May's Marvellously Mysterious Manuscript Meanderings

[Rodders]

Just finished Jack Campbell's The Lost Fleet: Dauntless and found it very enjoyable. Now on to The Lost Fleet: Fearless.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

Still making my way through A Clash of Kings by GRRM. Hoping I can finish it this week, to continue on with A Storm of Swords. This is my third time reading through these books, and I'm loving every minute of it.

 

[Lord Soth]

Finally reading Hyperion - mostly everyone counts this as a sci-fi classic but I must admit I am a little underwhelmed at the moment.

 

[mosaix]

The Whisperers by John Connolley.

So far it's excellent.

 

[J-Sun]

J-Sun, there were a few versions available so I asked around. I got the Everyman's version, which is complete (and there are tons of footnotes, so missing them shortens the work by maybe a quarter) but easy to read. Apparently Penguin's version is more scholarly.

I have the Modern Library version which is taken from Everyman's but I think Everyman's was 6 volumes and ML puts them in three big volumes. Gibbon's own footnotes are some of the best parts, though.

One of the reasons I got it was after reading John Julius Norwich's excellent history about Byzantium, which uses Gibbon as a source.

Interesting - I haven't read that. I came at Gibbon sort of the other way, being most interested in ancient Greek history and moving west over time (so being more focused on the Western Empire and western Europe at that point than the Eastern Empire).

Finally reading Hyperion - mostly everyone counts this as a sci-fi classic but I must admit I am a little underwhelmed at the moment.

I was less than underwhelmed (or is that a double negative and I'd be more than underwhelmed?) - anyway, I didn't like it either, so you're not alone.

 

[Connavar]

Mohammed: I've read The Female Men. It was a bit confusing at times, but eventually quite a thought-provoking exploration of the gender wars (literal at time), I thought. What edition do you have?

I bought The Female Man SF Masterwork edition when it hit my local fav bookstore. Frankly i bought mostly on impulse because i was lacking enough female SF authors books at home. I dont buy books because an authors gender but when SFF is dominated by male authors,male issues this kind of novel is a nice change.

The book is confusing but when i understand bit more,see patterns,difference between the characters, its a very fascinating,very serious novel. Perfect example of books in SF Masterwork. Quality serious SF that use the fantastical setting to say something about our reality thats my fav kind of SF.

Russ is a very talented writer and frankly im a bit ashamed i didnt know her name before i saw this book in SF Masterwork listing.

 

[thaddeus6th]

J-Sun, I can heartily recommend Norwich's three-part history. After finishing it, I felt perplexed that such an important and lengthy period was something about which I had known almost nothing.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I bought The Female Man SF Masterwork edition when it hit my local fav bookstore. Frankly i bought mostly on impulse because i was lacking enough female SF authors books at home. I dont buy books because an authors gender but when SFF is dominated by male authors,male issues this kind of novel is a nice change.

The book is confusing but when i understand bit more,see patterns,difference between the characters, its a very fascinating,very serious novel. Perfect example of books in SF Masterwork. Quality serious SF that use the fantastical setting to say something about our reality thats my fav kind of SF.

Russ is a very talented writer and frankly im a bit ashamed i didnt know her name before i saw this book in SF Masterwork listing.

Yeah, it was the same for me, it took me a while to really get a handle on it all but once I did it was very worthwhile. I have another of her book in my to be read stack, Picnic On Paradise. Her critical essays on SF are really good.

I just finished The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson, which I know Conn liked a lot. I must wholeheartedly concur. Very chilling and brilliantly well written portrait of a monster.

 

[Connavar]

Yeah, it was the same for me, it took me a while to really get a handle on it all but once I did it was very worthwhile. I have another of her book in my to be read stack, Picnic On Paradise. Her critical essays on SF are really good.

I just finished The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson, which I know Conn liked a lot. I must wholeheartedly concur. Very chilling and brilliantly well written portrait of a monster.

I have read alot of essays, critisicm so that stuff is more interesting to me than before thanks to literary classes but i look forward reading more of her fiction first.

The Killer Inside Me is by far one of the best books written about a killer,that truly got inside his head.Thats how you write first person narrative. My first book of the noir master Thompson and it creeped me out much more than a horror book can.

Stay away from the film version with Casey Affleck,Jessica Alba that is dissed for being sexually sadistic. The director took the cheap sexual way before the socially tougher issues like the common man that has a sick killer inside him.

 

[TacticalLoco]

Working on Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
Basically day by day with Lewis and Clark etal.

Rome? Byzatuim? Sounds interesting.
Still need a good fiction bool though.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Julie Bertagna's Exodus - a re-read.

 

[Tansy]

Waylander - David Gemmell

 

[neuroticdog]

Ping ponging between Science Fiction of the 30's edited by Damon Knight and Tales of the Supernatural Vol. 2 Dream stories and Fantasies by Fitz-James O'Brien.

The former is a major struggle, giving corn a new name while the latter is some damm fine stuff!!

best
Michael

 

[clovis-man]

Working on Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
Basically day by day with Lewis and Clark etal.

Well written and very captivating. Makes the period of time in question seem like the present.

I'm reading The Solar Queen, a pairing of two Andre Norton novels, Sargasso of Space and Plague Ship. Both from the mid 1950s. A refreshing respite from the sometimes convoluted space operas of today.

 

[No One]

Finished the first of a Philip K. Dick double, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.

Took me a while to get into this as I thought the prose was average and unengaging, but it certainly picked up in the last third. I was surprised to find out it was an extended version of a short story, because I found myself thinking it could do with delving somewhat more into it's subject matters.

In any case, I've now started Time Out of Joint.

 

[Vertigo]

Finished the first of a Philip K. Dick double, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.

Took me a while to get into this as I thought the prose was average and unengaging, but it certainly picked up in the last third. I was surprised to find out it was an extended version of a short story, because I found myself thinking it could do with delving somewhat more into it's subject matters.

In any case, I've now started Time Out of Joint.

I thought Time Out of Joint was a brilliant book; utterly confusing until it all comes elegantly together.

 

[Fried Egg]

"Midnight Call and other stories" by Jonathan Thomas. A recommendation gathered on these boards and so far, so good!

 

[Hober Mallow]

I just finished reading The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein. It's a book that starts off at a fast pace and then levels off by mid-way through. The end is okay. I enjoyed it. Personally, I liked Methuselah's Children more. I won't be reading any more until I'm done with my final exam next week. Next on my reading list in no particular order is The Hand Maid's Tale, The God's Themselves, and The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.

 

[nj1]

Finshed the fabulous final installment of Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. The Crippled God was a stunnning conclusion IMO and up there with his best work.

Now reading THE LAST FOUR THINGS bypaul Hoffman, was half price in Waterstones and couldn't resist it, its leapfrogged my TBR pile and I hope its as good as his first book

 

[J-Sun]

J-Sun, I can heartily recommend Norwich's three-part history. After finishing it, I felt perplexed that such an important and lengthy period was something about which I had known almost nothing.

Thanks - I'll keep that one in mind.