Chris Ryan
Forum
Pages: 1 ... 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
<echoes round empty classroom>?
No, thought not.
>jabberwocky [...] something from star wars?
a Monty Python film I think...or Terry Gilliam at least.
Welsh location variant on Lewis Carroll original here...
http://www76.pair.com/keithlim/jabberwocky/
parodies/llanfairpwllwoci.html
>>By bikergirl (Wednesday, 11 Feb 2004 18:18)
Re: The Increment - http:// www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/United_Kingdom/ SAS/Increment.htm
>>By bladwags (Wednesday, 11 Feb 2004 18:36)
Uh-oh! No Alice in Wonderland-ers here?
Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking-Glass.
..excerpt...
Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
(Gasp!) Could it be LC's ghost writing posts here sometimes?!? :oD
>>By am-i-binned (Wednesday, 11 Feb 2004 19:30)
At least someone clicked on jabberwocky = nonsensical writing for comic effect!!
After all, DQ pointed out the nonsensical realm of AM fans... ;)
>>By devonwren (Wednesday, 11 Feb 2004 20:51)
nonsensical realm.......
... and I thought we were just having some fun
bladwags.. land of the lama?? Thanks for the link
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 11 Feb 2004 22:37)
Must say I was disappointed AIB only posted two verses (jabberwocky), puts it so out of context!!!
__________
Humpty Dumpty's Explanation
"You seem very clever at explaining words, Sir", said Alice. "Would you kindly tell me the meaning of the poem 'Jabberwocky'?"
"Let's hear it", said Humpty Dumpty. "I can explain all the poems that ever were invented--and a good many that haven't been invented just yet."
This sounded very hopeful, so Alice repeated the first verse:
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"That's enough to begin with", Humpty Dumpty interrupted: "there are plenty of hard words there. 'Brillig' means four o'clock in the afternoon--the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."
"That'll do very well", said Alice: "and 'slithy'?"
"Well, 'slithy' means 'lithe and slimy'. 'Lithe' is the same as 'active'. You see it's like a portmanteau--there are two meanings packed up into one word."
I see it now", Alice remarked thoughfully: "and what are 'toves'?"
"Well, 'toves' are something like badgers--they're something like lizards--and they're something like corkscrews."
"They must be very curious creatures."
"They are that", said Humpty Dumpty: "also they make their nests under sun-dials--also they live on cheese."
"And what's to 'gyre' and to 'gimble'?"
"To 'gyre' is to go round and round like a gyroscope. To 'gimble' is to make holes like a gimlet."
"And 'the wabe' is the grass plot round a sun-dial, I suppose?" said Alice, surprised at her own ingenuity.
"Of course it is. It's called 'wabe', you know, because it goes a long way before it, and a long way behind it--"
"And a long way beyond it on each side", Alice added.
"Exactly so. Well then, 'mimsy' is 'flimsy and miserable' (there's another portmanteau for you). And a 'borogove' is a thin shabby-looking bird with its feathers sticking out all round--something like a live mop."
"And then 'mome raths'?" said Alice. "If I'm not giving you too much trouble."
"Well a 'rath' is a sort of green pig, but 'mome' I'm not certain about. I think it's sort for 'from home'--meaning that they'd lost their way, you know."
"And what does 'outgrabe' mean?"
"Well, 'outgribing' is something between bellowing an whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle: however, you'll hear it done, maybe--down in the wood yonder--and when you've once heard it, you'll be quite content. Who's been repeating all that hard stuff to you?"
"I read it in a book", said Alice.
--------------------------
Ha, ha, do you now perceive the element of gyroscope elements on the AM/CR boards?
If you can play Chess you've learnt the moves of all the pieces, right, and the best way to learn the pieces is to observe in the first instance, and always watch a master at play and the amateurs stand out line spare pr*cks at a wedding...
>>By devonwren (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 00:53)
I'm lousy at Chess, but I know bingo! when I see it.
Prefer ball games anyway.
>>By Lynn (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 09:14)
I'm never being sarcastic again!!!
>>By Bethan (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 09:27)
Come now Beth, pray not so modest as to deny your fluid tones reflecting School of Sarcasticadia - it stuns the thoughtless prose, overtly ripens fruitful harvests of knowledge, and best of all the scrumpers of attention lose heart scrabbling back over the wall. While F-Troop struggles building brick by slogging brick, the towering citadel to their joyous champion, then up sneaks the enemies to batter and clatter, and set the roofs all aflame...
Bingo (lotto-housy housy) Lynn, so primed with balls of late and once just scraps of paper in a hat, and what of flop-eared rabbits nibbling at the rim, confused magician in the very next room. For wont of wand, a kick-start motor, a punchy line, and hail F-Troopers will ride forth - powerful CCs and charged with roar of thunder, But, alas, clatter clatter too many balls, hard, soft << to kick (?) to grab (?) to hit (?) to roll (?) >> oh no, confused again (stamps foot) what shall we do now? Save us, someone, it's a might too muddy out here...
