Mmm, just finished Poseidon's Wake - the last of Reynolds Africa and elephants trilogy and while not completely overjoyed, it was far, far better than Steel breeze, the middle book (apart from the elephant stuff). Hoping he does not do a Greg Bear and go so far off the boil as to be totally tepid, churning out drivel (after the genius of Blood Music and Darwin's Radio).
*What book are you reading? (part 2)
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DangDarn
New Member
I don't think so. Humanity is crazy different advanced. In Revelation Space they are primitive compared to these people, and the universe in general seems to have another history.
Just reading this now. It does not seems as captivating as some of his earlier work. Also it's so big and heavy, hard to read in bed!
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
Alisdair Reynolds new one 'Slow Bullets'
got an epub so if anyone wants a copy pm n email addy
got an epub so if anyone wants a copy pm n email addy
Aint posted on this in a while....stand out books recently read - Donna Tartt's 'The Goldfinch' - wow, what an unexpected masterpiece. I read quite slowly but devoured it in a week! Everyone i know who's read it did the same. Utterly awesome.
And finally finished Ulysses in June! Took me three years. I read it on and off, then stopped for a year, cos i had to read stuff for work, but did a sprint during summer. It's the wildest, wittiest, maddest, and most challenging book I have ever read. I read the Penguin edition, companioned by 'Ulysses and Us' by Declan Kibberd.
And finally finished Ulysses in June! Took me three years. I read it on and off, then stopped for a year, cos i had to read stuff for work, but did a sprint during summer. It's the wildest, wittiest, maddest, and most challenging book I have ever read. I read the Penguin edition, companioned by 'Ulysses and Us' by Declan Kibberd.
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Vintage Paw
dead stare and computer glare
Not book, but I've just got up to speed with Attack on Titan. Damn it's good.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
Legion by Brandon Sanderson
very odd but compelling. A man whose imaginary people areaspects of his genius, a camera that takes photos of the past and a crazy scientist looking to get a photo of jesus
very odd but compelling. A man whose imaginary people areaspects of his genius, a camera that takes photos of the past and a crazy scientist looking to get a photo of jesus
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
susan cooper, mandrake
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
if you like it the films great as well, and the guys next novel 'the bone clocks' was amazing.
belboid
Exasperated, not angry.
Sunjeev Sahota - The Year of the Runaways
Which has, I am surprised to see, just made it onto the Booker shortlist. I picked it up after seeing it on the longlist, partly because it is half based in Sheffield. And, while it is an interesting and well written read, the characters are well drawn and very sympathetic, it hasn't had any great surprises in it so far (82% of the way in), and is as bleak as the moors. Which could make for a nice literary device, comparing the comparative bleaknesses, but his evocation of Sheffield is a bit crap.
oh, and it would probably be really annoying to read on paper, as there are shedloads of Punjabi phrases included, the meaning of which I would have had no idea of if I hadn't been able to quickly look them up on my kindle
Which has, I am surprised to see, just made it onto the Booker shortlist. I picked it up after seeing it on the longlist, partly because it is half based in Sheffield. And, while it is an interesting and well written read, the characters are well drawn and very sympathetic, it hasn't had any great surprises in it so far (82% of the way in), and is as bleak as the moors. Which could make for a nice literary device, comparing the comparative bleaknesses, but his evocation of Sheffield is a bit crap.
oh, and it would probably be really annoying to read on paper, as there are shedloads of Punjabi phrases included, the meaning of which I would have had no idea of if I hadn't been able to quickly look them up on my kindle
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belboid
Exasperated, not angry.
his next one was actually Black Swan Green - for which he just stole my childhood. [/pedant]
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Just finished Iain Banks' The Quarry.
My how kind the critics were cos he'd just karked it. It's very flimsy and the characters are shits apart from the narrator, but he's not particularly sympathetic either. 2/10
Not quite as bad as Dead Air or The Business.
