July's Reading List

[dwndrgn]

I just finished The Broken God, and must say that it is stunning in all senses of the word. Read it. Now.

So I'm guessing you liked it. Who wrote it and what is it about?

 

[littlemissattitude]

"The Best Revenge" by Stephen White. Another mystery. I'm on a bit of a kick with them right now. Actually, it's just that I'm discovering the new books by some of my favorites (Kellerman is one, White is another). This is another series with continuing characters that seem like old friends. He's written 11 or 12 (and I think there's one newer than this one, but it was out of the library when I was looking), and I think I've read all but the newest. Now, I think there's also a new Faye Kellerman out, and a new Elizabeth Peters "Amelia Peabody" novel (and I haven't even managed to read the last one yet).

 

[polymorphikos]

So I'm guessing you liked it. Who wrote it and what is it about?

The book is by David Zindell, and set in the very, very distant future on a planet of ice, in the city of Neverness. Danlo, a child approaching manhood amongst a tribe of primitive Neanderthals, is rapidly initiated when his tribe dies from a horrific plague, and he is forced to travel to Neverness in search of a cure.

The book is a long and wandering and beautifully-written one, with out-there imaginings, theology and philosophy and introspection, and paints an at-turns languid and blood-boiling picture of the years, and the incredible revelations and terrible things that occur. The characters are all beautiful and enchanting, and the images, and Zindell actually manages to create a sense of terrible beauty at some points. Don't read it unless you're up for something richly-layered and textured and highly-cerebral, because if you aren't then this is the absolute antithesis of what you're after.

 

[dwndrgn]

Sounds deep. One I'd definitely like to read but probably not at the moment. I'm oddly not in a reading mood lately, stress seems to badly effect my enjoyment of reading. I am though, reading a book by Dennis McKiernan called Silver Wolf, Black Falcon which is one of his Mithgar series. Your basic fantasy with elves, little people, shapechangers, magical weapons, etc. I think I like his because his character dialogue and interaction seem to be very realistic and make you want to sit and chat with them. The only objection I have is that they are all pretty perfect - rarely do you see bad choices, or stupid moves that actual real people make every day. So, it is light and enjoyable. Despite that fact I haven't read much of the book yet because I just can't get into a reading mood. Odd since I've been an obsessive reader all of my life. Hopefully if my circumstances change, I'll regain my obsessive need to read whenever I'm not moving .

 

[littlemissattitude]

That's interesting, dwndrgn. I've been an obsessive reader all my life, as well, and I have found the past few years that I've started going through phases when I just don't want to read much at all. I don't know what triggers these periods, but it isn't stress in my case. On the contrary, I find that when I'm feeling stressed or depressed, all I want to do is lock myself in my room with a stack of good books and read day and night. And all my life, when I've had an upset of some kind the fastest way to make myself feel better is to treat myself to a visit to a library. My version of shopping, I guess.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Continuing to read Angelica Gorodischer's Kalpa Imperial. This is so beautiful, I just have to read it in small installments and ponder on each tale before reading the next one. Excellent translation by Ursula Le Guin. I am also reading Jack Vance's The Eyes of the Overworld, so it's a bit of a prose style-feast going on right now. On a lighter note, I'm nearly done with Jasper Fforde's third Thursday Next novel, The Well of Lost Plots, and the fun continues unabated.

 

[**Elentari**]

i was trying to read M. Bulgakov's "Master and Margarita" in russian (since it's the language it was written in), but gave it up for a while. so... now i'm reading "The Firebrand" by Marion Zimmer Bradley. will go back to Bulgakov right after that, and maybe one day i will actually finish it! it's a good book, but kinda hard to read, especially in russian...

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

'Firebrand' is about Cassandra of Troy, right? I used to have a copy of it, but somehow I never did finish the book. The fact that I already knew how the story ends kept weighing me down.

 

[**Elentari**]

yep, it's about Kassandra (that's how Marion decided to spell it in the book). i also know how it's gonna end, but i still wanna read it (i'm still at the beginning so i have enough time to give up...). i like Marion's writing...

