September's Indulgences...

Welcome Apocalypsis
I was just thinking, when I'm typing these posts out it's probably when everyone is just about to get up to go to work in the UK. I'm a night owl, don't sleep much at night.
 
I'm now reading Poul Anderson's Harvest of Stars and Carol Berg's Revelation, the sequel to Transormation, as well as getting back into Steph Swainston's The Year of Our War after being momentarily distracted by shiny new book shaped objects.


The Anderson book is quite good - it's the sort of thing Heinlein used to excel at, a futuristic adventure against a background of a political clashes, feisty libertarians as the protagonists and a tight, fast paced plot. In fact, the name of one key character, Anson Guthrie, may well be a nod to Robert Anson Heinlein (Anson McDonald was also one of RAH's pen names if I recall right). On the other hand, no windy exposition or sexual freebootery - yet.

The Carol Berg book is shaping up interestingly, with Seyonne being plunged into new conflicts when he discovers a demon that intends no malice and merely wishes to learn of our world - a situation that throws the very purpose of his people's ages-long war against demons into question. Berg descirbes her character's inner thoughts very well, plunging you right into their feelings and impressions.
 
dwndrgn regarding youre earlier post on the first page;I knew basically how the story was going to end, who the killer was (although I was two thirds through
I have the same experience with TV movies and shows, I know what's going to happen in the rest of the movie during the first ten minutes of the show. I tell someone else and they get upset and say, If you seen it before don't tell us the ending, we haven't seen it. Then I tell them, I didn't see it before;). Maybe I watched to many movies I know the whole plot from the start.
 
Recently finished The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. The Devil and his accomplices (which inlude a check-coated clown, a naked girl and a talking black cat) come to Moscow and raise hell amidst the populace. This book is funny, evil and utterly chaotic. Best of all, there is no artificial tying up of loose ends at the end. Highly recommended.
 
Thanks for the welcome, Maryjane :)

Finished Maigret's Mistake by Georges Simenon.

Reading Amal Nor - Den besatte (The Possessed) by Felix Thoresen, first book in a trilogy about the hunt for the Holy Grail.
 
I'm hoping my amazon order will arrive today as I desperately need some cheering up!

What a carp day! I don't need to hear any more bad news. Give me something good to work with!!
 
Reading Feist's Exiles Return. It reads from the perspective of Olosko, the 'baddie' in the previous two books, once you get passed this strange change in perspective Olosko seems to grow on you. I am happy to have something to read, Bukowski's warped slant on life is so grim it is demoralising. And to think that I was entertaining thoughts of reading Post- Office again.
 
todays indulgence is The outstretched shadow..book one of the obsidian trilogy by mercedes lackey and james mallory. im not very far into it and today has been very distracted so far..but it seems that it will be good once i get into it. so far it sort of reminds me of the chrysalids crossed with 1984..if that makes any sense at all..:rolleyes:

im also reading an old fantasy and science fiction magasine that i found at a thrift store..it features jane yolen, isaac asimov, john morressy and barry n. malzberg. it is from..gosh it doesnt even have a year..hmm. it seems rather old though.
 
WHich Malzberg story is that? He's one of my favourite sf authors on the strength of two novels and a handful of short stories I've read, but his work seems to be infernal hard to find.

I've derailed my other reading to pick up Samuel R Delany's The Jewels of Aptor. It's his debut novel, and seems like an easier entree to his work than The Einstein Intersection, the other Delany novel I've read (although I highly recommend his collection of short stories, Driftglass).

I'm a bit stuck in the Steph Swainston book. The plot is getting bogged down by a plethora of characters all of whom seem to react in similar ways to the protagonist, and all of whom are involved in very opaque manouevers. ALso, the protagonist's flashbacks to his childhood, while fascinating in themselves are rather poorly handled, disturbing the flow very badly. Still,the book is decent enough for a debut novel, and has some genuinely cool world building and ideas. I'll probably get back to it in a bit.
 
I've just been reading 'Ooor Wullie' cartoons, I don't have anything else to read at the moment.
 
Arwynn said:
todays indulgence is The outstretched shadow..book one of the obsidian trilogy by mercedes lackey and james mallory. im not very far into it and today has been very distracted so far..but it seems that it will be good once i get into it.
Click to expand...
I enjoyed that one.

I just finished Lady Slings the Booze and I believe that next on my list will be Hidden Truth, the sequel to First Truth by Dawn Cook. I've also got an interesting little book by Marvin Harris called "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches The Riddles of Culture" that I've been reading off and on. Here's a snippet from the back cover, "Why do Hindus worship cows? Why do Jews and Moslems refust to eat pork? Why did so many people in post-medieval Europe believe in witches?" So far I've only gotten through the bit about Hindus and cows. It is interesting but dry reading.

Edited to add: Maryjane, comic books always count. If you look hard enough you'll see a number, usually up in the top right corner...:D
 
knivesout.."in which two affectionals meet for a drink at a cafe and discuss flowers and slaughter.." There the Lovelies Bleeding. by barry n.malzberg..if you havn't read it i'd be delighted to send it your way when im done with it.
 
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