No news is good news some do say, but what of CR's writing, dashed if F-Troop has a clue on what he's at, and of visiting Queen, doth the learned from within have owt to add on this wild rebellious son of the Steely force moulded from the Stirling soul...What books has queenie read, and what of the man doth she make?
>>By devonwren (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 10:26)
Eeerr..ok Dev, while you are busy with Queen -
On the randomhouse site : “Chris Ryan is available for interview”
Chris, you’re hereby invited…..
>>By Lynn (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 12:40)
Dev - what a cool shortening Lynn!
Anyway Dev, I think you got hit on the head with a bingo ball this morning babe. All those doth's. I'll take the first paragraph as a compliment ha ha.
>>By Bethan (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 13:09)
>but what of CR's writing
The poor man is too busy trying to get to grips with the latest technology...
"...I'm boring old Dad who [...] needs a lot of help with the computer."
And I don't s'pose this is helping him much...
http://www.rgob.com/members/BABES/
Geordie.html
>>By bikergirl (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 13:16)
Practicing Shakespearianesk continuity...Hee, hee, to do with Sean Bean!
>>By devonwren (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 15:04)
In eternal pursuit of confusion avoidance, please ignore the split link above but one. Instead, refer to the following.
http://www.rgob.com/members/BABES/Geordie.html
>>By bikergirl (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 18:59)
Yes Lynn, land of the lama.
Hi. Have been lurking for a while but decided to step foreward, hopefully not into the firing line (have seen you guys in action on the AM board!)
Re: ghostwriting, does CR or any of the SF authors use the same ghostwriters every time? I was wondering whether those of you who've read most of CR's books have ever noticed if there's a change in style. Do they vary wildly or are they consistent in tone? I've only read the Watchman and Hit LIst. Watchman was great but didn't like HL. It took half the book for the story to get going, and even then none of the characters grabbed me.
>>By bladwags (Thursday, 12 Feb 2004 20:23)
"have seen you guys in action on the AM board"
Aw, our bark is worse than our bite!!
The ghostwriting thing, I'm intrigued by this. Don't know if anyone else will agree with me but I thought CR's first four were, a bit lame, to tell the truth. Don't bother reading them bladwags, The Hit List was amazing compared to them, so if you didn't like that...... The Hit List was "his" first written in a completely different style and from there the books got much, much better.
New ghostwriter? It's a hell of a learning curve if it's not. Read Greed and then compare to Tenth Man Down, if I've seen differences they must be huge!
>>By Bethan (Friday, 13 Feb 2004 09:23)
Differences, Bethan, is the name of the game!!
Many bestselling writers write under several non de plume, some churning out anything up to 5 books in a year, and that's going some on one word processor...In some cases shoddiness is glaring obvious, in others a totally different persona of "narration" emerges, as in intellectually proficient in oppostion to more mundane, and I know Rose mentioned that a good ghostwriter gets into the head of the wouldbe author, but when push comes to shove, people display their own idiosyncrasy within their writings...
Oh the joy of psychoanalysis!!!
That aside, "The Watchman" arrived this morning gratis "Reality" couriers. A Johnny Francombe indulgence, too.."Inside Track"
>>By devonwren (Friday, 13 Feb 2004 13:02)
Add to on good writing:
In respect of a few writers claiming they can churn out a novel in a few weeks, yeah they can, it's easy enought to dream up a plot in your dreams, day/night, but getting it down in writing and the finished product of bare marketable standard takes more than weeks, and some truly great writers have said revision/rewrite several times was necessary to feel their work was fit for public domain...
Hell of difference between a Mills & Boon book and a Graham Greene...
I think ghostwriting has it's merits for auto biographies, but it's a bit rich for named novels (celebrities), the name hardly able to piece a decent verbal sentence together...I guess some will say/think that CR/AM/Others are helped along the way, and quite understandable. Though not the case with all of the SF writers, and if one thinks about it seriously, certan aspects of recorded interviews are reflected within certain novels, and no matter how good a ghostwiter is they are not the name!! Give credence to copy-writers/audio typists too, who are not ghostwriters as such, but do contribute to the making of some authors less able to put into writing what is recorded on audio tape.
>>By devonwren (Friday, 13 Feb 2004 13:16)
<< Give credence to copy-writers/audio typists too, who are not ghostwriters as such, but do contribute to the making of some authors less able to put into writing what is recorded on audio tape. >>
Ohmigosh! Those are my thoughts exactly!!! Heeeeeyyyyyyy! Am I your ghostwriter? Or are you mine?
VBW!
