August 2022 Reading Thread

[Dave Vicks]

For Ghost in the Shell,you read the comic backwards.

 

[Bick]

On deck GHOST IN THE SHELL,Comic Book. By Masamuna Shirow.

Dave - you seem to read about 2 books every day. It would be nice to hear your thoughts about them sometimes, rather than just see a bare daily list.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Luana, Dark Star, The Thing and Starman all now sound more appealing than they did before I read this.

I read the novelization of Dark Star and thought it was quite good, managing to expand the movie and yet keep very close to the mood of it. My better half read his novelizations of the animated Star Trek -- sometimes turning a twenty-odd minute cartoon into a full novel -- and thought they were good.

 

[Rodders]

Bick, that sounds like a very interesting book. It was Alan Dean Foster’s movie novelisations that got me into proper Science Fiction.

 

[Bick]

Bick, that sounds like a very interesting book. It was Alan Dean Foster’s movie novelisations that got me into proper Science Fiction.

There were only 1500 volumes published, with only a few left available. If you would like a copy, visit Centipede Press’ website. I bought direct from them. (Quite expensive with shipping, but it’s a terrific publication - quality book).

 

[The Big Peat]

Finished Aliette de Bodard's Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances and it took some forcing despite being a novella. I was expecting a mix of solving a mystery and a couple bantering, and it was more the couple having a long fight over miscommunication, with one of them being at the apex of self-righteous and confrontational, which I have zero time for. Says a lot about how much I like her writing that I finished it, but really not for me.

 

[Dave Vicks]

Currently BATTLE BORN:LAPIS LAZULI.
By Maximilian Uriarte.
Graphic novel.

 

[Bick]

Currently BATTLE BORN:LAPIS LAZULI.
By Maximilian Uriarte.
Graphic novel.

Any thoughts on any of these books, Dave?

 

[Danny McG]

Beware the dog
The first of the Junkyard Dogs series by Dominique Mondesir

An entertaining space opera about a company of mercenaries - however the writer has just introduced a bit of unnecessary romance for no discernible reason

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I have just started Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know (2019) by Malcolm Gladwell. The thesis, I believe, illustrated by many examples from history and current events, is that we think we're good at judging folks we meet who are not like us, but in fact we're really lousy at it, leading to serious problems.

 

[Danny McG]

the writer has just introduced a bit of unnecessary romance for no discernible reason

Update: the protagonist has now found out his gf is actually a humanoid robot - terminator style

 

[Bick]

Update: the protagonist has now found out his gf is actually a humanoid robot - terminator style

Sounds like a positive development!

 

[Elentarri]

I completed 2 books over the last 2 days:

Down Under by Bill Bryson.
Australia is a fascinating continent/country, but you wouldn't know that by reading this book. Bryson spends so much ink blathering about himself, his visits to pubs, trying to be funny (and mostly failing), driving/riding through the middle of nowhere (repeatedly ad nauseum), complaining about all the creatures that are going to kill him (which he doesn't actually come across), and blundering around town, that "Australia" was pretty much ignored. Except for those rare occasions (most of which are found in the last quarter of the book) where he delivered some interesting historical factoid. The weird and wonderful Australian wildlife got a passing mention, but nothing that anyone wouldn't be able to pick up on a random "worlds most dangerous animals" YouTube video (the video would at least have pictures!). I found this book to be pretty tedious and didn't particularly learn anything I didn't already know about Australia. Anyone interested in the world's largest island that is also a continent should find a travel guide or a picture book. It would at least have pretty pictures to look at and probably more information.

City of Fortune: How Venice Won and Lost a Naval Empire by Roger Crowley.
City of Fortune (and misfortune) provides a fast paced and fairly interesting history of the rise of the Venetian empire and the commercial wealth it created. The city's prosperity rested on nothing tangible - no land holdings, no natural resources, no agricultural production or large population. There was literally no solid ground underfoot. Venice survived on trade and lived in fear of the severance of its trade routes. Crowley refers to Venice as the first "virtual economy". The book starts off with the role Venice played in the disastrous 4th Crusade (c.a. 1000 A.D) and end with its demise once trade routes to India and the Spice Islands bypassed the Mediterranean Sea (c.a. 1500 A.D.). There is also much about piracy, empire building (and holding and losing), commerce, difficult diplomacy with the encroaching Ottomans, and vicious squabbles with the rival Genoese.​

 

[Elentarri]

I am failing to see what all the fuss about Bill Bryson is. I've read 3 of his books. A Short History of Nearly Everything was ok, the Body was a bunch of statistics and superficial commentary about organs, and Down Under was boring and pointless.

 

[The Big Peat]

Finished Kiernan's Agents of Dreamland. Not bad. Glad I was warned before time the author doesn't give a tuppenny sh*t for plot. It's just 90s conspiracy vibes and I want to read the next one, but I want to re-read The Invisibles more.

 

[AE35Unit]

Well this morning I began House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, and wished I hadn't. Its very wordy, dense, thick and cloying and I've no idea what's going on. Is this typical Reynolds?

 

[Vertigo]

Well this morning I began House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, and wished I hadn't. Its very wordy, dense, thick and cloying and I've no idea what's going on. Is this typical Reynolds?

No I wouldn't say it's typical but I would recommend sticking with it and it opens out to be a brilliant book. The opening is rather hard to follow and not too critical, as I recall.

 

[Randy M.]

Finished Kiernan's Agents of Dreamland. Not bad. Glad I was warned before time the author doesn't give a tuppenny sh*t for plot. It's just 90s conspiracy vibes and I want to read the next one, but I want to re-read The Invisibles more.

"Weird" fiction often acts as if plot is a tertiary concern behind language and imagery. I'm okay with that, and maybe especially with this one.

 

[AE35Unit]

No I wouldn't say it's typical but I would recommend sticking with it and it opens out to be a brilliant book. The opening is rather hard to follow and not too critical, as I recall.

Bored me to death. I think I'm going off hard SF

 

[AE35Unit]

Think I might read some H. G.Wells from the anthology I have