Kevin's Watch

danlo wrote:Bank's "Culture" books are really cool but you, sort of, have to read Consider Phlebas first to understand how the universe works--I've also read Players of the Game and Look to Windward, but not Use of Weapons-I need to. Stick with it I know it'll get better...

Consider Phlebas is one of my favourite books, and I'm not even a massive SF fan - fantasy is my "thing".

I've just started reading "The Bonehunters" - Erikson has me hooked at the moment.

I'm reading 1632 by Eric Flint. It's a fast read, but I'm not sure about it yet. You can download if free from baen.com

Spiral Jacobs wrote:I'm almost at the end of The Warrior-Prophet by R. Scott Bakker, the second installment of the Prince Of Nothing series.

The first book was OK, but clearly just a set-up for the larger series. It has some interesting stuff, but one of the main characters (a real manipulative prick) talks just like Dr. Phil: it's all supposed to sound real deep to impress the rednecks.
I'm afraid the second book is going to be like the first: it just ends and you're still on your way to a much-anticipated but hazy future.

Oh, boy, if you're not happy about #2, then I have a feeling you're not going to like #3 at all. I was never all that impressed with Kellhus, either.

On to The Bonehunters!

I'm reading The Stars My Destination right now. I may have actually read this books when I was 10 or 11 years old; I sort of remember the cavern sequence. Regardless, this book is awesome. I don't know why they make you read crap like The Catcher in the Rye and Hamlet in school when you could be reading this book. Shakespeare's got nuthin' on Bester.

Fist and Faith wrote:On to The Bonehunters!

Heh, just ordered a copy from Amazon. I decided to go with the hardback. The first thing I'm going to do is burn the cover.

Fist and Faith wrote:On to The Bonehunters!

Heh, just read the prologue last night. I bet it's gonna be good!

Well, I just finished Use of Weapons. As it turns out, it's an odd book. Admittedly, a lot of things were mildly confusing, because, as Danlo observed, I have no prior knowledge of Banks' 'Culture' setting. That aside, the book itself was strange; less a novel than a character study, I thought. The whole book is basically just peeling away the layers of the main character until we know all about him. The main plot is relatively brief, and is dwarfed by the sheer volume of flashbacks; as a story, it doesn't really go anywhere. Interesting read, but ultimately somewhat unsatisfying. Odd sensation to finish a novel and feel that the story never really started. Maybe this is just the way Banks writes, or maybe not. Time - and further reading - will tell, I suppose.

Read Consider Phlebas, it really does kick ass!

Successfully putting off rereading Erikson's "Reaper's Gale" by rereading "A Song for the Basilisk" by Patricia McKillip. I gotta work up to going back to Malazan....

I'm already looking forward to re-re-reading at least GotM-HoC. But it won't be until I at least finish BH, RG, and TtH. (Which I guess comes out very soon?) And I should at least begin Bakker after that. Hopefully, I'll like it enough to read the three books that are out at this point. THEN back to Malazan!!

danlo wrote:Read Consider Phlebas, it really does kick ass!

It's on my shelf.

CovenantJr wrote:

danlo wrote:Read Consider Phlebas, it really does kick ass!

It's on my shelf.

It's a great book!

Well, as usual, Lucimay was right again.
She noticed I was reading Gabaldon's Outlander during SeaFest Denver, and warned me to get Dragonfly in Amber before I finished. Did I listen?
...do I ever?

So...while I await my library to notify me that my hold on Dragonfly in Amber is finally up, Beorn brought home the second and third in Anne McCaffrey's and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's Acorna's Children series, Second Wave and Third Watch from the library. At least I have some light reading to do this weekend...

danlo wrote:I'm six chapters into Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama and enjoying the heck out of it.

Wow, I remember really enjoying that one a few decades or so ago. I hope you like it. As for me, since prior to FR I had recently re-read Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series I thought I would finally read Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" by Robert Borski. I have seen mixed reviews of the various handful of books analyzing Severian & his universe. The more negative ones have felt that some of the conclusions are real stretches. Regardless, I will give it a try. As I have stated before, Severian and Wolfe's books are in my all-time favs list so I suspect I will enjoy it regardless. Anyone else read this one or any others?

You should join us at the Watch's sister-site, Ahira's Hangar then. MatrixMan is guiding a discussion/dissection of the book in the Sci-Fi Forum there.

Anyway, I' reading Deadhouse Gates.

--A

Thanks for the reference, A! I have just signed up...

Actually I think I'm going to create Rama as a Group Read forum at the Hangar today.

Just finished Brokedown Palace by Steven Brust--you have to get into it and give it the benefit of the doubt but it plants some great seeds for what looks to be a very interesting "Dragerian" series. He is a gifted writer.

I'm reading Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance right now. It's pretty good, although it's kind of cheesy. It's got fairies and gnomes and trolls and unicorns and crap like that in it. It has a strange narrative style which makes it interesting. The main plotline is pretty good, but some of the side-stories are hard to understand at this point (maybe 40% into it).

Fist and Faith wrote:I'm already looking forward to re-re-reading at least GotM-HoC. But it won't be until I at least finish BH, RG, and TtH. (Which I guess comes out very soon?) And I should at least begin Bakker after that. Hopefully, I'll like it enough to read the three books that are out at this point. THEN back to Malazan!!

Toll the Hounds is already out in the UK. I broke down and ordered a copy -- should be here sometime next week. US release date is in September, I think.

i am not really sure if this is fantasy or sci-fi or detective or what.
really a combo of all three i think.


Lethem is also the author of





and a great short story collection that i HIGHLY recommend,

'Gun, With Occasional Music'? Now there's an intriguing title!