next »

[Please Support Us!]

Please Support Us!

Please help keep (=WDG=) alive

• Server rules
• Forum rules
• Join us
  
• Clan members
• About the clan
• Server stats
• WDG YouTube Channel
• WDG Downloads
• IRC Webchat

Steam groups:

• WDG community
• WDG clan group
• WDG Battlelog Platoon

Our allies:

• [NuB] TF2 clan
• Velocity Gamers Hub
• Destination Gamer

GoG Links:

• Wix Discord
• Wix IRC channel

TF2 Links:

• Official TF2 Blog
• TF2 Steam Forum
• The Fort 2

October 2025

Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31
	Birthdays
Uzz919 (29), FlowingEye (36), Karthus (35)
	Upcoming Events
Upcoming Birthdays: Uzz919 (29), FlowingEye (36), Karthus (35)

[Teatime]

Reading the synopsis and going of a comment from a friend, won't bother with the other prequels/sequels. I won't say why for fear of spoiling anything. Well worth a read, the main 3 though (Foundation, Empire & Foundation, Second Foundation).

Disagree.
For those you have to keep in mind that Asimov took a number of different works and weaved them into a single "mythology". That weaving took part in the 80s, creating connections to books written 30 years before. And for the most part I thought it was done very well (especially the sequels to the 'Elijah Baley' books).
In that regard I would certainly recommand the early 'robots' books ("Caves of Steel", "Naked Sun"). Basically SF detective stories, but very fascinating.

[polyglot.mieke]

I ordered House of Leaves!.. the post got me so interested I just had to get it... yay Amazon!
During my time in England I think I'll be doing a lot of ordering :p

[Finaldeath]

For those you have to keep in mind that Asimov took a number of different works and weaved them into a single "mythology".

This is partially why I don't want to read them, since you mention it, especially since the story never really is concluded properly, that and it already was tipping further into weirdness from the second book onwards, just from the nature of what was going on Slamming in a ton of other mythologies just messes up what was a perfectly good premise.

I might revisit them later, but got other more hard science fiction things to read first (I know, I know, Akira isn't, but damn it is enjoyable to read).

[Brahms]

I've been reading The Invisibles. It's not very great.

[Junta]

I ordered House of Leaves!.. the post got me so interested I just had to get it... yay Amazon!
During my time in England I think I'll be doing a lot of ordering :p

I was also tempted by the book... write a review here please?

[Teatime]

I used to read a lot, but as time progresses I'm slowing down terribly ...  

What's easier to keep up with is comics. And currently I'm reading a really good one.
It's "Crossed", by Garth Ennis, illustrated by Jacen Burrows.
Basically a Zombie-with-a-twist meets survival-horror story. The plot itself is simple: A mysterious plague turns people into beings of utmost evil; killing, torturing, raping and eating anybody else. And their blood, sperm and saliva spread the disease. In this world the story follows a bunch of survivors trying to stay alive.
It's nasty, very graphic and Ennis pulls no punches. None at all. But what elevates it above standard comic entertainment is the focus on the survivors and how they struggle to keep their humanity in an insane and inhuman apocalyptic world.

[Hzza]

I was also tempted by the book... write a review here please?

I will when I finish it, it's a bit too....mental!

The basic premis is that some dude dies and the narator of the book finds his memoirs and starts assembling them into a book. The memoirs are an in depth analysis of a "independant" movie about a wierd house (best I can describe it without spoil0rz) and the effect this house then has on the family living there. Simultaniously, through copious footnotes, we learn about the narators life, how putting together the memoirs is consuming him and affecting his life.

The thing that I love most about it is the way the text layout changes to reflect whats happening in the story: for example, at one point, someone is crawling through a space that is progressivly getting smaller and smaller, so the "text box" (can't think of a better way to describe it)gets progressivly smaller, page by page until it is 2 words per line and 2 lines per page. Other examples are when someone is disorientated, the text appears upside down, or running vertically up/down the page. The whole book isn't like it, just certain sections, but it really adds to those sections, making you feel the panic of the protagonist.

Also, as has been mentioned, there are footnotes; lots and lots of footnotes. Some footnotes have footnotes, and then THESE footnotes have footnotes. It's quite hard going to keep track of whats going on throughout all these ratholes, but it is used as a literary device to emphasise the confusion the charactors feel. Also, there's a lot of 3-4 page sentences, stream of consiousness stuff, which I really really struggled with but definatly add to the feeling of chaos and confusion.

That probably makes no sense whatsoever, but srsly, for a unique read its well worth a look.

Amzon review below, echoes my thoughts, although it is slightly spoiler-y and I think it might've ruined the ending for me...You've been warned.

