that would deliver him from a fate he concluded would be horrible at best. Newfound respect for his adversary precluded him from trying anything stupid. He would have to wait for his moment.
At Stuart's bidding, Caldwell climbed upward to the pyramid's entrance. Just before reaching the entrance level, he lashed out with a well aimed side-kick at Stuart. His boot caught Stuart on the forehead, knocking him backward onto one of the huge stone blocks of the pyramid's superstructure. The Remington clattered down the pyramid's stepped sides.
Stuart grabbed for the pistol in his belt a split-second too late. Caldwell leaped upon him, punching with desperate fury, grabbing for the weapon. Stuart shifted his weight and rolled, pulling his opponent onto the slab below. Caldwell, stunned, released his death-grip on Caldwell's gun. Stuart stood and staggered backward.
Caldwell rolled onto his left forearm and kicked at Stuart's knee, sending him over the edge. Quick as a cat, Caldwell leaped down and caught Stuart's hand with a front snap-kick. The weapon flew off into the Egyptian night, clattering its way to join the Remington. Caldwell saw his opportunity for escape, and gave Stuart a sweeping side-punch to the temple before scrambling upward across the pyramid's face.
Stuart shook his head, then launched himself in pursuit. He caught up with Caldwell at the eighth masonry level above the entrance. Caldwell tripped and quickly recovered to face his attacker.
A moment of quietness loomed as preamble to a deadly martial arts duel. Both combatants were aware there could be but one winner. Caldwell adopted the 'cat' position, as manifestation of his Tae-Kwon-Do fighting style. Stuart, who preferred Judo and Pak-Ua, crouched low, weight evenly balanced, and waited for the inevitable kick.
Stuart feinted, drawing back suddenly in mid-stroke. Caldwell's foot stabbed the air. Stuart lunged, spun 180 degrees, and struck Caldwell in the solar plexus with the heel of his down-turned foot. Caldwell reeled backward along the ledge, gasping for breath, then recovered and counter-attacked.
Stroke! Parry! Lunge! Kick! In the course of the mortal struggle, the combatants stood silhouetted in the silver moonlight like two arch-enemies from the Kabuki Theater. Caldwell struck from a distance, Stuart from in close. Cuts opened and blood spattered the sides of the ancient structure as the fighters ranged across its face. Harshly drawn lines of fatigue etched themselves on their faces.
Caldwell took a deep breath and went on the offensive, releasing a deadly series of kicks and punches. The more disciplined Stuart gave ground. Caldwell sent a bone cracking whirl-kick to Stuart's ribs and a reverse-punch to the gut. Stuart staggered from the gut blow.
Caldwell moved in to finish Stuart off, only to find he had moved in too close. Stuart parried the blow with both elbows forward, fists upward, moving into Caldwell at the same time. He grabbed Caldwell's jacket, then dropped, pulling Caldwell forward and off balance. Stuart rolled backward— with his foot in Caldwell's gut— still grasping the lapels. He launched Caldwell upward and behind him, relishing the heavy thud when Caldwell came to rest on the stone slab.
Stuart rose to his feet in an instant. He delivered a downward punch into Caldwell's windpipe. Caldwell rolled off the ledge and lay gasping for breath. Stuart followed him, pulled him up by the hair, and hit him in the teeth with a punch he had saved for five months. The blood-spattered Caldwell sagged like a rag doll.
Stuart screamed in primal fury, "That's for what you did to Golda!" He grabbed Caldwell's lapel and pulled him to his feet, then drove two swift punches to the groggy man's mid section. Caldwell bent forward and slumped to his knees.
"That's for trying to drown me!" Stuart snarled through clenched teeth.
Caldwell staggered to his feet and cocked his right arm for one last desperate punch. Still in the heat of battle-fury, Stuart parried, then drew up his right thigh for the final blow. The kick slammed into Caldwell's groin without restraint. Caldwell slowly collapsed into a writhing puddle of Master-Race jelly.
"That's for trying to fry my balls, you worthless scum-bag!"
The desert wind whipped along the upper reaches of the pyramid singing its banshee song, almost drowning out the muted sobbing of the would-be storm trooper. Stuart grabbed Caldwell by the collar and began the laborious task of dragging him down to the entrance.
"Stuart's eyes glinted with a deadly sheen in the moonlight. "It's time for my revenge, Caldwell. You're gonna love it." He pointed toward the pyramid entrance. Move!"
Caldwell's mind raced into overdrive, sorting through his catalog of dirty tricks for anything that would deliver him from a fate he concluded would be horrible at best. Newfound respect for his adversary precluded him from trying anything stupid. He would have to wait for his moment.
At Stuart's bidding, Caldwell climbed upward to the pyramid's entrance. Just before reaching the entrance level, he lashed out with a well aimed side-kick at Stuart. His boot caught Stuart on the forehead, knocking him backward onto one of the huge stone blocks of the pyramid's superstructure. The Remington clattered down the pyramid's stepped sides.
Stuart grabbed for the pistol in his belt a split-second too late. Caldwell leaped upon him, punching with desperate fury, grabbing for the weapon. Stuart shifted his weight and rolled, pulling his opponent onto the slab below. Caldwell, stunned, released his death-grip on Caldwell's gun. Stuart stood and staggered backward.
Caldwell rolled onto his left forearm and kicked at Stuart's knee, sending him over the edge. Quick as a cat, Caldwell leaped down and caught Stuart's hand with a front snap-kick. The weapon flew off into the Egyptian night, clattering its way to join the Remington. Caldwell saw his opportunity for escape, and gave Stuart a sweeping side-punch to the temple before scrambling upward across the pyramid's face.
