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[–] l-emmerdeur 0 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago  (edited ago)

The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson

It is a magnum opus.

Edit: Why it's great: 1st of all, Stephenson's prose is grand. The dude is just an amazing wordsmith. 2ndly, the scope of the series is grand. It's about the English civil war (kinda), the glorious revolution (kinda), the founding of calculus (kinda) and the resulting feud between Newton and Liebniz, the founding of the royal society and the general shift towards a more skeptic society and system of the world in general, the abolition of the alchemic way of thought.

and C, motherfuckin half-cock Jack Shaftoe.

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[–] srgmpdns ago  (edited ago)

Stephenson reminds mo of a quote about Wagner:

Wagner has good moments, but dull hours.

Some scenes he's written have really stuck with me- the digressions about wootz and the manufacture of phosphorus for example- but I can't really say can recall the plots or any vivid characters of any of his novels.

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[–] kontroll 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Oh man, I'm looking forward to that one! I loved the shit out of Cryptonomicon, and while The Baroque Cycle is on my list it's kinda fallen behind a bunch of other books for no good reason.

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[–] examors ago 

I started reading this, and got about 1/3 of the way into the second book, but I ended up quitting. It wasn't that I thought it was bad -- far from it -- but it was just too dense and vast and complex for me at the time, to the extent that it just felt like a slog. There were many great moments though, and I plan to try to tackle it again to the end some time in the future when I feel like it.

Also: relevant username!

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[–] l-emmerdeur ago 

Even in places where the story ~maybe~ drags, which I found few of, I think Stephenson's knack for amazing prose helps keep interest. My god does he've a way with words.

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[–] Nemacolin 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago  (edited ago)

The Hornblowerseries as a young man. The American military-history novels by Jeff Saara as an older one.

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[–] Squirrels4Sale 0 points 8 points (+8|-0) ago 

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman is a pretty good series. It's young adult, but the story is pretty good and I think anyone can get something out of it.

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[–] BluCheez 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

The characters really pulled at my heart strings in this series... almost a little too much

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[–] Squirrels4Sale 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

That ending with the two of them on the bench, yet they couldn't see each other :'(

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[–] Podapati 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

YES! It is a fantastic trilogy. I still go back and re-read it once a year!

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[–] Squirrels4Sale 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

It's too bad the movie adaptation of the first book was such a disappointment. They censored the content way too much.

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[–] Literarywhore 0 points 7 points (+7|-0) ago 

I have two favorites. The first is the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. The second is A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones for the show watchers). I have read both series several times.

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[–] cstoli ago 

Love the username :)

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[–] Literarywhore ago 

HAHA thanks!

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[–] Relm 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

Long days and pleasant nights, sai.

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[–] Podapati 0 points 9 points (+9|-0) ago 

I know that I'm going to be downvoted (if anyone can even downvote, that is), but I'm really not a fan of GoT. I got so depressed after every character that I started to like... got killed off. I feel like the series is pornographic in its love of killing characters and crushing readers' hearts everywhere.

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[–] Squirrels4Sale 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

I see no need to downvote (I also can't). You backed up your opinion. I agree that the stories are pretty grim, but the people who love that series appreciate the departure from the typical white hats/black hats structure you see in many other fantasy novels. At least that's what I enjoy about them. I also have never been so upset over a wedding in my life.

Maybe you need to be a little masochistic to enjoy the books?

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[–] Literarywhore 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

But there are so many more to die!!!!!!

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[–] IFBH 0 points 10 points (+10|-0) ago 

I'll try to explain something to you and I hope it changes your mind about the books.

GRRM has created the least cliche, least trope-filled universe I've ever encountered. Each character makes choices, and those choices have repercussions. In real life, the ones you love will still die and many are taken before their time. We are all cogs in a much bigger story that has yet to be written, and everything we do affects the outcome. He has introduced us to a world where your favorite character can overstep his bounds and die for it. He has shown us how to learn to love characters we once hated after they have gone through much more than many people deserve.

I, for one, hated when Robb died. It wasn't until I realized that this would happen in real life that I truly understood what GRRM was trying to show us. Characters and stories should never be black and white, and though it is easier to see the lines between good and bad that way, the often muddled characterizations show a much more accurate depiction of what our lives are truly about and how we really can change.

Good things happen to bad people, bad things happen to good people, and he has encapsulated that perfectly in this story. There is no clear hero, and even those who seemed to be the villain have found redemption and bettered themselves for what they love.

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[–] natre 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

I agree, its a bit gloomy at times.