Sunday Morning Book Thread - 2-2-2025 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading. Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants (requires a sonic screwdriver for assembly)...

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, watch out for groundhogs, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

That's a point I have tried to hammer home for years.

The best X in the world is the one you like the most!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 26, 2025 06:37 PM

CBD posted this on last week's Food Thread. It applies just as much to books as it does to food!

PIC NOTED

This is a screenshot from the episode "Silence in the Library" from the Fourth Series of Doctor Who (the third series featuring the Tenth Doctor). Supposedly, it's the largest library in the galaxy, covering an entire world. Normally, it would be a teeming hive of activity, but now everyone is gone. Devoured by the shadowy, mysterious Vashta Nerada, which hides from the light and can strip the flesh from bones in the blink of an eye.

FANTASY MAPS SHOULD BE WEIRDER

Fantasy maps, by and large, tend to be somewhat conventional in how they are drawn. Many of them obviously use the maps from Lord of the Rings for inspiration, to the point that there is now a trope just for maps drawn in that style: Left-Justified Fantasy Map.

However, in the real world, maps can be very imaginative, as the creators of ancient maps had much less information to call upon when drawing maps. They *tried* to make accurate maps whenever possible, but they really didn't understand much about the shape of the world and its continents. Thanks to satellites, we now have the most accurate maps ever drawn in human history.

I love a good map when I'm reading a story, even when that story is set in the real world. I pull up Google Earth just so I can get a sense of the environment in which the story is set. Even if it's a fictional location, such a small town in the middle of nowhere, there's often enough markers in the story that I can find a general location of the setting.

If you are writing a historical novel, why limit yourself to our modern interpretation of maps? Why not use a historical map that is reflective of how the characters in the story perceived the world?

THE FUTURE OF PUBLISHING?

In the video clip above, two authors discuss briefly the future of publishing, starting with the idea of "sensitivity readers" for James Bond books. "Sensitivity readers" has been around for a few years now. As I'm sure we all know, it involves a group of woke scolds revising books for language they find "offensive" or "triggering" to their preferred targeted audiences. The authors in the video clip mention that books might need to come with specific labels, such as "100% author written--no AI involved." Or perhaps multiple editions of books will become the norm, with a special edition for the "woke" crowd and the regular, uncut, author's preferred edition for the rest of us normies. David Zaritsky points out that the publishers seem to be chasing an audience that doesn't really exist. If a person won't read James Bond because they find him to be an offensive character, does changing his character really entice someone to pick up his books? And doing that is going to piss off the much, much larger audience that have enjoyed Ian Fleming's books as he originally intended them to be read, warts and all.

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

When a nation escapes from a downward spiral like America has just done, it is instructive to take a look at what could have been from history. Much of modern leftism traces its roots to the French Revolution, and the insanity and depravity of the left has been surprisingly consistent, going back over two hundred years; modernity only somewhat moderating their actions.

Paris in the Terror by Stanley Loomis traces the stories of three key figures in the French Revolution, and how it ultimately destroyed them: Jean-Paul Marat, Georges Danton, and the ringleader Robespierre. All of them were overjoyed to send thousands of their fellow citizens to the guillotine, and of the three, only Marat escaped that same fate, succumbing to an assassin's knife.

Loomis gives us an in depth look at the attitudes of the three, and how they belittled the lives of their countrymen. Danton once told Robespierre that the Terror was doomed as it was repugnant to the French, yet none of them foresaw that the Terror would make victims of them as well.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at January 26, 2025 09:16 AM (St5Dt)

Comment: I think it may be a bit too early to say America has fully escaped from the downward spiral. There's no question that we have been granted a reprieve and an opportunity to reverse course. We've already seen just what President Trump is capable of doing in a mere two weeks of his administration. It's glorious to behold. But let's not get too complacent. The Left never rests, after all. They are reeling right now, but I suspect by the end of the year they may rally back, especially if they can manufacture enough scandals around Trump's Cabinet to call for more impeachments. The GOPe is still out there as well, and they hate Trump as much as, if not more than, the Democrats do.

