September's Indulgences...

[Princess Ivy]

Love peters work. have a couple myself. managed to find a couple of ruth rendells on sale for 20p each at the local library. guess what i'm reading

 

[Blue Mythril]

After that I read First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain, the sequel to Green Rider. I found the second to be much better than the first, though I enjoyed the first enough to wait for the second . What is both good and bad about First Rider's Call is that it ends with few conclusions - a definite clue that there will be another installment - but that tends to irk me because now I've got to wait to find out what happens.

Wow, I've been waiting for that to come out for ages... HAd no idea it was finally out.

Buggar, I have no time to read it. But the temptation is there....
Hmmm....

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Finished Harvest of Stars by Poul Anderson. Oh my. You want epic sweep? This book has epic sweep in surplus. Just when you think Anderson's already taken you through the whole amusement park and the remaining few hundred pages surely can't be more than maintenance, there he goes again!

The novel starts in a near future earth, with North America dominated by the Avantists, a totalitarian party who believe that AI is the future of consciousness in this universe. They regiment society according to machine-generated metrics and are preparing for the transit to purely virtual lives. However, the space-going corporation, Fireball, has other plans for the future. Lead by the feisty, libterty-loving Anson Guthrie, Fireball believes in a future in space, in new worlds to discover, explore, and possibly settle. Oh, and Anson Guthrie exists only as a download, a recorded human personality, complete with memories and volition, that can exist only as part of a machine.

The story starts with space pilot Kyra Davis' daring rescue of Guthrie from Avantist forces. As they flee to the comparitive safety of space, the Avantists create a duplicate Guthrie, an alter-ego who is convinced that Avantism is justified and forms an uneasy alliance with his former enemies. And then begins a breakneck race that reaches across the galaxy, momentarily culminating in the creation of a Fireball colony around a distant star. Long preparation creates an environment where human life can thrive, but the star this new home-world orbits is doomed to explode in a thousand years. And so begins another daring flight into space...

And that's the 5-minute version. What I've left out are the details. And Anderson was a master of details. Nearly every aspect of his future vision - science, technology, society, humanity and even divinity (now there's a teaser for you!) is incredibly well thought-out.

I do have a few misgivings, though. Well, basically Fireball. It is after all a business organisation, and positing a corporate entity as the last haven of human liberty has never sat very well with me, although it happens often enough in certain kinds of sf novels. There's a certain Heinlein-ish cast to many of the characters and ideas here (especially Anson Guthrie - clearly a nod to Robert Anson Heinlein) which is both good and, at times, highly annoying. Also, while it is a stand-alone novel, Harvest of Stars marks the commencement of a future history sequence which must have been Anderson's last major project. So I'm going to have to scour the shops for the remaining books.

To sum up, this is wide-screen sf that takes the classic space adventure setting and an approach that is more Golden Age than anything else, and shows that it can still be made relevant, exciting and thought-provoking. It's a shame Anderson isn't with us anymore, but he certainly has left a body of work well worth delving into.

Erm..that was a review wasn't it?

 

[-apocalypsis-]

Finished:

One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters. Can't wait till I get my hands on Monk's Hood.

The Plague by Albert Camus.

The Happy Return by C. S. Forester.

Re-reading Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I was stuck on my terrace last night because my roommate forgot to lock the door, but bolted it instead, which makes it impossible to open from outside, and then fell into a deep slumber.

Fortunately, I had my big leather coat for warmth and a copy of A Game of Thrones for entertainment. It was a full moon, so I read quite a bit. Deeply impressed. Martin just may challenge Erikson as my personal favourite epic fantasy writer of the moment. Yes, I realise I'm late to the game, but I was in fat fantasy rehab for a while after getting burned out on WoT.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

Mate, I am yet to read Erikson but have a copy of Gardens of the Moon sitting right next to me. I am waiting to finish reading Exiles Return by Feist and Sword from Red Ice by JV Jones first. It is strange having so many unfinished stories swimming around in my head, the most frustrating of which is GRR Martin's Song of Icicles and Flames which is the greatest work of Fantasy bar none. That is if he does not destroy the story in the next two or three books. Clash of Kings is good, but the story and characters get stronger and stronger. You are in for a real treat mate.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I certainly do seem to be. What really strikes me so far is the depth of characterisation. I really feel involved with these people, and there is a strong sense of engaging with real personalities, not just flat archetypes.


Of course, I'd much rather read the rest of the book in more homely surroundings.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

If I had a terrace, I would do all my reading out on it regardless of the weather! That would be bliss and perfection for me even if it snowed. Stick some Van Morrison on, slouch in a nice hammock, and drift off into whatever world the book offered. I get the keys for my new house on Friday, and though the garden is small I am already planning on turning it into a paradiso. The neighbours will call me the 'crazy boy who reads in the rain'. Or the 'noisy ******* who has parties until dawn'.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Sounds like a design for life. I should see about getting a hammock for my terrace.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

You should. Do you have plants on your terrace? I am not sure which flowers and plants to buy, but I was thinking about fragrant ones such as Lavender and Honeysuckle. Plus they take care of themselves and need no pruning etc. I am not sure if there will be space to have a greenhouse, else I would grow some herbs. I imagine your climate would be ideal for growing herbs.

 

[littlemissattitude]

Another dedicated "outside" reader here. I often sit out on my porch and read or write. It's been lovely the past couple of mornings - nice and cool, finally. It's fun to sit out there, read awhile or do some writing, alternating with watching the birds (we've got a family of fierce blue jays who seem to live on our awning), the dog across the street, and the occasional cat that wanders through. Sometimes the big old orange cat next door will stand inside it's screen door (he's an inside-only cat and not happy about it) and meow to me, and I meow back. I think he thinks that if he is persistent enough, I'll come liberate him. Oh, and then there are the lizards who entertain me by running up and down the trunk of our Italian cypress trees or sitting on the driveway next door and doing push-ups.

Well, okay, sometimes I don't get much actual reading done out there. But it is nice and relaxing.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

We human beings lived caged existances, I myself need to celebrate the outdoors more. I feel that nature does not receive as much attention as it did when I was a child. I need to rekindle the awe, and once more take in the beauty of this stunning planet that most often goes by me unnoticed.

 

[ravenus]

I imagine your climate would be ideal for growing herbs.

There's a suggestion for you, knivesout. You could grow your own 'herbs'.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Just as soon as you build your own A-bomb, you old mad scientist.

 

[dwndrgn]

A-bombs and 'herbs' aside, I've had a reading marathon here . I've read five or six books in the past few days (nothing much else to do). Some of interest here, Fool Moon by Jim Butcher was good if a little gorey, Legend by Gemmel was good but a little predictable, Patricia Briggs' Raven's Shadow was good and I'll be checking out the next in the series. Right now I'm finishing up Brooks' latest Shannara, Tanequil. The others I've read wouldn't be of interest to this group, mostly popcorn light reading to give me a laugh and pass the time.

 

[Devillishgirl]

I just finished Guardians of the Keep by Carol Berg...second book in the D'Arnath series, very good but I need the next one soon! I'm currently reading Silver's Edge by Anne Kelleher..not quite sure what I think of it yet, I'll let you know when I've gotten further in