July - what are you reading?

[Chaldfont]

Just finished the Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. I'm now reading his Singularity Sky.

Did you know this guy created the githyanki?

 

[Doctor DM]

Just finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which was freakin awesome, so I'll probably check out more of his stuff. That or World War Z, which my friends tell me is pretty sweet.

 

[sniffles]

I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, preparatory to the release of The Deathly Hallows.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Recently Read:

Ringworld's Children, Larry Niven
The best Ringworld book since the original, IMO.

Gods of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs
I don't enjoy the Burroughs's Mars stories as much as a good Robert E. Howard yarn because John Carter is so over-the-top. He IS the high level fighter taking on armies single-handedly. Still, 'don't enjoy as much as a good Robert E. Howard yarn' is praising with faint criticism, and this was still a rip-roaring good read.

The City of Towers, Keith Baker
The Shattered Continent, Keith Baker
I was very pleasantly surprised by these. Most novels by game designers don't come off too well, but not only does Keith's enthusiasm for the setting shine through, he actually tells a really enjoyable story with solid characterization, too. I'll pick up the third one soon.

Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
Exceedingly well written, and at its peak toward the middle, one of the best horror novels I've ever read. Brilliant buildup of suspense leading to a shocking and terrifying reveal. Especially when I was reading it at 1:00 AM. Only, it's not really intended as horror, it started slow, and the resolution was anticlimatic. Overall, I liked it better than I expected and didn't mind the somewhat odd, if period-appropriate, late-19th/early-20th century socialist agitation nearly as much as I would have thought, but it definitely wasn't as good as I thought it would be for a while.


On Tap:

Probably nothing for a while; I've got a lot of work to do (including fiction, and I don't like to read too much during the actual working period of a fiction project), a couple of console games begging to be played, a campaign running. And then there's that whole social life thing...

When I get the time, I'll pick up the final Dreaming Dark book and probably another China Mieville, since I did enjoy PSS.

 

[Psionicist]

Just finished reading Dark Hollow by John Connolly. This is the second book in the Bird Parker series (the first book being Every Dead Thing). This is a serie of very dark, gruesome thrillers; part Michael Connelly (not related), part Thomas Harris, part Dennis Lehane, part Lovecraft. I can really recommend this author, he writes hauntingly and is not afraid the delve deep into the weaknesses and madness of both the main character and the people he meet. Poetic, Lovecraftian at times.

Now, for some contrast, I will read Harry Potter book 2.

Edit 07-11-07: Just read book 3, now reading Harry Potter book 4.

Edit 2: Reading 5...

Just finishing up Gotrek & Felix: the First Omnibus , and will most likely follow up with Cryptonomicon . After that, I might pick up where I left off with the Fire and Ice saga (Book 3).

I've said this before, but Neal Stephenson is the Quentin Tarantino of books. Cryptonomicon is one of the coolest stories I've ever read. You won't regret reading it.

 

[Tolen Mar]

Later this month, of course, it will be Harry Potter

I imagine that later this week or early next, you'll see a lot of people putting this in their list. I should know...I'm waiting for my pre-order as well.

As far as current reads go, I'm working on 'Duct Tape is Not Enough' by Red Green. I'm not his target audience yet, but I like his humour in a goofy sort of way. I'm also reading a friends copy of 'Napalm and Silly Putty' by George Carlin.

For serious work, I'm reading 'What if?' A series of articles dissecting various historical events and asking the question 'What if it happened this way instead?' There's a sequal I may pick up at some point.

In other words, I don't want to get into anything too involved since my wife and I will both be reading Harry Potter shortly.

 

[BadMojo]

The City of Towers, Keith Baker
The Shattered Continent, Keith Baker
I was very pleasantly surprised by these. Most novels by game designers don't come off too well, but not only does Keith's enthusiasm for the setting shine through, he actually tells a really enjoyable story with solid characterization, too. I'll pick up the third one soon.
.

I enjoyed these books quite a bit, although the third one was a bit of a disappointment for me. Still, overall I enjoyed the books and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone who enjoys reading good fantasy.

The opening scene of "The City of Towers" may be one of my favorite beginnings ever. It was exactly what I imagined large scale combat would look like in a high magic fantasy setting. For some reason it made me think of what a scene from something like Band of Brothers would look like in a fantasy novel.

As for my own reading time, I'm in the midst of "The Bloody Crown of Conan". For those who haven't read the Del Rey collection of Howard's Conan stories, I can't recommend them enough. The illustrations are great, text restored to what Howard intended and the stories themselves just rock. I'm reading "Hour of the Dragon" right now, and I think that story now ranks in my Top 3 Conan Tales list (the list that exists only in my head).

It's interesting to see a slightly older, wiser and less rash Conan. His duties as King don't seem to prevent him from kicking a lot of butt and chopping off limbs when the mood strikes him. He's got a very "hands on" leadership style.

 

[Tewligan]

Re-reading the Thomas Covenant series. Also a bunch of maps and guidebooks to Portland, since I just moved here. Also again, brushing up on my 1e AD&D rulebooks, since I hope to run a game of it in the near future.

 

[WayneLigon]

Just finished Dies the Fire by Sterling. Starting back on Judas Unchained by Peter Hamilton, then probably Legacy of Wolves (The Inqusitives Bk 3)

 

[Pielorinho]

Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
Exceedingly well written, and at its peak toward the middle, one of the best horror novels I've ever read. Brilliant buildup of suspense leading to a shocking and terrifying reveal. Especially when I was reading it at 1:00 AM. Only, it's not really intended as horror, it started slow, and the resolution was anticlimatic. Overall, I liked it better than I expected and didn't mind the somewhat odd, if period-appropriate, late-19th/early-20th century socialist agitation nearly as much as I would have thought, but it definitely wasn't as good as I thought it would be for a while.

Very interesting! I definitely agree that it started slow: I tried rereading it and was never able to get back into it. But I disagree that it's not intended as horror. To the extent that it fits any genre, I think horror is a very comfortable fit for it. And the anticlimactic resolution was something I really enjoyed: it kept the story uneasy and off-balance, which was part of why the horror was so effective. I can see how that wouldn't be to everyone's tastes, though.

World War Z, which my friends tell me is pretty sweet.

Your friends? They are good friends.

Daniel