Gripping Hand actually had some more interesting characters than Mote. That said, I think Mote is a unique, cool piece of SF. (You can fairly easily just relable the Co-Dominium stuff as "politics" and not worry about it. The story isn't hugely dependant upon it.)
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Just finished:
- Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
- A Dull Roar by Henry Rollins
- The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
- V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Right Now:
- Death in Delhi by Gary Gygax
- The Scar by China Mieville
- The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
- The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft
Just finished Walter Scott's "Guy Mannering" a couple of weeks ago, then blasted through two novels by Lois McMaster Bujold that were good fun: "The Curse of Chalion" and "The Hallowed Hunt." ("Paladin of Souls" from the same series is also very good).
Just started Ellen Kushner's "Swordspoint" which isn't really drawing me in, so I've been dabbling in some other books--a collection of Ursula Le Guin short stories, plus Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and a history of the early Slavs.
I've got to say, I didn't think Swordspoint lived up to its potential...or at least my hopes for it.
In between the slow-going After the Ice book I am reading a steampunk-themed collection of short stories called Extrodinary Engines and a compilation of weird vampire tales called A Whisper of Blood
The Manual of Detection. Fun, dreamlike book.
Now working on a non-fiction book about negotiation. Eh. Looking forward to Un Lun Dun, which is next!
Just finished reading China Mieville's The City and The City, and am now re-reading Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan.
Why Does He Do That? Inside the minds of angry and controlling men by Lundy Bancroft.
this book is so not me; sheesh sometime we all have some abusive behaviors but sheesh; read a couple books like this and if your like me you begin to wonder if anyone is sane; guess therapists have to convince you to come see them somehow. I must say it is probably a good read if you might have some behaviors you want to change; but I really think they need to write a book "Why Does She Do That? Inside the minds of nagging and controlling abusive women" or some such just to be fair about it.
Finished Getting to Yes (good book; non-fiction; business-related) and started Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Boke. Really good stuff.
Just finishing up the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. Got the first as a $1 e-book and tore through it. Bought the other 2 and couldn't put them down.
Postsecret by Frank Warren.
Just finished up a real tough book, One Second After by William Forstchen. A book dealing with the aftermath of an EMP attack on America, Russia and Japan, it is rough reading, and pulls few punches.
Just finished up a real tough book, One Second After by William Forstchen. A book dealing with the aftermath of an EMP attack on America, Russia and Japan, it is rough reading, and pulls few punches.
Wow, that was an interesting book advertisement web-site. No synopsis of the book, but links to talking heads and subjects presumably covered in the book. I could do some real investigation, but it's easier just to ask, "Can you give us a quick description, Patrick?"
I just finished "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao". At my wife's suggestion. It's about a Dominican loser-geek and his cursed family. The tone is a lot like the Mexican writers of the 80s without the excess verbage and it's written with incredible voice. I personally may have identified too much with Oscar. What does that say about me?
Wow, that was an interesting book advertisement web-site. No synopsis of the book, but links to talking heads and subjects presumably covered in the book. I could do some real investigation, but it's easier just to ask, "Can you give us a quick description, Patrick?"
Sure. A retired Army Colonel is teaching in the North Carolina hill country near Ashville. He is a widower with two daughters just going about his life in the sleepy town where the college is located when all of a sudden all electrical items (including all post-1980 cars) simply stop working. There is a lot of panic at first a la 9-11, but instead of subsiding it gets even worse because there is no information being sent out, in fact there is no radio and TV period. The book deals with the small mountain town coming to the conclusion that they are alone in a world filled with millions of hungry people unable to adapt to a new Dark Age. There is no happy ending to the book. I don't reccommend it for folks who like everything tied up in a nice bow at the finish. Closest I could compare it to is a modern equivalent to Alas Babylon by Pat Frank, another tough book to read.
Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle. 1,100 pages of awesomeness, taking in medieval history, parallel universes, AIs and some interesting science fiction and fantasy ideas melded into one giant, bizarre but action-packed novel. Great stuff.
Wow, that was an interesting book advertisement web-site. No synopsis of the book, but links to talking heads and subjects presumably covered in the book. I could do some real investigation, but it's easier just to ask, "Can you give us a quick description, Patrick?"Sure. A retired Army Colonel is teaching in the North Carolina hill country near Ashville. He is a widower with two daughters just going about his life in the sleepy town where the college is located when all of a sudden all electrical items (including all post-1980 cars) simply stop working. There is a lot of panic at first a la 9-11, but instead of subsiding it gets even worse because there is no information being sent out, in fact there is no radio and TV period. The book deals with the small mountain town coming to the conclusion that they are alone in a world filled with millions of hungry people unable to adapt to a new Dark Age. There is no happy ending to the book. I don't reccommend it for folks who like everything tied up in a nice bow at the finish. Closest I could compare it to is a modern equivalent to Alas Babylon by Pat Frank, another tough book to read.
