Anyone here used fasttech.

[trouble1000]

Oh Lisa,

If you're looking for a great read, I'd recommend The Lord of the Rings, if you've not read it before. Both Terry and I are massive fans, if you hadn't already guessed from our Avatars.

 

[lisancentraltx]

I've read LOR a few times myself =] Always started with The Hobbit though.

 

[terry w]

You'd probably get sea-sick

I'd settle for a wet weekend in Blackpool at the moment, can't wait for my holiday in Portugal to come around.

i have heard some good things about portugal mate,

Not tried it yet but may give it a whirl next year. Is it the algarve you are going ?

 

[terry w]

Oh Lisa,

If you're looking for a great read, I'd recommend The Lord of the Rings, if you've not read it before. Both Terry and I are massive fans, if you hadn't already guessed from our Avatars.

Lol i am over due watching it again,

Not seen it for about 3 weeks now.

 

[trouble1000]

I've read LOR a few times myself =] Always started with The Hobbit though.

Yep me too. I must have read the Hobbit and LOTR at least 15 times. I try and read LOTR once a year.

Have you read any other of the Professor's works - The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales or anything else. I'd recommend the Children of Hurin, it's a very dark story compared to LOTR, but it's still one of my favourites.

 

[trouble1000]

i have heard some good things about portugal mate,

Not tried it yet but may give it a whirl next year. Is it the algarve you are going ?

Yep it is mate, just hoping the weather will be ok in October.

 

[lisancentraltx]

Yep me too. I must have read the Hobbit and LOTR at least 15 times. I try and read LOTR once a year.

Have you read any other of the Professor's works - The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales or anything else. I'd recommend the Children of Hurin, it's a very dark story compared to LOTR, but it's still one of my favourites.

Looks like I'm going to be doing a bit of reading soon =] I go in cycles, only reading for months, no shows or I watch movies for months, and no reading. The winter is the perfect time for reading these =] Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[terry w]

Yep it is mate, just hoping the weather will be ok in October.

yep mate pretty much all year round sunshine there mate,

I did try reading the silmarillion years ago, and just found it too deep. About the ghosts of the hobbits if i remember correctly.

 

[trouble1000]

Looks like I'm going to be doing a bit of reading soon =] I go in cycles, only reading for months, no shows or I watch movies for months, and no reading. The winter is the perfect time for reading these =] Thanks for the suggestions!

Another similarity. I'll read for a few weeks, then not bother for the rest of the year

The Silmarillion, basically starts off with the creation of Tolkien's world, going through all the earlier ages before LOTR. Some of it is a bit tough going in places. But when it gets into the wars between the Elves and the original Dark Lord - Morgoth, then it gets really interesting. It tells how Middle Earth was created, how the Elves, Dwarves and Men were first created. I'd say it's for hardened Tolkien fans more than a casual reader. But The Children of Hurin, is an expanded story that Christopher Tolkien rewrote. It is very dark, but it's an excellent read and there's a Dragon in it too.

I'd suggest the Children of Hurin first, if you enjoy that go onto the Silmarillion, then maybe Unfinished Tales. I wouldn't bother with "The legend of Sigurd" unless you like Tolkien's poetry.

 

[trouble1000]

yep mate pretty much all year round sunshine there mate,

I did try reading the silmarillion years ago, and just found it too deep. About the ghosts of the hobbits if i remember correctly.

The Sil is very deep, especially at first. But once you get further into it - after the creation section it does get better. The first time I tried reading it, I stopped after the first few pages. But when I picked it up again a couple of years later and got past the first section, it did get a lot better.

 

[terry w]

The Sil is very deep, especially at first. But once you get further into it - after the creation section it does get better. The first time I tried reading it, I stopped after the first few pages. But when I picked it up again a couple of years later and got past the first section, it did get a lot better.

I don`t read too much these days (saving my mince pies) for coil building LOl.

 

[trouble1000]

Just a tip if you want to try the Silmarillion.

Skip the first 2 sections (Ainulindalë and Valaquenta), these are the creation sections and a bit tough going. Go straight to section 3 (Quenta Silmarillion) about the wars the Elves fought over the Silmarils - fantastic jewels which were stolen from them by Morgoth.
Then go to section 4 (Akallabêth) which tells of Aragorn's line and the island they inhabited which was eventually destroyed. Section 5 gives a bit of background up to the time of LOTR.

That's what I'd recommend anyway.

 

[trouble1000]

Well it's bed time for me now. Night everyone.

