August 2021 Reading Discussion

[Hugh]

Frederic Raphael "Darling"
Picked up on a whim. I was interested to read the book that the film was made from... only to find that the film was an original screenplay and this is just the book derived from the screenplay. Same author though. Probably a lot of fun in 1965, but now very much of its time. And it's one of those books where the author is a man writing about a woman and seldom moves beyond the one dimensional.
I remember enjoying the film years ago, but it did have Julie Christie. I didn't know then that it contained a cameo performance by one of the Inklings.

 

[HareBrain]

I love the Fault Lines trilogy.

I just remembered I never got round to reading Expiration Date and Earthquake Weather. Would you say they're as good?

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I think Last Call is the best of the three, but I think Last Call is a great, original book, so that isn't meant to slight the other two. I'd never read anything like it before (early 90s), and it really amazed me then, and still did last year when I listened to it.
It's been ten or so years since I read the other two, but I remember thinking Expiration Date was quite good. It involves a different set of characters, if my memory serves, and that sometimes throws me in a related series of books. But the story was engrossing, and I was completely into the new characters/storylines very quickly.
Earthquake Weather ties everything together, and I remember thinking it was a great conclusion to the series. I've read maybe six of Powers' novels, and I think very highly of his work, and this series is one of the few SF&F series I've ever re-read. It worked well for me, and it might for you too, since you enjoy Last Call so much.
Declare is near the top of my TBR pile, and that's one of his books I've never read.

 

[Danny McG]

I'm starting The animals in that country by Laura Jean Mckay

Book review: The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay

The Animals in That Country is an eerily prescient story of a novel virus which leaves those affected with the ability to communicate with animals.

www.artshub.co.uk

 

[Hugh]

Returning to the Tim Powers hobbyhorse: my personal favourites are "The Anubis Gates" and "Dinner at Deviant's Palace" both of which I think are exceptional. His Fault lines trilogy is good, but wouldn't put him among my favourite authors. Each to their own. I always find him surprisingly thought-provoking, more so than most others, but looking at his bibliography, I realise I haven't bothered with his recent books.
We visited Venice a few years ago and took a look at the Peggy Guggenheim art collection. Surprise! There's a Dali painting there that perfectly captures a scene in "The Stress of Her Regard" that takes place in Venice. Weird feeling to suddenly realise Powers had been there and decided to use it in his work-in-progress. Annoying though: I can't find the painting online - I'm sure it was a Dali.

Ahh! It was that old so and so Picasso

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Currently reading The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin.

The second book of the Earthsea Saga.

 

[AE35Unit]

Now reading Zoo Quest in Paraguay by David Attenborough , one of my collection of first editions.

 

[williamjm]

I think Last Call is the best of the three, but I think Last Call is a great, original book, so that isn't meant to slight the other two. I'd never read anything like it before (early 90s), and it really amazed me then, and still did last year when I listened to it.
It's been ten or so years since I read the other two, but I remember thinking Expiration Date was quite good. It involves a different set of characters, if my memory serves, and that sometimes throws me in a related series of books. But the story was engrossing, and I was completely into the new characters/storylines very quickly.
Earthquake Weather ties everything together, and I remember thinking it was a great conclusion to the series. I've read maybe six of Powers' novels, and I think very highly of his work, and this series is one of the few SF&F series I've ever re-read. It worked well for me, and it might for you too, since you enjoy Last Call so much.
Declare is near the top of my TBR pile, and that's one of his books I've never read.

I really liked Declare. I thought Last Call was excellent as well, I thought it was the best of the trilogy although the other two were still worth reading.

I also particularly like The Anubis Gates and On Stranger Tides out of his other works.

Returning to the Tim Powers hobbyhorse: my personal favourites are "The Anubis Gates" and "Dinner at Deviant's Palace" both of which I think are exceptional.

That reminds me Dinner at Deviant's Palace is one of the few Powers novels I haven't read yet, I should try to get to it at some point.

 

[tobl]

there's a new pendergast out but still no john conroe

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

I got a little behind on my novel

I hope you also check out The Drabblecast!

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

I've been reading the new version of Ben Elton's "Stark", aka "The News"

 

[Foxbat]

Currently reading British Battleships 1919-1945

It may sound a bit anal but it’s very informative and gives a good understanding of design choices and how politics affected those choices.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I just finished re-reading the Fortress series by C. J. Cherryh. The last one, Fortress of Ice, left off as though she had further plans for the series, but since there haven't been any more after all this time I am assuming her publishers decided otherwise, which is disappointing.

 

[Danny McG]

I'm doing a re-read this morning.
Vernon Vinge "A fire upon the deep"

 

[HareBrain]

I'm doing a re-read this morning.
Vernon Vinge "A fire upon the deep"

That's on my reread pile too. I remember it being very good.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I also particularly like The Anubis Gates and On Stranger Tides out of his other works.

The Anubis Gates is a terrific book. I've yet to read On Stranger Tides. I'll have to correct that one of these days.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I'm doing a re-read this morning.
Vernon Vinge "A fire upon the deep"

Such a great book. I read that for the first time maybe 4-5 years ago, and it blew my mind. I'd not read cosmic-level SF for a long time, and this book led directly to my reading authors such as Alastair Reynolds, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Derek Kunsken. You have to been entertained on a cosmic level every now and then.

 

[soulsinging]

Such a great book. I read that for the first time maybe 4-5 years ago, and it blew my mind. I'd not read cosmic-level SF for a long time, and this book led directly to my reading authors such as Alastair Reynolds, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Derek Kunsken. You have to been entertained on a cosmic level every now and then.

I have it on my shelf but keep putting it off. I’ve never loved epic SFF the way I do fantasy. I’ve read Dune, Hyperion, Revelation Space, Pandora’s Star... hopefully this one helps me get it!

 

[williamjm]

Such a great book. I read that for the first time maybe 4-5 years ago, and it blew my mind. I'd not read cosmic-level SF for a long time, and this book led directly to my reading authors such as Alastair Reynolds, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Derek Kunsken. You have to been entertained on a cosmic level every now and then.

A Fire Upon the Deep does have some of the most fascinating aliens in any SF story I've read. I also really liked the follow-up/prequel A Deepness in the Sky.

 

[tobl]

there's anew tao wong out, broken council, it may be fun still waiting for john conroe