March's Marvellous Missals, Mammoth Manuals and Miniscule Monographs

[J-WO]

1/3 throught a translation of Banks The Player of Games - so far only one question - why has this been in my TBR pile for so long ?

Because that's the way those pesky Culture minds have planned it!

 

[AE35Unit]

Because that's the way those pesky Culture minds have planned it!

Do any of M Banks's books feature recurring characters? (I take it that the characters in Player of Games aren't the same as in Consider Phlebas?)

 

[Allegra]

Do any of M Banks's books feature recurring characters? (I take it that the characters in Player of Games aren't the same as in Consider Phlebas?)

Diziet Sma, from Use of Weapons recurred in The State of the Art - to my pleasant surprise. But no characters from Consider Phlebas in Player of Games.

I started reading another Banks - Against A Dark Background. So far, all I can say is - BRILLIANT!

 

[Rodders]

Do any of M Banks's books feature recurring characters? (I take it that the characters in Player of Games aren't the same as in Consider Phlebas?)

There is a fleeting reference to the empire of Azad in Look to Windward.

How are you getting on with this AE35Unit, Taltos? I must admit that i may re read this again now that you mention it. I hope you post something in the Banks thread.

 

[AE35Unit]

There is a fleeting reference to the empire of Azad in Look to Windward.

How are you getting on with this AE35Unit, Taltos? I must admit that i may re read this again now that you mention it. I hope you post something in the Banks thread.

Well I'm reading Clarke at the moment Rodders but when I read it I will post on here.

 

[j d worthington]

Having been playing catch-up on some things I've been trying to get to for a while, I've not had much time for reading the past week or so, but I did finish Gissing's Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft (a delightful, thoughtful and, in its own way, very warm document), and have now moved on to Poe's The Journal of Julius Rodman....

 

[Lobolover]

Never heard of that one J.D. Is it serious or satire ?

 

[Diggler]

Finished One Hundred and One H-Bombs by Thomas Disch. Great little collection of short stories, that touched on many styles. It had everything, from the usual SF fare, to little fairytales. Fantastic stuff.

I've now started on Australian Science Fiction edited by Van Ikin. This is a very interesting look at Australia's involvement in SF writing from 1845-1971

 

[Overread]

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett - however had to drop that and pickup Iorich by Steven Brust (nice hardback book ) because of a missing 50 pages in the first book

 

[Nesacat]

Have just started on Weird Inhabitants of Sesqua Valley by W. H. Pugmire.

 

[gully_foyle]

Wow, the cat has changed her avatar. Who said a panther can't change her spots?

 

[j d worthington]

Never heard of that one J.D. Is it serious or satire ?

I suppose that's a rather good question, really.... The tone is certainly serious, but one can't help but wonder how serious Poe himself was about the thing, given its history. It was never finished, which may be why you haven't heard of it. When he left his position as contributing editor to Burton's Gentleman's magazine (where it was serialized), he refused to continue the tale, leaving it after six installments....

 

[Talysia]

Ok - going back to my Feist reread now. Next up is Prince of the Blood.

 

[Lobolover]

Finished the Animal Farm yesterday . I needed something short before The Elixir of Life/The Lady who came to stay arrives .

 

[Taltos]

How are you getting on with this AE35Unit, Taltos? I must admit that i may re read this again now that you mention it. I hope you post something in the Banks thread.

Story is progressing nicely so far - but there are 2 things that are starting to annoy me. First - the translation is overly literal - some places I get a feeling, what was written in original text - and that is not a sign of a good translation. Second - there is a lot of acronymes in the text - which have also been translated, but there is no summary, what they should actually mean

 

[AE35Unit]

Finished Clarke's Islands in the Sky, next up a new read for me, 1951's The Sands of Mars
Been dying to read this for years!

 

[Hypnos164]

Finished Glass Houses by Rachel Caine and enjoyed it - YA urban fantasy where the central character lacks the usual special powers or ass kicking martial arts. Interesting setting too, the vampire "company town".

Imaro by Charles Saunders next up

 

[Nesacat]

Wow, the cat has changed her avatar. Who said a panther can't change her spots?

But, but, I'm still a panther ... just a different angle is all. Thought I'd change a little.

Am still on Weird Inhabitants of Sesqua Valley and am also re-reading Children of Cthulhu.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

How are you liking Sesqua Valley?

 

[Hilarious Joke]

Reading:
- 'Serpent Mage' by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
- 'Captain's Diary 2009' by Ricky Ponting
- 'The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes' by Neil Gaiman
- 'Australia's Best Stories 2009' edited by Delia Falconer