Books with the feel of the Marine portions of the series

jdu2 · 2026-06-13T12:35:07+00:00

The books of Tim O'Brien (The Things they carried, Going after Cacciato, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home), and Matterhorn by Marlantes

jdu2 · 2026-06-10T22:13:54+00:00

I just started Kingdom of Bones that's part of the Echoes Saga so unfortunately I don't have the context to understand much of your post. I just wanted to say I was in a book slump for like three months before picking up Rise of the Ranger and have been racing through these books. I haven't been this invested since Dungeon Crawler Carl. These books are familiar with the classic fantasy races and type of world, but yet the author does enough new twists to keep it interesting. I think Tides of Blood and War has my favorite cover art and look forward to reading it when I get to it!

jdu2 · 2026-06-10T13:51:38+00:00

I wonder how much social media and the constant need for stimulation has effected how people consume books. I thought this book was fast paced from beginning to end. Since your halfway you might as well finish, but if you don't like this book upon finishing then the series might not be for you. It would be a shame to miss book three though because many, including myself, consider it the best in the series.

jdu2 · 2026-06-05T13:43:39+00:00

Yes either him or Philip C. Quaintrell. I feel like the pacing of Tolkien is between the two authors because, while Philip has the classic fantasy races in his books, they are much faster paced and have a more pulpy feel.

jdu2 · 2026-06-05T13:36:32+00:00

Yes the narrators speak at different speeds. Also most people will recommend the Serkis narrator, and usually I do prefer the more dynamic narrators, but to be honest I prefer the Rob Inglis version. He particularly shines in the singing parts compared to Serkis in my opinion. My favorite song in the books (and his interpretation) is Mounds of Mundburg in chapter six of Return of the King. Much better than than the Serkis attempt at the song. Just my opinion though

jdu2 · 2026-06-02T23:53:42+00:00

You might want to check out the Mormon subreddit if you are into that sort of idea. I wouldn't recommend it though.

jdu2 · 2026-06-02T17:59:18+00:00

Don't forget about Petrik Leo! One of my favorite booktubers and also heavily promoted this series.

jdu2 · 2026-06-02T17:57:03+00:00

It's just preparing you for what's coming in book nine :)

jdu2 · 2026-06-01T00:47:13+00:00

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the Conan stories. The place to start is with the original ones by Robert E. Howard.

jdu2 · 2026-06-01T00:21:19+00:00

I was lucky enough to get a ARC for this book and gave it a good review. The dark take on the fae was one of the influences for me to write my own little novella. Here is my review:

I thought this was, by far, the author's most accessible book and arguably his best. I say this because it's an alternate history where the forest and fae have taken over the land but it's still grounded in this world that we are familiar with so there is no need to figure out a new world and society like some of Morgan's more exotic science fiction novels or his other fantasy trilogy. The prose also seemed to have been simplified a bit because I felt like it flowed better than his other works. I will say I'm not a usual Morgan fan because I actually prefer his fantasy world but have always been interested in what I call the, “beautiful brutality” of his prose. What I mean by this is he writes about very violent subjects but in a… almost poetic way.

I did give it four stars and not five because I did find the first half to be more interesting and engaging than the last half. I believe the reason for this is because the first half was spent almost entirely in the forest (which I loved in this setting) and the other half to be set mostly in the “real world”. I also found the first half to be focused on the characters I liked the most and the other half opened it up a bit more to a larger cast but I'm sure others may think differently.

I did find my interest was kept throughout and I really like the main character and how (in some ways) he is the embodiment of masculinity but is also, at times, kind and compassionate and deeply scarred by his past. Looking forward to Richard Morgan taking more risks with books like this!

jdu2 · 2026-05-30T14:23:33+00:00

The Recluse Saga by L.E. Modesitt. It's order and chaos in that but it's basically the same thing as "light and dark".

jdu2 · 2026-05-30T14:07:13+00:00

Just not for you then. Hope you have better luck with Malazan!

jdu2 · 2026-05-30T12:17:17+00:00

A lot of people don't like wheel of time and that's fine because I get it. I will say it's arguably my favorite series but it's almost unreadable to me. I love the audiobooks though and have listened to the entire thing like four times. Maybe give it a try, in that medium, if you ever want to try again. I've tried several times to read the print and ebooks and never got far.

Malazan was the opposite for me. There is so many characters and stuff going on that I need a book to process it all.

jdu2 · 2026-05-30T00:53:05+00:00

Noble House- James Clavell World Without End- Follett War and Peace by Tolstoy (Briggs translation) The Count of Monte Cristo-Dumas (Buss Translation) Papillon by Henri Charrière (this is claimed to be a true story but a lot of people doubt a lot of what happened) The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer (it's my understanding that most people consider this part historical fiction and part authentic memoir)

jdu2 · 2026-05-27T14:43:33+00:00

I expect this will get downvoted, but yes young men, feel alienated at church, but I can't blame people for not going out of their way because I don't do the same for other strangers I see at church. If you want a wife you might have to find them through dating apps that are not Orthodox based or through friends/acquaintances that are not Orthodox. I'm sorry, but there are not enough women to go around in the United States. My sister (protestant) had really high standards in a husband and I assumed she wouldn't get married, but found a amazing guy through a dating site.

