April’s Audacious Attempts at Assailing Avenues of Literary Adventure.

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I haven't been reading much fiction this month (unless you count the wonderful entries in the writing challenge here:)), but as far as non-fiction goes, I'm brushing up on my mythology with Myths and Legends of the British Isles, by Richard Barber.
 
Ursa major said:
I finished Market Forces by Richard Morgan the other day.

First three of lines (of the Prologue):

That it took six weeks of on-and-off reading to finish it should tell its own story. That I read the least third of the novel in a day should tell you it takes some time to get going, but then takes off.

In a way, this book reminded my of the same author's Woken Furies in that often events just happen, and are given no less prominence than scenes that appear to be more relevant to the thrust of the book, and yet, when you get to the end, it all snaps into place. (Morgan has quite a bit of fun with this: some things are, it seems, explained but their true significance remains undisclosed.)

Speaking of fun, here's some criticism about one of Morgan's other books (unfounded, I might add) from the last part of this book:


I'm not sure that I can really recommend this book because it takes so long to start coming together (at least it did for me), there's too much unnecessary sex and a little bit too much violence. But if you like some of the items from a list that includes a lot of semi-random violence, plenty of graphic sex, heaps of intrigue, Mad Max (yes, really), no real heroes (only anti-heroes and worse) and an author who knows who to pull it all together at the end, you might like to think about giving it a try.
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Actually i give Richard Morgan credit for being the sf author who has sex scenes that matter, in your face. They arent fake,fluffy stuff you see on hollywood films.

Actually i stayed away from this book because it sounded too much like it was about buisness politics in a company. Not the same punch as in his other books. Good to know i was wrong about that :)
 
At last I have my copy of The Infinity Gate by Sara Douglass :)

Am only three chapters in but already it has 'hooked' me! New adversaries, familiar faces - I know I'm going to enjoy this volume.
 
Finished Roadkill by Rob Thurman, enjoyable UF - now that the ultimate enemy of the first three books has been defeated the series seems to be a bit lacking in focus (last 2 books).

Not sure what's next, maybe something in regular fantasy like Deed of Paksenarrion
 
Connavar said:
Actually i give Richard Morgan credit for being the sf author who has sex scenes that matter, in your face. They arent fake,fluffy stuff you see on hollywood films.

Actually i stayed away from this book because it sounded too much like it was about buisness politics in a company. Not the same punch as in his other books. Good to know i was wrong about that :)
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I'm not sure my "analysis" can stand up to too much close examination, but I do wonder whether Morgan wanted to produce a searing critique of amoral (at best) business practices but thought it needed to be wrapped up in a thriller full of (sometimes**) random violence (plus quite a lot of sex) and other "exciting" things in order to reach a wider audience; and then made the mistake of overdoing the wrapping. Where the underlying plot came more to the fore, the book had a lot more momentum.

In the end, (or by the end) I enjoyed it, but it could have been a whole lot better, given the heights to which this author can rise (and has risen, on occasion).



** - "sometimes" because, as I mentioned in my origianl post, some scenes are not as randomly present as they seem when you first read them. Saying more might very well risk providing spoilers.
 
Ursa major said:
I'm not sure my "analysis" can stand up to too much close examination, but I do wonder whether Morgan wanted to produce a searing critique of amoral (at best) business practices but thought it needed to be wrapped up in a thriller full of (sometimes) random violence (plus quite a lot of sex) and other "exciting" things in order to reach a wider audience; and then made the mistake of overdoing the wrapping. Where the underlying plot came more to the fore, the book had a lot more momentum.

In the end, (or by the end) I enjoyed it, but it could have been a whole lot better, given the heights to which this author can rise (and has risen, on occasion).
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He got a thriller SF rep that maybe he thought he should write in an action story too. He is my fav modern sf because he can sneak a thought provoking SF story in the midst of an sf action. He is a smart sf writer too imo.

I can enjoy this book even if its not him at his best.
 
Nearly finished Le Guin's Planet of Exile and well, I'm not that impressed to be honest. It was OK but not a keeper. Not sure what to try next, I did borrow a Clive Barker book from the library, Mister B. Gone, but not sure I'm in the mood for it. If I did read it,and its a slim book, it would be the first Barker book I've been able to finish!
 
I've just finished another Pratchett book and I don't have the next one, so I'm heading for some more local flavor, sort to say.
I'm starting 'Hax grid' by a Romanian 14 year old author, Bogdan Gheorgiu. Apparently it's the first Romanian cyberpunk novel so let's see what the youngster's capable of.

Plus, I got it for 25 euro cents.
 
I'm reading The Whale Road by Robert Low. A historical fiction about a Viking crew in 965 AD.
 
Reading The Twilight Reign, a trilogy by Tom Lloyd.

This is a strange one. There are so many strangely named characters that I can't keep track of them all, and I keep reacting to their names when they pop up, either by "who was that again?" or "what a weird name, it doesn't fit in with any other names in this region".

Ah well, almost finished with the second book, after that I need to decide if I can get trough the third one before reading some Guy Gavriel Kay first or not.
 
Finished with Knife of Dreams (Book 11, WoT). Finally, after so many dull outings, WoT is interesting again. Stuff actually happens in this book! Imagine!

Moving on now to The Scar by China Miéville. I've never read any of his work before; let's see what all the fuss is about.
 
Finished Le Guin's disappointing Planet of Exile and now onto another book in the series, City of Illusions
People say these are early books and that she improved her writing later but Left Hand of Darkness,her signature novel,was only written a few years later!
 
January
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons 8.5/10
Noble House by James Clavell 8/10
Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick 7/10
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie 7.5/10

February
Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons 8.5/10
Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds 6/10
Bright of the sky by Kay Kenyon 7.5/10
A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon 7.5/10
Mister Slaughter by Robert r McCammon 8/10
Song of Kali by Dan Simmons 8/10

March
The Source by James Michener 9.5/10
Girl with the dragon tattoo by Stieg Larsson 8.5/10
City Without End by Kay kenyon 7.5/10
Girl who played with fire by Stied larsson 8.5/10
Girl who kicked the hornets nest by Stieg Larsson 8.5/10
Byzantium by Lawhead 8/10

April
Horns by Joe Hill 8.5/10
Heart Shaped box by Joe Hill 7/10
Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert Redick 7.5/10
 
Finished Invitation To A Beheading , a strange, often surreal novel about a man on death row, written by Vladimir Nabokov. This one goes on my list of Top 10 Fantaastic Fiction novels from outside the genre, and is currently my second-favourite Nabokov novel, after Pale Fire.

Currently reading Heart Of A Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov.
 
Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:
Finished Invitation To A Beheading , a strange, often surreal novel about a man on death row, written by Vladimir Nabokov. This one goes on my list of Top 10 Fantaastic Fiction novels from outside the genre, and is currently my second-favourite Nabokov novel, after Pale Fire.

Currently reading Heart Of A Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov.
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Have you read The Star Rover by Jack London ?

That death row book you read reminded of that London book instantly.

Let me know if you think Heart of A Dog is weaker or stronger than Invitation To A Beheading.

I like to start with one of those books instead of his most classic books.
 
Finished Furies of Calderon, and loved it. I'll definitely be looking for the others in the series now.

Moving on to Julian May's Sorceror's Moon.
 
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