 

[benbert]

i am currently reading both "The Dilbert Principle" by Scott Adams and and x-files novel called "Ground Zero" by Kevin J Anderson. OOh and i'm also reading the highway code if that count's...

 

[ravenus]

i'm also reading the highway code if that count's

Only if it's Science Fiction or Fantasy

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Still reading Kalpa Imperial. I finished Vance's EYes of the Overworld, and am trying to take a little time before plunging into it's sequel, Cugel's Saga simply because my stash of unread Vance books is rather skimpy, and not easy to add to.

I'm also reading Will Self's Dorian, a sort of modern-day retelling of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey.

 

[dwndrgn]

I'm currently reading The Dragon of Despair by Jane Lindskold which is the continuing story of Firekeeper, the girl raised by intelligent wolves who is brought back into society and used for her unique abilities to keep the kingdom from being destroyed from within and without by unscrupulous people. Good fantasy, somewhat unique and well-written.

 

[polymorphikos]

On a Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy binge lately. Downloaded the radio plays, and that made me go and get all the books out of the library, and now all I can do is sit and feel moderately bitter about Mostly Harmless. I have a theory that Adams wrote it to stop people asking him to write more Hitchhiker books, but this is almost certainly wrong. I like So Long and Thanks for All the Fish best.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I have a theory that Adams wrote it to stop people asking him to write more Hitchhiker books, but this is almost certainly wrong.

Something tells me you could be right.

 

[littlemissattitude]

I'm almost finished with "Moving Target", a memoir by Ron Arias. He is a writer who set out to figure out who is father, a military man, really was. Not a bad book.

And I've begun Michael Moorcock's "The Skrayling Tree" (sequel to "The Dreamtheif's Daughter").

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Nearly done with Kalpa Imperial, and Will Self's Dorian progresses well. Starting next month, I'm embarking on a fairly lengthy program of non-genre reading - there's a new Martin Amis novel I need to read, a recent one by John Banville that I missed, and several works by Arturo Perez-Reverte, Thomas Pynchon, Jorge Luis Borges and others that I've been postponing getting around to for too long now. I am sure the fantasy and sf world will survive my temporary absence.

 

[Hypes]

Poly, I found the Danlo books to be a bit disappointing after the first few books. He has a tendency to drag - and Danlo has the air of a zealot about him. Never a likeable character. He reminds me a bit of Michael Valentine Smith (but at least he was a likeable character).

Personally, I must say Neverness was by far the best book of the bunch, focusing on Mallory and Bardo whom are both much more faceted characters.

 

[littlemissattitude]

Nearly done with Kalpa Imperial, and Will Self's Dorian progresses well. Starting next month, I'm embarking on a fairly lengthy program of non-genre reading - there's a new Martin Amis novel I need to read, a recent one by John Banville that I missed, and several works by Arturo Perez-Reverte, Thomas Pynchon, Jorge Luis Borges and others that I've been postponing getting around to for too long now. I am sure the fantasy and sf world will survive my temporary absence.

Just so long as you don't desert us, as well. I, for one, am really interested in hearing about these other books as well. I've noticed that I haven't even browsed in the mainstream fiction section in the library for quite awhile, and I've been thinking I should probably see what's going on over there. All suggestions are welcome.

You see, that's one of the things I like about this forum. While it is centered on science fiction and fantasy, and that's where the bulk of its attention should remain, the regulars around here seem to have very wide reading habits. And that is a good thing.

 

[Jucifer]

I just finished reading house Corrino by Brian Herbert. Part of the pre-lude for Dune Series. Not that bad for a sell out. Although I think he is just capitalizing on his father's genius. Also, finished reading Dan Simons Hyperion Fall and now Starting the next Hyperion Novel - Endymion. Dan Simons is quite good. Hyperion was a great novel and the series isn't that bad even though I think he is trying to capitalize on previous success as is my suspicion with most series books. Sequel's are often very commercial but you know you can loose yourself in a familiar futuristic world all over again by reading one of those.