The All-New Singing and Dancing October Reading Thread!

[Lobolover]

Finished "The house in the Valley" by Derleth . Am now on the last story in "The Mask of Cthulhu" , "The Seal of R'lyeh" . I shall definitely review the colection . For now, let's just say that when in the story I am reading now he wrote "The Elder Gods could so easily have become the Christian Trinity" it made me want to hurt people .

 

[j d worthington]

Derleth was a (somewhat) lasped Catholic; he never could really get away from that background, which may help explain why he never could "get" Lovecraft's rather bleak cosmic vision. As for the "Elder Gods"... well, that's entirely Derleth's creation, so he could do with them as he liked. (For those following Derleth's distortion of HPL's ideas: Yes, I know about Lovecraft's use of Nodens, but it really isn't comparable, nor was he seen as part of any "Elder Gods" pantheon aiding or even rooting for humanity. The entire simplistic "good-vs.-evil" scenario was Derleth's contribution, not Lovecraft's. HPL had no such view of things, and made that very clear more than once....)

Still working my way through the Year's Best Horror anthology and Necroscope; not making a great deal of progress with either at the moment....*sigh*

 

[Lobolover]

I have to say that this colection seems devoted to showing how Derleth took the one and same idea and tried to perfect it . Certainly, there is far less amateurish writing and more convinciveness in the 1953 "Seal of R'lyeh" then in the 1936 "Return of Hastur" .

I also take issue with Derleth making the King in Yellow, at least hinting anyway, to be some enormous ******** of a thing . I once saw a drawing online and that was much more on the mark then how I think Derleth wanted "Hastur" to look .

http://www.unboundbook.org/wiki/images/d/de/KingInYellow.jpg

 

[Hypnos164]

Finished Neuropath - Scott Bakker - which is mostly some fascinating musing on, and extrapolation of, the current state of conciousness research wrapped in a thin SF/thriller vaneer.

Very thought provoking if you are interested in the subject - avoid totally if you aren't

Currently on The Jagged Orbit by John Brunner master of the depressingly plausable grim future.

 

[Lobolover]

Working on my review - will finish it the moment I read the last 7 pages of "Seal of R'lyeh" .

 

[chrispenycate]

I have Finished Tad Williams' 'City of golden shadow'. It has taken me over two and a half years to do so, with a large number of other books read in the interstices – the longest I have ever taken over a book that I have actually got to the end of. (although there are a couple, specifically GRRM's "Dying of the light" which could actually take longer, if I ever reach the end.)

And it doesn't resolve anything. All those hours of ploughing through, rather than having to force myself to stop at night, and it's 'Another three volumes to go, mate'.

Grrr.

 

[Tillane]

Finished the excellent Neverwhere, and later today (once I've had my sleepy) I'll make a start on Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

 

[Walker]

Going for the whole Wheel of time series by Robert Jordan

 

[Rothgar]

Finished The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories, Night of Knives by Esslemont, and started reading Rocket Ship Galileo by Heinlein.

 

[Grimward]

Now for some easy reading Feist and Shards of a Broken Crowd - it's been in the TBR stack for too long.

Not meaning to out you on the typo, Taltos (and please forgive me!), but I can't help thinking that Shards of a Broken Crowd would make a pretty cool title for some other work, somewhere.....

 

[Rodders]

I've just started reading the Ravenor Omnibus edition by Dan Abnett. (A Warhammer 40K book.)

 

[Allegra]

Started Robert Harris' political thriller The Ghost (the film will come out next Feb. on time in spite of Polanski's arrest). I already liked the first 30 or so pages which means I may have to get his Fatherland - another Hitler-won alternative history novel and perhaps Enigma, a World War II cryptographic mystery novel.

 

[AE35Unit]

Last night I began The Palace of Eternity by Bob Shaw.
I just love the opening sentence!
"In spite of all his efforts Tavernor was unable to remain indoors when it was time for the sky to catch fire!"


I was like, wow, what a way to start a book!

You can see how i get on with it here:
Diary of a SF Addict

 

[Grimward]

I have Finished Tad Williams' 'City of golden shadow'. It has taken me over two and a half years to do so, with a large number of other books read in the interstices – the longest I have ever taken over a book that I have actually got to the end of. (although there are a couple, specifically GRRM's "Dying of the light" which could actually take longer, if I ever reach the end.)

And it doesn't resolve anything. All those hours of ploughing through, rather than having to force myself to stop at night, and it's 'Another three volumes to go, mate'.

Grrr.

The whole series was a slog for me, Chrispy, although I read them more or less after the 3rd book (Mountain of Black Glass) was released, finishing shortly after Sea of Silver Light's release. It's different, but I like his epic fantasy better....

 

[murphy]

The whole series was a slog for me, Chrispy, although I read them more or less after the 3rd book (Mountain of Black Glass) was released, finishing shortly after Sea of Silver Light's release. It's different, but I like his epic fantasy better....

I couldn't (didn't want to) finish the series around 1/2 through the third book. Way too much slogging involved to finish so I just gave up.

 

[HoopyFrood]

...which means I may have to get his Fatherland...

I've read that, although it was probably about four and a half years or so ago when I did so I can't remember much about it. I finished it, though, so it must've been all right! I got through it pretty quickly, if I remember correctly.

 

[GOLLUM]

I couldn't (didn't want to) finish the series around 1/2 through the third book. Way too much slogging involved to finish so I just gave up.

I didn't mind them and the final book did draw the loose threads together quite nicley, altohugh I felt hte ending was a little rushed.

I've always maintained it is so far his most ambitous work but not his best, that still goes to Memory, Sorrow and Thorn and the stand-alone War Of The Flowers.

 

[Rosemary]

I'm re-reading Feast of Soulsby Celia Friedman. I enjoyed it the first time round but this time has me hooked.

Wizards, monstrous ravenous beast, politics, intrigue, magic and a dark hideous way for the magic to be made.

 

[Connavar]

I didn't mind them and the final book did draw the loose threads together quite nicley, altohugh I felt hte ending was a little rushed.

I've always maintained it is so far his most ambitous work but not his best, that still goes to Memory, Sorrow and Thorn and the stand-alone War Of The Flowers.

I miss War of The Flowers, it was a wonderful book.

You dont happen know to a similar book that is also quality.

 

[GOLLUM]

I miss War of The Flowers, it was a wonderful book.

You dont happen know to a similar book that is also quality.

Sorry Conn but not for the moment.

It's a little unique that book.

I know you're not a big China Mieville fan otherwise I would suggest City and the City but more because it's a noir story ala Chandler meets the Twilight Zone.

They're both excellent examples of Urban fantasy, something China is particularly good at.