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Travis Kroells

The Official Multimedia Thread

27 posts in this topic

Read a book, seen a movie, listened to a album that provoked more then "Meh" in your soul? Discuss it here.

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Hmm... I recently read Q-squared and I thought it was rather intriguing. It would have made for an excellent TNG episode.

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Star Trek Excelsior: Forged in Fire. Go read. Now.

 

Set in the movie era (Sulu), so I was all over it with regard to the Original Series link; however, I enjoyed it far more then I thought I would. Go read. Now.

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Star Trek Excelsior: Forged in Fire. Go read. Now.

 

Set in the movie era (Sulu), so I was all over it with regard to the Original Series link; however, I enjoyed it far more then I thought I would. Go read. Now.

 

I would if I could but I cant so I won't.

Next week Ill pick it up :D

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As big of a Sci-Fi geek as I am, I don't usually read the Extended Universe Star Trek/Wars books (Mainly because there's like a hundred million for both series). However, I do recomend all the TNG Q books I've ever read. These include the three book series "The Q Continum" Which include Q-Strike, Q-Zone and one other I cant remember the name to.

 

Also, I, Q a book cowriten by John De Lance and some other guy that doesn't matter is very good as well. Its a short piece, you can probably finish it in a sitting or two but good none the less. I also have one other hard covered Q related book that is set during TNG's aired run, but I cant remember the name of the plot, as I haven't gotten around to reading it.

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I have to agree with Travis that "Q Squared" was a fun read. I also highly recoment "My Enemy, My Ally" for my favorite from the TOS era.

 

On a personal note, with a name like Riley, I enjoyed the series ("A Flag full of Stars" "Traitor Winds" "Recovery") that bridged TOS and the First movie.

 

Finally I highly recommend Star Trek: Debt of Honor, a graphic novel by a very good artist named Adam Hughes.

 

~Brian

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OMG! Riley was my favorite guest start on TOS!!!!

 

I have to agree with Travis that "Q Squared" was a fun read. I also highly recoment "My Enemy, My Ally" for my favorite from the TOS era.

 

On a personal note, with a name like Riley, I enjoyed the series ("A Flag full of Stars" "Traitor Winds" "Recovery") that bridged TOS and the First movie.

 

Finally I highly recommend Star Trek: Debt of Honor, a graphic novel by a very good artist named Adam Hughes.

 

~Brian

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OMG! Riley was my favorite guest start on TOS!!!!

 

From when I started my Riley clan (Mark, Matt -Brothers, Brian-Matt's son, Mathew-Mark's son) way back in '95, Matt and Mark were the great grand children of Kevin Riley from TOS. Tho if that still stands here depends on the acceptance by the Command structure.

 

~Brian

Edited by Brian T. Riley

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Go see Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.

 

But make sure your not sober. Otherwise it wont make sense.

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Awe! That is awesome! I loved Riley so much! He was hilarious everytime they showed him.

 

From when I started my Riley clan (Mark, Matt -Brothers, Brian-Matt's son, Mathew-Mark's son) way back in '95, Matt and Mark were the great grand children of Kevin Riley from TOS. Tho if that still stands here depends on the acceptance by the Command structure.

 

~Brian

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If any of you guys are into sports, ESPN has a great book called 23 Ways to get to First Base: the ESPN Uncyclopedia. It's basically all the random things you ever wanted to know about sports.

 

It's got a list of every single person who has ever appeared on a Wheaties Box

And yes, there ARE, 23 ways to get to first base. Although, I think a few are disputable.

 

It's a good read.

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Just finished reading Harry Turtledove's Britannia Ruled, a fascinating alt-history about the Spanish Armada, Good Queen Bess, and William Shakespeare. I give it two severed thumbs up.

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Just finished reading Harry Turtledove's Britannia Ruled, a fascinating alt-history about the Spanish Armada, Good Queen Bess, and William Shakespeare. I give it two severed thumbs up.

