October Reading Thread

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Bick said:
I’m currently reading The Sioux Spaceman by Andre Norton. Interesting idea and rather of its time, but Norton appears to have written a 60s SF novel without a single European/white character, which is interesting in itself. I’m enjoying it.
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Wow, I didn't know about that one. Thanks for mentioning it!
 
I went with cells... :D

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Finished: Otherlands: A World in the Making by Thomas Halliday.
An evocative history of life on earth - but for some reason starting at this side, rather than the beginning (as is usual - took some mental gymnastics). Good, but needs more illustrations or at least a panoramic landscape illustration per chapter.​
 
Knights Wyrd by Debra Doyle and James D Macdonald.
 
Elentarri said:
Finished: Otherlands: A World in the Making by Thomas Halliday.
An evocative history of life on earth - but for some reason starting at this side, rather than the beginning (as is usual - took some mental gymnastics). Good, but needs more illustrations or at least a panoramic landscape illustration per chapter.​
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Yes, that's a good one.
wp.me

Otherlands by Thomas Halliday

Touted as the best-written journey back into the evolutionary past of life for some time, this is indeed a superbly evocative trip into the mists of time. It’s the debut book of a new author,…
wp.me wp.me
 
I started on Hyperion, am at the first frame story and I have a question to ask this crowd: I will describe what I am looking for and you can tell me if I should continue: I like authentic writing (WHAT?? And why are you on a SFF forum then???!!!). Of course we are here to make up stuff, but we have our own scars and lives that show through. I like that.

Potential early stage Hyperion spoiler below

Hyperion _to me_ reads like a story LLMs will be cooking up in a few years. It has a waterfall of jargon that doesn't quite make me feel I'm in the future because the people are doing ordinary things.

The first frame story reads like a pulp fiction adventure in Africa from the 1930s complete with dengue fever and a "Bowana" like character. I don't consider these things racist (yes, of course the visitors from England needed African porters ("natives") and of course, because the English only spoke English the Africans had to learn a smattering of English to earn money from them, and of course it sounded funny, because, I mean have you ever spoken, or tried to speak, English?) but it is a bit derived and when not done well, a bit tedious. Hemingway is someone who could pull off this adventure in Africa stuff, and this is not in this league.

So. Does it get better? Does it get authentic? Does it start to be futurey with Humans that behave differently because they are in the future? Or is it just more pastiches like this one?

If I will be disappointed by Hyperion, now that I have bared by soul to you, would you have a different recommendation for me? Thank you.
 
Currently NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD.
Editors George A.Romero and Jonathan Maberry. Zombie story Anthology.
 
Dave Vicks said:
OT:Did anyone like Tad Willams' OTHERLAND?
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I did. I read it when I was 19 or so. I liked it then. I may not like it now if I ever re-read it. Williams tends to be a bit long-winded, but I liked the ideas behind the Otherland quartet.
 
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