November's Nefarious Navigations of Notorious Novels (and other literary forms).

[GOLLUM]

OK, you know the routine.

Please post whatever captivating (or otherwise) stories you are currently reading.

Cheers.

 

[thatollie]

Still reading Dirk, not that continuation from one month to the next is noteworthy, I just wanted to kick start this thread.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Currently reading:

The Sodom & Gomorrah Business by Barry N Malzberg, courtesy a care package from the kindly Nesacat. Here's a blurb: Death and Disorder 104. Institute courses told a grim story about the Network - that savage world beyond the closely guarded Institute gates. But they wanted to see for themselves. They had to know. Were there really females there? Would their training as mercenaries prepare them for the wild bands of grisly subhumans? They set out on a journey of discovery only to become the unwitting agents of forces that threatened to destroy the only world they'd ever known.

The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington. A British heiress who proceeded to join the surrealist movement and has had a life that is not without its own surreal moments, Carrington's novel is full of wonderful flights of fancy, vivid, unusual turns of phrase and quirky but compelling characterisation as she tells the tale of a very old woman who has been left in a very weird and somewhat sinister community for the aged.

 

[GOLLUM]

And most pleased I am that you did thatollie......

I am still amazingly finishing a collection I began more than 2 months ago entitled Fantastic Night and other stories written by Stefan Zweig and published by Pushkin Press. Zweig is known as a great Austrain writer whose height of popularity peaked in the 1920s and 30s, becoming amongst the most widely read authors in the world at that stage. Of course, like a lot of extremely talented European writers with Bruno Schulz being another that springs immeditely to mind, the second World War resulted in Zweig bring kept out of the public eye until his genius was rediscovered, particualry in the West in more recent times through a series of excellent translations.

So far, the stories I have read have been really good. For anyone interested in reading Zweig, you should check out his novel Beware of Pity, genrally regarded as one of the great novels of 20th Centruy European literature, sitting alongside such greats as Joseph Roth's Radetzky March, Alexander Doblin's Berlin Alexander Platz or W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz, albeit I've not read the latter myself yet.

Highly recommended.

 

[Allegra]

Thanks for the recommendation, GOLLUM. I'll look them up. I read his The World of Yesterday lately and absolutely loved it!

 

[biodroid]

Abercrombies - Before they are hanged. Really good so far even though I am only 30 pages in but a great pace and the plot setup is awesome too.

 

[GOLLUM]

Thanks for the recommendation, GOLLUM. I'll look them up. I read his The World of Yesterday lately and absolutely loved it!

Indeed. That would be Zweig's autobiography. I have not read that myself yet, so given your enthusiasm I may wish to chase it up.

For Zweig, in addition to his short fiction, check out his novels Post Office Girl and Beware of Pity and his best known novella Chess.

Cheers.

 

[Culhwch]

I'm currently navigating my way throguh Justin Cronin's The Passage. I'm never going to get this tome of a book read before it's due back at the library...

 

[Fried Egg]

Currently reading:

The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington. A British heiress who proceeded to join the surrealist movement and has had a life that is not without its own surreal moments, Carrington's novel is full of wonderful flights of fancy, vivid, unusual turns of phrase and quirky but compelling characterisation as she tells the tale of a very old woman who has been left in a very weird and somewhat sinister community for the aged.

I like the sound of this...might have to try it myself some time...

 

[GOLLUM]

I like the sound of this...might have to try it myself some time...

You may be interested to know that Leonora Carrington is herself somewhat iconic in the surrealist movement. She also had relations with the brilliant Max Ernst, whose graphic novel Un Semaine de Bonte, which was first recommended to me following a discussion with China Mieville, is amongst the most astonishing works I've ever had the pleasure to peruse.

I'm sure J.P. will have more to say on this.

 

[purple_kathryn]

A Darkness at Serathon which is book 3 (I think) in the riftwar saga by Raymond E Feist Just started it today

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I like the sound of this...might have to try it myself some time...

I think you'd enjoy it. It's available as a Penguin Modern Classic.

 

[alchemist]

A Darkness at Serathon which is book 3 (I think) in the riftwar saga by Raymond E Feist Just started it today

Hooray, a book I've not only heard of, but actually have. I got given the trilogy for my 21st, along long time ago.

 

[CyBeR]

I've finished reading 'Heechee Rendezvous' today. While the last section of the book was really rushed, and I could see one of the grand reveals a mile away, it was still a very enjoyable read. I've read a lot of people complaining about the shifting perspective...I actually found it quite nice to read and very easy to follow.

Gonna start on 'The black lung captain', by Chris Wooding. 'Retribution Falls' was such a great book, that I'm thoroughly looking forward to this one.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Just started Keith Brooke's The Unlikely World Of Faraway Frankie

great so far

 

[murphy]

Finished up The Magicians and Mrs. Quent and have now started The House on Durrow Street, both by Galen Beckett (aka Mark Anthony). Interesting fantasy that takes place in an alternate world that reads somewhat like a Regency novel, but with magic. Enjoying it very much

 

[purple_kathryn]

Hooray, a book I've not only heard of, but actually have. I got given the trilogy for my 21st, along long time ago.

I was a bit late getting into the fantasy genre so I'm slowly catching up

 

[AE35Unit]

Well I'm 28 pages thru my re-read of Greg Bear's 1981 novel Strength of Stones and can't remember any of it so far! Interesting idea though, intelligent cities that move from place to place having cast out humanity aeons ago. Does that not sound like Blish's Cities in Flight? (Need to read that too)

 

[Vertigo]

Finished Neal Asher's Line of Polity which I throroughly enjoyed, Though I'm not sure as much as the previous three Polity books I've read. I found the multiple plots that it starts out with a bit confusing (something I don't normally have a problem with) and thought the ending was a bit rushed.

Also just finished David Weber's most recent HH book Misson of Honor, which I thoroughly enjoyed (one of my guilty pleasures!). However as the series has gone on he does seem to get into more and more technical detail on his warships, weapons, speeds and accelerations. Despite generally likely techie stuff in my SF, he just goes into too much detail for me and I find myself skipping it. That said he does write military SF well along with interesting complex political machinations.

Haven't quite decided what to go for next from my TBR pile.

 

[Mouse]

Reading (still) The Queen's Necklace by Teresa Edgerton, and A Sword from Red Ice by J.V. Jones.

Finally finished Jane Slayre. (Can't help but wonder what Charlotte Bronte would've made of it!)

And now started I was a Rat by Phillip Pullman and loving it. And also a self published novel which I promised to review... although there's a few errors in it which keep throwing me out.