No doubt about it - Turtledove's best. Since it's a standalone, I highly recommend it if you're interested in the alternate history genre. Nobody does it better.

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No doubt about it - Turtledove's best. Since it's a standalone, I highly recommend it if you're interested in the alternate history genre. Nobody does it better.

 

I'm also looking forward to reading Days of Infamy, WWII Alt-history by him

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For any of you Halo fans out there ::points at JoN's:: I'd sugest going out and buying the four Halo books in the series. Fall of Reach (the prequel to the first Halo), The Flood (The novelization of the game), First Strike (The events between Halo 1 and 2), and Ghosts of Onyx (Side events between Halo 2, leading up to Halo 3).

 

They're pretty well writen military novels, at least from my view point. For any fan of Halo in general, they provide backstories for characters, what happened to the other Spartans, and even how Johnson survived his little run in with the Flood. If your a cheap person, like myself you can pick up the first three books for little cost, I believe all three cost me under 25$ and that was three years ago.

 

Anyways, go buy them, read them, and replay all the Halo games. (as they caused me to do)

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Here is an oldy but still a goody for your reading enjoyment.

 

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Donaldson.

 

I have owned the series for years and still find myself reading them again from time to time.

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For any of you Halo fans out there ::points at JoN's:: I'd sugest going out and buying the four Halo books in the series. Fall of Reach (the prequel to the first Halo), The Flood (The novelization of the game), First Strike (The events between Halo 1 and 2), and Ghosts of Onyx (Side events between Halo 2, leading up to Halo 3).

 

They're pretty well writen military novels, at least from my view point. For any fan of Halo in general, they provide backstories for characters, what happened to the other Spartans, and even how Johnson survived his little run in with the Flood. If your a cheap person, like myself you can pick up the first three books for little cost, I believe all three cost me under 25$ and that was three years ago.

 

Anyways, go buy them, read them, and replay all the Halo games. (as they caused me to do)

 

::is totally pointed at:: Oh, Hiya!

 

Actually, while I totally agree with Travis on the well written military adventure and hoo rah! marine stuff that the Halo novels have, I was bored stiff with 'em (I read Reach, Flood and First Strike). I had no desire to even check out Ghosts of Onyx, or the latest prequel novel showcasing the Johnson character. Good military, boring in general. And the games? Sure, while the Halo games are good solid sci fi action, I can take 'em or leave 'em. Multiplayer for Halo 2 and 3 is good if you are into the on line play. The single player campaign for Halo 2 and 3? A root canal is more fun.

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I actually enjoyed the H3 campaign, although that may have just been for the shiney graphics. That, and Jayne, Wash, and Starbuck are a couple of the random voices of the Marines. Try to listen for Wash and Jayne in The Ark, and The Covenant levels, where its easiest to find them.

 

Some of their random responses to the Chief's actions are a little tribute to Firefly, including a few shiney references.

 

As for my new book....could some one tell me when the Silmarillion gets interesting, cause I'm about to put it down for good.

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As for my new book....could some one tell me when the Silmarillion gets interesting, cause I'm about to put it down for good.

 

Oh dear, trying to muddle through Tolkien? I tried with LoTR, but never made it past Fellowship. It's when I realized early medieval literature (or the style there of) didn't do it for me. I even tried my way through L'Morte d'Artur before setting it down. Now Dante's Inferno or Sun Tzu's Art of War (depending on translation and commentaries) are fun reads.

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As for my new book....could some one tell me when the Silmarillion gets interesting, cause I'm about to put it down for good.

 

It won't. That's one Tolkien I never got through.

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As for my new book....could some one tell me when the Silmarillion gets interesting, cause I'm about to put it down for good.