 

[lisancentraltx]

Rest easy =]

 

[terry w]

Well it's bed time for me now. Night everyone.

good night mate,

chat soon.

 

[Codz]

I came here looking to learn a bit about fast tech, but looks more like a fantasy book thread

I read quite a bit of sci-fi / fantasy and (close your ears tolkein fans) think Jack Vance is pretty much the best writer of fantasy that i have come across. There are a good few LOTR clone type books worth a read.

If you are into your epics and havent already read it then 'The Wheel of Time' by Robert Jordan is very good, even though Jordan actually died in 2007 so the final 3 books are written by Brandon Sanderson who does it justice and some would say improves it (me included). If you do decide to give it a try, be warned... it's 14 books long and they are all around the 800 - 1000 page mark.

 

[terry w]

I came here looking to learn a bit about fast tech, but looks more like a fantasy book thread

I read quite a bit of sci-fi / fantasy and (close your ears tolkein fans) think Jack Vance is pretty much the best writer of fantasy that i have come across. There are a good few LOTR clone type books worth a read.

If you are into your epics and havent already read it then 'The Wheel of Time' by Robert Jordan is very good, even though Jordan actually died in 2007 so the final 3 books are written by Brandon Sanderson who does it justice and some would say improves it (me included). If you do decide to give it a try, be warned... it's 14 books long and they are all around the 800 - 1000 page mark.

Yeah its not all about fasttech on here mate,

We talk about anything and everything. Where are you in lancaster ? Oh and hello.

 

[trouble1000]

I came here looking to learn a bit about fast tech, but looks more like a fantasy book thread

I read quite a bit of sci-fi / fantasy and (close your ears tolkein fans) think Jack Vance is pretty much the best writer of fantasy that i have come across. There are a good few LOTR clone type books worth a read.

If you are into your epics and havent already read it then 'The Wheel of Time' by Robert Jordan is very good, even though Jordan actually died in 2007 so the final 3 books are written by Brandon Sanderson who does it justice and some would say improves it (me included). If you do decide to give it a try, be warned... it's 14 books long and they are all around the 800 - 1000 page mark.

Hello Codz.

Can you give us a bit of background about the stories - not the whole plot, just a little teaser would be good

I'm always looking for something new to read. Epics are something I enjoy too. As well as all the other Tolkien books mentioned, I've also got all of the volumes of The History of Middle Earth - that is an epic read

I also enjoy anything by Clive Barker and John Grisham. Also for a bit of variety, the fantasy books by Andy McNab and Chris Ryan (in fact anything that's remotely SAS or Special Services based). So my tastes are pretty varied.

 

[e-pipeman]

Oh god I'm old. Jrr is great, yeah - but for the real skinny hit Beowulf. Then (later) decent middle English lyrics. Then Chaucer (funnier than Wodehouse). And for what they used to call creative fiction - John Wyndham. Or "Turtle Diary" by Russell Hoban. Oh - sorry to hear about the demise of Famous Seamus - but top poet of the 20th C has to be Philip Arthur Larkin. By a clear mile.

 

[Codz]

Yeah its not all about fasttech on here mate,

We talk about anything and everything. Where are you in lancaster ? Oh and hello.

Hello and I'm from Heysham, just outside Morecambe/Lancaster - born in Manchester (well, Failsworth)

Hello Codz.

Can you give us a bit of background about the stories - not the whole plot, just a little teaser would be good

I'm always looking for something new to read. Epics are something I enjoy too. As well as all the other Tolkien books mentioned, I've also got all of the volumes of The History of Middle Earth - that is an epic read

I also enjoy anything by Clive Barker and John Grisham. Also for a bit of variety, the fantasy books by Andy McNab and Chris Ryan (in fact anything that's remotely SAS or Special Services based). So my tastes are pretty varied.

A brief synopsis of the wheel of time would be; Group of friends in their teens live in a quiet little village on their world (similar to middle earth type world). One day a woman (with magical powers) comes to the village and takes the friends on what becomes a good versus bad epic adventure. There are lots of similarities between The wheel of Time and LOTR - its pretty much nailed on that if you enjoyed LOTR you will enjoy these books too.

I've always read quite a lot - i used to read horror mainly, although 80% of it was Stephen King with a bit of James Herbert, Peter Straub, and Clive Barker thrown in. It's almost all fantasy / horror these days but i do read at least one of the short-listed booker prize novels each year (Narcopolis this year). Currently loving Haruki Murakami's books - many of which are bound to be future 'classics'