Thanks. I've got a few in my queue right now, but I'll keep an eye out at the bookstore.
Just finished the Three of Swords omnibus, containing the first three collections of the Fafhrd and Gray Mouster stories this weekend. Before, I had only read one of the short stories in an anthology, and I have to say, Fritz Leiber is a lot of fun. Of my past reading, it reminds me of the Thieves' World stories, only on the whole better. It's clear to see how these classics made Appendix N, and I'm only sorry it took me this long to get around to them.
The Kitchen God's Wife, by Amy Tan. Good stuff.
Has anyone read Lamentation? It looks good and it's gotten a lot of high marks, but I figured I would ask here before deciding to buy the hardcover or wait until it comes out in paperback.
Found Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver at a used bookstore for $2. Gotten about 200 pages in (it weighs in at 927 pages). So far, an interesting read, very reminiscent of his previous novel, Cryptonomicon
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Just bought a mess o' Brackett at Smith Family bookstore in Eugene, plus a few others:
Leigh Brackett -
The Coming of the Terrans
The Long Tomorrow
The Starmen of Llyrdis
The Nemesis from Terra
The Big Jump
Ron Goulart - Ghost Breaker / Clockwork's Pirates (Ace double)
Robert Silverberg - In Another Country / C. L. Moore - Vintage Season (Tor double)
Richard Matheson - What Dreams May Come
Imagine I'll be reading some of those shortly.
Looked for Merritt, did not manage to find any. But their M section is a mess, and I may need to set aside a few hours to be able to search it seriously enough.
Currently reading A Game of Thrones for my book club. I have a week to finish and I'm on page 300. Hope I make it!
After that, we are reading Dune and since my summer break starts, I'm planning to add The Ginger Star to my list before tackling Dune.
Just finished The Reef by Mark Charan Newton. Excellent novel. Essentially, Terry Pratchett's Nation + the TV show Lost + interspecies lesbianism = win.
Now reading George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream.
Just finished the Three of Swords omnibus, containing the first three collections of the Fafhrd and Gray Mouster stories this weekend. Before, I had only read one of the short stories in an anthology, and I have to say, Fritz Leiber is a lot of fun. Of my past reading, it reminds me of the Thieves' World stories, only on the whole better. It's clear to see how these classics made Appendix N, and I'm only sorry it took me this long to get around to them.
The Ffahrd and Mouser stuff is just great fun. I think Leibowitz does a fantastic job creating some great imagery. If you've read the first three, you should pick up the graphic novel that was recently(?) rereleased, done by Mike Mignola of "Hellboy" fame before he hit it big.
At the moment, I'm burning through Michael Chabon's "Gentleman of the Road," which is clearly influenced by F & GM, right down to the smaller of the thieving duo carrying a rapier called "lancet." Amazingly, none of the (few) reviews I've read seem to pick up on this.
Chabon's stuff, by the way, is worth picking up. Right now, him and Neil Gaiman are two of my go to authors.
Escape from Hell, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. A sequel to their previous Inferno, which was itself of course an homage of sort to Dante's work.
Is that where the writer dies and goes to Hell, only to meet up with someone from WW II? (I don't want to reveal too much more, if that is the case!)
Finished Fevre Dream by GRRM. Not as high-profile as his fantasy work, but still a masterpiece, and the novel that pretty much killed all other vampire fiction for me.
Just started a re-read of Patrick Tilley's memorable Amtrak Wars starting with Cloud Warrior. This is basically an epic fantasy which replaces Middle-earth with post-apocalypse North America and has three sides, one of which is a primitive magic-wielding Amerindian-based people, the second is a futuristic high-tech neocon enclave and the third are a bunch of samurai and ninjas armed with steamships.
In other words, if it was a roleplaying campaign, it'd be like the best one ever :-)
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I'm reading...
A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin
I just finished Arthas: Rise of the Lich King by Christie Golden. Very well written and worth the read if you enjoy the WoW lore.
And I plan on reading...something Forgotten Realms next, probably, before tackling A Storm of Swords. And once I finish A Song of Ice and Fire I'll probably reread Wheel of Time :)
Finished most of the short stories in the Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. I can see why everyone loves Howard; at his best, he's got some seriously great stuff going on. I just can't read any of his female characters (who, in most instances, probably don't need a name beyond "the woman" or "the naked woman" or "the naked, frightened woman") without thinking of this sketch.
"Ma'am, please restrict your dialogue to 'Oh, Conan, whatever shall we do?', 'Eek!' and 'Oh, Conan, surely we are doomed'."
Now I'm working on The City and The City, which is pretty great so far.