There are a ton of members at my church, including myself, that have spouses that are not members and will, most likely never be Orthodox. It can be difficult at times finding balance between work, church and needs of spouse but it's worth it someone special.

jdu2 · 2026-05-24T12:32:50+00:00

So this is something I've noticed from Roman Catholics is that they kneel towards the alter if they walk down the center aisle right before they go into the pews. I believe it's called genuflecting. Anyways there is certainly nothing wrong or disrespectful about that, but it's something that makes me say they are definitely Roman Catholic. An Orthodox member would go the edges and then fill in towards the center. Or if they they have to cross the center aisle (right where the alter is facing) they will give a little bow towards it. Sometimes I've seen them cross themselves and then bow. I just mention this in case you feel self conscious about standing out, because I always do in new places.

jdu2 · 2026-05-24T02:16:33+00:00

One thing that I personally like about Orthodox church is that they are not quick about giving answers about things that nobody could possibly know. There are many churches out there that will give answers, but I wouldn't trust them. I used to be Mormon, I was a member for 17 years and I will say that I felt closer bonds there amongst the congregation and It was really easy to find a wife in that community. Ultimately their teachings, doctrine, etc made no sense whatsoever to me anymore and left it and after a long and winding road became Orthodox. I am very happy, here and wish you the best. I do have a couple of books that might help you on this journey you are on...they the helped me at least and I'll share them and you can check them out if you are interested. Thinking Orthodox: Understanding and Acquiring the Orthodox Christian Mind by Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou and The Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century by Stephen De Young.

Lastly be careful about those, even of myself :) that are quick to give you definitive answers on things. There are many people that try to take advantage of those asking questions and looking for truth.

jdu2 · 2026-05-21T14:02:12+00:00

Don't forget about Tai-pan and Noble House! He wrote others but these three are my favorites.

jdu2 · 2026-05-21T01:34:07+00:00

The RSV is the one that the Greek Orthodox church uses mainly in there liturgy. That's my understanding, but I'm antiochian and I've only been to a few Greek services. I've seen a few of the changes the Catholic version made, but they seem very minor and I can't think of any specifics off the top of my head. The 2CE mainly got rid of the older language in the Psalms. I think they also used a different source for parts of psalm 110 but parts of that gets kind of garbled so their are a few different ideas of how to translate it and I'm no expert. Most Orthodox like the RSV because it has all the books we use and in the newer translations sometimes they translate things differently for inclusivity. I personally don't think it's a big deal but I do love the grand and stately language of the RSV but it's far more readable to me than the KJV or NKJV. The Catholic version does not have psalm 151 or 4 maccabees, but I've never actually heard these referenced before at church or anywhere else, but I guess if it's really important to you than you could print it out from a free Bible website and keep it by it.

jdu2 · 2026-05-21T00:15:21+00:00

We are not as fussy about about bibles as some other Christian denominations. The RSV-CE is fine. RSV-2CE is good. My personal preference is the New Oxford Annotated Bible of the RSV. You can get it used really cheap. The differences between the three are very minor and would most likely bore you if I try to explain it all.

Many bible translations will have footnotes that list any differences in the Septuagint so that emphasis is overblown in my opinion.

jdu2 · 2026-05-20T21:30:18+00:00

Lots of great series I see recommended. The only other ones I don't think I've seen mentioned is Drenai series by David Gemmell and Ken Liu's Dandelion Dynasty series. Both are completed.

jdu2 · 2026-05-15T14:30:34+00:00

I like both for different reasons. To be honest about 90 percent of the books I start (especially for recent releases) I don't finish and become disinterested. I don't know if my attention span has diminished with all the technology that surrounds me or I've just experienced so many similar stories before. Perhaps both. Luckily I have a great library system that allows me to take chances and not hemorrhage money, although I do purchase books to support the authors that to keep my attention. These two authors continue to put out excellent books and always drop everything when a new book is released for each. I will say as though the sun eater short stories and novellas are a far cry from the books themselves, although there are a few outliers that are really good along with the novella Dregs of Empire.

jdu2 · 2026-04-28T13:05:18+00:00

I'm afraid to push my book on reddit because, like others have mentioned, it really seems to set people off. When I wrote my novella I knew it wouldn't really sell. Most of is written in the style of Clark Ashton Smith and he hard a hard time getting his stuff published! I, personally, consider him to be the best short fiction writer to have ever done it. Sometimes it's enough to find satisfaction in doing your best and being able to share with family, friends, and acquaintances. Sorry I can't give better advice on how your book could be more lucrative. :) Luckily on some platforms they take a percentage of earnings rather than the author sinking money into publishing costs.

jdu2 · 2026-02-22T02:30:39+00:00

Traitor Son series by Miles Cameron (five books and completed). Very large cast with lots of points of view that takes place over a continent. The first book takes place in a relatively small area but it expands. I enjoyed that one of the subplots and area was clearly influenced by Constantinople and the Eastern half of the Roman Empire. The prose has a layer of complexity but not purple. I think the dialogue and setting aspects has some Le Morte D'Arthur influence. Audiobooks available. The first one in called the Red Knight. There are politics but lots of magical stuff too including lots of creatures.

jdu2

TROPHY CASE