What fantasy/science fiction book are you reading RIGHT NOW?

[Cambo]

Terry Pratchett's Truckers.

[Avatar]

Hahaha, have you got Diggers & Wings ready?

--A

[Cambo]

Yes indeed. (Thank you little sis).

[danlo]

Man, I was really looking forward to reading Kethani a Sci Fi with a really cool cover and a quote from SFX saying, "What we have here is a bona fide timeless classic." I've read way too much fantasy lately and was dying for a good SF...Too bad that in the very beginning the new intern who's on his way to the hospital for his shift returns home with his girlfriend two hours later, after they encounter the alien construct. What about your fricking patients!!!??? Hey your job's still there!! The aliens didn't miraculously cure them!!! Ay yi this Eric Brown guy needed a reader and publisher or both...this thing's going in the crapper........

[danlo]

Just started Alistar Reynold's Revelation Space, and as far as quality SF goes, there's more content and excitement in the first two paragraphs than the entire first chapter of Kethani--this book looks insanely cool.

I made the mistake of skimming Kethani, before I trashed it and at about chapter four the protagonist has suddenly become another person, with a different name a prosthetic eye and a new love interest. Maybe the aliens assimilated him and abducted his fiance for breeding purposes. But come on, what does "...please come over to my cottage and help me repair a hole in my fence" have to do with over 10 thousand shimmering silver alien obelisks appearing simultaneously around the world? Something from beyond the solar system has either taken over the world or has it's emissaries are sitting there foreboding doom, ala The Day the Earth Stood Still, and these guys are playing footsie and doing mundane things like nothing happened?

WHAT!?

[Orlion]

Currently over halfway through The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

blaaaaaaaarg Ultimately, I'd rank it with His Dark Materials... just not as long (so better) but without a Will character (so worse)... add together and we get ho-hum. Let's just get to Fillory all ready! I know it's going to happen, the back flap says so and there's a bloody map of it before the story with the location of Ember's tomb!

[Cambo]

Just finished Diggers, moving on to Wings. Great series, full of gentle but profound satire on human nature, especially religious urges.

Orlion, afraid we part ways on His Dark Materials; I loved that series more or less unconditionally.

[Orlion]

Orlion, afraid we part ways on His Dark Materials; I loved that series more or less unconditionally.

I had it played up when I read it... everything was fine until the third book. To me, everything but the Lyra/Will storyline seemed... blarg. The Lyra/Will storyline, however, at least had what I considered an excellent ending.

Have you read Book of Dust? It's, I think, a sort of sequel?

Edit: Hmmm looks like it's called Lyra's Oxford... looks like Book of Dust is a sort of A Dance with Dragons to Pullman's fans

[wayfriend]

Just started Alistar Reynold's Revelation Space, and as far as quality SF goes, there's more content and excitement in the first two paragraphs than the entire first chapter of Kethani--this book looks insanely cool.

I don't remember the beginning of that book being that cool. But if you're looking for good space opera along these lines, get Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained by P. Hamilton.

[danlo]

I merely indicated that the first two pages beat the pants off the first chapter of Kehtani, I didn't say the beginning was that cool I said: "this book looks insanely cool."

[Frostheart Grueburn]

Finished Pratchett's Snuff, and have now progressed to about 50% in my listening of Hunger Games. Not generally a huge fan of first-person narration, but hasn't distracted me too much so far.

Just finished Diggers, moving on to Wings. Great series, full of gentle but profound satire on human nature, especially religious urges.

I simply loved this aspect of the series, and the interpretations of the store's signs repeatedly made me crack up.

Huh, appears I never finished Wings for some reason. Well, must remedy this soon-ish. Garn, I wonder if this was actually the time I picked up this odd thingy called The One Tree and got sidetracked...

[aliantha]

Finished The Last Unicorn last night. *Much* better than the movie. I'd never read it before.

Will probably re-read Graham Joyce's The Silent Land on the plane home. I read it on my Reader last week, then bought a copy at WFC for him to sign.

[Avatar]

Hahaha, can't get e-readers signed.

--A

[aliantha]

Well, you can, sort of. You can have somebody sign the cover with a Sharpie. And Magickmaker says that some folks buy multiple Nook covers and have authors sign one, and then use that cover when they're reading a book by that author. Sounds like a lot of work to me, but whatever.

[sindatur]

Hahaha, can't get e-readers signed.

--A

Can't you somehow scan an autograph, and merge that page into the E-Book file's First Pages (or replace a page with an autographed one?)

[Avatar]

Sounds like a lot of work to me...

Gods, me too. (Not that I have any signed books anyway. )

--A

[Menolly]

(Not that I have any signed books anyway. )

None?

...hmm.

[aliantha]

Menolly, are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Hahaha, can't get e-readers signed.

--A

Can't you somehow scan an autograph, and merge that page into the E-Book file's First Pages (or replace a page with an autographed one?)

Actually, sindatur, you can, and thanks for reminding me about it. It's called kindlegraph.com.

You can also do it without going through a service like Kindlegraph. It's apparently possible to use a tablet computer and stylus to sign a digital book cover, then attach the signed page to the digital file. I'm not totally sure of the mechanics....

[wayfriend]

You know, if I really like the author, I'll just let him sign my kindle.

[Fist and Faith]