March 2019: Reading Thread

[Ian Fortytwo]

I have got The Broken Sword, by Poul Anderson, lined up to be read next.

 

[dask]

Good book as I recall.

 

[vanye]

All I know is coming around perched on a bin at a bus stop with a comedown and no money is the kind of experience I'm glad to leave safely in my twenties.

Hihi. Yes, but back then we thought it was cool. Which (meaning the capacity for self-delusion) is something I sometimes find myself missing these days.

But to get back on topic ... I am more than two-thirds into Poul Anderson's Ensign Flandry. A fellow Chronner recommended it and so far it has been a very enjoyable read.

 

[Fedos]

I finished up reading The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks for the second time yesterday. I remember enjoying it the first time I read it and it held up quite well. Now I'm on to the second book in the original series, The Elfstones of Shannara, in an endeavor to read through the many books in the Shannara series.

 

[Parson]

Well I've settled down to reading Emergence by Nick M. Lloyd. Not bad so far. Interesting present day S.F. take with earth being watched by aliens. But needs to get better or at least less predictable to earn very good ratings from me. But it does have time to do this.

 

[Rodders]

One of my reading goals for 2019 was to finish Paul F. Wilson's "Adversary Cycle". Of the six books in the series, I have read (and thoroughly enjoyed) four.

I started Reborn this morning (book 2 in the adversary cycle.)

 

[Danny McG]

Well I've settled down to reading Emergence by Nick M. Lloyd. Not bad so far. Interesting present day S.F. take with earth being watched by aliens. But needs to get better or at least less predictable to earn very good ratings from me. But it does have time to do this.

A good review here..

Emergence by Nick M. Lloyd

I've posted my full review of Emergence, the debut novel by fellow Chrons member @FibonacciEddie on my personal website here.

www.sffchronicles.com

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I have got The Broken Sword, by Poul Anderson, lined up to be read next.

I skipped this book for The Fall of Shannara The Black Elfstone, by Terry Brooks. Which I've wanted to read for quite a while.

 

[HareBrain]

If this is as good as it sounds I'm going to have to check this one out.

I've read two of his previous books and really enjoyed them, and this (at 1/3 through) seems to be up to that standard. It's very UK-centric, though.

 

[tobl]

I've now started 1632, by Eric Flint. I've been meaning to give this a go for some time, and a few pages in, it seems good and has 'pulled me in' nicely. Its quite a long book, but I suspect I may charge through it, as its that kind of book I think (famous last words).

i've been trying to decide to read those but they never really caught my interest. what do you think of the series?

 

[dask]

I've read two of his previous books and really enjoyed them, and this (at 1/3 through) seems to be up to that standard. It's very UK-centric, though.

That's okay. I didn't really exist until I saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.

 

[Hugh]

Roger Zelazny: "Today We Choose Faces"
Good concept but I'm afraid I found it didn't really get my attention.

 

[williamjm]

I finished Tim Powers' Alternate Routes. I always like Powers' books and I enjoyed this one, although I wouldn't rank it among his best books. I do generally prefer it when he's writing in a historical setting, although there were still some 'secret history' elements in the backstory the modern-day Los Angeles setting wasn't as interesting as the settings of some of his other books. One of the things Powers does well is to take a bizarre supernatural premise and make it feel strangely plausible, for most of this book he manages that, although it maybe gets a bit too surreal right at the end. The book doesn't waste any time in establishing the premise and characters and then keeps the momentum going throughout, with the stakes rising as the story progresses. I thought the two main characters were likeable, although Vickery did maybe feel a bit too reminiscent of the protagonists of some of Powers' other books. Overall, it doesn't really compare to the likes of The Anubis Gates or Last Call, but it's still an entertaining book to read.

Next up I'm going to start the final book in Ian McDonald's Luna trilogy, Moon Rising.

I've been considering reading Zelazny so these insights are useful, thanks for sharing.

Nine Princes in Amber is probably a good place to start if you haven't read any Zelazny, it's one of his most accessible books.

 

[Parson]

A good review here..

Emergence by Nick M. Lloyd

I've posted my full review of Emergence, the debut novel by fellow Chrons member @FibonacciEddie on my personal website here.

www.sffchronicles.com

I'm not reading that until I finish the book. It looks too long not to include some spoilers. The jury for me is still out, but the book is growing on me.

