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[August] What are you reading?


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Last Wednesday I had a lousy day, so my sweet wife took me out for fish and chips and good local beer, the ultimate in comfort food.

Afterward we walked down to a local bookstore, where I was doing my usual sneering at their crappy fantasy section, only I was tipsier than normal. "Pah!" I said. "Two dozen books by Orson Scott Card, yet they don't even have China Mieville's new novel!"

"Yeah they do," said my sweet wife, pointing.

"YEAH!!!" I hissed, snatched it off the shelf, and took that bad boy up to the checkout counter.

I'm almost done with Iron Council. It's flippin' fantastic.

Daniel
 

Aliens vs. Predator: Prey by Steve Perry. So far, it's pretty bad, but I'll probably finish it anyway. Also, the Iron Kingdoms Character Guide: Full Metal Fantasy Volume I, which is quite a mouthful. After that, I might read the Alien trilogy also by Steve Perry, but I'm not sure. I have them from the library, in any case.

For what it's worth, he should have stuck to his rock music career... ;)
 

I'm rereading MIcheal Reaves Shattered World Novel. It an the sequel Burning Realm I always thought of is how I picture Magic being done. I like the fact that Mages are usually in excellent health since magic is physically and mentally draining. Not weakling sickly poeple locked up in libraries. I really think this is a setof novels that should have had thier own RPG game. The fragments and such floating through the air would be an interesting place. Cloak fighters and Adepts traveling about with Werecreatures and such. A well written and interesting world, one of my favorites.

Later
 

Pielorinho said:
I'm almost done with Iron Council. It's flippin' fantastic.

So, tell us more!!!

I'm just finishing The Second ldest Profession: Espionage in the 20th Century by Philip Knightly. It's ok, but kinda irritating at times.

Next... I'm not sure actually. I'e got a bunch of things beside the bed, but nothing that makes me go 'yes!'. Maybe I'll buy the new Meiville? Sell it to me Pielorinho!
 

Just finished Erikson's Midnight Tides -- which reassured me as to his genius after House of Chains made me worry. Immediately went back and re-read HoC, which seemed much better after having read the latter one. Halfway through, now, and Erikson's got a heck of a job to do bringing this massive story together in some sort of coherent order.

Am receiving The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian this week and yay yay yay. After The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane I'm jumping on the Howard bandwagon. Fine stuff, this.

I also bought Shadow and Claw, a omnibus edition of Gene Wolfe's first two Book of the New Sun series. Steven Brust speaks very highly of Mr. Wolfe, and Steven Brust is never, ever wrong. So I'm curious.

I'm also poking at John Keegan's The First World War. Very good.
 


barsoomcore said:
Am receiving The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian this week and yay yay yay. After The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane I'm jumping on the Howard bandwagon. Fine stuff, this.

I also bought Shadow and Claw, a omnibus edition of Gene Wolfe's first two Book of the New Sun series. Steven Brust speaks very highly of Mr. Wolfe, and Steven Brust is never, ever wrong. So I'm curious.

Hey, that's exactly what I'm reading.

Steven Brust is one of my all-time favorite authors - but I found Gene Wolfe's books impossible. (or the Shadow and Claw, anyway. I read his latest... The Knight, was it? and enjoyed it) They were extremely dark, depressing and slow paced... The writing was certainly good enough that I thought about going back and trying again, (got stuck halfway through the second one) but so far, I haven't gotten around to it.
 

Just finished Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, and started its sequel, Royal Assassin. It's a pretty dang good series so far. I just need more time to read!!
 

Funny, I was just thinking of picking up some Gene Wolfe based on Mieville's recommendation. Synchrofreakinnicity, don'tcha know.

Olive, I just finished Iron Council. My thoughts, without giving too much away:
-Of the three Crobuzon books, this one is far and away the most political. That's something that I enjoy a lot, but other folks may not like so much; be aware when you read it that you're going to be reading, not a didactic work, but a work that offers a grim and thoughtful treatment of social upheaval in a fantasy world.
-Perdido Street Station made me gasp on just about every other page with some bizarre new idea. This one didn't quite do that, but it still had a fair share of breathtaking scenes.
-I think the characters are better drawn in this one than in his previous books, and the language is the same surefooted baroquery that you'll either love or you'll hate. Obviously it works well for me.

Afterwards, I'm wanting to go back and start the three books all over again. That's gotta be a good sign. His next book is going to leave Crobuzon, be all about something new; I'm already looking forward to it.

Daniel
 

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