Currently rereading books 1 through 14 of The Phoenix Initiative, which is a Four Horsemen Universe series by Chris Kennedy and a ton of other indie authors. If you like space marine, and solid world building check out any of the Four Horsemen Universe stand alone or series books. Some of the series alternate between full length novels and 25 to 30 short stories to build the universe and flesh out characters in the universe.

All authors are indie so you aren't giving the publishing industry a dime too.

Posted by: BifBewalski at January 26, 2025 10:44 AM (MsrgL)

Comment: Shared universes can be a lot of fun, especially when the authors appear to be having fun telling stories in those universes. This is how the entire Cthulhu Mythos started--Lovecraft and his friends just wrote stories that all shared common ideas and passed them around. After a few decades, the Cthulhu Mythos became its own thing.

Finished rereading The Imperial Rebellion by our own A.H. Lloyd. This completed a sorta Wars like universe saga (Man of Destiny series), but with better characters and more plausible narrative.

I liked it, and the ending of the series was quite satisfying. "He shot him in the face!" is a good answer to difficult problems posed by this series.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at January 26, 2025 09:25 AM (u82oZ)

Comment: Han Solo approves this message.

More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (1000+ Moron-recommended books!)

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:

After reviewing some of OregonMuse's old Book Threads, I thought I'd try something a bit different. Instead of just listing WHAT I'm reading, I'll include commentary as well. Unless otherwise specified, you can interpret this as an implied recommendation, though as always your mileage may vary.

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Vector Prime by R. A. Salvatore

At the beginning of the year, I said I don't have any New Year's Resolutions, but I do have some reading goals. One of them is to read all 19 books in Star Wars: New Jedi Order, an epic space opera series written by a dozen different authors. I have read the first book before (Vector Prime), and I've read one of the key books in the middle (Star by Star), and I've read the finale (The Unifying Force), but I have not read everything in the middle.

To my mind, I see this series as a direct homage to E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. The scale is suitably epic, as two titanic galactic powers square off against one another for domination of the Star Wars galaxy. The extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong are a race of religious zealots who worship pain and suffering as their highest ideals. They are truly vile villains with no redeemable qualities whatsoever. Anyone who falls into their clutches is subjected to excruciating agony through torture, a "gift" from the Yuuzhan Vong who sincerely believe they are doing their victims a favor. Survive and you might be elevated among their ranks to join their crusade.

In the first book, we see them infiltrate the Star Wars galaxy through subterfuge and intrigue, leading to the death of two planets thanks to their bizarre organic technology that allows the Yuuzhan Vong to harness the power of gravity as a terrifying weapon, along with massive telepathic "war coordinators" that give them the power of highly-coordinated tactical and strategic attacks. On top of all that, they are "invisible" within the Force, unable to be directly affected by Force-users or to be sensed within the Force. They are so evil that the Force, which accepts the Sith, has *rejected* the Yuuzhan Vong (and kicked them out of their home galaxy).

Of all the threats faces by the Star Wars universe over the past several decades, I really can't think of an enemy more vicious and evil. It's the greatest threat the galaxy has ever faced. There are even hints in the backstory that Emperor Palpatine was preparing the galaxy for war against the Yuuzhan Vong as he somehow anticipated their arrival.

Vector Prime shows just how high the stakes are in this struggle, as one of the main characters dies an epic heroic death. George Lucas himself approved this storyline.

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Dark Tide I - Onslaught by Michael A. Stackpole

Although the incursion of the Yuuzhan Vong has been stopped at Helska and Sernpidal, that does not mean the threat has gone away. Indeed, Luke and Leia suspect something much more sinister is going on in the Outer Rim territories of the galaxy. Leia seeks to alert the central government of the New Republic, for all the good that will do, while Luke and his niece and nephews investigate the Outer Rim for more signs of the Yuuzhan Vong. What they find out there will lead them down dark paths in the not-so-distant future as they confront true evil. Even the Force might not save them this time.

