March's Metaphorical Meanderings Metamorphosing Into Magical Manuscripts

[Stephen Palmer]

Lynn Margulis, Symbiotic Planet

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I finished Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I think I might have liked it better than the Revelation Space Trilogy, but it's been awhile since I read them so I can't say for sure. Slightly disappointed with the ending...

I thought so too. Was rather disappointed to be meeting aliens.

 

[Mangara]

Finished Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. I promise to never whine about anything again! What a journey!

It is human nature to push the boundaries, to find out how far we can challenge ourselves. At what point does this become a step too far? Joe Simpson and his climbing partner Simon found out just that whilst seeking to be the first men to climb Siula Grande.

The camaraderie between the pair is heart warming, and makes the action which unfold all the more horrifying. They set off two enthusiastic young adventurers, but soon change tact in the face of adversity. Mother nature is brutal, the merciless assault of her hand through wind and snow wreaks havoc on plans and ultimately their bodies.

The psychological impact of the events are well explored, and you really get intimate with the thoughts and feelings of each man. The sense of wonder at the beginning of the book is soon overshadowed by the mental torture endured by the climbers. The gloom lingers, but is permeated by their desire to survive, with a determination indicative of the human spirit.

A haunting journey into a desperate situation, a page turner till the very end.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

The Galactic North stories span the whole of the Revelation series. As I recall most of the stories are set before the main series with the exception of the last one which is set long after the main series. They certainly give good background to the series and are good reads in their own right.

Thanks Vertigo. I am enjoying them so far.

I thought so too. Was rather disappointed to be meeting aliens.

Ah, that wasn't exactly the part of the ending I didn't like. All of his books I have read so far have aliens, so I wasn't too surprised with that. What I didn't like was the way the "real" Tanner was killed. Even though Cahuella liked the hamadryads, I thought it really came out of nowhere that he had the venomous fangs inserted in his mouth.

 

[Grunkins]

Finished Steven Erikson's The Bonehunters. Great stuff. Midnight Tides was a bit of a letdown for me, but this book was right back to top form for the series. I really want to jump right into the next one, but having read two back to back and only having four left, I thought I ought to take a little break.

So, I started Chris Wooding's Blacklung Captain. Hoping for a fun, light adventure romp.

Ah, that wasn't exactly the part of the ending I didn't like. All of his books I have read so far have aliens, so I wasn't too surprised with that. What I didn't like was the way the "real" Tanner was killed. Even though Cahuella liked the hamadryads, I thought it really came out of nowhere that he had the venomous fangs inserted in his mouth.

I agree, not only was it a deus ex machina, it was a totally unnecessary deus ex machina. He could easily have planted it into the story earlier, or just avoided it and had a more traditional triumph.

 

[dask]

Just a few more pages and I'll be done. Apparently the stigma of magazine sf was inadvertently left out of this issue and since Jerome Bixby is no longer around to complain to I'll just have to sit here and take it. Every story's a winner, even Poul Anderson who just seems to get better the further back you go. The Vance was a real treat too, of course. Ever get so mad with the lot fate signed your name to that you wanted to duke it out with God, or at least a god? This is how it's done. Vance does a superb job handling the head-banging complexities of the quantum universe without uttering the word quantum once and his view of the interface between the here and the hereafter seems ahead of its time.

The real surprise, though, is "Venus Mission" by J.T. M'Intosh. I've picked up several of his books over the decades but never got around to them but that's going to change now. This is an exceptionally eerie story that, while it doesn't contain one speck of the supernatural, would be right at home in an edge of your seat horror anthology. For awhile I wasn't sure I could finish this tale of aliens who torture for the sheer love of it. Then while I was thinking this I finished it anyway squirming the whole time like I was sitting on a hot plate set on high. Powerful with a completely satisfying ending. I don't know if it's ever been reprinted and I can't wholeheartedly recommended it because you might not share my tastes in such things but if I were editing a killer-thriller anthology this would take center stage.

 

[Mangara]

Currently dreading Dreadnought[\B] by Cherie Priest. The main gal is a nurse like me so I'll probably be either very drawn in or pushed away depending on medical accuracy.

 

[j d worthington]

I don't know if it's ever been reprinted....

According to isfdb, yep, it has:

http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?41481

I may have to check that one out myself, if I can track it down.

Finishing off the first of the massive volumes of Henry James' shorter works.... While the plots of the stories are seldom something to make one sit up and take notice, what he does with that material is quite another thing; largely because of his handling of subtleties of character and shadings of meaning. There is also a story in there, "The Pupil", in which the young teacher's charge seems very much like a lighter version -- almost a dry-run -- of Miles from The Turn of the Screw. Interestingly, the poor lad's fate is very much the same....

The next piece up is another of his ghost stories, "Sir Edmund Orme"....

 

[dask]

Hey, cool! Thanks for finding it. Yeah, I'll snatch this up if I ever see it. Interesting to note that Chad Oliver, who also has a story here, had a letter printed in the issue of Planet Stories "Venus Mission" appeared in.

Man, the more I look at that cover the more I want it.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

I agree, not only was it a deus ex machina, it was a totally unnecessary deus ex machina. He could easily have planted it into the story earlier, or just avoided it and had a more traditional triumph.

Thanks for posting this Grunkins. Glad to know I'm not the only one who felt that way.

