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

[Wildling]

Firefight: Reckoners, Book 2 by Brandon Sanderson

Well, listening to it really. You know, audiobook and all that ...

Well, I am actually reading it

Hey, if I could read while driving I'd do it.

[Vraith]

Reading some Philip K. Dick over the last few days: 'Minority Report' and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I continue not to fully get Dick. 'Minority Report' is a novel packed into a short-story and Do Androids....? is a medium-to-long novel trimmed down to 200 pages. I get it that Dick is a great ideas man, but I still struggle to enjoy his stories as I always feel that whole chunks are being left out. He often moves the action from the end of one chapter to the beginning of the next with almost nothing in between except the chapter break.

u.

[EDIT: to fix typos.]

No one fully gets Dick, really.
Well...they do...but on the day you fully get him you will try to talk to someone and realize your getting disintegrated him, and no one gets YOU anymore.
Your mind is "in" the "chunks he left out." [though you are not ALL the chunks, and you are now a chunk-generating thing, too.
This is the way of Vraith:Dick:
Countervolution.
Body inherits the most successful traits of your ancestors[aggregate].
Mind inherits the traits they have not.
Eventually there will be convergence.
One becomes [somatically] by bodily exchange of fluids.
One becomes [psychometrically] by fluid exchange of bodies.
One becomes [spiritually] by exchanging of fluidic embodiments.

[ussusimiel]

...This is the way of Vraith:Dick:
Countervolution.
Body inherits the most successful traits of your ancestors[aggregate].
Mind inherits the traits they have not.
Eventually there will be convergence.
One becomes [somatically] by bodily exchange of fluids.
One becomes [psychometrically] by fluid exchange of bodies.
One becomes [spiritually] by exchanging of fluidic embodiments.

That's as good a piece of Vraitherish as I've seen in a while!

u.

[Frostheart Grueburn]

I continue not to fully get Dick.

I've thought about trying Moorcock...

Ancillary Justice was enjoyable, but felt...soft-ish (for sf). Perhaps the swordy sequel will bear more potency? I may have gyrated too much in the Malazan vortex of intrigue and massive battles lately, but craving either for something grittier or just plain silly (akin to Discworld in space; yes I've read Douglas Adams...).

I usually dig Sanderson as light reading, but afraid Reckoners left me bored. So skipping Firefight and awaiting part III of Stormlight Archive.

[Wildling]

Finished Reckoners 2 and have started The Way of Kings: Book One of The Stormlight Archive.

Man, am I ever having a hard time getting into this one. It's jumping all over the place and I'm having a hard time giving a damn about finding out WTF is going on.

[Vraith]

...This is the way of Vraith:Dick:
Countervolution.
Body inherits the most successful traits of your ancestors[aggregate].
Mind inherits the traits they have not.
Eventually there will be convergence.
One becomes [somatically] by bodily exchange of fluids.
One becomes [psychometrically] by fluid exchange of bodies.
One becomes [spiritually] by exchanging of fluidic embodiments.

That's as good a piece of Vraitherish as I've seen in a while!

u.

Heh...I'll take that as some kind of compliment...cuz you put a laughy at the end.
Nuh thing kom pears w.

More topical: someone gave me, for xmas, a book that contains all of the Gormenghast trilogy plus all of the text of the unfinished 4th book, plus a dozen or so lit/crit things about them.
I'm tempted to stop my Erikson/Malazan journey to deal that that....
quandary land...shit.

[Orlion]

More topical: someone gave me, for xmas, a book that contains all of the Gormenghast trilogy plus all of the text of the unfinished 4th book, plus a dozen or so lit/crit things about them.
I'm tempted to stop my Erikson/Malazan journey to deal that that....
quandary land...shit.

Do it! Peake is superior to Erikson!

The essays aren't too bad either, but the important thing is to read Titus Groan and Gormenghast....right meow!

[Fist and Faith]

Philistines.


Actually, I was just looking up the Gormenghast books. I'd read about them on a list of 25 fantasy must-reads.

[Rawedge Rim]

Finished Reckoners 2 and have started The Way of Kings: Book One of The Stormlight Archive.

Man, am I ever having a hard time getting into this one. It's jumping all over the place and I'm having a hard time giving a damn about finding out WTF is going on.

So far the Way of Kings has been an outstanding set

[Avatar]

I'd read about them on a list of 25 fantasy must-reads.

Yeah, not so much.

Reading Inversions by Iain M Banks.

--A

[I'm Murrin]

Actually, I was just looking up the Gormenghast books. I'd read about them on a list of 25 fantasy must-reads.

You've not read Gormenghast? You're missing out.

[Fist and Faith]

It would seem Av disagrees.

[Avatar]

They made me want to kill myself.

--A

[Orlion]

It would seem Av disagrees.

Then again, I would imagine SRD would disagree with Av

Now "Gormenghast," on the other hand.... I have reveled in those more than once (except for the third book, which in my opinion simply doesn't work).

(03/17/2005)

And I do believe SRD outranks Avatar

[Orlion]

Finished Reckoners 2 and have started The Way of Kings: Book One of The Stormlight Archive.

Man, am I ever having a hard time getting into this one. It's jumping all over the place and I'm having a hard time giving a damn about finding out WTF is going on.

So far the Way of Kings has been an outstanding set

I liked The Way of Kings, but I imagine Wildling is listening to the audio... which I imagine would be confusing!

[I'm Murrin]

It would seem Av disagrees.

Then again, I would imagine SRD would disagree with Av

Now "Gormenghast," on the other hand.... I have reveled in those more than once (except for the third book, which in my opinion simply doesn't work).

(03/17/2005)

And I do believe SRD outranks Avatar

I'd side with literally everybody else I've seen mention Gormenghast over Av, in this case. Also, the third book's an unpolished mess (thanks to mental illness and, well, death), but it still has Peake's stellar characterisation.

[wayfriend]

Well, then, I will side with Av! Gormenghast is a Ghastly Groaner.

[Wildling]

Finished Reckoners 2 and have started The Way of Kings: Book One of The Stormlight Archive.

Man, am I ever having a hard time getting into this one. It's jumping all over the place and I'm having a hard time giving a damn about finding out WTF is going on.

So far the Way of Kings has been an outstanding set

I liked The Way of Kings, but I imagine Wildling is listening to the audio... which I imagine would be confusing!

You imagine truth.

I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going with it or not. Tonight's drive will be the key. If it's not making any sense by the end of tonight's run, then I move on to something else.

[aliantha]

Sounds like the stage is set for a Watch Steel-Cage Death Match over Gormenghast.

Uh, anyhow...I'm willfully ignoring my TBR pile by reading The Year of the Ladybirds, one of Graham Joyce's last books. Just started it last night, but it's good so far.

[Orlion]

Sounds like the stage is set for a Watch Steel-Cage Death Match over Gormenghast.

It's more than that! We're fighting over Fist's soul! (such as it is).

To mis-quote A A Milne

One does not argue about [Gormenghast]. The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and, if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can't criticize it, because it is criticizing us. But I must give you one word of warning. When you sit down to it, don't be so ridiculous as to suppose that you are sitting in judgment on my taste, or on the art of [Mervyn Peake]. You are merely sitting in judgment on yourself. You may be worthy: I don't know, But it is you who are on trial.