What are you reading in 2024?

[prabe]

I finished reading Saberhagen's The Dracula Tape. It was good, but the problem with writing a new take on Dracula is that you're writing in the shadows of the original, and even Saberhagen isn't entirely up to the task. Still, it was enjoyable, and influential, with its sympathetic depiction of Dracula.

I also read Meredith Katz's The Cybernetic Tea Shop. It’s a cozy cyberpunk novella that still manages to examine some of the core themes of the cyberpunk genre, and does so quite well.

Now I'm reading the Nameless Places Arkham House anthology, edited by Gerald W. Page.

There's a better than even chance, I think, that without Saberhagen's example, here, a certain mediocre novelist from New Orleans chooses some other monster type to write about.

 

[overgeeked]

I'm about 1/3 of the way through Eric Idle's new Spamalot Diaries. It's a really interesting look behind the curtain of putting on a broadway show. Definitely worth reading if you're a big fan. Not sure anyone else would get much from this.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

There's a better than even chance, I think, that without Saberhagen's example, here, a certain mediocre novelist from New Orleans chooses some other monster type to write about.

A quick review of the wikipedia page indicates she sold it in October 1974, and Dracula Tape came out in Jan 1975. So she was pretty much done before Saberhagen's book came out. And Interview was published by Knopf of all places, not a well known SF/Fantasy house.

That said, she must have been crushed when 3 months after selling Interview, she saw Saberhagen's book in stores (assuming she did).

Interview with the Vampire - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[prabe]

A quick review of the wikipedia page indicates she sold it in October 1974, and Dracula Tape came out in Jan 1975. So she was pretty much done before Saberhagen's book came out. And Interview was published by Knopf of all places, not a well known SF/Fantasy house.

That said, she must have been crushed when 3 months after selling Interview, she saw Saberhagen's book in stores (assuming she did).

Interview with the Vampire - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I honestly thought Saberhagen's book was earlier than that, and Interview was later. Must have been something in the Zeitgeist.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I honestly thought Saberhagen's book was earlier than that, and Interview was later. Must have been something in the Zeitgeist.

Oh I definitely think the late 60's and 70's was a time of "humanizing" the monsters

 

[Zaukrie]

Just finished City of Bones by Martha Wells. Another book by her I enjoyed.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Just finished City of Bones by Martha Wells. Another book by her I enjoyed.

I'm dragging my ass through Witch King. Great world-building, but it's not gripping me. Protagonist is no Murderbot, which sorry Martha Wells, but that's going to be something folks are going to be saying about your books for a long time or maybe forever. Anyway, I'm logging off to go read the last 10 pages. I have a feeling there's going to be a reveal there...

And don't get me wrong, it's a strong book; but I understand why it got nominated for 3 of the big awards in SFF - Hugo, Neb, and World Fantasy - and won none of them. (hey, at least it won the Locus award in the Fantasy category!)

How would you compare Witch King to City of Bones, if you've read both?

 

[Zaukrie]

I'm dragging my ass through Witch King. Great world-building, but it's not gripping me. Protagonist is no Murderbot, which sorry Martha Wells, but that's going to be something folks are going to be saying about your books for a long time or maybe forever. Anyway, I'm logging off to go read the last 10 pages. I have a feeling there's going to be a reveal there...

And don't get me wrong, it's a strong book; but I understand why it got nominated for 3 of the big awards in SFF - Hugo, Neb, and World Fantasy - and won none of them. (hey, at least it won the Locus award in the Fantasy category!)

How would you compare Witch King to City of Bones, if you've read both?

Way more plot and characters in City of Bones, I think. Still plenty of world building, but it's clearly more stand alone. I think City is her first published book, so it might not be the same writing quality for some

I'm likely less picky than some. I enjoyed witch king.

I have the first murderbot but have not read it yet....

 

[Bohandas]

Finally read The Great God Pan and The White People by Arthur Machen because I kept seeing them refrenced as influences of Lovecraft. Both had kind of weird pacing issues; they weren't quite shaggy dog stories since they both wrapped up their main plotlines, but in both the main plotline was wrapped up rather abruptly and with very little detail

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm dragging my ass through Witch King. Great world-building, but it's not gripping me. Protagonist is no Murderbot, which sorry Martha Wells, but that's going to be something folks are going to be saying about your books for a long time or maybe forever

There is plenty of precedent for authors creating a popular character then growing to resent them.