What are you reading?

[tor]

Originally Posted by ilk

...hunt down the dosadi experiment, his most unsung book imo.

++

[p-b]

Anyone able to recomend some good Sci-fi that's off the beaten path? (e.g. not clarke, asimov etc)

Something reminded me of the game Elite the other day which reminded me of the short story books that accompanied Elite 2 and Frontier: First Encounters. Some of it was some real gritty, frontier worlds sort of stuff and I'm keen to read more in that vain.

I can't remember any of the authors from those books though

[p-b]

Bit of googling and hey presto: http://www.lotf.co.uk/lib.shtml

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by p-b

Anyone able to recomend some good Sci-fi that's off the beaten path? (e.g. not clarke, asimov etc)

I've been reading a bit of Harry Harrison lately, which is good. Plenty going on.

Neil Asher is definitely one of my favourite authors. Great space opera. Worth reading them in order.

What about yourself?

[Ajax]

Just picked up the first two parts of Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. Looking forward to it.

[[LvN]N3misiS]

Originally Posted by Ajax

Just picked up the first two parts of Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. Looking forward to it.

Awesome series

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Axident

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway.

Reads a little like Neal Stephenson in his earlier books: with the same full-on, textured prose and over-the-top metaphors. Enjoyable book that kept me going for a couple of days.

Originally Posted by Kryten

Easily the best book I've read in the last 12 months - I'm stunned more people aren't reading/talking about it to be honest. Seems to be something of a late bloomer, having come out last year.

Just finished this last week. Not the kind of book I enjoy when I'm in the middle of Uni, rather have something lighter that has less length and wandering in the sentences. Hmm, can't think of a way to write that while minimising how stupid it makes me sound.

However enjoyed it a lot better after "the event". Glad I read it in the end, just thinking I might have enjoyed it more when my brain is slightly less fried.

[p-b]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

I've been reading a bit of Harry Harrison lately, which is good. Plenty going on.

Neil Asher is definitely one of my favourite authors. Great space opera. Worth reading them in order.

What about yourself?

Have queued up an anthology book by Julian Flood for my Kindle. A couple of his stories are in the Frontier: First Encounters book that I managed to find with a bit of digging today, along with a few other authors.

Really wish I could have got a copy of the Elite and Elite 2 ones. I wonder if there are still game boxes for those two games out in the world somewhere...

A few of these stories set themselves apart for me because they're not just set in space, but on frontier worlds and not neccesarily in space at all. They tend to potray a rather gritty future and not all set in pristine futuristic worlds/ships etc.

Am going to look into a few of these authors but hoping people might be able to suggest similar sorts of sci-fi stories.

[Baal]

Against my better judgement I am attempting to re-read WoT. I managed to get to the 6th book on first attempt before quitting in disgust eons ago.

I'm now up to book 8, I have to say this is still the first series that manages to make me hate such a large % of characters, yet still feel oddly compelled to read it, mostly in the hope that they will die a grisly death.

When not wishing a long agonising death on the majority of the characters, I'm marvelling at many many pages of the most inane shit (my speed reading skills are through the roof currently) that fails to advance any meaningful plot, at all.

Then occasionally, amongst the whole filthy cesspit of wtf, you get an AWESOME bit that makes you think that maybe, just maybe it'll be all good from here, so you keep reading. 1-200 pages of inane drivel about the most annoying, boring characters imaginable later ...

It's just the POS I remember it being. I'm just completing it because I won't let it beat me and there's a possibility of a foursome.

It's even worse than GRRM's game of blah series* and that's saying something.

* Not to be confused with the TV series, which unlike the books, is awesome.

[Ab]

Come on man, how you you dislike such long and detailed descriptions of what everyone's wearing?

Sheeit, I think Jordan was a dressmaker in a previous life.

[GM]

Originally Posted by Yoda

snip* rather have something lighter that has less length and wandering in the sentences. Hmm, can't think of a way to write that while minimising how stupid it makes me sound....

FWIW that's called purple prose

[Kryten]

I'm such a reading whore right now - lots of half read books (which is odd for me) and nothing really grabbing my attention. I'm pretty much waiting for the next Ben Aaronovitch book to hit in July.

