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Elah Adonijai
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I'm in the mood to read something sweating violence and fury and sexiness. Any suggestions? Novels and/or short stories. Something rough like Gibson's Nueromancer or a China Mieville book or even Chuck Palahniuk (but I've read most of those). How gritty is George RR Martin? Any others I've not heard of? I've been meaning to read A Game of Thrones, but it's intimidating just to look at that book. Preferably not something too long, but I'm only so picky.


____________________________________________________________________
"Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce
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A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find
 
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The Gap Cycle by Stephen Donaldson?
It's Sci-Fi.

Never read it myself, but he's apparently into mangled characters and painful sex and violence.
Lots worse and less lyrical than Thomas Covenant.


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Elah Adonijai
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Ooooooooo. Good call. I read the first one and found myself shocked and horrified by the characters but completely interested in them at the same time.


____________________________________________________________________
"Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce
----------------------
A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find
 
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Alastair Reynolds: Sorta hardboiled cyberpunk space opera. Not top drawer stuff, but pretty good.

Peter F. Hamilton: I've only read the first book of the Reality Dysfunction, but it seems okay.

Neal Stephenson: I keep hearing about how Snow Crash is the shizzle, some even say it's better than Neuromancer.

But I think Iain M. Banks would really hit the spot for you, Scoundrel.
 
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Archus dracomagii
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Mary Gentle's Ash: A Secret History, and its sequels.

That one's so gritty a fantasy story that I gave up after volume 2. Too much cruelty mixed with realistic medieval grottiness for me ... but very well written.

- Cho


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You are a Confectioner. Who can take a sunrise and sprinkle it with dew? Actually, that's Bob The Enchanter, two doors down on the left. But you make delectable treats, which is no simple feat considering Oompa Loompas won't be invented for three centuries. Not only do you delight with your sweets, but you've paved the way for a new profession: dentistry!

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the blog thing: From an Ayewards World ...
 
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Elah Adonijai
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Thanks, Chomji.

Zoneseek, any specific titles by Banks or Reynolds? I haven't read anything by either of them. I did read Snow Crash a few years ago. I didn't like it as much as everyone told me I would, and now I'm thinking, maybe I missed something and should go back and reread it. Probably not for a while, though.


____________________________________________________________________
"Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce
----------------------
A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find
 
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Banks: Both Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist blew me away, you get violence and big ideas and wonderful prose. Inversions is great too, but in that "Is it fantasy or sf?" way, kinda like Wolfe.

Reynolds: Chasm City has an amnesiac ex-military tough guy hunting down a weird rich immortal.
 
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There's Archangel Protocol and the sequels by Lyda Morehouse. It's sort of a sci fi about the biblical end times, with plenty of violence and sex.


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Stephenson's Zodiac is a present-day eco-thriller written in the hardboiled style.
 
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JP
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Huh, that's funny, 'cause Snow Crash is exactly what popped into my head when I read your first post. It's been a good 12+ years since I read it, and I wouldn't say it was all violent and sex and stuff, but I remember it being edgy and fun and fresh for the sort of sci fi I like to read.
quote:
Originally posted by The Scoundrel:
Thanks, Chomji.

Zoneseek, any specific titles by Banks or Reynolds? I haven't read anything by either of them. I did read Snow Crash a few years ago. I didn't like it as much as everyone told me I would, and now I'm thinking, maybe I missed something and should go back and reread it. Probably not for a while, though.


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I live for three things: The Girls, football, and live jazz. What do you live for? Let passion drive you.
 
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JP
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Oh, and the Polar Bear turned me onto a fun read ... hmm, what was it? Only Forward, I think it was titled ... *goes to google*
Edit:
Yep, that's it! By Michael Marshall Smith. It was fun with some out there concepts.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I live for three things: The Girls, football, and live jazz. What do you live for? Let passion drive you.
 
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JP
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Scoundrel, e-mail me your address and I'll pass along Only Forward, if you're interested. I got it from the PolarBear and I'm sure he won't mind and seems somehow appropriate to share with fellow WEers.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I live for three things: The Girls, football, and live jazz. What do you live for? Let passion drive you.
 
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Elah Adonijai
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Thanks, JP! I PM'd you the info.


____________________________________________________________________
"Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce
----------------------
A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find
 
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JP
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Link to Michael Marshal Smith thread - Only Forward


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I live for three things: The Girls, football, and live jazz. What do you live for? Let passion drive you.
 
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Perdido Street Station, perhaps?
 
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Elah Adonijai
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I've read Perdido Street Station (and everything else by Mieville but King Rat, I think) already, but that's exactly the kind of book I'm looking for. Thanks, though. Any other suggestions?

I went into a bookstore last week with my list compiled of suggestions you all gave me, and they didn't have one of them! I love going to bookstores, but maybe I'll have to do Amazon on this one...


____________________________________________________________________
"Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce
----------------------
A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find
 
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JP
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I haven't forgotten about you, Scoundrel, I just now need to find the book. Molly was playing with it last weekend and now I need to find where she left it (knowing my kid, it's probably right back in the box she got it from, she's funny like that).


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I live for three things: The Girls, football, and live jazz. What do you live for? Let passion drive you.
 
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Elah Adonijai
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No worries! I'll start reading it when I get it! And it's very nice of you to send it my way Smile


____________________________________________________________________
"Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce
----------------------
A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find
 
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My favorites are the ones like Perdido where the location is the best character in the book - so I 2nd Chasm City and I also enjoyed The Etched City by KJ Bishop.

There's also the military-ish ones like Armor by John Steakley and Old Man's War by John Scalzi

The cyberpunky ones like Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan and Gridlinked by Neal Asher

And since i'm a Jonathan Lethem fan...i dunno...i think they're kinda gritty..lol...Gun, with occasional music and motherless brooklyn were both excellent Smile
 
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Scoundrel has Altered Carbon. Smile
 
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