The August What-Are-You-Reading-This-Month-Thread....

[Diggler]

Read "Day of the Triffids" again and am currently reading Harlan Ellison's "The Beast Shouted Love at the Heart of the World". Read Hunter S Thompson's "Hells Angels" first this month, though wouldn't count that as a sci-fi LOL

 

[elvet]

While I enjoyed Robin Hobb's Shaman's Crossing, I find the Forest Mage draggy. Hopefully Renegade's Magic will recapture what I like about the first book.

 

[Lord Soth]

Dust of Dreams by Erikson finally landed on my doorstep this morning. Looking forward to the usual 'haven't got a clue whats going on until half way through' bit, conciously(sp?) trying not to rush this read!

 

[HoopyFrood]

There are OotS books? Right, they are going on the order list!

Yah...as I say, The Origin of PCs, which details the back stories of the main characters. This one's all right, I felt Durkon's backstory was a little weak, and mostly goes through what we've probably all deduced from various things in the webcomic.

Then there's Start of Darkness which is much better...you really get into the back stories of Xykon and Redclock -- especially Redcloak. And you learn a bit more about the Thing in the Darkness. I thought for a brief moment that I'd finally seen a bit more detail of it, perhaps its arm...but it turned out I was looking at bucket handle wrong.

There's also books that are collecting together the webcomic in book form...Beginning with Dungeon Crawlin' Fools, then No Cure for the Paladin Blues, and War and XPs.

 

[Hypnos164]

I gave up on Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding about 2/3rds of the way through - it was painfully mediocre and the fact that if I read that was "my book" was stopping me reading at all.

Went with some safe options to get over that:

Ripped through The Mysterious Art of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston in 2 sittings

Currently reading The Androids Dream by Scalzi which is the last of his novels I haven't read - early impression is that he is a better writter when he's not trying quite so hard to be "funny".

 

[Tansy]

Just finished Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds and really enjoyed it *shock horror* I did speed read the science bits though

 

[Rodders]

I think Reynalds is a great writer and his science is actually quite accessible.

 

[j d worthington]

Have been continuing with my recent trend, having read a few more shorter tales (mostly from the second volume of my old Ballantine/Beagle Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos), and am now rereading (again, for the first time in many years) Colin Wilson's The Philosopher's Stone. I still think I prefer this one to The Mind Parasites, but it certainly wouldn't be to everyone's taste....

 

[Tillane]

After much dillying and dallying I finally got around to reading The Name of The Wind, and really enjoyed it. There's a certain amount of padding in there, and there are a couple of places where it jars or drags, but for the most part it's a damn good read. Now I just have to join the seemingly endless line of punters waiting for Wise Man's Fear...

In the meantime, I'll go back to my Murakami marathon, probably with Sputnik Sweetheart or Dance Dance Dance. Or I might go for Last Argument of Kings, which has been on the TBR pile for a while now Or I might do both.

Yeah. I'll probably do both.

 

[J-WO]

Read Hunter S Thompson's "Hells Angels" first this month, though wouldn't count that as a sci-fi LOL

No, but I've noticed a lot of sci-fi readers dig St Hunter. Maybe his Gonzo writing style goes along at the same breakneck, tangential speeds as SF- the same ideas per paragraph ratio.

Goddam it, he makes the real world interesting. Hell of a skill!

 

[Connavar]

Just finished Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds and really enjoyed it *shock horror* I did speed read the science bits though

Understandable in RS book i was very temped to speed read the science bits which was like in every page.

My only fault with the author is sometimes its like you think you are suppose to tell a story with well done character,good enough tale and not only babble science...

Not that i mind Hard SF several of my favs are that kind of authors.

 

[soulsinging]

I finished THE STAND by Stephen King. It is rather good!
_______________________
Life is good!

I have been pondering reading this forever now. Everyone raves about it. Maybe I'll pick it up today!

I just finished World War Z by Max Brooks. It was by far the most fun I have had reading something in a very long time. Thrilling story, great action, surprisingly engaging and emotional characters... it was way better than it had any right to be really. For a book that on the surface is about a zombie plague, it really ends up as more of a critique of our current society and an inspiring look at human ingenuity.

Now I think I'm going to read A Scanner Darkly. Never read a Philip Dick novel before, so let's hope I like it! Unless I return from the book store with the Stand or something, hehe.

 

[Connavar]

The Handle by Richard Stark, the 8th book in Parker heist Noir series.

My first brand new book of this series, i have waited patiently a very long year to read this reprint. Bless Chicago University Press !

 

[J-WO]

Now I think I'm going to read A Scanner Darkly. Never read a Philip Dick novel before, so let's hope I like it! Unless I return from the book store with the Stand or something, hehe.

One of my all-time favourites. If you want to read something near-future and down at heel then its a must- a brilliant critique on the modern world's anti-drug policy/ethical cul de sac.
However, if that's not to your taste, maybe try something from Dick's middle period. Ubik or Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch come to mind- further in the future and more about reality getting bent out of shape.

 

[Connavar]

The Rare Coin Score by Richard Stark

Parker book 9.

 

[dask]

I have been pondering reading this [THE STAND by Stephen King] forever now. Everyone raves about it. Maybe I'll pick it up today!

I got a copy as a Christmas gift when it first came out and thought it was great. I almost threw a fit when an unexpurgated edition came out later. As much as I hate butchered books I'm not going to reread it. Too long. The edition I read was the only one available at the time and it didn't read like it was cleaved to death. I content myself with that.

 

[Pyan]

Impressed by Omphalos's review enough to go and buy Old Mans War by John Scalzi - read half of it in Starbucks over an increasingly cooling-off mug of latte, and went and bought the next in the series before coming home...

 

[daveac]

I'm re-reading 'The Postman' by David Brin

Cheers, daveac

 

[Tansy]

Just picked up bf's copy of Necronomicon by HP Lovecraft and finding it hard to put down...

though I am sensing already that waning gibbous moons are a re-occurring theme

 

[Tansy]

Understandable in RS book i was very temped to speed read the science bits which was like in every page.

My only fault with the author is sometimes its like you think you are suppose to tell a story with well done character,good enough tale and not only babble science...

Not that i mind Hard SF several of my favs are that kind of authors.

RS??

Sorry you lost me