I have, however, finished "A Lonely Kind of War" by Marshall Harrison which was his recounting his time in Vietnam as a Forward Air Controller (FAC). I'd definitely put it up there with my Vietnam aerial fav's: Chickenhawk, Low Level Hell and To The Limit.

I've (finally) picked up The Forever War by Joe Haldeman - looking over the reviews from people I give a toss about and the awards it's won, I'm left wondering why I haven't read it yet.

[Baal]

Originally Posted by Ab

Come on man, how you you dislike such long and detailed descriptions of what everyone's wearing?

Sheeit, I think Jordan was a dressmaker in a previous life.

I can't decide if he was a misogynist or the world's biggest troll.

[tor]

Originally Posted by Kryten

I'm such a reading whore right now...

heh same, I have "The Plague" by Camus, "Distrust this particular flavour" by Gibson, "The Demon Haunted World by Sagan, "Religion for Atheists" by Botton and "Schismatrix" by Sterling all on the go.

Unusual thing is they are all good so it is more of a jumping between them rather than deferring reading.

Originally Posted by Kryten

I've (finally) picked up The Forever War by Joe Haldeman - looking over the reviews from people I give a toss about and the awards it's won, I'm left wondering why I haven't read it yet.

For what it is worth the succeeding books in the trilogy are not as good.

Although Accidental Time machine was pretty good.

[[Malks] Pixie]

Originally Posted by Kryten

I've (finally) picked up The Forever War by Joe Haldeman - looking over the reviews from people I give a toss about and the awards it's won, I'm left wondering why I haven't read it yet.

Just reread it (again) recently - as Tor said the followups aren't nearly as good but it is a masterpiece. It's worthwhile to make sure you have the original editon as Haldeman intended it (if you got the SciFi Masterworks version thats it) as the other version has some rather odd changes in it.

Gone on a bit of a rereading mission over the last couple of weeks...

Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Babel 17 - Samuel R Delaney
Blood Music - Greg Bear

Currently rereading The Invisibles (Grant Morrison) as I've decided I'm going to use it as a text for an essay I've got coming up...

Pixie

[Kryten]

Originally Posted by [Malks] Pixie

Just reread it (again) recently - as Tor said the followups aren't nearly as good but it is a masterpiece. It's worthwhile to make sure you have the original editon as Haldeman intended it (if you got the SciFi Masterworks version thats it) as the other version has some rather odd changes in it.

Just had a quick check over it and Amazon have the correct version, including Joe Scalzi's foreword/apology and Halderman's note about this being the definitive version.

[Ajax]

The Forever War fucking owns. It's better than Starship Troopers, hands down.

Also I'd highly recommend all SF nerds read Gateway by Frederick Pohl.

[Rince]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

I've been reading a bit of Harry Harrison lately, which is good. Plenty going on.

this.
(good HH short story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets_of_Ashkelon)

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Kryten

I've (finally) picked up The Forever War by Joe Haldeman - looking over the reviews from people I give a toss about and the awards it's won, I'm left wondering why I haven't read it yet.

Tis good.

Originally Posted by GM

FWIW that's called purple prose

Ahaha, ta. That's amusing. Although can't help thinking "purple prose" is a new brand of female self-completing apparatus.

[Baal]

Originally Posted by Baal

WoT rant.

Book 8 Basically nothhing happened except annoying people and dresses.
Book 9 FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[Baal]

Originally Posted by Baal

Book 8 Basically nothhing happened except annoying people and dresses.
Book 9 FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Book 10 FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Plainly RJ didn't understand or care that people don't want to read about 50 million sub plots with thoroughly unlikable protagonists. Speed reading entire chapters now.

[TD]

I'm re-reading (!) Wheel of Time and I'm up to book 8. I'll probably skip most of book 9 and 10.

Book 10 is just the worst. It should be renamed to Crossroads of Boring.

[TD]

Originally Posted by Baal

I can't decide if he was a misogynist or the world's biggest troll.

I'd love to know what Robert Jordans deal was. Re-reading WoT I've really noticed how often women are made to undress around each other, punish each other, etc.

