October's Obdurate Observations Of Outstanding Ouevres

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I never read Empire Star so can't say there, but the only Delany I came close to liking was Nova. If you're set on reading him, I'd recommend that, but he just doesn't work for me. Not so much the marriages and whatnot (Heinlein and Varley and, recently, Landis play with variations on that and they're great) but probably a sort of excess of (literary) theory which shows through.
 
Yes I'd agree with that JS. In fact I would go so far as to say somewhat self -indulgent on that score. I shall be reading both Nova and Dhalgren as part of my on going read through the SF Masterworks list.

I've gone in a slightly different direction right now: reading Conan Doyle's The Lost World and loving it!
 
As well as The Ceremonies, I shall be reading one tale a night from the Prime Evil anthology. Following Bradbury's advice to read one short story before bed.
 
Now reading Temple of the Winds which is uh 3rd I think in the Terry Goodkind Sword of Truth series

to be honest I find all the gang rape a bit off putting though :rolleyes:
 
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Currently reading Hexed by Kevin Hearne, urban fantasy that's very much in the Dresden mould.
 
Finished Charles L. Grant's The Last Call of Mourning last night and, though I saw the final revelation coming several chapters back, it was handled well, and the book as a whole is quite entertaining. Not quite as eerie as The Hour of the Oxrun Dead (which also still remains one of my all-time favorite titles), but still nicely effective.
 
I read The Lover by Marguerite Duras

This story of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover is much more than it seems. For a short novel it was dense in feeling and it emotionally was almost too much by the end. The author/narrator has such strong,clear voice you had no choice but listen, try to understand her words,emotions. I was impressed by how Duras went back and forward in the chronology of the years, memories. It was a realistic way of remembering memories. You got closer to teller's toughts.
 
Connavar said:
I read The Lover by Marguerite Duras

This story of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover is much more than it seems. For a short novel it was dense in feeling and it emotionally was almost too much by the end. The author/narrator has such strong,clear voice you had no choice but listen, try to understand her words,emotions. I was impressed by how Duras went back and forward in the chronology of the years, memories. It was a realistic way of remembering memories. You got closer to teller's toughts.
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Interesting. Duras is not a name familiar to me but appears to have been an incredibly prolific writer as well as being a successful screenwriter and film director. The Lover was her best known international work.

Now, it's just for me to wait until you post that Poetry thread Conn and I'll have even more names to add to my watch list....:)
 
I read a scene in this Ruchard Laymon book last night that repulsed and angered me-it dealt with a paedophilic attack on a 10 year old girl that caused me to shout out "B***ard which woke my partner up. If it had been my book Id have thrown it across the room in disgust!
 
GOLLUM said:
Interesting. Duras is not a name familiar to me but appears to have been an incredibly prolific writer as well as being a successful screenwriter and film director. The Lover was her best known international work.

Now, it's just for me to wait until you post that Poetry thread Conn and I'll have even more names to add to my watch list....:)
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Apparently she is big name in france, one of the famous french authors who are grouped, forced in new french novel movement of Gillet and co.

She is a writer for my taste, what i expect french modern greats when i hear of acclaimed names. Experimenting with literary technicques of modern novel but more importantly she didnt forget to tell an emotionally deep story, a very personal story. Even if it wasnt authobiographical, it was impressive story. Like Proust Swann's Way was impressive story as fictional story too. Some authobiographical books forget to tell a good enough story as fiction. Like real personal history is enough to be a good or great novel.
 
Finished (mostly re-)reading A. E. van Vogt's Monsters (longer discussion). If you don't have the stories in it, I'd definitely recommend it but many van Vogt fans might well have six of the eight stories in it already (I had five and intend to get the sixth in its original collection), missing only a pretty good one and a less good one.
 
Just finished The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester and thought it was pretty phenomenal! Even inspired to take another crack at Count of Monte Cristo soon.

Now reading Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.
 
Finished Conan Doyle's The Lost World. Brilliant! So engagingly written; the whole story flowed with no seeming effort at all and yet my mental picture of the scenes in the jungle and on the plateau are crystal clear. There was also a light, relaxed and gentle sense of humour throughout. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy his writing.

Mind you it is also rather telling about the attitudes of his day. Minor spoiler: They (and they includes two leading zoologists) find a bunch of "ape-men" identified as the "Missing Link" and what do they do but try and shoot them all!
 
Recently finished The Passage by Justin Cronin. First rate. Looking forward to the sequel.
Also just finished How Firm A Foundation by D. Weber and loved it. This is the 5th book in the Safehold series.
For a lighter touch just read The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan, my grandson got me started on this popcorn and I freely admit I really enjoy them. This was #2 in the Kane Chronicles. I have enjoyed all of Riordan's young reader stuff, simply fun reading, well paced, spots of humor that occasionally result in an outright guffaw on my part.

Now starting The Way of Kings by Sanderson and Exiled: Clan of the Claw by a group of writers, Stirling, Turtledove, Nye, Ringo and Williamson. I am intrigued by the concept in Exiled of a planet where no mass extinctions happened and intelligence arose amoung reptiles and mammals. Looks to be the quicker and lighter of the two reads so will probably finish it before returning to The Way of Kings which I think I want to take my time with as it will clearly set up a world I will probably be spending some time in. :)
 
I have no idea why but I'm on a romance novel kick this month. I've been rereading them like crazy especially my Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts novels. Been trying to read Cell by Mr. King but i keep going back to them. There is no escape.
 
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