Kevin's Watch

At Westercon last weekend, I acquired (having been hand-sold by the author, a grand and hilarious guy) two of the three books by Tee Morris: Morevi and Legacy of Morevi. The first book is available (in abridged form) as a podcast here:

www.podiobooks.com

I did not pick up, but probably will in time, his other novel, Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword. It looks amusingly strange — story of a fantasy-world dwarf who is deposited in Chicago in 1929, sets up as a private eye, and takes on Al Capone.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, I bought Zodiac the other day. I'm hoping to get around to it after Harry Potter 6.

My Australian order just arrived with Jennifer Fallon's Warrior, Wolfblade and Warlord, Kim Wilkins' Giants of the Frost and Karen Miller's Innocent Mage.

Two little books I've heard good things about: Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin, and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

Ender's Game is excellent. I think you'll particularly enjoy the idea of "3d strategy", and the training in the battle-room.

--A

Just bought Iain M Banks' The Algebraist, and picked up Contact dvd.

Is it a Culture novel?

--A

Not from what I have read on the back or from the first page.

I won't strain to find it then. Let me know if it's good.

--A

You must love the Culture books (as do I).

I do, as I'm sure I've menioned. The only one I really enjoyed that wasn't a Culture novel was Feersum Endjinn. (Once I got my head around the phonetic text.)

--A

Funny thing is, my favourite Banks novel is non-Culture - Against a Dark Background.

The one with the Lazy Gun and the Solipsist Mercenaries? Wasn't that a Culture novel?

In that case, I retract my statement, for the purposes of adding that book to the non-Culture ones that I like. Hell, that's one of my favourites too, but I could have sworn... Oh well, long and long since I read it.

--A

As far as I know it is not Culture; it is set on a system outside of the galaxy so there is no place for humanity to go.

Will have to read it again. (Unfortunately, it's one I don't own myself, but one of the libraries I use has it.)

--A

I just got an absurd shipment from some publishers who all apparently arragend amongst themselves to have all the books arrive on te hsame day:

-ARC of Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright

-ARC of The Foreigner by Robert J. Sawyer

-TPB of Someplace to be Flying by Charles De Lint

-ARC of Melusine by Sarah Monette

-ARC of Princess of Roumani by Paul Park

-ARC of The Divided Crown by Isabel Glass

Managed to pick up the only volume I'm missing from Feist's Serpent War series, (vol III) necessitating a re-read of the entire series.

--A

Just got Coronation: Book One of the Aethlania Regn by John Savo .

The World Jones Made, by P.K. Dick

My sister gave me that book--very strange concepts. Bio death sorta like The Phoenix, but faster-boy in the plastic bubble stuff--maybe I'll give it another go...made it about three chapters into it. Please tell me what you think.