What are you reading?

[Markh]

Just finished reading Terry Pratchett - Making Money. Not really a stand out book in the series, but a worthwhile read none the less.

[[Malks] Pixie]

"Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep" - Phillip K Dick
Just started - will be finished soon, great book - been a while since I've read it.

Soon to be followed by, "The Difference Engine" by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson (two of my all time favorite authors) - yet again have read it years ago so looking forward to rereading it.

Pixie

[Macca@Work]

some crappy ass thread on nzgames..

[Sp0nge]

a book by one of the alleged NZ terrorists (although she's american) Valerie Morse:
"Against Freedom - The War on Terrorism in everyday New Zealand life"

http://www.rebelpress.org.nz/assets/againstfreedom.pdf

[Golden Teapot]

Finished "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" the other day. Now on to "Sabriel" and that's proving good too.

[LordP]

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy - A trilogy in five parts (hardback)

[Draco T Bastard]

Presently Robin Hobb's Liveship trilogy.

[duckmannz]

Originally Posted by Draco T Bastard

Presently Robin Hobb's Liveship trilogy.

That's a good series. I'm currently suffering through her 'Soldier Son' series. Talk about pulp fiction

[reac]

Just finished Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained by Peter F Hamilton. Currently reading Island in the Sea of Time by S. M. Stirling.
All good stuff so far.

[Kryten]

If you need or want to pick up any new fantasy author this year, you cannot go wrong with Joe Abercrombie and/or Scott Lynch. I just got finished with "Red Seas Under Red Skies", the second of Lynch's "Gentlemen Bastard" series and it's absolute awesome-sauce.

I've got dibs on Patrick Rothfuss's "Name of the Wind" at the UH booktorium, a book which by all accounts hits all of fantasy writings high notes and none of the lows. Just waiting on the library to finish "processing" it, whatever that means.

[Nemises]

hmm..good timing, just in teh amrket for a new read...
Scott Lynch eh..right..to the bat-waterstones!

[StN]

Originally Posted by LordP

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy - A trilogy in five parts (hardback)

Don't you just love the gilt edged leather bound biblicalness of it?

[[Malks] Pixie]

River of Gods by Ian McDonald...
ISBN 0-7434-0400-9

Enjoying it an awful lot - basically it's a cyberpunk book set in middle asia (mostly India) with a backdrop of Hinduism, zero-point energy, AI and space exploration. Some great writing, really interesting take on the future and nicley rounded characters.

If anyone out there likes a bit of cyberpunk (Gibson, Sterling, Williams etc) then I'd definatly suggest they pick up a copy and check it out.

Pixie

[IoriDyson]

kingdom of fear by hunter s thompson... hahaha he's so funny!

[LordP]

Originally Posted by StN

Don't you just love the gilt edged leather bound biblicalness of it?

Ooh, I don't have that version - pretty

[Draco T Bastard]

Originally Posted by duckmannz

That's a good series. I'm currently suffering through her 'Soldier Son' series. Talk about pulp fiction

Yeah, probably her best IMO but I can't really say I'm a fan of hers. All of her stories that I've read seem to start off well but have a lame finish. Almost as if she had to hurry to finish or wanted to finish on the third book.

[crocos]

Originally Posted by duckmannz

That's a good series. I'm currently suffering through her 'Soldier Son' series. Talk about pulp fiction

Understood - I read the first one in that series and am not going to read the others.

[crocos]

Originally Posted by Draco T Bastard

All of her stories that I've read seem to start off well but have a lame finish.

While perhaps a little too Deus Ex Machina-ish, I didn't find the ending to the Farseer trilogy too bad. Agree with the other series' so far.

[armourking]

Eisenhorn Omnibus - Dan Abnett

[flic]

You Gotta Dream by Conrad Hilton

Written in 1957 when he was in his 60's. All about how he built the hilton Hotel empire. Quite a fascinating man

He'd be very disappointed with his great granddaughter Paris I'd say.

[IoriDyson]

skanks are a sign of modern living

[Fred]

I just inhaled, in a day, John Scalzi's 'The Ghost Brigades' a followup novel to 'Old Mans War'. Both are really good Heinlein-eque novels that provide a solid light military science fiction read. Well worth the time to track down.

[crocos]

Currently reading the following three books:

"She" - H. Rider Haggard
Haggard (the author) died in 1925, and likewise the book is set in around 1890-ish. It's a tale of inheritance and immortality, which I've been finding fascinating.

"Gradisil" - Adam Roberts
Well known for his high concept Sci-Fi, Roberts has crafted a story of a fledgling nation establishing themselves in orbit, independent of any government, and the reaction of the ground-based bureaucracies.

"The Historian" - Elizabeth Kostova
Wow - this book is excellent. This takes a look at Vlad Ţepeş, Son of the Dragon (literal meaning of "Drakulya" - which is then anglicized into Dracula) from a "factual history" point of view of a daughter looking back into her father's past in a world where that self-same evil old bastard (Vlad the Impaler) actually DID become immortal. The includes some brilliant research around the countries and times involved (though the good folks on it's Amazon page bleat on about some fairly minor inaccuracies around dates of when things happened in an obviously fictitious novel ). An ingenious and compelling reimaging of Stoker's definitive work - well worth the read.