[aR Que]

*shrug* who cares, tower of lesbians. Nice.

[Ajax]

Kim Stanley Robinson on the genesis of his new novel, 2312:

"I wanted to write a novel about a relationship between a mercurial character and a saturnine character, and I wanted them to be from Mercury and Saturn respectively."

[Kryten]

Scalzi's Redshirts is out (first four chapters are available free). I've made it to Chapter 3 but it's looking promising so far.....

[[Malks] Pixie]

The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness by Donna Haraway

Makes me kinda want to own a dog again...

Pixie

[chiQ]

I recently read the Steve Jobs biography and The Girl Who Played With Fire. The first was compulsive. The second was a series of lists.

[LordP]

The Silmarillion - pretty heavy stuff language wise (IMO), struggling a bit, but enjoying filling in some gaps.

[Xanatos]

I recently had the bright idea that I can use my iPad to read comics and have been having a blast re-reading all my favorites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer_(DC_Comics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(Vertigo)

According to Wikipedia all 3 of those series were started in the late 80s, what's happened with comics in the 20+ years since?

[Baal]

Nothing good.

[crocos]

IIRC all three series' have finished. Watchmen was just the one story, Sandman came to the end of that last issue, then Gaiman didn't write any more of them, Lucifer was just the one story through to the new universe.

[Baal]

Originally Posted by Baal

Book 10 FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Plainly RJ didn't understand or care that people don't want to read about 50 million sub plots with thoroughly unlikable protagonists. Speed reading entire chapters now.

Book 11. Some redeeming moments. Storyline with Mat is pretty readable. Rand ditto. Perrin boring. Females continue to be thoroughly unlikable (just skim these and weed out the plot points). Sometimes cuts to short storylines of people you really don't give a fuck about (wtf).

Still at least 30-40% clothing oriented. Slightly less FFFFFFFFUUUUU than previous book.

[[Malks] Pixie]

Picked up a copy of Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhosky at the library - yes the book the game was based on. Not bad - but not exactly up to the usual grade of Russian sci-fi that I'm used too though (ain't no Strugatsky at least). The game seems to have captured a lot of the atmosphere which is impressive - though it's a bit of a chicken/egg situation of course.

Pixie

[TD]

Just finished Winter's Heart. Preparing to read the least eventful book written in the history of man: Crossroads of Twilight.

My strategy for re-reading Wheel of Time is working quite well: If its boring, skip 5 pages and then see whether it is still boring.

[Baxton]

was at the second to last book of the malazan series. it got so boring had to stop, his character writting is often so poor. names 10 characters, with a brief description and then assumes you know who they are or give a fk about them.

started the mistborn series on the feed back from here. that is a fkn coo series, halfway through book 2.

[LordP]

Reading through the Drizzt Do'Urden books again (Dark Elf Trilogy, Icewind Dale, etc), in chronological order. Been a while since I've read these, getting caught up in the story again feels good.

[chiquelet]

All I care about atm is A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm relying on the library for my copies, and they're so popular that I've only just finished book 3, waiting impatiently for book 4. Can't wait to read book 5, then I can finally read the designated Ice and Fire thread!

Have been killing time in between with Persuasion (Jane Austen), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John Le Carre), Divergent (Veronica Roth), Bossypants (Tina Fey), and a collection of Truman Capote novellas including Breakfast at Tiffany's.

[chiQ]

Originally Posted by chiquelet

All I care about atm is A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm relying on the library for my copies, and they're so popular that I've only just finished book 3, waiting impatiently for book 4. Can't wait to read book 5, then I can finally read the designated Ice and Fire thread!

Have been killing time in between with Persuasion (Jane Austen), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John Le Carre), Divergent (Veronica Roth), Bossypants (Tina Fey), and a collection of Truman Capote novellas including Breakfast at Tiffany's.

You've read the best of A Song of Ice and Fire. Well worth reading the next two, but don't expect the same standard.

[Spink]

Finished reading Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter, now reading Slaughterhouse Five, actually had a dude from Dresden stay at my place for a month which'll add bonus interesting to it.