Posts from Literature.

As part of my studies, I had to read Machiavelli. I started without much enthusiasm, "expecting" terrible boredom... but then! In short, I was left in a state of mild shock. This man lived over 500 years ago, but what has actually changed? Unfortunately, our reality is not much different from the medieval one. Here's an example:
"In our time, it is already clear that those rulers who cared little for piety and knew how to deceive people with cunning ultimately triumphed over those who relied on their honesty."

Speaking of ancestors who lived long ago: I recently read Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" out of boredom... it's the quintessential epic fantasy of the early Renaissance! :D
The poem isn't very long, but it contains almost all the most popular characters related to the themes of Hell and Heaven, although they are presented somewhat differently from modern images...

"The Divine Comedy" was simply too difficult for me to read. I got tired of it. It's a heavy read, in my opinion. But it's powerful, considering it's still remembered today. :)
I love reading all sorts of nonsense, especially fantasy. I read "The Lord of the Rings" when I was about 9 years old and reread it for about 2-3 years:D :D :D. It's a good book, but I've gotten tired of it. I read all of Asprin's "Myth" series; the first four were good, but the rest weren't as interesting...:( I read Nikitin's "Three from the Forest" and another 5 books from that series ("Three in the Sands," "Three and Dana," etc.). I really liked it. I read Zelazny's "The Chronicles of Amber" up to about halfway through the 9th book (after that, all the pages were torn out...:( :( :( ), and I also thought it was great. I read the first 3 books of Le Guin's "A Wizard of Earthsea" and really enjoyed them. I've only read all of Lukyanenko's "Night Watch" series. In my opinion, it's AMAZING!:smile20: I've only read Semyonova's "The Wolfhound." It's not exactly "our answer to The Lord of the Rings," but it's still good; in some places, it was so well-written that I even cried... I read 4 books of "Harry Potter," but I don't feel like reading any more.:mad: I respect Belyaev and Obruchev; it's interesting to read, but I'm more drawn to fantasy... I used to love Jules Verne, but then, like "The Lord of the Rings," I got tired of it...
I had to read the entire school curriculum:) ; I've only managed to finish "War and Peace" for the 10th grade so far. I'm not a serious person; of the classics, only Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" appeals to me.
At one time, I loved detective stories and devoured Conan Doyle and Christie. Again, I got tired of it. There's no magic, no supernatural creatures...:D

Hey, since you like fantasy, try "The Witcher." It's just a suggestion. There's a series of books, and the first book, "The Witcher," is a collection of stories about a grim monster hunter who was supposed to have his emotions suppressed during mutation, but it didn't quite work. The world of "The Witcher" is quite unique, by the way. It's a world of brutality, where everyone is ready to kill each other, and the noble elves aren't so noble after all. In those times, humans are displacing many races: elves, dwarves, gnomes, and from the south comes the Nilfgaardian Empire (which, by the way, is similar to Nazi Germany), and everywhere there is bloodshed. The Witcher, a clear anti-hero and killer in all respects, appears to be somewhat righteous against the backdrop of universal chaos. I also liked one description of how, after finishing his training, he went out into the world, full of noble intentions. In the forest, he encountered a group: bandits were attacking a merchant and his daughter and were about to... well, you can imagine. The Witcher daydreamed about how he would save them, and they would thank him, so he attacked the bandits. He slashed the fat one, cutting his back open and splashing blood on the daughter, which made her vomit and faint, while the merchant and the bandits, screaming wildly, fled into the forest. The book is, of course, for a specific audience, but nevertheless.

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely try it if I have the time. My father has this book in electronic format, so it's just a matter of finding the time.
With the advent of the Internet, I've generally stopped reading; before, it was one of my favorite pastimes, along with playing "Heroes of Might and Magic." Actually, I didn't read much new stuff, but rather reread old books, otherwise my list would be much longer.

Dragon, I can recommend the Salvatore series set in Forgotten Realms. It's classic fantasy in a classic fantasy world. Atmospheric, but in my opinion, the plot is a bit simplistic.