Style; unquestionably - Danielewski's postmodern blockbuster (complete with detailed footnotes to completely fictitious academic papers, crazily long lists in mirror writing, and "experimental" typesetting which at certain points becomes out-and-out concrete poetry) is as cool as they come. But for me, this unique book also has substance aplenty: indeed, it is an unexpectedly moving meditation on love as an act of faith and on the possibility of redemption, using the intertwined narratives concerning the troubled relationships of Will and Karen Navidson, and of Johnny Truant with his dead mother, to draw unexpected parallels.

The whole structure of the novel seems designed to highlight the impossibility of any account of events ever representing "objective truth" (another of Danielewski's central themes), as we get three separate people commenting on the same events from very different perspectives. At the start of the book, Johnny Truant (a troubled drop-out with a murky past who is now working as a tattoo artist) comes across a pile of paper (one of the senses of "Leaves" in the title) while clearing the apartment of the reclusive and recently-deceased old man Zapato. These "leaves" contain Zapato's scrawled narrative, written in pseudo-academic docu-drama style complete with footnotes, of the Navidson family's experience of moving into a Haunted House. In addition to Zapato's own footnotes, Johnny Truant adds footnotes which both comment on the Navidson narrative and relate his own ongoing story. To add another layer of complexity, a supposedly objective editor (Danielewski himself?) adds his own footnotes to Johnny's footnotes! Although both Will Navidson's and Johnny Truant's tales are chilling, the whole business of the footnotes and associated postmodern trickery has obvious comic potential, and Danielewski takes full advantage of this to poke fun at various targets: at celebrity culture; at the very American genre of the docu-drama; at previous "Horror" classics of book and film; and at postmodernism itself.

It's impossible to do the book justice in a few paragraphs. However, just when both Will Navidson's and Johnny's tales appear to be becoming ever darker and heading for a horrific end (as Navidson's house spontaneously grows an ever-enlarging labyrinth of barren, ash-walled corridors which gradually "eats" various family and friends, and Johnny's deteriorating mental state seems to be leading him into a drink- and drug-fuelled spiral of violence in which he risks becoming the very Minotaur haunting the Navidson house), Danielewski pulls off the most unexpected trick of all - the possibility of a "happy ending". And it is here that the book's true greatness lies.

Danielewski ultimately gives the reader a choice between two different readings of the words "ashes" and "leaves", both of which are as omnipresent throughout the book as the word "house" (which always appears in blue writing). The initially obvious meaning is that "leaves" refers to Zampano's description of the Navidson house's labyrinth (symbolising Death) and "ashes" refers both to the charred sheets among Zampano's papers and to the cold, dark walls of the labyrinth (images of Destruction). However, towards the end of the book when both Will Navidson and Johnny Truant may have been redeemed by acts of love (depending on exactly how the reader chooses to interpret certain passages), Danielewski offers an alternative reading, with "Ash" referring to the ash tree, which was the Tree of Life in Norse mythology, and "leaves" referring to the leaves of the tree which symbolise Life and Creation. The Happy Ending therefore becomes an act of faith on the part of the reader. To say more would be to risk a "plot spoiler" - but this changes the novel from being just a witty and entertaining postmodern horror story, into being something much richer and stranger.

[mode_seven]

Just picked it up in Waterstones yesterday, looking forward to starting it.

[Nineblade]

I was also tempted by the book... write a review here please?

I will when I finish it, it's a bit too....mental!

The basic premis is that some dude dies and the narator of the book finds his memoirs and starts assembling them into a book. The memoirs are an in depth analysis of a "independant" movie about a wierd house (best I can describe it without spoil0rz) and the effect this house then has on the family living there. Simultaniously, through copious footnotes, we learn about the narators life, how putting together the memoirs is consuming him and affecting his life.

The thing that I love most about it is the way the text layout changes to reflect whats happening in the story: for example, at one point, someone is crawling through a space that is progressivly getting smaller and smaller, so the "text box" (can't think of a better way to describe it)gets progressivly smaller, page by page until it is 2 words per line and 2 lines per page. Other examples are when someone is disorientated, the text appears upside down, or running vertically up/down the page. The whole book isn't like it, just certain sections, but it really adds to those sections, making you feel the panic of the protagonist.

Also, as has been mentioned, there are footnotes; lots and lots of footnotes. Some footnotes have footnotes, and then THESE footnotes have footnotes. It's quite hard going to keep track of whats going on throughout all these ratholes, but it is used as a literary device to emphasise the confusion the charactors feel. Also, there's a lot of 3-4 page sentences, stream of consiousness stuff, which I really really struggled with but definatly add to the feeling of chaos and confusion.

That probably makes no sense whatsoever, but srsly, for a unique read its well worth a look.

