July 2016: What Have You Been Reading?

[DZara]

I just finished The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, and really enjoyed it. I'm wondering why I haven't seen more references to Vonnegut here on Chrons. I discovered him on Kindle Unlimited, where they seem to have his whole collection.

Vonnegut's awesome. After I'm out of research mode, I've got "Welcome to the Monkey House" waiting for me patiently. And that's another vote for KindleUnlimited, for me.

 

[Vertigo]

It all got a bit too much for me with A Civil Campaign. Haven't read any more of the series since I read that one last year. I did think Mirror Dance and Memory were excellent, though

I have made it past that point and now, with Miles safely married, they might get less romance filled, but my desire to pick up the next one does seem to diminish the further I go into the series.

 

[Coast]

I've been making an effort with things I 'should have' but never did read. So presently it's Vernor Vinge : A Fire Upon the Deep. I'm enjoying it, but not blown away.

 

[Vertigo]

Dark Intelligence by Neal Asher - Another excellent offering from Asher – he so rarely disappoints me! more here.

 

[russ2]

I read non SF for my book club (boring!). But in the Sf world I just re-read Gravity's Eye by Ian C Douglas. I like the idea of a school for psychics and the monsters and robots are great. And I'm looking forward to the new Adrian Tchaikovsky book about the arachnid civiilisation. That should be a hoot.

 

[Bick]

After finishing Cherryh's Morgaine trilogy, I'm now reading Plague from Space, by Harry Harrison. Enjoying it thus far. It's a novel from 1965, and sounds jovially tongue in cheek, but it's actually written with serious intent, not comic. Harrison has a simple direct style that appeals to me. Anyone else read this one?

 

[Tracy]

I have made it past that point and now, with Miles safely married, they might get less romance filled, but my desire to pick up the next one does seem to diminish the further I go into the series.

I'm only about halfway through "Shards of Honor" and the romance is already nigh unbearable. I don't think I'll manage to even finish it. Do you happen to know of any other works like Bujold's that I should stay away from? I'm really not a romance guy

 

[nixie]

Finished a reread of Ian C Esslemont's Stoneweilder, now starting Brandon Sanderon's The Way of Kings. Looking forward to this having only previously read his Mistborn series.

 

[Bick]

I'm only about halfway through "Shards of Honor" and the romance is already nigh unbearable. I don't think I'll manage to even finish it. Do you happen to know of any other works like Bujold's that I should stay away from? I'm really not a romance guy

Funnily enough, the romance didn't bother me. I'm not a natural fan of romance, but I see characterisation as her best writing asset. It's the ludicrous way things work out for Miles despite him doing very little to plan for the best that bothers me. Far too neat and tidy, plot-wise.

 

[tobl]

c. t. phipps the rules of supervilainy always entertaining

 

[Ray Pullar]

After finishing Cherryh's Morgaine trilogy, I'm now reading Plague from Space, by Harry Harrison. Enjoying it thus far. It's a novel from 1965, and sounds jovially tongue in cheek, but it's actually written with serious intent, not comic. Harrison has a simple direct style that appeals to me. Anyone else read this one?

Yesh, a long time ago - late seventies when I read much of HH. Pretty hazy now but I agree about his humorous seriousness and straightforward prose. He fell out badly with former mentor John Campbell when he wrote Bill the galactic hero because it was a funny and sincere assault on the famous editor and the Analog school.

 

[The Ace]

Chris Wooding's, Tales of the Ketty Jay;

Redemption Falls

The Black Lung Captain

The Iron Jackal.

After these, I'm going to see if there are any more in this daft, but entertaining series.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I have just started a trilogy of comic fantasies for kids by Mary Rodgers. The first one will be familiar to you. The books are Freaky Friday, A Billion for Boris, and Summer Switch. (1972, 1974, and 1982.) Interestingly, in the first one, although the daughter finds herself in the mother's body, the mother's mind is not in the daughter's body (at least not yet.) Right now, the daughter's body still apparently has the daughter's mind (although, confusingly, those two minds seem to be entirely separate ; they don't communicate, and the daughter-as-mother has to act as the parent of the daughter-as-daughter, if you see what I mean.)

