Books That No One Should Read

[stella]

Meh. Jesus was a pretty cool guy -- became gnostic demiurge and doesn't afraid of crucifiction. Too bad most christians have no idea who he is.

I like Matthew 23 because it sounds like he's talking about Christians. 

[Iason Ouabache]

Meh. Jesus was a pretty cool guy -- became gnostic demiurge and doesn't afraid of crucifiction. Too bad most christians have no idea who he is.

I like Matthew 23 because it sounds like he's talking about Christians. 

The Evangelicals are the new Pharisees. 

"You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. "

[Sepia]

Everything from the pen of Warren Ellis that isn't transmetropolitan. If you've read transmetro, you've also read anything else he's written so there's no need but warren ellis is a terrible writer.

Aldous Huxley's Eyeless in Gaza because that is some boring shit.

Also thinking that don quixote is in the same category as the bible or other religious scripture.

aaaand the complete WHEEL OF TIME, which is drivel and the only thing that could have supported me rereading the filth once more was that if it would have had a decent conclusion but now?

[Cain]

I'd read it up until the sixth, but it becomes pretty obvious that Rand is not going to go insane and destroy the world anytime soon, which is all you are really after by that point in the series.

[Reginald Ret]

i made it up to seven i think, that series made it very clear that i have a problem, i am Regret and i'm a storyfinishing addict.

[Rococo Modem Basilisk]

Everything from the pen of Warren Ellis that isn't transmetropolitan. If you've read transmetro, you've also read anything else he's written so there's no need but warren ellis is a terrible writer.

I saw this post just after I put down volume 3 of transmetropolitan (finished) and reloaded my page.

[Cain]

i made it up to seven i think, that series made it very clear that i have a problem, i am Regret and i'm a storyfinishing addict.

I made it up to seven as well.  Real life intervened though, and I broke the habit, before finishing the other five, or however many there are (I have them all on my hard drive, somewhere).

[Kai]

i made it up to seven i think, that series made it very clear that i have a problem, i am Regret and i'm a storyfinishing addict.

I made it up to seven as well.  Real life intervened though, and I broke the habit, before finishing the other five, or however many there are (I have them all on my hard drive, somewhere).

I've read all of them, and the last one will be coming out soon.

Its hard to find good high fantasy. Theres always something flawed about the main character writing in these books. Salvatore's Drizzt, for example. His villains are so much deeper.

[Cain]

You would probably like Fire and Ice then.  It doesn't really have a main character per say, but given the series owes about as much to Machiavelli as it does Tolkein, it may be exceptional in many senses.  I agree about alot of High Fantasy being cliche ridden and having somewhat one-dimensional main characters.

I mean, the Wheel of Time series was certainly a classic, and stood above the rest, but its a bloody long slog to go when the conclusion (and if it fits in with the overall series) is still somewhat up in the air.  I hope his wife can finish it convincingly, but its not a given.  Which is worrying.

[Cainad (dec.)]

You would probably like Fire and Ice then.  It doesn't really have a main character per say, but given the series owes about as much to Machiavelli as it does Tolkein, it may be exceptional in many senses.  I agree about alot of High Fantasy being cliche ridden and having somewhat one-dimensional main characters.

I mean, the Wheel of Time series was certainly a classic, and stood above the rest, but its a bloody long slog to go when the conclusion (and if it fits in with the overall series) is still somewhat up in the air.  I hope his wife can finish it convincingly, but its not a given.  Which is worrying.

Most of this is true of The Prince of Nothing too.

[Quercus]

Tolstoy. It's long. I did kind of like war and peace though.

[Pariah]

The Chosen
Well I guess it wasn't horrible.
Just tremendously dull.

[Precious Moments Zalgo]

I concur with everyone who said not to read the Bible, excepting a few parts:
1) The Song of Solomon.
2) Some of the Psalms.
3) Some of the stuff Jesus said.
4) The Book of Job.

I don't know.  Job drags on and on there in the middle.  Maybe it's an interesting read if you just read the first couple of chapters and then skip to the part near the end where Elihu says "and Heeeeeeeeeeeeere's God!"

I think the Psalms all suck.  David just whines and moans about how everyone is out to get him.  Dear God, you are so great, my enemies do evil yet they prosper, I am awesome yet I suffer, please smite all my enemies, you are so great, don't forget me and how great I am, amen.  There, you just read every psalm. 

Granted, Nehemiah was much worse than David about the whole "Hey God!  Pay attention to me and see how great I am!", but at least his book was short.  And he kicked peoples asses and held them in a headlock while he plucked out their hair instead of just whining and playing a harp.

Even better (or at least funnier) than Song of Solomon, is John Wesley's commentary on Song of Solomon, where he strains the metaphorical capability of the English language past its limits in his futile attempt to make SoS into something other than a poetic Penthouse letter.

I think that verse-for-verse, Numbers, Joshua, and Judges are the most action-packed books in the Bible.  I'd like to see those made into a trilogy by the same folks that did 300.

For philosophy and wisdom, I think Ecclesiastes is the best book.

There's good advice in Proverbs, but there's even more bad advice.  I haven't actually counted, but it's probably close to 40% good to 60% bad.  If you're smart enough to figure out which is which, then you don't need the book, so Proverbs is worthless.  That also goes for moral advice in the whole Bible, but THAT ratio is probably more like 25:75 good to bad, and if you're capable of discerning which is which, then you don't need a book to teach you right from wrong.

Oh yeah, I also enjoyed the book of Esther.  I thought the whole Mordecai / Haman subplot was hilarious.

The rest of the Bible is crap. 

Unless, of course, you're looking for a good way to make money off of suckers.  But that's been done.

[Iason Ouabache]

   I like you PMZ.  Lurk less.

[Lilith Complex]

Well, if we're talking about parts of the Bible someone SHOULD read, I always liked the Book of Ruth. I mean, c'mon, that was one lesbian couple if I ever saw one. It was quite moving, actually.]

Oh, and hi.