* * * — But what if it were possible to change the higher decrees? — Only higher powers are capable of that… — But still, imagine that you are a god… Budakh laughed. — If I could imagine myself as a god, I would become one! — Well, what if you had the opportunity to advise a god? — You have a rich imagination,” Budakh said with pleasure. “That’s good. Are you educated? Excellent! I would gladly work with you. — You flatter me… But what would you advise the Almighty? What, in your opinion, should the Almighty do so that you would say: now the world is good and beautiful? Budakh, smiling approvingly, leaned back in his chair and put his hands on his stomach. Kira looked at him eagerly. — Well,” he said, “here’s what. I would say to the Almighty: ‘Creator, I don’t know your plans; maybe you don’t intend to make people good and happy. Want it! It’s so easy to achieve! Give people plenty of bread, meat, and wine, give them shelter and clothes. Let hunger and need disappear, and with them, everything that divides people.’” — And that’s all? — asked Rumata. — Do you think that’s not enough? Rumata shook his head. — God would answer you: ‘This will not benefit people. For the strong in your world will take from the weak what I have given them, and the weak will still remain poor.’” — I would ask God to protect the weak, ‘Enlighten cruel rulers,’ I would say. — Cruelty is strength. Losing cruelty, rulers will lose strength, and other cruel ones will replace them. Budakh stopped smiling. — Punish the cruel,” he said firmly, “so that the strong will not dare to be cruel to the weak.” — Man is born weak. He becomes strong when there is no one stronger than him around. When the cruel among the strong are punished, their place will be taken by the strong among the weak. Also cruel. So, I would have to punish everyone, and I don’t want that. — You know better, Almighty. Then just make it so that people get everything and don’t take from each other what you have given them. — And that will not benefit people,” Rumata sighed, “for when they get everything for free, without effort, from my hands, they will forget about work, lose their zest for life, and turn into my domestic animals, whom I will be forced to feed and clothe forever.” — Don’t give them everything at once! — Budakh said heatedly. — Give them a little at a time, gradually! — Gradually, people will take everything they need themselves. Budakh laughed awkwardly. — Yes, I see, it’s not that simple,” he said. “I hadn’t thought about such things before… It seems that we have considered everything. However,” he leaned forward, “there is still one possibility. Make it so that people love work and knowledge the most, so that work and knowledge become the only meaning of their lives!” Yes, we also intended to try that,” Rumata thought. Mass hypnoinduction, positive remoralization. Hypno-emitters on three equatorial satellites… — I could do that,” he said. “But is it worth depriving humanity of its history? Is it worth replacing one humanity with another? Wouldn’t that be the same as erasing this humanity from the face of the earth and creating a new one in its place? Budakh, furrowing his brow, was silent, pondering. Rumata waited. Outside the window, the carts creaked mournfully again. Budakh said quietly: — Then, Lord, erase us from the face of the earth and create us anew, more perfect… or even better, leave us and let us go our own way. — My heart is full of pity,” Rumata said slowly. “I cannot do that. A. and B. Strugatsky, “It’s Hard to Be a God” * * *

Just one of the stories. Very interesting. "The Witcher", "Lesser Evil".

Sandro, remind me briefly what this story is about? I don't remember it just from the title.
P.S. Zhenya, you gave me a great idea! I need to reread "It's Hard to Be a God"!

Do you like to read?

Well, I don't know... we had a topic called "Literature." Not many people liked to attend it. So, I don't know about liking to read, but we definitely don't like discussing what we've read :(

How is that possible? Discussing what you've read is the most interesting part!

Zhen, +1! Here's my humble contribution: The nature of evil is to seek application. In various forms, it penetrates the souls of people to realize itself. And not every person has the strength to renounce it. Many become accustomed to malice and generate new evil, even more insidious and destructive. However, not everything is hopeless. Good is also capable of multiplying, if someone sows good seeds. But let's not look around – mercenary work is unacceptable here. And let's not put it off until later – life has only one spring.

How can that be? Discussing what you've read is the most interesting part.

I agree! But look how many people want to unsubscribe from this thread. Judge for yourself :(

Ugh... and I just finished reading the series by Nick Perumov that I received as a gift (about the mage who is, like, a "guardian of swords" - I think the whole series is called that). It's great! I'll have to reread it... just a little later - I have a lot more to read... it's just waiting for me :)
I want to start reading the Strugatsky brothers. Those who are already fans, share your impressions!

Oh, Tanya, this is the best thing I've read from our science fiction...
try starting with Stalker, or read Distant Rainbow, and Difficult to Be a God is one of my two favorite books... I'll post some more snippets here later, maybe I'll intrigue someone else:):):)