I finished those kid's books. Very light comedy, for the most part. (The fact that the second book features a twenty-four-year-old man dating a fourteen-year-old girl may raise your eyebrows a bit.) The third book is a repeat of the body switching theme of the first, but the second one uses a television that broadcasts from tomorrow as the gimmick.

Tomorrow I plan to start Babylon Revisited and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1960 collection of stories from 1920 to 1937.)

Why tomorrow? Because I forgot to bring a book to work with me tonight. Horrors!

 

[ratsy]

@nixie I hope you like it. I read it twice, and I normally don't re-read books until many years pass. Great series. I recently read the 3 newer mistborns too, and they were great.

I finished The Loose Ends List, which has nothing to do with SFF but it was a touching YA book that looks at death in a cool way.

I am now immersing myself in Liberator by Nick Bailey and Darren Bullock. It's a great read so far, and I'm really enjoying it.

Also, over half way through the audiobook of The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, read by Gaiman. The story is great, and he is wonderful at narrating it. I also watched Coraline today again, and it has some of the same magic to it.

 

[Bugg]

Finished Sharpe's Trafalgar over the weekend. Contrivances aside, I thought it was great - my favourite of the Sharpe books I've read so far (possibly because my interests in the Napoleonic Wars lean towards the naval side of things anyway). I thought Cornwell wrote the battle itself brilliantly.

Now on to The Venus Throw, which is the fourth novel in Steven Saylor's 'Roma Sub Rosa' series. This is one a friend loaned to me and I've had it sitting on the shelf for well over a year, possibly closer to two. Guilt is making me read it now

 

[Vertigo]

I'm only about halfway through "Shards of Honor" and the romance is already nigh unbearable. I don't think I'll manage to even finish it. Do you happen to know of any other works like Bujold's that I should stay away from? I'm really not a romance guy

The only similar one that I've had direct experience of is Catherine Asaro - romance with a flavouring of space opera. However I might possibly include the Kris Longknife books by Mike Shepherd, though they're not as heavily romantic.

Chris Wooding's, Tales of the Ketty Jay;

Redemption Falls

The Black Lung Captain

The Iron Jackal.

After these, I'm going to see if there are any more in this daft, but entertaining series.

I've only read the first of those Ace, but I completely agree with your assessment. Whilst I was reading it I was thinking this is complete pulp, but it's also loads and loads of fun. Definitely a new guilty pleasure for me!

 

[Tracy]

Funnily enough, the romance didn't bother me. I'm not a natural fan of romance, but I see characterisation as her best writing asset. It's the ludicrous way things work out for Miles despite him doing very little to plan for the best that bothers me. Far too neat and tidy, plot-wise.

I have to admit the characters do indeed show some promise, along with the setting, really, but romance just bores me to tears. Additionally I'm not much of a space opera man, either, though I do have some that I like, so I didn't really expect to like the series overmuch. I figured it's worth a glance though.

@Vertigo thanks for the tip

On the subject - I've just started Eoin Colfer's sequel to Adams' Hitchhiker series. Some people warned me that it doesn't measure up, but I remember that I liked Colfer's Artemis Fowl books as a kid (well, early teen, really) and I'm in the mood for some humor, so what the heck.

 

[The Ace]

The only similar one that I've had direct experience of is Catherine Asaro - romance with a flavouring of space opera. However I might possibly include the Kris Longknife books by Mike Shepherd, though they're not as heavily romantic.


I've only read the first of those Ace, but I completely agree with your assessment. Whilst I was reading it I was thinking this is complete pulp, but it's also loads and loads of fun. Definitely a new guilty pleasure for me!

Turns out there's one more.

The Ace of Skulls.

Given Frey's luck, it seems appropriate.