February's Febrile Focus For Finding Fulfilling Fiction

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j. d. worthington said:
Despite my fondness for that last -- and the fact it really is an excellent look into the world of sf at that time -- the earlier stories often (though not always) tend to be a bit crude and simplistic. I didn't find this particularly troublesome, but I know some do. Just a bit of a warning. On the other hand, I hope you, too, prove to be one for whom this is not a problem, and that you enjoy these odd and wonderful little bits of sff's past....
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I'm now starting section 3 ('33) and it's been fun, for the most part. I went into this volume originally expecting it to be exclusively of historical value--the vegetables I have to eat before I get to the dessert of the golden age--but while there are some cringe inducing moments and some material that is a bit dry, some of the stuff holds up quite well. I've even decided to look up some of the work of two of the authors, S.P. Meek and Charles R. Tanner. Oddly enough work from both of these authors is available on Kindle for quite cheap; I'm not complaining, though.:D
 
I know what you mean. I've read other things by Meek before, including a story or two in Weird Tales (I used to have a nice little selection of those scattered from1929 through about 1951), as well as a piece or two by Tanner. However, I've never come across the third Tumithak story, which I must admit I'd really like to read....
 
Last time I was on this thread I was in the middle of Cloud Atlas and promised to give Vertigo some feedback...

I'm a bit in two minds over this one, to be honest. I enjoyed the book, it was intriguing, but at times it did seem as if I was reading a (very well written) writing exercise. I would recommend it to anyone who likes writing, but not necessarily to anyone who likes reading, if that makes any sense? Probably doesn't, so I'm afraid you'll just have to read it and form your own opinion! :D

Also FINALLY checked Teresa Edgerton's Goblin Moon off my tbr list. Took me a while to finish it as there was a lot going on around here, and I hate to break up the flow of a book when reading, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

A quick reread of The Hobbit (had a few q's after the film and needed a refresher) and a non-fiction book, a collection of written-for-radio essays by Daniel Pinkwater, Fish Whistle. Enjoyable easy-reading, the sort of thing you can dip in and out of (plus got it free on Kindle, so happy girl).

Having to cut back on book spending at the moment, so have been either shopping for e-deals or rereading books. Darn the lack of a good English-language library!
 
j. d. worthington said:
I know what you mean. I've read other things by Meek before, including a story or two in Weird Tales (I used to have a nice little selection of those scattered from1929 through about 1951), as well as a piece or two by Tanner. However, I've never come across the third Tumithak story, which I must admit I'd really like to read....
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Williamson's "The Moon Era" is also great. It reminds me of A Voyage To Arcturus, actually.

In any case, you're in luck, this volume has the three Tumithak stories and a fourth, unpublished one.:)
 
Juliana said:
Last time I was on this thread I was in the middle of Cloud Atlas and promised to give Vertigo some feedback...

I'm a bit in two minds over this one, to be honest. I enjoyed the book, it was intriguing, but at times it did seem as if I was reading a (very well written) writing exercise. I would recommend it to anyone who likes writing, but not necessarily to anyone who likes reading, if that makes any sense? Probably doesn't, so I'm afraid you'll just have to read it and form your own opinion! :D
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Thanks for that Juliana, I think! :D I have actually already expanded my TBR pile with a copy and I have been getting into some 'experimental' writing styles recently so I think there's a good chance I'll enjoy it. Not sure quite when though!
 
I finished Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden. One of the best non-fiction books I've read. It's the first military/war book I have read so I can't compare it to others, but it blew me away. All kinds of emotions running through me while reading it.

Now onto to some fantasy: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K LeGuin. I haven't read anything of hers, but I've heard good things.
 
Southern Geologist said:
Williamson's "The Moon Era" is also great. It reminds me of A Voyage To Arcturus, actually.

In any case, you're in luck, this volume has the three Tumithak stories and a fourth, unpublished one.:)
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Hmmm... hadn't thought of a relationship between Williamson's story and Lindsay's novel before, I must admit....

And thanks for that. I'll have to pick it up at some point soon... though I must admit that the cover art is absolutely horrendous....
 
j. d. worthington said:
Hmmm... hadn't thought of a relationship between Williamson's story and Lindsay's novel before, I must admit....

And thanks for that. I'll have to pick it up at some point soon... though I must admit that the cover art is absolutely horrendous....
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The similarity I draw between the two is the rather mundane beginning exploding into a world of exotic colors and creatures. The descriptions of the landscapes, in particular, bring to mind Arcturus.

Vintage sci-fi having horrendous cover art? Who could imagine?:p (Yes, I agree, it is terrible. Looks like someone read a few pages in, got the initial [incorrect] description of the aliens and ran with it.}
 
Southern Geologist said:
... Looks like someone read a few pages in, got the initial [incorrect] description of the aliens and ran with it...
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It looks more than a bit like the critters in the old Outer Limits episode, "The Zanti Misfits":

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...isfits&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-608

Have begun reading Conklin's Invaders of Earth. So far, I've only been able to get to the first three stories: "This Star Shall Be Free", by Murray Leinster; "Impulse", by Eric Frank Russell; and "Top Secret", by David Grinnell. The first is interesting both for its somewhat ironic set-up, and for the fact that the aliens here bear a strong resemblance (in their interaction with our ancestors) to those in 2001: A Space Odyssey... save that they came along at a much later point in our development, and are attempting to give us the tools to destroy ourselves through our evolution. The third is a very short (three pages), rather comic, even absurd, bit reminiscent to some degree of some of the work of William Tenn. The second... is a science fiction horror tale by Russell, and (despite a rather odd ending) quite an effective one. Not used to Russell as a horror writer, but when he chose to go there, he certainly had the touch....
 
Said I wasn't going to spend on books :rolleyes: but ended up buying Fade to Black, by Francis Knight yesterday. Great read, one of those books you can't put down. Finished it in two afternoons...
 
I returned to and finished The Cold Equations and Other Stories. Lots of good stuff in there, even if some of it isn't sheer brilliance. Godwin may not be a Brahms or a Bach but I'd argue that he is a Tchaikovsky or a Chopin. I'm still working on Before the Golden Age and started on The Skylark of Space.
 
Finished Stand On Zanzibar, Brilliant book. It took a bit of getting into but after about 70 pages or so when I could follow everything I really started enjoying, much more than I expected I would actually. Fantastic ending too.

Started Fahrenheit 451, Really looking forward to this one.
 
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