One of the central conflicts in these stories is not just about the battle between the citizens of the galaxy and the Yuuzhan Vong, but also the struggles each character faces within themselves. Anakin Solo seeks to prove himself worthy of being a Jedi Knight. Jaina Solo wants to be accepted on her own terms and not be overshadowed by her mother Leia's accomplishments. Jacen Solo wants to understand the true meaning of the Force as it relates to the Jedi. We see a number of philosophical discussions about the Force between characters, as they try to understand its intentions, both externally with respect to the Yuuzhan Vong, and internally with respect to themselves.

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Dark Tide II - Ruin by Michael A. Stackpole

The Yuuzhan Vong continue their inexorable advance through the galaxy, conquering a number of small, relatively unpopulated worlds. The New Republic government continues to brush this off as a minor incursion, refusing to acknowledge the very real threat the Vong pose to the entire galaxy. Desperate for allies, Leia seeks out the Imperial Remnant for assistance. Though they have their own internal problems, they are at least willing to provide military assets in service of the New Republic. Meanwhile, Luke and the rest of the Jedi seek a way to delay the Vong any way they can so that refugees from the conquered worlds may travel deeper towards the Core. They've also discovered a possible weakness in the Vong, though exploiting that weakness does mean compromising one of their key principles.

I've really been enjoying this series more than I thought I would. The authors tackle serious issues and the characters find themselves morally and ethically conflicted, as they struggle internally on some of these issues. For instance, the Ithorians value life above all else, even going so far as to create living, floating cities, so that they no longer have to walk on the ground of their homeworld. However, the key to defeating the Vong may be hidden in their biosphere. Can they overcome their reluctance to destroy life by exploiting the only advantage against the Vong that has been found so far? Do the Jedi have an obligation to become leaders and warriors among the New Republic, leading *offensive* strikes against the Vong, thus tempting them towards the Dark Side of the Force?

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Agents of Chaos I - Hero's Trial by James Luceno

The previous two novels mostly avoided Han Solo as a character, as he left the story to deal with his grief over losing his best friend Chewbacca. Now we return to Han Solo's story to see how well he's been dealing with his grief. Not well at all. He's estranged from both his youngest son, whom he partly blames for Chewbacca's death, and his wife Leia, who cannot seem to help him through his grief and who is busy with saving the galaxy from the Yuuzhan Vong. He leaves on a quest of his own to track down a former smuggling friend who seems to have thrown his lot in with the Vong as a collaborator. Meanwhile, the New Republic has managed to capture a deserter from the Yuuzhan Vong, but she is not at all what she seems...and the New Republic is well aware of that fact.

This story bugs me a bit because the New Republic makes some very stupid moves here. They are very well aware of the bioengineering skills of the Yuuzhan Vong, having witnessed what they did to the planet Ithor in a matter of hours. But they let a "deserter" roam among them without being in a biohazard containment unit at all times. She passed the scans for hazardous material, but scanners can only detect what they KNOW to detect. The New Republic is overly reliant on technology sometimes. Any Vong in their custody should NEVER be allowed outside a biocontainment unit. And they certainly should not be transported to the most heavily populated system in the galaxy. Idiots.

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Agents of Chaos II - Jedi Eclipse by James Luceno

It's a dark time for the New Republic. The Yuuzhan Vong continue their advance, conquering many more worlds in the galaxy closer to the Core. Now they've allied themselves with the gangster Hutts, who are simply looking out for themselves and hope to be eaten last by the vile Yuuzhan Vong.

As there are 19 books in this series and this is only book 5, I expect things are going to get much, much worse for the New Republic before they get better. I believe book 10, Star by Star does mark a turning point, but I forget the details. In the meantime, I expect to read about many more defeats of New Republic forces before then, culminating with the conquest of the heart of the New Republic, Coruscant itself.

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 1-26-2025 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

Tips, suggestions, recommendations, etc., can all be directed to perfessor -dot- squirrel -at- gmail -dot- com.

Disclaimer: No Morons were physically harmed in the making of this Sunday Morning Book Thread. Feelings of déjà vu are normal for this time of year.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

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