Amzon review below, echoes my thoughts, although it is slightly spoiler-y and I think it might've ruined the ending for me...You've been warned.

Style; unquestionably - Danielewski's postmodern blockbuster (complete with detailed footnotes to completely fictitious academic papers, crazily long lists in mirror writing, and "experimental" typesetting which at certain points becomes out-and-out concrete poetry) is as cool as they come. But for me, this unique book also has substance aplenty: indeed, it is an unexpectedly moving meditation on love as an act of faith and on the possibility of redemption, using the intertwined narratives concerning the troubled relationships of Will and Karen Navidson, and of Johnny Truant with his dead mother, to draw unexpected parallels.

The whole structure of the novel seems designed to highlight the impossibility of any account of events ever representing "objective truth" (another of Danielewski's central themes), as we get three separate people commenting on the same events from very different perspectives. At the start of the book, Johnny Truant (a troubled drop-out with a murky past who is now working as a tattoo artist) comes across a pile of paper (one of the senses of "Leaves" in the title) while clearing the apartment of the reclusive and recently-deceased old man Zapato. These "leaves" contain Zapato's scrawled narrative, written in pseudo-academic docu-drama style complete with footnotes, of the Navidson family's experience of moving into a Haunted House. In addition to Zapato's own footnotes, Johnny Truant adds footnotes which both comment on the Navidson narrative and relate his own ongoing story. To add another layer of complexity, a supposedly objective editor (Danielewski himself?) adds his own footnotes to Johnny's footnotes! Although both Will Navidson's and Johnny Truant's tales are chilling, the whole business of the footnotes and associated postmodern trickery has obvious comic potential, and Danielewski takes full advantage of this to poke fun at various targets: at celebrity culture; at the very American genre of the docu-drama; at previous "Horror" classics of book and film; and at postmodernism itself.

It's impossible to do the book justice in a few paragraphs. However, just when both Will Navidson's and Johnny's tales appear to be becoming ever darker and heading for a horrific end (as Navidson's house spontaneously grows an ever-enlarging labyrinth of barren, ash-walled corridors which gradually "eats" various family and friends, and Johnny's deteriorating mental state seems to be leading him into a drink- and drug-fuelled spiral of violence in which he risks becoming the very Minotaur haunting the Navidson house), Danielewski pulls off the most unexpected trick of all - the possibility of a "happy ending". And it is here that the book's true greatness lies.

Danielewski ultimately gives the reader a choice between two different readings of the words "ashes" and "leaves", both of which are as omnipresent throughout the book as the word "house" (which always appears in blue writing). The initially obvious meaning is that "leaves" refers to Zampano's description of the Navidson house's labyrinth (symbolising Death) and "ashes" refers both to the charred sheets among Zampano's papers and to the cold, dark walls of the labyrinth (images of Destruction). However, towards the end of the book when both Will Navidson and Johnny Truant may have been redeemed by acts of love (depending on exactly how the reader chooses to interpret certain passages), Danielewski offers an alternative reading, with "Ash" referring to the ash tree, which was the Tree of Life in Norse mythology, and "leaves" referring to the leaves of the tree which symbolise Life and Creation. The Happy Ending therefore becomes an act of faith on the part of the reader. To say more would be to risk a "plot spoiler" - but this changes the novel from being just a witty and entertaining postmodern horror story, into being something much richer and stranger.

any pictures?

[Hzza]

When I get home I'll chuck some up.

From google

From early on in the book; possible spoilers

From not so early on; again, spoilers

and my favourites

[TheBeau]

RISE O MIGHTY THREAD

So I just finished A Tale of Two Cities.

No one told me Charles Dickens had such unbelievable writing tekkers, some passages are truly inspiring. Wouldn't know how to describe what happens without spoilers.

If you've not read any Dickens, DO IT, it's not an easy read though and I guess you might prefer more modern works but Dickens is good enough to make the effort!

In other news, The Road by Cormac McCarthy is also brilliant but difficult to follow, imagine a book based in the world of Fallout (OK that's a terrible comparison but the book is really great). Very unique narration and just an amazing feeling of immersion.

Anywho books are cool and so are we, so what are we reading?

[Lister]

Sci-fi~ as per usual :>

I'll have to give Dickens a go sooner or later though; my dads a big fan too.

[Officer Dibble]

About 3 chapters into the Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan. So far it's good, but a little early to tell how much I like it.

Question is, do I read Ender's Game or the Foundation series next?

[Lister]

BLACK MAGICIAN TRILOGY IS GOOOOOOOOOD

I read it during secondary school or college I think.

/Don't know about the rest.

[TheBeau]

Dickens uses some wonderful metaphors, so wonderful I in fact peed myself a little.

As for sci-fi... I am not 13 anymore sozzzz