December Reading Thread

[Parson]

I've finished all three books Evasion, Discretion, and Absolution of the Scattered Stars: Evasion series by Glynn Stewart. These follow the adventures of a independent freighter Evasion, and it's crew led by a former Nova fighter pilot on the run from assassins in his home system. In this series he at cross purposes with a group who specializes in slavery, and comes to adopt a former 13 year old slave girl, which further intensifies the conflict between him and this group.

I liked the series. It's believable. It's true the universe it builds for itself. The characters form a kind of family. All good things in my opinion. Also, like the Glynn Stewart series (Scattered Stars) I read the quality of the story does not deteriorate as the story goes on. This is not groundbreaking stuff, or world class prose, but it makes for enjoyable reading if you like SF with a touch of military SF mixed in.

Avoid --- Not Recommended --- Flawed --- Okay --- Good --- Recommended --- Shouldn’t be Missed

 

[Elentarri]

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. I found much of the book almost comically silly, though there are a few choice strange bits that I enjoyed.

My copy (old Penguin Classics edition) of Castle of Otranto didn't have punctuation and no paragraph spaces. It was a nightmare to read. But, the story was funny in the train wreck sort of way. Through a Glass Darkly was good.

 

[AE35Unit]

Tis the season (From F&SF 1964)

 

[kythe]

I've always loved A Christmas Carol, ever since I was very young, and through many readings as an adult came to appreciate it even more. It's Dickens and so it occasionally gets a bit over-the-top with the sentimentality (which is not a complaint so far as I am concerned) but there is also a great deal of depth and subtlety.

Because of TV adaptations and parodies, the cartoons, and even the movies (excellent though some of those are), most people feel like they know the book, but unless they have read it they really don't.

I became inspired by posts here, and re-read A Christmas Carol. It remains an excellent parable.

 

[Le Panda du Mal]

About 10 years ago or so I got to see Charles Dickens' descendant Gerald Dickens recite A Christmas Carol- very animated and funny. I will never forget how he paused over the line "like a bad lobster in a dark cellar" with a puzzled expression.

 

[AE35Unit]

I also am reading A Christmas Carol, this time in an edition with notes at the back

 

[Chris von shannow]

I am struggling to find anything good at the moment

Tying "The Nine" by Terry Cloutier later

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm now reading Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett.

 

[Chris von shannow]

Sharpes Christmas by Bernard Cornwell

 

[Montero]

Tis the season (From F&SF 1964)
View attachment 113234

Is this the James White who wrote Sector General series?

I have just finished Paladin's Faith by T Kingfisher and enjoyed it enormously. It is all the little details and comments - particularly identified with one character who gets so truly cross and frustrated by other people's ineptness in her own profession (at which she is pretty good).

Now onto TJ Klune Under the Whispering Door. Not entirely sure on this. I loved the House in the Cerulean Sea, gave up on the Wolf one (that was possibly its title) and am going rather slowly on Whispering Door. May swap to something else.

 

[AE35Unit]

Is this the James White who wrote Sector General series?

It is indeed. I've yet to find any of those books

 

[hitmouse]

It is indeed. I've yet to find any of those books

Available as 3 or 4 collected editions. I got them all on Amazon a few years ago.

 

[Dave Vicks]

Short intro to KEIERKEGAARD.

 

[Elentarri]

The Girl in the Moon by Terry Goodkind (thriller)
Meh.

I've read the first 5 or so of Terry Goodkind's fantasy series, and gave up once the gratuitous violence, rape, and sadism (I would not be in the least surprised if they found a dungeon (with skeletons) in his basement!); plot holes; repetitive plots; oh so many very convenient occurrences; preaching; and not-so-wonderful writing got on my nerves... somewhere after the evil chicken. But the lady at the bookshop was waxing lyrical about this particular book and going on about how unique she found it and kept recommending I read it, "even though it's not my usual type of reading". So, I gave it a try.

Spoiler

... A serial killer/rapist walks into a bar...
...
...
... Aaannndd, by chapter 6 it was quite apparent that Goodkind was still into graphic violence, gore and rape.
...
...
... By chapter 13, the main character strongly reminded me of Kahlan from Goodkind's Sword of Truth series (from what I remember anyway, it's been about two decades or so)
...
...
... There is a dungeon basement. Why am I not surprised.
...
... I'm not sure it's physically possible to do what one of the characters does with knives and guns...
...
... Chapter 16 - another graphic torture session (any sadistic ******* with no imagination just has to read Goodkind's book to get far too many horrible ideas!) Also I'm not sure if people can just scream and then carry on having a conversation after the stuff done to them. I would have thought they pass out by now?!

... Chapter 34 includes animal cruelty

.... Graphic carnage... followed by more of the same.....

Interesting concept, adequate plot, prose with too much exposition and repetition, unoriginal characters, semi-Mary-Suish protagonist, the many very convenient occurrences, the usual gratuitous overly-descriptive sadistic violence including rape and large scale carnage; making this a typical Goodkind novel that reads like an episode of the Sword of Truth series without the fantasy setting. I can see why the bookshop lady liked it, but this sort of thing isn't my jam. If I hadn't promised to read the book and discuss it with the bookshop lady, I would have ditched it before the halfway mark.

 

[Toby Frost]

The stuff I've read of Goodkind's has been garbage in pretty much every respect: he manages to be both really boring and deeply unwholesome at the same time. It says nothing good about publishing and fantasy back then that he was able to get into print in the first place.

 

[Montero]

The stuff I've read of Goodkind's has been garbage in pretty much every respect: he manages to be both really boring and deeply unwholesome at the same time. It says nothing good about publishing and fantasy back then that he was able to get into print in the first place.

Wow that is a superbly condensed condemnation. Terry Goodkind is an author I've tried long ago and thought "meh" then heard about lots ever since. Too long ago for the "meh" to have any details.
@Elentarri - OK your details are reminding me. I'd have given up on it and told the lady that really not for me. Reading time is too precious for stuff that makes your brain hurt.

 

[Montero]

It is indeed. I've yet to find any of those books

I bought them as they came out, which doesn't help you. Not re-read in a few years but I remember them as good. He worked with someone with anatomical training so his vast array of aliens are correctly assembled, like the six legged Thralthans. He does go for species variation behaviour, but because it is a vast specialist hospital, everyone does have things in common - being a medical professional.

 

[Toby Frost]

Wow that is a superbly condensed condemnation.

To be honest, had he been simply bad, I wouldn't mind, but he was both bad and a jerk.

 

[Elentarri]

OK your details are reminding me. I'd have given up on it and told the lady that really not for me. Reading time is too precious for stuff that makes your brain hurt.

I skimmed quite a bit. Goodkind wrote no-brains-required books so skimming doesn't result in missing anything relevant.

 

[Rodders]

Just finished Judge Dredd: Cursed Earth Asylum. It needed some editing, but it was actually pretty good. A bit like Robert R. McCammon’s Swan Song but more Judge DreddI fixed. Very enjoyable, I thought.

Not on the Judge Dredd: The Hundredfold problem