What are you currently reading?

[imported_Raf Blutaxt]

Well, as the title says... What are you currently reading and has it any relation to gaming, as inspiration or in any other capacity?
I'm interested and always looking for new stuff to read, so I hope to pick a few things up through this thread.

And to start it of:
I'm reading Kraken by China Miéville. It's absolutely weird and damn cool. It gives me some ideas for urban fantasy, mostly Fireborn, because it's set in London.

So what about you?

[imported_Rasyr]

Currently, I am rereading my Destroyer collection (Remo Williams & Chuin). No relation to gaming...

[markc]

I have not been reading much lately but here is what I have my nose in. Mostly because I am going through boxs of books to see what I want to sell and what I want to keep.

Gor Book 1   John Norman 
The Ninja   Eric Van Lustbadder
Unbeholden   Robert Weinberg (WoD book OK but not great)
HP Lovecraft : Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre
The Martial Tales Edgar Rice Burroughs Book 2
  And I am waiting for the second book of The Name of the Wind Series by P. Rothfuss. IMHO a great book and one series I look forward to for the future.

 Most any of them can be game material but then I find game material in almost any thing.

MDC

[ojacid]

I just started re-reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson.

[Right Wing Wacko]

Military history exclusively.
I play a large number of hex and counter wargames... I actually spend more time playing wargames than I do RPG's!

[imported_Raf Blutaxt]

Gardens of the Moon? That's one I have wanted to pick up for quite some time. Never got around to it...

[ojacid]

Gardens of the Moon? That's one I have wanted to pick up for quite some time. Never got around to it...

His world is amazingly detailed and layered with tons of politics, history and supernatural goings-on. His stories of wars and how the campaigns progress at the strategic, tactical and personal levels are exceptionally well done, in my opinion. His story board must cover a soccer pitch!

I read the first four books of his Malazan series a few years ago (I think #10 is coming out soon). They were great. I'm not easily deeply affected by reading books, but the conclusion of the third book was so intense that I literally felt damaged. I limped through book four (also really good) and just had to stop. I think I've recovered enough to take another run at it and keep the momentum going into the rest of the series. I have a well-read friend who has read them all and considers it the best fantasy series he's ever read.

I would add that Erikson's writing style is pretty unique and isn't necessarily for everyone. He uses words, terms and references that make no sense when you first see them, then slowly introduces what those things mean as you progress. I actually have come to really like it, but you have to get used to not knowing what's going on.

[Jegergryte]

I'm reading "Black Swan" by Nassim Taleb, not very gaming related, but could be considered inspiration nonetheless.

In addition I'm reading "The Final Empire" by somethingsometing Sanderson (I think)... mediocre fantasy, so in that respect gaming related. Got some nifty take on magic or the supernatural-natural powers of certain individuals. Interesting, but looks to be a boring rehash...

Also I'm starting the book "On being normal and other disorders", a delve into psychoanalysis, psychiatric systems of diagnosis and such goodies.

[imported_Raf Blutaxt]

I find it always hard to find really good fantasy books. There's lots of mediocre stuff out there, and sometimes I like to read something really cheesy, like Dragonlance or Icewind Dale, but in the really unique, great fantasy area, there's not much I'm aware of.

George R. R. Martin, Steven Erikson, perhaps Robin Hobb, Richard K. Morgan (if you ignore the pornographic parts) that's about it.

[imported_Rasyr]

There is a series of books out by Devon Monk that I found to be very good. Magic in the Blood, Magic in the Bones, etc... The Allie Beckstrom series. Modern fantasy series....

I love the way that it handles magic.

[imported_Raf Blutaxt]

I don't know that one, will take a look at it though.
I have found that when you leave the territory of classical fantasy, things often get more interesting, it's like only a few authors manage to get out of the shadow of Tolkien, when it comes to fantasy of the Elf, Dwarf and Orc variety.

I really enjoyed China Miéville's Perdido Street Station too, very unique take on everything, including magic, magitech and so forth. I'm still looking forward to the rpg for that, although Adamant are pushing it ever further. As a bonus, the author is a gamer and has even written a few articles for Dragon when it was still around. If you can stomach a bit of steampunk and lots of weirdness in your fantasy, it's a definite must, imo.

[Arioch]

I don't know that one, will take a look at it though.
I have found that when you leave the territory of classical fantasy, things often get more interesting, it's like only a few authors manage to get out of the shadow of Tolkien, when it comes to fantasy of the Elf, Dwarf and Orc variety.

Then I suggest you American Gods or Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I also enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mister Norrell, by Susanna Clarke: set in an alternative 19 century England, with magic being re-discovered by the two protagonists. It's a bit strange, but with a lot of interesting ideas on magic, magicians and faeries.

[samwise7]

I've been reading The Sumerians, which is of course a non-fiction book about (you guessed it) Sumerian culture/religion/etc.  It is pretty impressive, actually.  While reading history books isn't really my thing, this has been very enjoyable so far.  The idea of using a city-state idea, with a major god for each city (where the god is thought to actually dwell) and those gods forming a pantheon sounded very interesting.

I also thought the idea of having cylinder stones with reverse letters (cuneiform - the first written letters) so that they could roll the stone over wet clay was awesome.  Almost like the first printing press.  I kind of fell in love with the Sumerian language after I started using it to name everything in my Burning Heaven setting, and I wanted to find a book about them. 

[imported_Raf Blutaxt]

Sumerians always make me think of Snow Crash Still, it's an interesting culture to inspire gaming material.

[markc]

If any of you have not checked out the Name of the Wind that I listed above I would as it is very different in its make up and how it was written (ie author and his super readers "prominent authors themselves" ).

MDC