Stuart shook his head, then launched himself in pursuit. He caught up with Caldwell at the eighth masonry level above the entrance. Caldwell tripped and quickly recovered to face his attacker.
A moment of quietness loomed as preamble to a deadly martial arts duel. Both combatants were aware there could be but one winner. Caldwell adopted the 'cat' position, as manifestation of his Tae-Kwon-Do fighting style. Stuart, who preferred Judo and Pak-Ua, crouched low, weight evenly balanced, and waited for the inevitable kick.
Stuart feinted, drawing back suddenly in mid-stroke. Caldwell's foot stabbed the air. Stuart lunged, spun 180 degrees, and struck Caldwell in the solar plexus with the heel of his down-turned foot. Caldwell reeled backward along the ledge, gasping for breath, then recovered and counter-attacked.
Stroke! Parry! Lunge! Kick! In the course of the mortal struggle, the combatants stood silhouetted in the silver moonlight like two arch-enemies from the Kabuki Theater. Caldwell struck from a distance, Stuart from in close. Cuts opened and blood spattered the sides of the ancient structure as the fighters ranged across its face. Harshly drawn lines of fatigue etched themselves on their faces.
Caldwell took a deep breath and went on the offensive, releasing a deadly series of kicks and punches. The more disciplined Stuart gave ground. Caldwell sent a bone cracking whirl-kick to Stuart's ribs and a reverse-punch to the gut. Stuart staggered from the gut blow.
Caldwell moved in to finish Stuart off, only to find he had moved in too close. Stuart parried the blow with both elbows forward, fists upward, moving into Caldwell at the same time. He grabbed Caldwell's jacket, then dropped, pulling Caldwell forward and off balance. Stuart rolled backward— with his foot in Caldwell's gut— still grasping the lapels. He launched Caldwell upward and behind him, relishing the heavy thud when Caldwell came to rest on the stone slab.
Stuart rose to his feet in an instant. He delivered a downward punch into Caldwell's windpipe. Caldwell rolled off the ledge and lay gasping for breath. Stuart followed him, pulled him up by the hair, and hit him in the teeth with a punch he had saved for five months. The blood-spattered Caldwell sagged like a rag doll.
Stuart screamed in primal fury, "That's for what you did to Golda!" He grabbed Caldwell's lapel and pulled him to his feet, then drove two swift punches to the groggy man's mid section. Caldwell bent forward and slumped to his knees.
"That's for trying to drown me!" Stuart snarled through clenched teeth.
Caldwell staggered to his feet and cocked his right arm for one last desperate punch. Still in the heat of battle-fury, Stuart parried, then drew up his right thigh for the final blow. The kick slammed into Caldwell's groin without restraint. Caldwell slowly collapsed into a writhing puddle of Master-Race jelly.
"That's for trying to fry my balls, you worthless scum-bag!"
The desert wind whipped along the upper reaches of the pyramid singing its banshee song, almost drowning out the muted sobbing of the would-be storm trooper. Stuart grabbed Caldwell by the collar and began the laborious task of dragging him down to the entrance.
CoryKS
Senior Master
Some of you sci-fi fans might be interested in this. I just found out via Instapundit that the Baen Books website has a number of books available in electronic format for free. Looks like those Honor Harrington books that Sukerkin mentioned are included in that. Website is here: Baen Free Library
Big Don
Sr. Grandmaster
Yeah, I've known about this for a while now, Eric Flint was the driving force behind it. He has written some pretty entertaining books, including The Philosophical Strangler and 1632.
I'm rereading Term Limits by Vince Flynn while I wait for the library.
.
Omar B
Senior Master
It's Superman - Tom DeHaven
What an intersting book! It came out a while ago in hardback but I didnt get it but yesterday I noticed the paperback and had to.
It's a Superman story set in middle America in and around the great depression. It's written as Slagel and Shuster originally wrote Superman back when they started, he's a champion of the downtrodden man, his powers are back down to a less god-like level (Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerfull than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound). Like the original it's also set in NY and LA, this is before the invention of Metropolis.
There are all the trappings of a Superman story, the big battles, giant robots, Lex. But what's great is how it captures who he is, and the country at that time, the people's desperation in small farm towns and in city slums. I gotta say, it's very Steinbeck meets Chabon.
http://www.amazon.com/Its-Superman-Novel-Tom-Haven/dp/0345493923
What an intersting book! It came out a while ago in hardback but I didnt get it but yesterday I noticed the paperback and had to.
It's a Superman story set in middle America in and around the great depression. It's written as Slagel and Shuster originally wrote Superman back when they started, he's a champion of the downtrodden man, his powers are back down to a less god-like level (Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerfull than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound). Like the original it's also set in NY and LA, this is before the invention of Metropolis.
There are all the trappings of a Superman story, the big battles, giant robots, Lex. But what's great is how it captures who he is, and the country at that time, the people's desperation in small farm towns and in city slums. I gotta say, it's very Steinbeck meets Chabon.
http://www.amazon.com/Its-Superman-Novel-Tom-Haven/dp/0345493923
granfire
Sr. Grandmaster
Big Don
Sr. Grandmaster
True.
Big Don
Sr. Grandmaster
No, no, not a bad guy, just a pusher of addictive reading materials.
I already requested it from the library.
granfire
Sr. Grandmaster
Yes, pushing the consumption of literature is truly evil!
Gwenhwyfar by Mercedes Lackey. First one of her's I've read in ages, so far so good. Just entertianment.
Big Don
Sr. Grandmaster
Coming across a word I can't instantly pronounce drives me nuts. Thanks Ken.
