November Reading! Share your thoughts...

[purple_kathryn]

Full Circle Star Trek Voy by Kristin Beyer.

 

[HoopyFrood]

The Haunted House by Charles Dickens.

 

[Diggler]

I've been really slack lately, so have read bugger all. I finished 5 To 12 by Edmund Cooper. What a book, it played out like a morbid sci-fi cross between Shakespeare and Poetry. The protagonist is stuck in a future where mass use of contraception from the 1970s has left the sex gap of males to females at a staggering 5 to 12 in the females favor.

In this Female dominated world, wars are non existent, the arms race has been abolished and men are nothing more than objects of pleasure. Females are broken into two groups, the Doms and the Infras. Doms run every facet of society, while Infras are baby factories for the doms as the concept of pregnancy is abhorrent to them. In comes the main protagonist of the story, Dion Quern. A mild mannered starving Poet and Misogynist. You see the world through Dion's eyes.

The novel itself is really quite sexist, and would have been quite risque for the year it was published (1966). Though overall I found the story to be original, intelligent and morbidly compelling. I feel that Edmund Cooper must have not liked women too much judging from this book, as there does seem to be a fair amount of disgust towards women in general here. Though the character is a contradiction upon himself, because he does also love women at the same time.

As for what I'm reading. I'm on Our Friends From Frolix 8 by Philip K. Dick. I managed to score a rather rundown, though still servicable first edition of this. I was expecting it to be a space adventure judging by the name, so had pretty much shelved it. luckily it isn't. The story is actually about a totalitarian society where people are waiting for their latter day prophet to return from space and free them from their oppressors. This has been done a bit by PKD in the past, though as per usual his characters rope me in and his writing just glides. I say I'll finish this quite soon

 

[Taltos]

My reading habits are horrible substituted books again - this thime Gibson to Asher and Polity Agent - the official reason is travelling and trade paperback sizes (and don't even get me started on this issue )

 

[Rodders]

Diggler, try Who Needs Men. Also by Edmund Cooper. Persdonally, i've really enjoyed his works. A Far Sunset annd the Cloud Walker being my favourites. Nice to see someone else reading his works.

 

[Diggler]

Diggler, try Who Needs Men. Also by Edmund Cooper. Persdonally, i've really enjoyed his works. A Far Sunset annd the Cloud Walker being my favourites. Nice to see someone else reading his works.

I have a copy of All Fools Day, and will definitely track down those ones you've mentioned. He is definitely a unique writer

 

[GOLLUM]

I'm taking a little break from fantasy. After been thoroughly entertained by Neal Stephenson's Anathem, I moved on to The Shadow of the Wind . Just started it last night.

One of my favourite novels. I have the audio book as well, which is excellent. Anyone who features a Cemtery of Forgotten books has my vote anyway.

If you like Shadow make sure you read the sequel Angel's Game. I liked this one too.

Zafon with Shadow is the second most successful/popular novelist in Spanish literary histoy (in terms of sales) behind Cervantes.

 

[elvet]

One of my favourite novels. I have the audio book as well, which is excellent. Anyone who features a Cemtery of Forgotten books has my vote anyway.

If you like Shadow make sure you read the sequel Angel's Game. I liked this one too.

Zafon with Shadow is the second most successful/popular novelist in Spanish literary histoy (in terms of sales) behind Cervantes.

I'm more than enjoying it. I'm torn between wanting to find out what happens, and slowing down to savor the writing. Glad to here there's a follow-up.

 

[HoopyFrood]

The Hero With a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell

 

[Lobolover]

Finished the Stout and am now reading "Smallcreep's Day" by Peter Currell Brown .

@ J.D. On a sidenote , I would realy recomend you to buy the Stout if you can . Iť's highly unusual .

 

[Tillane]

Finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - great book - and just about to start Paul McAuley's 400 Billion Stars.

 

[elvet]

I read Shadowbridge (Gregory Frost) yesterday, and just moved on to the 2nd book, Lord Tophet. In doing a quick search here, I'm surprised that there is not more about them, since I quite enjoyed the first book and found it above average.

 

[woodsman]

Best Served Cold - Joe Abercrombie

 

[dask]

Finished this last night. Excellent. Carr's great. As you might expect, twist of an ending, tied the laces of my shoes together without my noticing. Will have to read more of his stuff.

Finished this tonight. Been reading it in small spurts over the months; genial examination of the field. Enjoyable. Frank Brunner, who drew Doctor Strange back in the early 70s, aces the cover.

 

[Rodders]

I just finished the Ravenor Omnibus by Dan Abnett. (Ravenor, Ravenor Returnes and Ravenor Rogue.) Very enjoyable, this guy really knows how to write a great character and kill them off.

I'm on to the Temporal Void now by Peter F. Hamilton. Looking forward to this too as i really enjoyed the first one.

 

[blacknorth]

Reading Asimov's Mysteries and finding them to be nice SF but very poor detective fiction. The case he makes for detective SF in his introduction is compelling, but the stories aren't really following through. Still, I'm only three stories in, so who knows...

 

[dask]

This was my first Asimov and first short story collection I read when I started sf back in the late 60s. Really liked it. Hope it gets better for you.

 

[GOLLUM]

Currently reading Hunger by Nobel laureate Knut Hamsun. Existential in nature, this classic 1890 novel much admired by Thomas Mann revolves around a writer forced to starve due to a lack of funds/sales. In the end starvation almost becomes a part of his sacrifice to his art and he is left with the ultimate decision to die or seek salvation by fleeing his current circumstances. Regarded as one of the more disturbing novels to have ever been written, I'm so far enjoying the way Hamsun potrays the build up and I presume dawning realisation of the main character (who is never named) that he is on a one way trip to death valley. Only 1/4 way in so far...

Anyone else read the novel Hunger?

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Nope, but Thomas Mann is a writer I admire a lot, so I'm going to have to read Hamsun at some point.

 

[GOLLUM]

Nope, but Thomas Mann is a writer I admire a lot, so I'm going to have to read Hamsun at some point.

Ditto, which is what peaked my interest in the first place. In Mann's opinion the nobel prize in literature has never gone to one more deserving than Hamsun, which means he aint' no hack....