>>By am-i-binned (Friday, 13 Feb 2004 15:44)
Thanks Bethan. I shall ignore the first 4 books then and go straight onto Greed, once I've finished Robert Ludlum's "The Janson Directive". Which must have been written by someone else since he was dead at the time....!
>>By bladwags (Friday, 13 Feb 2004 20:23)
Welcome, Bladwags...
With ghostwriting as my justification for veering slightly off-topic, "The Jansen Directive" was written by Ludlum. At the time of his death, Ludlam had three books ready but not published. If I'm remembering correctly, he also had two others near completion, and I think there was mention that his wife was considering finishing them herself or having them finished in his stead.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1217457.stm
www.ludlumbooks.com/index.htm
>>By am-i-binned (Friday, 13 Feb 2004 21:55)
AIB, you took the words right outta my mouth re Ludlum Janson Directive...
One was released shortly after his death, can't for the life of me remember the Title, but it went back to a previous character...oh bugger... too much brandy tonight....
>>By devonwren (Friday, 13 Feb 2004 23:56)
Got it: The Altman Code (Robert Ludlum) really written by Gayle Lynds from his notes/draft manuscript I presume.
Some reviews by ardent Ludlum fans say don't buy it you'll hate it, it's badly written, and sold on his name alone...
>>By devonwren (Saturday, 14 Feb 2004 00:04)
bladwags...
>>I shall ignore the first 4 books then and go straight onto Greed
Oh no...don't go straight to Greed...just avoid any of the CR series'...i.e. Geordie Sharp...and head straight for the stand-alone novels...
In chronological order...
The Hit List
The Watchman
Land of Fire
Greed
The Increment (due June)
At least read The Watchman, still his best so far, by my reckoning...despite Matt Brownings'....ummm...best efforts in Greed.
>>By bikergirl (Saturday, 14 Feb 2004 16:37)
Have to add to bikergirl's recommendation "The Watchman". It's very good, but one mistake in his map reading from Devon to Junction 18 M4 Avon/Somerset...tut tut...my old hunting grounds... the rest though a well-planned assault on the Home front Establishment...
I honestly found it really hard to put the book down at 2am and go to sleep, and picked it up first thing whle making tea/brecky, just had to know how Capt Alex Temple would handle the unltimate face to face encounter...Fantastic Twist!!
>>By devonwren (Saturday, 14 Feb 2004 17:20)
bikergirl....
I did say earlier that I'd read "The Watchman" and agree with you and devonwren ... it's a fantastic read and I found myself bleary-eyed at 3am unable to put it down. The twist is pretty cool.
One question though .... why are the sex scenes in these kind of books A) obligatory, and B) bad?!! OK, that's two questions, but you know what I mean. The people who write this stuff should all be made to sit down and read "Birdsong", which has some of the most beatifully written scenes I've ever read.
>>By bladwags (Saturday, 14 Feb 2004 18:15)
To further confuse you Bladwags: I did like the Geordie Sharp series and can't seem to finish Land of Fire.
Can't answer you questions since I'm wondering about it myself. As far as I'm concerned the bed scenes weaken the stories. They're too cliche. The stories don't need that kind of action. But of course that's all IMHO.
>>By Lynn (Sunday, 15 Feb 2004 00:36)
I disagree with Bethan that the Geordie Sharpe serious are bad. They're not!! You bad woman Beth!! LOL !!
I especially like CR's attention to detail in his earlier GS boos. For example the section where the team prepares for their mission in Iraq (Zero Option). They spend a lot of time testing various peices of kit, 4-wheel mountain bikes etc. etc.
Just shows you a part of living by the 6 P's : Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
That's not to say I don't like the stand-alones though. The Watchman is also my personal favourite, although I haven't read all of this work yet.
>>By ortlieb (Sunday, 15 Feb 2004 20:00)
>but one mistake in his map reading from Devon to Junction 18 M4 >Avon/Somerset
I considered whether he could go that far on a tankful (then remembered the spare fuel...) or that fast (without loosening eyeballs from sockets...).
>I did say earlier that I'd read "The Watchman"
Oooops...inadvertent inattentiveness...was concentrating on an impending unexpected sump dive.
>>By bikergirl (Tuesday, 17 Feb 2004 16:13)
Ortlieb, (Zero Option I haven't read) do you think the book was his way of pointing out the failings of the B20 mission, (retreading mistakes made) as in their equipment was not sufficiently tested before deployment B20...
I was given to understand (men on the ground at the time B20) that it was AM et al's "trusting" the issuing personnel (no names no pack drill) to have checked out the equipment as functioning A1 and not so much lack of self discipline in these matters regards own kit, (foolhardy all the same) but more a case of third-party trust based on past experience of excellent backroom boys, plus a wing and a prayer of course regarding the intended target area...
>>By devonwren (Wednesday, 18 Feb 2004 09:48)
Pages: 1 ... 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
The discussion board is currently closed.
|
DISCOVER NEW BOOKS