 

[Bick]

Regarding 1632, by Eric Flint, which I'm currently reading...

i've been trying to decide to read those but they never really caught my interest. what do you think of the series?

Its not a straightforward answer I think tobl. I suspect you may like it, as its Baen stable, and Flint does write quite well, in an easy, free-flowing style. He has co-written quite a bit in collaboration with Weber, who I know you like, so there's a good chance you'd enjoy the style.

Regarding the plot and sub-genre - this is a kind of alternative history SF, unlike most of Weber's stuff. I'm enjoying the history I'm learning, about the 30 years war in the Holy Roman Empire, and I think its researched pretty well, from what I can tell. There's a heck of a lot of action, which Flint is very good at (and he's better at action than the odd bit of romantic plot, which he's slightly clunkier with). It does come across as rather jingoistic in its pro-American stance, but I find I can mostly forgive this. I think it probably portrays the kind of thoughts and views of the displaced 21st century Virginians accurately, so the fact that it occasionally reads as a bit morally ambiguous to me, doesn't make it 'wrong' from a storytelling perspective. One could argue that Flint enjoys massacring the 17th century Germans a bit much, but many wont see it as I do.

For reliability, I'd say it is recommended - I'm not actually sure its really my cup of tea, but I've still managed to plow through 300 pages of in only 3 days, so it obviously has its merits!

I'd say give it a go, but others may want to pitch in also. I know that Timba is a fan, from previous comments.

 

[Danny McG]

Starting Boy's Life by Robert R McCammon.
So far it's depicting small town USA life, as previously done so well by Bradbury and King.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I skipped this book for The Fall of Shannara The Black Elfstone, by Terry Brooks. Which I've wanted to read for quite a while.

I'm really pleased with this book, and Terry Brooks, will soon become my favourite author. He definitely writes some powerful novels with action and good storylines throughout each of his novels. Highly recommended.

 

[tobl]

Regarding 1632, by Eric Flint, which I'm currently reading...

Its not a straightforward answer I think tobl. I suspect you may like it, as its Baen stable, and Flint does write quite well, in an easy, free-flowing style. He has co-written quite a bit in collaboration with Weber, who I know you like, so there's a good chance you'd enjoy the style.

Regarding the plot and sub-genre - this is a kind of alternative history SF, unlike most of Weber's stuff. I'm enjoying the history I'm learning, about the 30 years war in the Holy Roman Empire, and I think its researched pretty well, from what I can tell. There's a heck of a lot of action, which Flint is very good at (and he's better at action than the odd bit of romantic plot, which he's slightly clunkier with). It does come across as rather jingoistic in its pro-American stance, but I find I can mostly forgive this. I think it probably portrays the kind of thoughts and views of the displaced 21st century Virginians accurately, so the fact that it occasionally reads as a bit morally ambiguous to me, doesn't make it 'wrong' from a storytelling perspective. One could argue that Flint enjoys massacring the 17th century Germans a bit much, but many wont see it as I do.

For reliability, I'd say it is recommended - I'm not actually sure its really my cup of tea, but I've still managed to plow through 300 pages of in only 3 days, so it obviously has its merits!

I'd say give it a go, but others may want to pitch in also. I know that Timba is a fan, from previous comments.

if you want jingoistic try tom kratman. don't get me wrong, i like is books a lot, aldo the premise is stupid. i like the characters and story, but sometimes the guy is just preachy. think soldiers of the universe by robert heinlein times 1000 and you get this series

 

[Bick]

if you want jingoistic try tom kratman. don't get me wrong, i like is books a lot, aldo the premise is stupid. i like the characters and story, but sometimes the guy is just preachy. think soldiers of the universe by robert heinlein times 1000 and you get this series

Kratman may not be for me then. Incidentally, I wouldn't be too put off by my jingoism comment on Flint - its not that extreme and recent chapters have been well (better) balanced. The last two chapters I read, describing the Battle of Breitenfeld, were excellent - a real history lesson, well told.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I am about to start I Am (Not) a Number: Decoding The Prisoner (2017) by Alex Cox. The author analyzes the episodes of that enigmatic series in the order they were filmed, not the order they were broadcast, and comes up with new theories about what it all means.