The Book Thread

[Jye Nicolson]

Brutal Kunnin' looks like fun. I might save it to pluck off a shelf in celebration next time I'm in a GW store


On the book subject does anyone have suggestions for good Japanese history on Kindle? I think I need a bit more distance from 2020/Covid before I can take WWII but other than that literally any era and domain of Japanese history is of interest.

[Primarch]

Brutal Kunnin' looks like fun. I might save it to pluck off a shelf in celebration next time I'm in a GW store
On the book subject does anyone have suggestions for good Japanese history on Kindle?

https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Samuel-Ha ... B00NB0HG7G
The Imjin War by Samuel Hawley is a very good book. It covers the Samurai invasion of Korea and tries to look at things from the perspectives of the Japanese invaders, the Korean defenders and the Chinese empire who technically ruled over both. It is well researched, well written and gives a pretty detailed picture of both why the war took place and why the Japanese ultimately failed in their conquest.

[Jye Nicolson]

https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Samuel-Ha ... B00NB0HG7G
The Imjin War by Samuel Hawley is a very good book. It covers the Samurai invasion of Korea and tries to look at things from the perspectives of the Japanese invaders, the Korean defenders and the Chinese empire who technically ruled over both. It is well researched, well written and gives a pretty detailed picture of both why the war took place and why the Japanese ultimately failed in their conquest.

Awesome, I picked it up - thanks for the suggestion!

[Primarch]

Awesome, I picked it up - thanks for the suggestion!

Let me know what you think of it!

[Jye Nicolson]

Let me know what you think of it!

I will, but I am of the "read about a page, fall asleep on my phone, repeat next day" school of reading, so it might take a while to form a coherent opinion

[Jye Nicolson]

Let me know what you think of it!

I finally meandered my way through it - it was a great read. Really comprehensive insight to events that while vast and terrible often seem to end up a footnote to the Sengoku jidai.

I did love basically everyone acting as a diplomatic go-between just wholesale changing everything in both directions because otherwise it simply wasn't going to work

Also Hideyoshi if you're going to order an atrocity please at least show some interest in it. I knew he was all about noh, tea and his son at this point in his life but *come on*.

[Primarch]

Yeah, the go-betweens really tried their best. I would have loved to see Hideyoshi's reaction when he finally found out the truth.

I think the book also covers the story of Korea's official historical archives, which the invading Japanese army nearly destroyed by accident despite there being four copies in different places.

It's a fascinating period of history as it covers three nations which all had very different views of what was happening. The Japanese plan was probably not very realistic given the size of China and the ground they had to cover to reach it, though they did give it a very good shot. As you say though, the disinterest at the top resulted in an eventual defeat for Hideyoshi's armies.

[Konrad]

Threaaaadomancy..... Has no one been reading anything this last year?

Probably not news to those of you of the more British-ish persuasion, but I just discovered and finished "Titus Groan", the first of the "Gormenghast" fantasy trilogy. I can't believe I have never read it before now. Imagine "Game of Thrones" (no, that is too epic and full of beautiful people...Richard the III? ) written by a collaboration of Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton and Jim Henson. Or maybe you could call it a sad, miserable, tragic and murderous Addams Family. That would be the short version.
It is a slow, slow read. The plot(ing) takes a long time to get rolling. But the characters are so bizarre and the setting so weird and the descriptions of it all so lush you can't help but get caught up in it. It is all strange and bizarre, but still very "normal" in many ways. There really is not any magic or weird science or psychic powers or prophecy. Just normal, flawed people living strange, lonely lives in this crumbling relic of a castle, bound by tradition and ennui, yet still finding and clinging to the thinnest threads of love and imagination and hope.
The sprawling, impossibly huge, impossibly ancient, crumbling Castle Gormenghast has some real 40K/GW Old World vibe to it. Ian MIller did some illustrations for an edition of it even.
I saw there was a T.V series (bad reviews) done about 20 years ago and a new one in the works. Apparently the aforementioned Neil Gaiman is involved and with today's CG should be a gloomy, weird spectacle.

[Konrad]

And just finished the 2nd book of the "Gormenghast" series, titled aptly enough, "Gormenhgast". I can't recommend it and "Titus Groan" enough. A word of warning is only fair, it is long. The old adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words." comes to mind and there are times you sort of wish Mervyn Peake, the author, had had a camera handy, but all wonderful stuff. Though speaking of pictures, the author was a not too shabby artist in his own right. Google him and you'll get taste of the Gormenghast mood.
There is tragedy in it that just about broke my heart. If the author had been sitting beside me, I think I'd have punched him in the face for hurting me that badly. A gloomy, yet beautiful, epic yet subtly human novel.

[Jye Nicolson]

I've been reading through book versions of The History of Philosophy because while it's engaging, it does help me get to sleep. Just enough names and high concepts to help you nod off between the giraffe jokes.

I've also been reading The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon because my Crusade for the Vadinax campaign is an extended Sei Shonagon bit. The problem is that I really like her, even though she was probably insufferable in person, and the book keeps me awake.