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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

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    • S
      Snowy
      Joined:

      I loved reading that. The syntax used throughout the book was legit, which had me gooey to begin with, to get to the end and have a full walk through of the encryption schema by Bruce himself. Whilst it lost me as I was trying to mentally track, it was really really cool!

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      • S
        Snowy
        Joined:

        Whilst I was shopping tonight it hit me that I'd not mentioned The Mars trilogy. Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. A really nice series that works through tera-forming of our closest planet and what it could look like and again, societal implications of a many-worlds society.

        Ender's Game is a fun read, which I also forgot, on the space tip.

        MCL, You'd appreciate the Ware Tetralogy by Rudy Rucker. One of the most mind blowing series/books I've read. Gibson did the intro (which is how I found it). May have recco'd the book in here before. I found out a few months ago I sometimes hung out with the guy's son whilst I was living in San Francisco, too smaller world sometimes :).

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        • mclaincauseyM
          mclaincausey
          見習いボス
          Joined:

          Been meaning to read Rucker. I think he's a computer scientist iirc

          I read a book that was a little pulpy in the genre and kind of ripping off Gibson's style: Running Black, P Todoroff.

          Another geek book, though more realistic and less cyberpunk, is Sysinternals' Mark Russinovich's Zero Day. Cyberterrorism. Nice read.

          Finally, Counting from Zero, by an Aussie writer, was another entertaining geek read.

          Think it, be it.

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          • S
            Snowy
            Joined:

            Rucker was/is, correct. His son run's the largest Wireless ISP in the bay area called Money Brains.

            Thanks for Zero Day, it's on the list 🙂

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            • xtcclassicX
              xtcclassic
              啓蒙家
              Joined:

              I just finished reading the Mistborn trilogy from Brandon Sanderson, which I enjoyed. I've also recently read some others mentioned in this thread like the two Patrick Rothfuss books (DYING for the third book to come out, although if it takes much longer I'm going to have to re-read the first two), Anathem by Neal Stevenson, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. All good books. I just started Imajica again, it's been years since I read that one. I'm a big fan of King's Dark Tower series as well. I guess I'm a big nerd-fiction fan (I hadn't heard that term before), so if anyone has any more recommendations…

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              • S
                Snowy
                Joined:

                xtc, I know what you me RE Rothfuss, I feel like I'll have to read them both again anyhow. I'd not read The Ocean at the End by Gaiman, another one for the list.

                I'm currently reading Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, enjoying it.

                Charles Stross Accelerando is a really amazing look at what a future world would look like. Ties into themes nicely discussed in Diamond Age. I will like re-read Accelerando after this just to re-sync the ideas.

                Stross in general is a bit of a younger read (The Laundry Files esp), but Accelerando's idea make it a mind bender. His normal books mix tech, with math, higher/lower planes of existence, and 'spooks'.

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                • GilesG
                  Giles
                  IHUK Crew
                  Joined:

                  I'm reading Catastrophe by Max Hastings

                  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/historybookreviews/10382547/Catastrophe-by-Max-Hastings-review.html

                  An essential read if you want to see how a bunch of fecking tossers can ruin a few countries and millions of lives in acts of monumental stupidity, arrogance and hubris…....

                  "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                  • mclaincauseyM
                    mclaincausey
                    見習いボス
                    Joined:

                    I like how Stross called for death to Microsoft Word recently…

                    Think it, be it.

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                    • mclaincauseyM
                      mclaincausey
                      見習いボス
                      Joined:

                      Man, that review of Catastrophe is so well-written in such quintessential British style.

                      Think it, be it.

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                      • xtcclassicX
                        xtcclassic
                        啓蒙家
                        Joined:

                        Hahaha!!!!

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                        • D
                          dronemod
                          Joined:

                          Phew, haven't had any time to read novels or short stories. Too much reading for studies, maybe I should take a break and read something non-scientific.

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                          • xtcclassicX
                            xtcclassic
                            啓蒙家
                            Joined:

                            In the spirit of Halloween–- I highly recommend House of Leaves.

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                            • Morose_PenguinM
                              Morose_Penguin
                              Raw and Unwashed
                              Joined:

                              Sir Terry Pratchett's 40th Discworld book published today… Bought one from Waterstones as they usually have exclusive content. Different cover and a bookmark... oh well, at least I've got a copy. Looked in smiths on the off chance that they'd be cheaper... Yep £6.00 cheaper and with an additional short story... So now I have two, one of which will be a birthday or hogswatch present for a member of my family...

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                              • mclaincauseyM
                                mclaincausey
                                見習いボス
                                Joined:

                                Love Pratchett!

                                Think it, be it.

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                                • S
                                  Snowy
                                  Joined:

                                  ^Ditto!

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                                  • trail and arrowT
                                    trail and arrow
                                    Joined:

                                    @Snowy:

                                    ^Ditto!

                                    +1

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                                    • seawolfS
                                      seawolf
                                      Mod Squad
                                      Joined:

                                      I'm reading "S" By JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst. It's the most unique reading experience I've ever had. Take a look! http://www.fastcocreate.com/3021011/inside-jj-abrams-brain-bending-book-within-a-book

                                      “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                                      @zeebeeleather

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                                      • tmgT
                                        tmg
                                        Joined:

                                        ^ sounds intriguing!

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                                        • emceeQE
                                          emceeQ
                                          啓蒙家
                                          Joined:

                                          Seawolf, if you like that style definitely check out House of Leaves, as xtc recommended earlier.  It sounds like Dorst uses a somewhat similar style to what Danielewski did in HoL

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                                          • derivative666D
                                            derivative666
                                            Joined:

                                            Mark Danielewski is one of my favorite authors if you think HOL was an interesting read try Only Revolutions it was one of the most challenging  books I have ever read. I loved every second of it. He is also the brother of the music performer Poe

                                            "honorable mention to the bearded giant aka derivative666 for being a stand up dude & not changing with the seasons since i've been around these parts" Monday

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