November's Noble Neutralising of Literary Nadirs

[AE35Unit]

Well, if you didn't like that, I doubt you will like anything else by Le Guin, that's probably her best work (as far as SF is concerned).

As for a recommendation, how about "The Humanoids" by Jack Williamson? I read that quite recently and I thought it was good (and very different from Le Guin).

Will look for it. Ive read some Williamson and enjoyed them.

 

[alchemist]

In the Mouth of the Whale by Paul McAuley. A mixture of excellent ideas and plodding chapters that I've threatened to give up twice. I've made it to page 80 so far, so hopefully I'll get more of the good chapters from now on. Or else...

 

[AE35Unit]

I found a Jack Williamson story called Cosmic Express (1930)
Quite a prolific and versatile writer from what I can make out in the introduction!

 

[Mangara]

I've started Pandora's Star by Peter F Hamilton. Its my first book of his I have picked up, a hefty tome but enjoyable in the first 200 pages so far...

 

[Connavar]

Will look for it. Ive read some Williamson and enjoyed them.

You should stay away from soft,social SF authors it seems to me. I understand why you would give a classic,modern great like Le Guin a second chance but also you shouldnt try to change what type of SF you prefer. Doesnt matter how important an author is if we dont like the type of story.


Jack Williamson will be your taste, he is vintage science oriented SF author like Asimov/Heinlein type. By the way do you like SF humor?

 

[AE35Unit]

You should stay away from soft,social SF authors it seems to me. I understand why you would give a classic,modern great like Le Guin a second chance but also you shouldnt try to change what type of SF you prefer. Doesnt matter how important an author is if we dont like the type of story.


Jack Williamson will be your taste, he is vintage science oriented SF author like Asimov/Heinlein type. By the way do you like SF humor?

I do yes! Harrison has shown humour in his stainless steel rat books, and Eric idle has a humorous trip to mars novel.

 

[Connavar]

I do yes! Harrison has shown humour in his stainless steel rat books, and Eric idle has a humorous trip to mars novel.

I would recommend then if you havent read The Robert Have No Tails collection by Henry Kuttner. Wacky,wonderful humor SF. Just read the synopsis that made me smile.

Frankly share with those humor SF you know other than Harrison which i of course have read already.

 

[Grunkins]

Finished Feed yesterday. It was fun, but I didn't realize going into that it was a YA book.

Sticking with the zombie theme I started Plague of the Dead by Z A Recht last night. I'm enjoying it, but he doesn't come from the "writerly" school of writers. He's more of a guy with some talent who decided to write a book. For example is POV is all over the place, written more in the movie/video style (for example, while the POV's back is turned the zombie sits up on the gurney, that sort of thing).

 

[Vertigo]

Just Finished David Weber's A Mighty Fortress. Sadly this was probably my most disappointing Weber book so far. For a 900 page book there was astonishingly little action in it. Vast majority of the book was political info dumping through conversations mostly performed in totally static enironments (meetings, offices etc.).

 

[AE35Unit]

I would recommend then if you havent read The Robert Have No Tails collection by Henry Kuttner. Wacky,wonderful humor SF. Just read the synopsis that made me smile.

Frankly share with those humor SF you know other than Harrison which i of course have read already.

Well late Heinlein has humour, particularly The Cat Who Walks Through Walls and Job: a comedyof manners.

Then theres Alan Dean Foster, one of the most underestimated SF authors. Not only has he done hard SF but also comedy books like Qozl and Cat-A-Lyst.

 

[AE35Unit]

Now reading Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement!

 

[Juliana]

Just read Peter V Brett's The Warded Man, very enjoyable! Great characters and I love the idea of the wards. Keeping his second book on my list of holiday reads for the end of the year...

 

[woodsman]

Now reading Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement!

I remember loving this! Just the whole idea of Miskalin (is that right? its been a while ).

Just finished The Way of Shadows and Shadows Edge by Brent Weeks. I enjoyed them! Both easy reads with a few twists and turns if nothing particuarly new that grabbed me.

Previously read the first two books of The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolf. Recommended!

 

[AE35Unit]

I remember loving this! Just the whole idea of Miskalin (is that right? its been a while ).

Yea Mesklin. Sounds like the drug distilled from a cactus!
Interesting world and creatures- the native race are like centipedes to cope with the crushing 700G gravity at the poles . The dialogue and narration is a little wooden though- definitely one for SF geeks.

 

[Fried Egg]

Yea Mesklin. Sounds like the drug distilled from a cactus!
Interesting world and creatures- the native race are like centipedes to cope with the crushing 700G gravity at the poles . The dialogue and narration is a little wooden though- definitely one for SF geeks.

Indeed, that's what I thought. By the end, the story and ideas were buried under the excruciatingly bad narrative. At least that's what I thought.

 

[AE35Unit]

Indeed, that's what I thought. By the end, the story and ideas were buried under the excruciatingly bad narrative. At least that's what I thought.

Yes I saw your review on goodreads. So far Im enjoying it-proper SF at last!

 

[Vince W]

I finally finished A Rising Thunder to catch up on the Honor Harrington series. Now I'm onto Mardock Scramble.

 

[ratsy]

I finished Robert Jordan's worst of the series as far as I am concerned "Crossroads of Twilight" almost had to choke the middle 400 pages down. But only one more to go before I reach Sandersons and I am quite curious to see what he does with it.

At this time I am starting "Red Country" by Abercrombie and so far it is what is expected. A little burning, a little revenge plot...good stuff

 

[Grunkins]

I'm continuing my jaunt through the world of zombie novels with Dead City by Joe McKinney. This one is a first person PoV through the eyes of a San Antonio cop dealing with the rise of the zombies and subsequent collapse of society. I'm only 50 or so pages in and thus far I'd classify it as 'readable'. The author's police background gives the book a touch of police procedural, which is a pleasant change of pace from the zombie books I've been reading recently.

 

[Connavar]

I'm continuing my jaunt through the world of zombie novels with Dead City by Joe McKinney. This one is a first person PoV through the eyes of a San Antonio cop dealing with the rise of the zombies and subsequent collapse of society. I'm only 50 or so pages in and thus far I'd classify it as 'readable'. The author's police background gives the book a touch of police procedural, which is a pleasant change of pace from the zombie books I've been reading recently.

Which other zombies have you read that is decent or good reads? Let me know after you finish if its good enough to read like 3/5 star rating meaning it is decent at worst and readable.

I didnt really care for zombies but i have been the awesome comics series The Walking Dead for the last 6 years and made me wonder if there are zombie novels about surviving a world that have collapsed to zombie chaos. I like the surviving part and not just one stand alone of creepy,action zombie story.