September 2019: Reading Thread

[Vertigo]

A rather mediocre clutch of books this last month:
The Lollipop of Influence by Mjke Wood - a competent piece of SF comedy but not as good as the first book. More here.
Treason’s Harbour by Patrick O’Brian - another rather ponderous volume in the Maturin/Aubrey books. I do hope they're going to return to form soon! More here.
Triumphant by Jack Campbell - another solid volume in the prequel series to Campbell's Lost Fleet world. More here.
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi - A bit of a let down after the very good first Interdependency book. More here.
The Horus Killings by Paul Doherty - Another good ancient Egyptian crime mystery. More here.
Planetfall by Emma Newman - A very interesting idea but I didn't get on with the writing style. More here.

 

[tobl]

A rather mediocre clutch of books this last month:
The Lollipop of Influence by Mjke Wood - a competent piece of SF comedy but not as good as the first book. More here.
Treason’s Harbour by Patrick O’Brian - another rather ponderous volume in the Maturin/Aubrey books. I do hope they're going to return to form soon! More here.
Triumphant by Jack Campbell - another solid volume in the prequel series to Campbell's Lost Fleet world. More here.

i love the lost fleet... but i truly hate prequel's

 

[Anthoney]

i love the lost fleet... but i truly hate prequel's

I just found the Lost Fleet books earlier this year. I got to read the whole thing book after book all at once. I really enjoyed it. I don't think the prequels are as good but I don't truly hate them.

 

[Vertigo]

i love the lost fleet... but i truly hate prequel's

I just found the Lost Fleet books earlier this year. I got to read the whole thing book after book all at once. I really enjoyed it. I don't think the prequels are as good but I don't truly hate them.

I think I'd go with @Anthoney I still liked the Genesis Fleet books but not quite as much.

 

[vanye]

I really enjoyed the story, even if it doesn't have anything resembling a typical plot.

Rothfuss himself thought that the story (The slow regard of silent things) should not work. Yet it does for me. In fact, I liked it immensely and find that it has stayed with me, even though I read it more than a year ago, I believe.

 

[Danny McG]

I've finished Cold Storage by David Koepp, not too bad a book, a bit of Andromeda Strain type fiction.

Now I'm starting The Last Astronaut by David Wellington

 

[Paul_C]

Last night I finished Late Riser - Jasper Fforde, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Not outstanding, but a very good read, much like most of his work.

Next up is either going to be The Rift - Nina Allen or Palimpsest - Catherynne M Valente

In case you wondered which I chose - I've not finished it yet, but very much enjoying. . . Yellow Blue Tibia - Adam Roberts

 

[Danny McG]

Now I'm starting The Last Astronaut by David Wellington

I found this was getting tedious so I've filed the ebook and am instead trying The Ultimate Solution by Eric Norden .. this is an alternate history story from 1973 where Hitler won and the USA is controlled by Nazis

 

[Danny McG]

I finished The Ultimate Solution this morning, a very nasty book, much "of it's time".
I know it was meant to represent Nazism at it's worst but, apart from the racism, there was paedophilia and appalling torture (people and animals) scattered throughout it. *Shudders*

Now onto another try at The Outside by Ada Hoffman...I can't recall what made me put it aside in the first place, no doubt I'll remember as I read it.

 

[Elckerlyc]

.. this is an alternate history story ...

Alternate or alternative? I was told (at the Worldcon) that Brits say 'alternative' where Americans use 'alternate.'
To me 'alternate' means something different. As in: To alternate between alternatives.

 

[ChrisVH]

Neil Asher "Soldier"

 

[tobl]

I finished The Ultimate Solution this morning, a very nasty book, much "of it's time".
I know it was meant to represent Nazism at it's worst but, apart from the racism, there was paedophilia and appalling torture (people and animals) scattered throughout it. *Shudders*

you mean like the nazis actually did and permitted?and let's not talk about campsand experiments.
FYI: do you know that game, castle wolfstein, i beieve? well, the nazis actually tried to create a zombie army. and other experiments

 

[Danny McG]

Alternate or alternative? I was told (at the Worldcon) that Brits say 'alternative' where Americans use 'alternate.'
To me 'alternate' means something different. As in: To alternate between alternatives.

I took 'alternate' from a somewhat minimal blurb about the book, I would usually have said alternative

 

[HareBrain]

the nazis actually tried to create a zombie army

Unless you're doing with "actually" what a lot of people now seem to do with "literally", I think we're going to want backup for that.

 

[Hugh]

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm currently reading Once Upon a River, by Diane Setterfield. It is this month's first book group read. I must say it starts of very well, let's hope it will stay that way.

 

[vanye]

Now onto another try at The Outside by Ada Hoffman...I can't recall what made me put it aside in the first place, no doubt I'll remember as I read it.

Finished Ada Hoffman‘s The Outside last week. All in all, I‘ll have to consider this one a disappointment. Technically, the writing is good and the basic idea really caught my interest.

However, if the central image of a story is „The Outside“, I (the reader) would like to be given a better idea what it actually is. Now I am left with the impression that the author herself did not really know, so she left it vague and way outside my grasp. Frustrating!

Also, I do not like my science (fiction or no) to be mixed with fantasy and magic. Just a personal quirk, though.

Finally, to make characters autistic, just to portrait them as geniusses, but then leave that trait aside, except the occasional sign of being challenged with socializing, is poor execution. Elizabeth Moon did this way better.

 

[tobl]

Unless you're doing with "actually" what a lot of people now seem to do with "literally", I think we're going to want backup for that.

here you have some pointers. if i find something more relevant i will put it in

Did Nazis really try to make zombies? The real history behind one of our weirdest WWII obsessions

From comics to video games to Indiana Jones, the occult pursuits of Nazi villains continue to fascinate us

www.salon.com

 

[Parson]

Alternate or alternative? I was told (at the Worldcon) that Brits say 'alternative' where Americans use 'alternate.'
To me 'alternate' means something different. As in: To alternate between alternatives.

On this side of the pond in common usage alternate and alternative are essentially synonyms when used to modify a noun. If used as a noun alternative is by far preferred.

@Elckerlyc .... Just for curiosity, I was at our local "Dutch" bakery this morning and bought some luscious hand made "Stroopwafels" on an impulse and about fell over when I realized I had paid $8 (7.34 Euros) for 6 wafels about 9 cm in diameter. Would that seem ridiculous in the Netherlands?

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Now teetering on the brink of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Slightly daunted by its length and the fact that whenever I open it at a random page, nothing much seems to be happening. But people I know seem to like it, so ...

I couldn't read it. Got about 4 or 5 chapters in... yawn... yawn again...