September's Studious Search For Sonorous Snippets

[Fried Egg]

I don't know - I just don't trust someone else I don't know telling me what the "masterworks" are. I think I'd rather discover them for myself. I guess I just have a problem with them labeling the imprint as such.

But if you don't know the genre very well, and you want to discover and enjoy some of the classics of the genre, where do you start? The series is a great way of starting you off on your own journey of exploration, to go off and form your own opinions.

I don't know any body who cites the series as some form of authority as such. I doubt there are many people who like every single book included. My experiences of it are that it is usually right on the money. There are a few that I found only quite good (E. R. Eddison's "Mistress of Mistresses", Gene Wolfe's "Peace", Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and Tim Power's "Anubis Gates") and only one that I thought was downright awful, W. H. Hodgson's "The Night Land" (which was only part of an omnibus that was otherwise strong). Mind you, I have yet to read "Viriconium" and "The Iron Dragon's Daughter"...

 

[Connavar]

I have read Proust and The Ambassadors by Henry James back to back. One big hit with me and James one a dissapointment.

Now im reading Shadow Season by Tom Piccirilli, as usual there is more gravity, depth to TP character. Finn is very compelling hero. A mystery novel i choosed because a fav author and its not a huge book. I need to reboot, easier reads after Proust to say the least.

 

[Bunami]

The White Rose - Glen Cook's Black Company series.

Loving these books as im a big Erikson fan so am really enjoying the familiarity of the writing style.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Just finished Glass by Stephen Palmer a few hours ago. Amazing imagination, but decidedly grim.

Now on to something lighter.

 

[purple_kathryn]

Finally got round to A gathering storm (Wheel of time) by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I am still on The Lies of Locke Lamora on ebook and The Illearth War in paperback.

 

[Hober Mallow]

John Scalzi - Old Man's War

I hear that's a great one. I plan to read that but want to read The Forever War first.

I just finished The Philip K. Dick Reader, a collection of short stories mostly from the 1950's. The stories are a little dated, as themes include fear of Communism, fear of nuclear war, distrust of robots, and aftermaths of nuclear holocausts. My favorites were The Golden Man, The Last of the Masters, Upon The Dull Earth, War Veteran, We Can Remember For You Wholesale, Minority Report, Paycheck and Second Variety.

 

[jojajihisc]

I hear that's a great one. I plan to read that but want to read The Forever War first.

Both are about war in space, that's where the similarities end. Loved both.

I just finished The Philip K. Dick Reader, a collection of short stories mostly from the 1950's. The stories are a little dated, as themes include fear of Communism, fear of nuclear war, distrust of robots, and aftermaths of nuclear holocausts. My favorites were The Golden Man, The Last of the Masters, Upon The Dull Earth, War Veteran, We Can Remember For You Wholesale, Minority Report, Paycheck and Second Variety.

A couple of those were among my favorites too.

Oh, and I still distrust robots. How can I not when they're always plotting against me?

 

[gully_foyle]

I'm about halfway through Version 43 by Philip Palmer (which means I am up to Version 46, what does that mean? I'll let you find out). My initial impression of the protagonist being like R. Daneel Olivaw has given way to a near invincible Takeshi Kovacs with most of his morality wiped. It has quite a few inconsistencies and sometimes it is a bit all over the place, but it is fast and fun and I'd happily recommend it to an SF buff.

 

[Vertigo]

Philip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Masterpiece! I read this a long long time ago and strangley it didn't make much of an impression on me then (a bit young maybe?) but this time it has made a huge impression. So dark, bleak and almost but never quite despairing and then the last lines finish with hope and a subtle triumph. Extraordinary!

 

[AE35Unit]

I think I'm gonna read Verne's From the Earth to the Moon next. Vintage SF from the first professional SF writer!

 

[Hypnos164]

Finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin - I liked it a lot, the blurb makes it sound like a really conventional "farm girl is really lost princess" tale. It certainly isn't that; nor is it ever quite what you expect. Recounted as someone relating memories complete with digressions and things getting a bit out of order - reminiscent of The Last Dragon but nowhere near as fragmented and non-linear.

It is a complete stand alone story, though it will form part of a trilogy of book exploring different aspects of the same world.

 

[antiloquax]

Philip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Masterpiece! I read this a long long time ago and strangley it didn't make much of an impression on me then (a bit young maybe?) but this time it has made a huge impression. So dark, bleak and almost but never quite despairing and then the last lines finish with hope and a subtle triumph. Extraordinary!

Yes - it's def one that deserves a re-read!

 

[dask]

I think I'm gonna read Verne's From the Earth to the Moon next. Vintage SF from the first professional SF writer!

Is that the cover you're using for your avatar? Looks cool. Heck, better than cool. That's the way NASA control and all the shuttles should look now.

 

[Hypnos164]

Decidied to give Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay a try - like the TV series but have left the book on the self for quite while after several people said the book wasn't as good as the TV version.

 

[D_Davis]

I am loving Steph Swainston's The Year of Our War; now this is my kind of fantasy. Swainston creates interesting immortal characters, giving them something powerful to do, while also making their interactions with the mortal characters meaningful. The world feels old and lived in without dozens of pages of exposition, and there is just enough weirdness mentioned (Jeaopards - leopards with square spots that can only run in straight lines because they can't see curves) to make the setting seem bizarre and mysterious.

 

[thatollie]

I am going to drag myself kicking and screaming to the end of The Commonwealth Saga, only 500 more pages to go.

 

[biodroid]

I just Kindled Philip Palmer's Version 43 on the recommendation of some of the chrons. Hope it's good, sounds like it could be quite entertaining.

 

[elvet]

I've moved on to A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. It's a bit heavy in the romance department, but otherwise a good read.

 

[HareBrain]

Now reading Echo City by Tim Lebbon, which I bought mostly on the strength of its superbly vivid and weird prologue (which I read in the shop) and partly on the cover quote "exquisitely well written" by Steven Erikson. This has taught me never to buy a book on the strength of its prologue, and never to trust Steven Erikson's judgement. At 2/3 of the way through, it's just about holding my interest, but I'm skimming a lot.