 

The Silmarillion is the British epic that never was, Tolkien's answer to the Arthurian Legends (which never were British). It gets interesting towards the end when the background and characters of Lord of the Rings becomes clear. It explains the origins of Middle Earth, who Gandalf and Sauron really are, why the Elves must leave Middle Earth, and why the Dwarfs are so misshapen. Read the beginning for its language, tone, and rhythm. Pick out the best pieces and don't obsess over who belongs to whom. If you must, skip to the end to get the background of Middle Earth. Certainly, Silmarillion is not light reading. It is for those of us who enjoy the likes of Chaucer read in its original form.

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I think I agree with Will on this one. I first tried reading through the Fellowship when I was in middle school (Around 12 or so) but found the style and the story too damn confusing. After seeing the movies however it was much easier, having a pretty good understanding of what was going on, along with a little more maturity and patience.

 

Don't get me wrong, I find the stories in the Silmarillion to be interesting, but reading through them to gain the knowledge is almost painful. I appreciated Tolkiens style in telling a story like LoTR, but for compressed history of Middle Earth it just doesn't work. Although the explanation about the dwarves creation, and why they don't get along with Elfs was good.

 

If anyone has happened to read the Unfinished Tales, and could get me a brief review would be much appreciated as well, since it's the next book in my queue list, but if it's anything like the Silmarillion I'll just move on to something else.

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I think I agree with Will on this one. I first tried reading through the Fellowship when I was in middle school (Around 12 or so) but found the style and the story too damn confusing. After seeing the movies however it was much easier, having a pretty good understanding of what was going on, along with a little more maturity and patience.

 

Don't get me wrong, I find the stories in the Silmarillion to be interesting, but reading through them to gain the knowledge is almost painful. I appreciated Tolkiens style in telling a story like LoTR, but for compressed history of Middle Earth it just doesn't work. Although the explanation about the dwarves creation, and why they don't get along with Elfs was good.

 

If anyone has happened to read the Unfinished Tales, and could get me a brief review would be much appreciated as well, since it's the next book in my queue list, but if it's anything like the Silmarillion I'll just move on to something else.

 

The unfinished tales are just that - unfinished tales. If you did not appreciate Silmarillion, you will not appreciate the unfinished tales, since they are more information/background on the characters in Silmarillion.

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3:10 to Yuma. Check it out if you are inclined.

 

The original western is a classic, and I just watched the re-made version with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. I admit I was a bit leery; anytime you have a "re-made" Western, it can be a dicey effort. Hands down, the Crowe/Bale version is really cool.

 

It had action in it. Action. We had guns blazing, riding, and it was all action. Do you realize how nice it is to see western action again as opposed to full on violence? Typically, the westerns of the 70s went on this trippy ultra violence kick. It calmed down in the 80s (Young Guns, Silverado) a bit, getting more into the action western genre like the 40s-60s (although they tended to "hide" the blood during this period, where the modern western shows it), and now we have the re-made or modern Westerns like 3:10 (preceded by the stand alone Kilmer/Kurt Russell Tombstone in 1991 or Eastwoods Unforgiven in '94) that refine the action even further. Even better, the entire film wasn't guns blazing, and Bale and Crowe give good performances as the two leads that square off. There was also a character called Charlie Prince, who was a character done in the classic western heavy role - I love it.

 

Alan Tudyk has a supporting role in the film for all of you Firefly fans out there. "Wash!!"

 

3:10 to Yuma - thumbs up from the Kitty in the cowboy hat.

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Thanks to Jami for the clarification.

 

As for other movies and books, I dunno if anyone has see The Mist, which was recently out in theaters, but you should go see it, or better yet go buy the book Skeleton Crew (Stephen King's first released collection of short stories) and read it there.

 

The movie was pretty good, and a fair translation of the book, they didn't have to leave much out as the story itself is only around a hundred pages so. All I'll say though is that the book's ending is much better then the movie. The ending of the movie really just removed the suspense and wonder over the whole plot.

 

All in all, Skeleton Crew is also a good collection of short stories, if that's your cup of tea.

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