[Nemises]

Originally Posted by Kryten

...or Scott Lynch. I just got finished with "Red Seas Under Red Skies", the second of Lynch's "Gentlemen Bastard" series and it's absolute awesome-sauce.

Good call so far Kryters..only 3 chapters into The Lies of Locke Lamora , but allready love the writing style and comedy

[Heresy]

The Ground Beneath Her Feet - Salman Rushdie. Thoroughly enjoying it, his grasp and use of English is probably the best I've encountered. A pleasure to read.

[Draco T Bastard]

Originally Posted by crocos

Currently reading the following three books:

"She" - H. Rider Haggard
Haggard (the author) died in 1925, and likewise the book is set in around 1890-ish. It's a tale of inheritance and immortality, which I've been finding fascinating.

Can be found here

He seems to have been a fairly prolific writer.

[Painty]

Stephen Ambrose: D-Day

An account of the D-Day landings from veterans on both sides. And includes British and Canadian (not just the yanks)
Interesting read and I now have a lot of respect for the guys who did this. Casualty rates in the first hour were around 50%.

Best tribute I can give is reading about it.

[Fred]

Just finished 'Saturn Returns' by Sean Williams.

Far future tale of Galactic Civilisation having collapsed with a quasi-soldier having been restored from a partially destroyed archive he had left out on the Galactic fringe. Not only are there gaps in his memory but the people reviving him got his gender wrong and there are suggestions he might be deeply involved in the collapse of civilisation - deeply enough that people seem keen to kill him again.

It is clever but mildly unsatisfying. It reminds me a bit of Vernor Vinge's 'Fire Upon the Deep' with differing strata of human society operating at differing time scales with gestalts, hive minds, replicated personalities that meet periodicly to share experiences and the odd singular human entity. The universe created is fun but by concentrating on the story of the hero revisiting the decisions he made and possibly making a new choice it never resolves the bigger picture issues. Who did trigger the Slow Wave that killed the hive mind Forts? By the end of the story we simply don't know. It seems poised for a second book to run with things but there is no indication it is part one of anything...

Still it had enough draw to get me to read it in under a day - which is usually the sign of a compelling read.

[hsh]

That stupid bible studies thread got me reading "The Spanish Inquisition" by Cecil Roth. Fun stuff and a must read for anyone contemplating a bit of torture, burning of heretics and the like.

[Ab]

...and other history nerds.

If you don't alread have it, grab "The First Man In Rome" by Colleen McCullough. Yes, Colleen "The Thorn Birds" McCullough. Man oh man, this book has knocked me on my butt it's so good. I can only compare it to "A Game of Thrones" as a series opener.

[Kryten]

Originally Posted by Ab

...and other history nerds.

If you don't alread have it, grab "The First Man In Rome" by Colleen McCullough. Yes, Colleen "The Thorn Birds" McCullough. Man oh man, this book has knocked me on my butt it's so good. I can only compare it to "A Game of Thrones" as a series opener.

Thanks for the tip Si, I've reserved it at the library.

Just started reading Patrick Rothfuss's debut novel, "The Name of the Wind" - about 1/4 of the way through and it's awesome so far. Here's the "blurb" from the back of the book (which is incidentally verbatim from the book itself):

"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me".

[Draco T Bastard]

Just finished reading the Chronicles of Magravandias by Storm Constantine. Good plot line but not overly well written. First part of the first book absolutely sux but it picks up after that so overall not a bad read. Has an excellent ending.

[LordP]

I've finished HHGTTG in five parts, so on the look out for something more - First Man In Rome and Name Of The Wind look like good candidates (plus Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll again, once it's been returned at the library)

[OY636]

Finished War and Peace, took a break. Now reading The kite runner - Khaled Hosseini. So far so good.

[Rangoon Attack]

Originally Posted by Rangoon Attack

just started reading hyperion - dan simmons

I'm now up to The Rise of Endymion ... for some reason that book was actually hard to find in Wellington, had to order it from Fishpond :S

[LordP]

Just finished 'The Name Of The Wind', and of course, now I want more. Next part isn't due until 2009 though

[[Malks] Pixie]

Just started reading "Dark Benediction" by Walter M Miller Jr. One of the Sci-fi masterworks series. A good collection quite old school sci-fi stories.

Hadn't read any of his stuff before and quite enjoying it.

Pixie

[Ajax]

Pixie: check out 'Non-Stop' by Brian Aldiss (SF Masterworks collection) - it's fantastic.

Recently finished 'Chickenhawk' by Robert Mason - a blood-curdling, testicle-shrinking account of what it was like to be a Huey pilot in the 'Nam.

Now embarking on 'Collapse' by Jared Diamond.

[[Malks] Pixie]

Originally Posted by Ajax

Pixie: check out 'Non-Stop' by Brian Aldiss (SF Masterworks collection) - it's fantastic.

Yep read it - not my favourite Aldiss but still pretty damn good.

Pixie

[reac]

Originally Posted by Fred

I just inhaled, in a day, John Scalzi's 'The Ghost Brigades' a followup novel to 'Old Mans War'. Both are really good Heinlein-eque novels that provide a solid light military science fiction read. Well worth the time to track down.

Based on this have just read both of them, most enjoyable.