Kevin's Watch

Zero History, William Gibson.

--A

Which, I realised after 75 pages, is a follow-on from Pattern Recognition.

What makes these two particularly interesting is that they are not actually sci-fi. They're set in the "present" (Early 2000's) but written as though they are the future.

Just amazes me how much Gibson can cram into books that are, really, fairly short and usually stand-alone. My biggest complaint about his books is you could double all their lengths easily.

--A

And it turns out there is actually a 3rd set in the same story-line, which fits in between the ones mentioned above, but which I have not yet read.

Anyway, back to Malazan, and Dust of Dreams, book 9. Not amongst my favourite books, although the early re-acquaintance with Tehol is great.

--A

Re-reading Lavengro, a semi-fantastic memoir of the early 1800s. George Borrow was the original emo loser hippie of the era, and wrote of his struggles to find his place in the world and the fascinating characters he meets along the way; along with his slightly-batshit philological, religious, and political theories. I love that no one really knows how much of his story is true (it all could be, possibly) or fabricated (most of it could actually be hogwash) and no one will ever know. That's why I feel it belongs here, in a sci-fi fantasy discussion. It's an unusual taste of life in a bygone era, minus the china and crystal. Borrow makes a go as an author and finally bags it all to become a hippie in a caravan living in the woods with Roma, where he falls in love with the enigmatic Isopel who leaves him to go to America. What's not to love?

The Crippled God, book 10 of the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Finishing Book 9, I was again struck by how much these books repay re-reading. I feel like I'm finally coming to terms with the whole Icarium thing at last, for example.

--A

deer of the dawn wrote:Re-reading Lavengro

May the Flying Spaghetti Monster strike me dead if this description doesn't sound right up my alley.

Cthulhu damnit, like I don't have enough books on my "to-read" list

So I finished His Dark Materials. It was... Interesting.

Sadly, it started stronger than it finished. The first book was good, the second was OK, and the third... got allegorical. It just didn't work for me.

I am interested, however, in how they bring things to the screen.

That's a shame. I reread the first book and enjoyed it more than I did the first time (which was many years ago), and was debating whether to read the second now or wait for the next season of the series.

I do recall reading a bit of an interview with the author where he wanted the publisher to include some of the negative reviews because he found them amusing, and I decided I liked him a bit just for that.

Yeah, wasn't a huge fan of the books tbh.

--A

Chuckling at how Deer's description of "Lavengro" has intrigued Rigel.
And the description itself, worthy of its very own place on the thread we have for that...

Now, what else... Oh!
I got out another book by Leigh Bardugo.
A collection of short stories.

Title is "The Language of Thorns."
My I just mention how much I love that title?

Leigh Bardugo wrote:Love speaks in flowers.
Truth requires thorns.

In addition to her "Lethe House"... er, I mean, "Ninth House."

Thank you for introducing me to my favorite new-to-me author to read, Rigel!

Someone here recommended Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr and I can't find the post.... I got the sample from Amazon and it was so good! so I bought the whole book.

Rigel, I felt the exact same way about His Dark Materials. First book superb, second tried my patience in places, the third was just annoying. But there are memorable characters and lots of wasted potential and I wonder how the author lost track of what he was doing.

I thought the Golden Compass movie from some years ago was great, though. (Of course, nothing with Sam Elliott in it is ever a complete waste of time.)

Also, Lavengro might or might not be the best book people never read. I love its dashed-off quality. The author, with all his quirks and flaws and lovableness, just leaps off the page like no time has passed since 1834 at all.

I am reading the whole TCTC for the first time but my other favorite book series is Earth's Children by Jean M. Auel.
I also love Tolkein and I will get round to GoThrones when/if they are completed.


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"The reason I dedicate my life to helping animals so much is because there are already so many dedicated to hurting them."

darthbuzz wrote:I am reading the whole TCTC for the first time but my other favorite book series is Earth's Children by Jean M. Auel.
I also love Tolkein and I will get round to GoThrones when/if they are completed.

I read a couple of Earth's Children many years ago. I lost interest after a couple of books but might have to revisit. There were definitely memorable elements to it, I just got sick of the way things got dragged out (7 pages of flint-flaking because she really wants us to know she did her research, chapters of sexual tension leading to more prehistoric angst). Lol, my opinion, anyway.

Will GoT ever be completed? I highly doubt it, which is massively dissappointing as a former GRRM fan. He just let it get away from him, I guess, and how will he ever reconcile now that people have watched the series?

There are many other great series' out there waiting to be discovered!!

I was a big fan of the Auel books, at first, but Plains of Passage nearly killed me, 12 years later, Shelters of Stone was a disappointment, and the last book...well...it was just weak.

Finished my full Malazan re-read before the weekend, then read Feist's Kingdom Besieged and now most of the way through A Crown Imperilled, the first 2 books of the final Rift War series. (Missing the final book though.)

For some reason, despite always telling myself not to bother with his later books, I still pick then up when I see them (nostalgia / habit maybe) and this was no exception.

And despite complaining to myself twice in the first 25 pages that it felt like he was getting these ghost-written and his editors didn't care, I still find myself unaccountably sucked in. Again, no exception.

They're not brilliant, but somehow returning to Midkemia is still something I enjoy doing from time to time.

--A

Maybe I just liked the books because I am an atheist and I would like to meet someone that looks like Darryl Hannah. Hubba! Hubba! (She played Ayla in the movie Clan of the Cave Bear)
I am interested in early man so that helped as well.
Never found the books disappointing or dragged out though. A second read might change that and a bit older now.


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"If Earth's children ever forget who provides for them, we may wake up someday and find we don't have a home."

Felt they just sorta started repeating the same theme over and over...Meet new people, become loved / admired for skills, get outed as raised by flatheads, become reviled / hated / driven off, save somebodies life with Clan healing skills, bring round most haters, leave loved and admired having broadened the tribe's horizons...

Anyway, was passing a local bookstore yesterday and they had a 20% off sale, so picked up the missing final book in the series, Magicians End, which I'm reading now.

Also picked up one of the series I don't have, 3 books of the Conclave of Shadows.

Only 2 left now and I will have all the Feist / Riftwar books.

--A

So despite my complaints, Magicians End turned out pretty good actually, only one thing that annoyed me right at the.

Jumped back in time now to Talon of the Silver Hawk, first of the Conclave of Shadows series.

--A

Fiona McIntosh ... Blood and Memory

On the weekend I read The Horse and His Boy and Prince Caspian (both in the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis) just for fun.

Still reading Dar Oakley. I have to say that the book has had an emotional impact on my few books have. Like, I looked at the world and people differently for a couple of days; the perspective of an immortal Crow who learns People languages and analyzes their behavior has been kind of a big deal.

I kind of want to re-read this book, which I wrote 20 years ago.

Wow Deer ... I had no idea you were an author. Id be very interested in reading that.

I love CS Lewis and the Narnia books are long time faves. Who could not fall in love with the Narnia universe?