Anyone read Stonemouth? Have to read it for completion's sake
My how kind the critics were cos he'd just karked it. It's very flimsy and the characters are shits apart from the narrator, but he's not particularly sympathetic either. 2/10
Not quite as bad as Dead Air or The Business.
Anyone read Stonemouth? Have to read it for completion's sake
belboid
Exasperated, not angry.
I enjoyed Stonemouth, but then I quite enjoyed the Quarry too.I didn't particularly enjoy Dead Air or the Business, in fact they bored the arse off me. Stonemouth & Quarry both actually had something that was missing from far too many Banks books - an ending, rather than just a fizzling out.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
The Business gets loads of flak but I really enjoyed it, read it twice. Ending was rubbish but other than that I found it entertaining. Of course Crow Road and Espedair Stret are the best non-m ones. Always did love the SF more than his mainstream stuff.
BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
I enjoyed Stonemouth too Orang Utan, it reminded me of The Crow Road.
I think I've only got Dead Air left to read now
I think I've only got Dead Air left to read now
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
I think my favourite is Walking On Glass. Worst is Dead Air. Complicity is massively overrated too.
ringo
Macaroni cheese controller
What You Want Is in the Limo: On the Road with Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, and the Who in 1973, the Year the Sixties Died and the Modern Rock Star Was Born - Michael Walker
Great bit of music writing concentrating on how these three bands released successful LPs and then embarked upon huge US tours to promote them, changing the face of popular music and rock stardom. Not just (although also) a list of bad behaviour, with great descriptions of the innovations and development of sound reinforcement suddenly required to blast the egos of coke fuelled, newly fashioned megastars across enormous arenas for the first time. Walker conveys the excitement of living through seismic cultural changes as everything about the music business expanded and new practices, jobs and ways of making and spending money were conjured from the air using the established trope of necessity as the mother of invention.
Great bit of music writing concentrating on how these three bands released successful LPs and then embarked upon huge US tours to promote them, changing the face of popular music and rock stardom. Not just (although also) a list of bad behaviour, with great descriptions of the innovations and development of sound reinforcement suddenly required to blast the egos of coke fuelled, newly fashioned megastars across enormous arenas for the first time. Walker conveys the excitement of living through seismic cultural changes as everything about the music business expanded and new practices, jobs and ways of making and spending money were conjured from the air using the established trope of necessity as the mother of invention.
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
After re-reading "Rogue State" to get some info to settle a discussion, which I've now done.
I was a bit "what now" - got given a Vince Flynn to read, s'OKish, for light/bedtime reading, so I might try one or two others ...
However, doing some sorting out at me Dad's and found a copy of Ben Goldacre's "Bad Science" to stick my nose into. To nick a phrase "quite fascinating ..."
I was a bit "what now" - got given a Vince Flynn to read, s'OKish, for light/bedtime reading, so I might try one or two others ...
However, doing some sorting out at me Dad's and found a copy of Ben Goldacre's "Bad Science" to stick my nose into. To nick a phrase "quite fascinating ..."
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Who wrote Rogue State?
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
Sorry, Orang Utan - the author is William Blum. (ISBN: 9781842778272) published in 2000 (3rd edn updated to 2005) by Zed books.
not-bono-ever
meh
the martian. I only found there is a filum coming,like last week. its very good ' and even better when you realise it was originally self published
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
You go to the trouble of saying it's self-published but without bothering to credit the author - shame on you!
Andy Weir wrote it, and yes, it's good, though it drops a point cos the hero hates disco. Worra twat.
Just finished Without the Moon which is the new one by Cathi Unsworth. I'd read Weirdo by her and thought it was good whereas this was a bit disappointing really. The main problem with it being that it's as if she had basically stuck two different stories together and it just doesn't work very well. It's set in London during WW2 and is obviously heavily influenced by various London underworld books and films, which Unsworth acknowledges, but what I felt was that it ends up feeling very familiar, all the characters being quite lightly sketched - often to the point of cliche. When combined with the structural problems there's not a lot to recommend about it.
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