Reader discussion: Empire

Public reader discussion about Empire by Clifford D. Simak.

Is the hindu epic 'Mahabharata' fiction or nonfiction fiction?

By carefulWren

I was chatting with my mom and somehow we ended up on the Mahabharata. I’m really not religious, so when she said it was “real,” I basically brushed it off. Then I got curious, mostly because I wanted to be right, and I was surprised to see that a lot of people—like even scholars—argue it’s non-fiction. Some stuff seems to match details from the story, like the whole rock bridge thing from India to Sri Lanka, or the research people cite about war evidence around that time near Sri Lanka. But then there are also parts that feel like total made-up stuff, like the whole gods and demons angle, the demon with eight heads, or the monkey moving a mountain. So… which is it? I’m trying to figure out the definite answer, but the closest thing I can land on is that it might be based on real events, and they just used the gods/demons stuff to make the characters more dramatic.

One Step Closer To Finishing The Masters of Rome Series By Colleen McCullough

By PlainShadowSeal3

Just finished The October Horse, which is the 6th one in McCullough’s Masters of Rome series. It jumps around the 48–41 BC stretch, basically from when Caesar first connects with Cleopatra to the Battle of Philippi. I’m honestly still blown away by how much she can make Ancient Rome feel alive. A bunch of the characters share the same names, but somehow they all come across as different people. And it really got to me when some characters I’ve been following for the last few books finally meet their end. I knew it was coming because, yeah, it’s real history, but it still hit harder than I expected. Caesar’s death especially—there’s that hint that he might’ve been tired enough that dying wasn’t totally the worst thing, if that makes sense. The last chunk is mostly about Octavian taking over, and TBH I ended up liking him a lot. If Caesar is like fire, then Octavian is ice. They’ve got some parallels since he’s kind of modeled after Caesar, but he’s way more ruthless. If you want solid Roman historical fiction, this whole Masters of Rome series is definitely worth a try.

My thoughts on "Principles for dealing with the Changing world order" what are yours?

By dustyhare

I’ve talked about this book with a few people and the reactions were all over the place. My quick overall take is that it’s pretty interesting and definitely makes you think, even if you don’t agree with everything. The author comes at it from a finance/investing angle (he’s a hedge fund manager and investor), and he’s also known for predicting things about markets and the global economy pretty well. So when he lays out his view of what’s driving the world, it doesn’t feel like some random take—it feels like someone who’s been watching trends closely for a long time. What I kept coming back to is his push for plain, honest thinking—like, don’t just react to headlines, try to understand the deeper forces behind what’s happening. That part honestly feels useful, even if you’re not super into geopolitics. There are also ideas in here that are going to annoy some readers. For instance, he’s basically saying the current setup is moving away from the US-centered, one-big-power situation toward something more multipolar, with multiple major centers of power. I can totally see why that would be a hot button topic, and I’m not 100% sure everyone will buy it, but his background and past prediction record do give his argument more weight. So yeah, mixed opinions overall, but for me it was one of those books that gives you a lot to chew on. Even where you disagree, it’s not thin or sloppy—it’s still trying to connect history and patterns to what might be coming next.

[Book Club] "The Final Empire" by Brandon Sanderson: Week 2, Part Three - Chapter 19

By Superuser

Hi all! Glad we’re on the second discussion for June’s pick, *The Final Empire* by Brandon Sanderson. I’m hoping everyone’s got the book by now—if not, you can still jump in later, but this thread is going to be going all in up through Part Three, Chapter 19, so heads up. A couple questions to get things going (answer whatever you feel like, or just share your thoughts): - Who’s been your favorite character so far, and what parts or quotes have stuck with you? Anything that’s been confusing? - Kelsier tells Vin during training that basically every action has consequences. Besides the Allomancy metals, what other “opposing forces” or balancing effects feel like they show up in the story? - What do you think are the main reasons the Lord Ruler gives for why he stays in power, and do you think what’s really going on could be totally different than what everyone else believes? - How much of a threat do the Keepers actually feel like to the Empire, and how do they get treated compared to the other groups/classes? - What questions are you still sitting with, and what are you most hoping to see next? - BONUS: If this got adapted into a movie or TV show, who would you cast for each character, and who would you want directing/showrunning? Also, the next discussion thread goes up Friday, June 24th, and it’ll cover through Part Three: Chapter 19. And just a reminder—July’s selection announcement is already up, so try to get started early so you’re not scrambling.

I've just finished reading the Empire of Pain...

By TGrand8

This book lays out the Sacklers and how they ended up tied to the whole opioid crisis. It’s a lot, honestly. I did really like how Keefe goes through it step by step—how the different generations set things up, not just for pushing OxyContin, but also for the ways they responded once lawsuits started coming their way. It made it easier to see that the whole family is involved in some way, whether they were there before OxyContin, were actually part of the process, or just profited off it. What really bothered me was how it feels like they’re living in a completely different reality. The wealth is wild (and that’s saying something), but it’s more than that—their mindset, like they can’t or won’t connect their actions to the opioid mess we’re dealing with now. The compartmentalizing is kind of unreal. Maybe I’m just worn out from reading most of it over the holidays, but I kept catching myself thinking it would be nice if at least one of them had some kind of big, Dickens-style wake-up call and used their money to actually support treatment programs. But yeah, that’s not how it works—no haunting to scare them into seeing things, no consequences coming from above if they don’t straighten up.

Bought Orson Scott Card's Hidden Empire without reading the first one...

By goldenarch

I was just killing time in a bookstore and picked up *Hidden Empire* because it sounded interesting. Then I realized way too late that I’d skipped over the whole “sequel to *Empire*” thing on the cover. If you’ve read the *Empire* series, do you think I’ll be lost trying to start with the sequel, or can I jump in without reading the first one?

The World That Couldn't Be, by Clifford D. Simak

By littlemirrorrapid

The short story is free on Project Gutenberg (32026). I really liked how it ended—it makes you sit there for a minute and wonder how things might play out after that.

Couples book club

By wise_lake

Hey! I’m trying to pick a few books for my partner and me to read together, kind of like a mini book club. He’s into world building, political enemies/adversaries, sci-fi and fantasy. He’s really liked stuff like *Name of the Wind*, Michael Crichton books, *1984*, and the *Mistborn* series. I’m more into the emotional stuff—heartbreaking, messy feelings, and that sunshine vs grumpy vibe. The books I’ve liked include *Song of Achilles*, *Red Queen*, *Where the Crawdads Sing*, and *They Both Die at the End*. Any ideas for something we could both get into? Thanks!