 

[j d worthington]

Interesting to note that Chad Oliver, who also has a story here, had a letter printed in the issue of Planet Stories "Venus Mission" appeared in.

*sigh* Chad used to teach here at the university -- he was chair of the anthropology department, in fact -- but for whatever reason, I never got around to meeting him. A pity, as from what those who knew him (and I've known quite a few) he was a lovely man; always willing to spare time for aspiring writers or even simply fans of sf, and kind as they come....

On topic... it has been some years since I last read "Sir Edmund Orme", and I didn't really recall all that much of it, to be frank; but this time it hit a much stronger chord with me and I would have to agree with the assessment which ranks it very highly among James' ghostly tales. Extremely restrained, but quite powerful nonetheless.

 

[dask]

I want more, more, more!

 

[Lord Captain Woden]

Finished Perdido Street Station by China Mievelle. Overall I enjoyed it, extremely imaginative, well thought out setting and brilliant writing... But I feel it needn't have been as long as it was and I found the last 100 pages or so to be a slight disappointment. This may be because I was expecting to love this book and only ended up enjoying it.

I'm moving straight on to the second book The Scar now which I've heard is an improvement on this one and the one most people say to start with.

 

[alchemist]

Finished Perdido Street Station by China Mievelle. Overall I enjoyed it, extremely imaginative, well thought out setting and brilliant writing... But I feel it needn't have been as long as it was and I found the last 100 pages or so to be a slight disappointment. This may be because I was expecting to love this book and only ended up enjoying it.

I'd mentioned some flaws on your PSS thread and this was one of them; the bloody cable laying went on and on and on...


I just finished Alastair Reynolds' Terminal World. It had some excellent ideas, thrown up into the air like juggling balls, but none were caught. The very unsatisfying ending ("it must be a series" I thought. But no) really let it down.

 

[bluenimbus]

currently rereading the liveship traders trilogy by Robin Hobb, so mush goes on in these three books that i was pleasantly surprised to find things i hadn't picked up on in my first read. A thrilling read,but i warn you, you will get sucked in and find yourself unable to detach yourself from the book even when say, you really should go and do that overdue chemistry assignment...

Robin Hobb has the ability to create a cast of thousands with at least six or seven main view point characters, of all the authors i have read, she does this the best, because her characters are so dynamic and unique there is absolutely no danger of getting confused, rather the multitude of voices enhances the story, lending it mere depth and allowing the reader to experience more of the fantasy world in which the characters live.

an absolute must read!

 

[Grunkins]

currently rereading the liveship traders trilogy by Robin Hobb, so mush goes on in these three books that i was pleasantly surprised to find things i hadn't picked up on in my first read. A thrilling read,but i warn you, you will get sucked in and find yourself unable to detach yourself from the book even when say, you really should go and do that overdue chemistry assignment...

Robin Hobb has the ability to create a cast of thousands with at least six or seven main view point characters, of all the authors i have read, she does this the best, because her characters are so dynamic and unique there is absolutely no danger of getting confused, rather the multitude of voices enhances the story, lending it mere depth and allowing the reader to experience more of the fantasy world in which the characters live.

an absolute must read!

I agree. Anyone looking for a series to get lost in should give it a shot. Liveship Traders is about as engrossing a series as I've ever read.

I have the Tawny Man trilogy ready to go. Think I'll save it for this summer.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

currently rereading the liveship traders trilogy by Robin Hobb, so mush goes on in these three books that i was pleasantly surprised to find things i hadn't picked up on in my first read. A thrilling read,but i warn you, you will get sucked in and find yourself unable to detach yourself from the book even when say, you really should go and do that overdue chemistry assignment...

Robin Hobb has the ability to create a cast of thousands with at least six or seven main view point characters, of all the authors i have read, she does this the best, because her characters are so dynamic and unique there is absolutely no danger of getting confused, rather the multitude of voices enhances the story, lending it mere depth and allowing the reader to experience more of the fantasy world in which the characters live.

an absolute must read!

I agree. Anyone looking for a series to get lost in should give it a shot. Liveship Traders is about as engrossing a series as I've ever read.

I have the Tawny Man trilogy ready to go. Think I'll save it for this summer.

I absolutely loved the Liveship Traders Trilogy! They are some of my favorite books. I thought the first book was good, not great, but the next two were fantastic. When I finished I was disappointed I wouldn't get to visit with those characters anymore.

 

[The Judge]

I finished To the Lighthouse, but couldn't get on with it -- too cerebral and inward-looking for my taste.

I've also read The Claw of the Conciliator, the second of Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun, but again not something for me -- I couldn't engage with any of the characters, and on the occasions I could understand what was going on, I wasn't interested in what they were doing.

 

[bluenimbus]

I absolutely loved the Liveship Traders Trilogy! They are some of my favorite books. I thought the first book was good, not great, but the next two were fantastic. When I finished I was disappointed I wouldn't get to visit with those characters anymore.

not so! try dragon keeper and dragon haven, not as brilliant as liveship traders, but pretty good and all set in same world, with some of the same characters too.

(more aimed at YA i think)

 

[Mangara]

Finished Dreadnought by Cherie Priest. Was a good adventure, but a bit shallow and lacking in places. She can really build a world but her characters don't quite live up to it.

Onto Ringworld by Larry Niven as I'm getting behind on my Chron's Goodreads challenge!