Australian Members



apropos said:

Hmmm... that's The Lane, isn't it?

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Someone has a good eye.

lachyzee said:

fxh said:

Never heard of the author or books until now. A quick search tells me its a kind of USA Tolkien - no thanks. I didn't like the UK Tolkien much. I have been dragged along to the interminable fillums though.

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That's so wrong that I'm not even sure it counts as an opinion. Just an incorrect statement, really.

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?

Both write mediocre fantasy. With average at best tv/movie adaption(s) that the public seems to like.

Its not like GRRM has written anything worth reading in the last decade anyway...

U make baby jesus cry Any reccommendations for my reading list after I finish?



Plestor said:

?
Both write mediocre fantasy. With average at best tv/movie adaption(s) that the public seems to like.
Its not like GRRM has written anything worth reading in the last decade anyway...

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The opportunity to see the following lovely ladies nekkid might have something to do with it...

Prof. B. Bear said:

Someone has a good eye.

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SF stalking FTW!!

It's a great place, hope you guys had a good time.



fxh said:

convince me I'm wrong lachy

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By the numbers:

LOTR is approx. the third best selling novel of all time.

The Hobbit is approx. the fourth best selling novel of all time.

The three films are in the top 30 grossing films all time.

The franchise as a whole is the seventh highest grossing franchise all time.



Prof. B. Bear said:

Belated pics from my anniversary.

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lachyzee said:

By the numbers:
LOTR is approx. the third best selling novel of all time.
The Hobbit is approx. the fourth best selling novel of all time.
The three films are in the top 30 grossing films all time.
The franchise as a whole is the seventh highest grossing franchise all time.

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Sadly no accounting for public taste. Don't see how The Hobbit can be turned into three films sounds as if the book has been turned into a machine for making money.

That said when I was a teenager I did enjoy TLOTR.

TehBunny

I have very ecletic reading tastes. Depends what your looking for I guess. I did enjoy various books from the Culture series Iain M Banks, grand sifi in the space opera tradition.

Just finished Toby's Room the second book in a new series by Pat Barker but would recommend reading Life Class first that is if you enjoy historical fiction about the Great War.

Currently reading Umbrella by Will Self also read Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan also with numerous books on mens fashion.

As for GOT I haven't read the books but do enjoy the series both in terms of the story and its production values. Mind you I also enjoyed the Newsroom this past year.

Geoffrey Firmin said:

Dusty Brogues

I think the Xmas period marinated my physiology to the extent that a dry January is called for. Hemmingway stated "I have had hangovers they could name a battleship after" My brothers was more of a frigate class on NYE morning.

I just picked up a bead trimmer so will nolonger look like Hemmingway's old man and the sea.

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You will have to wait till February for that liver redeeming time, Papa would insist!

Tehbunny
It's no little secret that Shantaram is a modern classic. Sink your teeth into it if you haven't already,

woohoo my first pair of AE's (walnut strands) arrived. They are a tad tight at the top near lacing, but i think sizing is close to spot on.

also any ideas on darkening these? i feel the walnut is a tad too light for my liking.



Plestor said:

?
Both write mediocre fantasy. With average at best tv/movie adaption(s) that the public seems to like.
Its not like GRRM has written anything worth reading in the last decade anyway...

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Jesus that is harsh. And I thought I was hard to please. What would you call excellent fantasy then, o doyen of the literary world?

tobiasj said:

City Wine Shop on Spring St? We could book a couple of outdoor tables...

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Sure, I'll get on it and book at the end of this week, unless there are any alternatives?

Anyone comparing LOTR to GRRM Martin books is either provocative, misinformed, or just plain silly.

LOTR revels in adapting celtic and norse Mythology in an English-language format, is relatively poorly written, but still manages to be one of the most defining series ever written (for better or worse).

Song of Fire and Ice, on the other hand, is almost devoid of anything fantastical (apart from some dragons and some North of the Wall hijinks, really) and is much more political, and significantly better written (as an example, Martin's characterisation is staggeringly successful and complex, while Tolkein's characters are almost pathetically one dimensional). However, Song of Fire and Ice will gain a lot more notoriety as a TV show than a series of novels, IMO.



LonerMatt said:

However, Song of Fire and Ice will gain a lot more notoriety as a TV show than a series of novels, IMO.

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Boobs. Ipso facto.

LOTR resonates above other fantasies because its one of the first books to deal with the horrors of war (particularly WWI) - the idea that the things someone has seen or experienced can change a person forever.

Most fantasies are just escapism.