May's Magical Meditations on Masterfully Manafactured Manuscripts

[vanye]

Finished The King's Blood by Abraham. After the first book in the series I was not sure if the story would work out, but boy didn't it just! A great story well written. I especially liked the character development in the second book. Most characters seemed superficial in the first book, but in the course of the second book they really take on depth and ... well, character. Clara, for example, is well on her way to becoming one of my favourite female fantasy characters. Can't wait for the next installment.

 

[j d worthington]

I don' need no stinkin' contest. I've been looking for MURGUNSTRUMM ever since I saw the old pulp cover to one of Cave's stories where a damsel was strapped to a gigantic pair of scissors, an evil looking doctor and his drooling assistant eagerly standing by expecting---?! Man, that stuff wouldn't be allowed on a magazine cover today no matter how free the Supreme Court says we are. No way!

dask:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Hugh+B.+Cave&tn=Murgunstrumm&x=54&y=8

There has been a Wildside press edition, if memory serves, but it looks as if it is OP as well....

 

[J-Sun]

Carol Emshwiller's The Mount. I can't do justice to this in a brief compass but I was sort of astonished to not really like it. My main problems were that it (1) was too science fictional and engaged the logic centers too much to be as illogical as it was and was far too literal to interpret on a purely metaphorical basis though that was largely what it was "really" about; (2) had a standard sort of plot skeleton (revolt against alien invader overlords) that permits little waffling and requires one of a couple of endings and was filled with waffling and had a third ending; and (3) was entirely too humane and enlightened for my taste. It was very similar in many ways to the fantastical, allegorical, picaresque Carmen Dog and basically inferior to it - that book avoided engaging the logic centers too much, wandered charmingly, and could end any way it wanted to and did so very imaginatively. Basically, Emshwiller seemed to want to tell a similar story but, this time, wanted to put various obstacles in her way as a writerly challenge. She usually leaps such obstacles with an easy genius but I think they tripped her up here. (Yes, this is a horse metaphor - or a hurdler metaphor, but I'm thinking horses.)

Aside from these problems and a couple of slighter, more specific glitches, it wasn't a bad book, though, and I can imagine it having been great and may well strike most readers that way, especially if my three main problems aren't problems for those readers.

Anyway: aliens have crash landed and taken over the earth and they have deficient legs and superior senses, so somehow breed a couple of separate lines of humans in a single generation to use as mounts. And erase our cities and civilization and make us all forget everything we'd accomplished except how to whistle a few nursery rhymes, apparently. Our story concerns Charley (Charley... Horse? Heh... groan), an 11-13 year-old boy whose dream is to be the best mount he can be and whose job will be to carry the grand poobah of the aliens around although he's just a little poobah when the story begins. They love each other but Charley's dad doesn't love the aliens, and liberates Charley from the alien town where Charley sleeps in a stall and gets trained. Charley saves the poobah and we dither over loyalties and Charley's dad's folks wander towards further revolt. This is a book where you can use words like "marshal forces to revolt against the alien invaders" and they're all technically accurate but connotatively useless because that's not what the book feels like at all. But that's about the non-spoilery synopsis of it.

 

[Mangara]

I've returned from my holidays, and in that time read:

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher : I'd heard good things about the series, but I feel I may have started on a weaker book. A lot of recycled plot lines, I mean how many times can a guy be near death..

Mockingbird by Walter Tevis : So impressive, I picked it up on a whim in the library, makes you value the ability to read and express oneself.

Embassytown by China Miéville : Slow to get going, but deep and rewarding. My first book of his, I'll be back for more.

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson: Not quite as good as the first, but it had a lot to live up to and it did a brilliant job. Sanderson has an ability to keep you guessing.


Now onto:

Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne, on page 40 and I'm conscious of its length so I'm trying to read it slowly. Its very engaging, loving it so far!

 

[gully_foyle]

Finished The Penultimate Truth by Philip K Dick. He delivers yet again. About to embark upon a trip through chemistry with Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey-Williams.

 

[Fried Egg]

I've returned from my holidays, and in that time read:

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher : I'd heard good things about the series, but I feel I may have started on a weaker book. A lot of recycled plot lines, I mean how many times can a guy be near death..

This bodes ill for me; I was planning on taking it on holiday next week to read it myself. It is the second book in the series so I don't know if that had an impact on your enjoyment and I have read the first book.

 

[Mangara]

This bodes ill for me; I was planning on taking it on holiday next week to read it myself. It is the second book in the series so I don't know if that had an impact on your enjoyment and I have read the first book.

IF you liked the first one then maybe it will make a difference. It was picked up at the library, and you know what libraries are like with getting book series part 1...

I still gave it 3/5 on goodreads as its a good story, which I enjoyed. I suppose my comment might have been a bit hash. There are just a few things which grate on me, but I won't spoil that for you

 

[Vertigo]

PKD's Ubik. Very good but I felt the comedy aspects of it didn't quite fit with the more serious aspects.

 

[vanye]

This bodes ill for me; I was planning on taking it on holiday next week to read it myself. It is the second book in the series so I don't know if that had an impact on your enjoyment and I have read the first book.

If you liked the first part you should have a good chance of enjoying the second, I reckon. Now, I myself just couldn't get into the spirit when reading the first part, so I never bothered with the rest of the series.

 

[Grunkins]

Quick word on the Dresden Files, the books get progressively better as the series goes along, the fourth book is when it really takes off IIRC. Though, if you don't like Harry half dead then you probably won't enjoy the series, because he spends much of it in that state.

I started Abercrombie's The Heroes today. I really enjoyed Best Served Cold and so far this looks very promising.

 

[Connavar]

FE Fool Moon is very weak in Dresden files but you must read book 3 Grave Peril if you like the series. The 6 books of Dresden files i have read the third book was by far the most interesting action,world wise.

I have lost my taste,respect for that series as enjoyment thanks to the 6th book. Im thinking about trying book 7 just because i have become overfed on realism literature that is ultra serious. Some light entertainment urban fantasy action might be more easy to enjoy right now

I dont have the mental energy or the time to enjoy serious,quality SFF by Lord Dunsany,Philip K Dick, Jack Vance. Im going on vacation to Somalia 15th June so i think i will borrow Dresden book from the library to get quick fun fast read. Now i see why some books are more fun to read at certain times...

 

[Mangara]

Now onto Boneshaker by Cherie Priest!

Day by Day Armageddon was a blast! limited by the journal format though.

 

[Rodders]

A Fire Upon The Deep by Verner Vinge

 

[biodroid]

Started reading Stinger by Robert R McCammon. Only 12 pages in but its hooked me so far. I have recently finished The Black Echo by Michael Connelly and it was quite good.

 

[vanye]

Mind you, I am not complaining, but shouldn't we already have moved on to June's something or other?

 

[J-Sun]

Mind you, I am not complaining, but shouldn't we already have moved on to June's something or other?

That's something I don't understand - can't these just be started by anybody on the first of the month and stickied whenever?

 

[dask]

That's something I don't understand - can't these just be started by anybody on the first of the month and stickied whenever?

And get shot?

 

[J-Sun]

And get shot?

Okay, maybe not then. Unless there's someone willing to take one for the team? *looks around*

 

[Grimward]

Call me a target, then.