December Reading Thread

[Werthead]

The thought of reading another 700-page fantasy potboiler made me feel a bit weary, so I ploughed into The Children of Hurin. Should have it done in a couple of days at the most (not a very long book at all).

Not sure what to read after that. I should get round to reading my first Orbit review book (Spirit Gate) but I'm beginning to feel the need to re-read something awesome, possibly some PF Hamilton or Aldiss' Helliconia Trilogy.

[kcf]

I finished Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock a few days ago - it's quite good and deserving of the attention it got when written 20 years ago. Next up is Shadowbridge - we'll see if I like it (like Jay) or not (like Pat).

World Fantasy Award (1985) winning Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock represents a departure from the traditional epic fantasy of its day with elements of science fiction and historical fiction while imbuing an atmosphere all its own. Defying easy categorization, it explores the mythos of humanity in a setting eerily recognizable and reminiscent of something more primal in origin.

(Full Review)

[nobodymN]

Finished A Time for Treason by Keck, don't know exactly where I want to go next - maybe The Metatemporal Detective by Moorcock.

[Marcelo Rebelo Firqoralas]

I finished Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock a few days ago - it's quite good and deserving of the attention it got when written 20 years ago.

I read this one a couple of weeks ago. I definitely thought it was a novel that's worth reading, but it didn't really blow me away.

[oneeye]

I'm reading Storm Front. Bit odd after having seen the Dresden Files on scifi channel first, but still quite good. I might get the second.

[Astra]

I liked Black Man, but I felt that exact way about Neuromancer. The hard science fiction stories are not the way to go when breaking into the genre imo (or at least getting back in after a few years hiatus as was my case with Neuromancer).

Try Old Man's War before you give up on the genre. The technology is explained more fully, simply and it makes you think "This is pretty neat, I wonder if they'll actually have this some day." The story is also less dense which makes it a good for transition into the genre. I was much better prepared for stories like Black Man afterward (though you may still not like them).

Thanks for your advice.

I am not going to give up entire on the gengre. I am giving it a shot from time to time. A few years ago I have read Hyperion/The Fall of Hyperion. I was not impressed at all. Poet's story was the most boring stuff. Then one year later I read Endymion/Rise of Endymion. The dulogy was more of an adventure story with Sci-Fi elements and I enjoyed it a lot more than the first dulogy. I really liked it, although the ending was very sad.

So...I am going to read more in future

[Peadar]

So...I am going to read more in future

That's a great piece of SF right there

[swedeheadchris]

I've just finished what has -- at the moment at least! -- got to be my favourite fantasy novel of the year: A Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones. This series is so much vaster in scope than her other books that it seems almost like a different author, entirely. Epic fantasy with very good characterisations. Strange tendencies to wander into a Scottish brogue occasionally, though! Got the other two volumes to start on next week!

Review here!

~Chris

[williamjm]

Strange tendencies to wander into a Scottish brogue occasionally, though!

I did find it slightly distracting at times that a lot of the places (and some characters or clans) take their names directly from Scottish place names (see Castlemilk, Stornoway, Crieff, Haddo, Brodie for example).

[Talyn]

I just finished reading Saturn Returns by Sean Williams. I enjoyed this book bu felt that it would have been better if more of the plot had been tied up at the end of the book. Still I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Deornoth]

I'm having real trouble getting into 'A Sword from Red Ice' right now so am trying out other stuff instead.

I've just finished reading 'Monster Island' by David Wellington, a story of humans trying to find medical supplies in a New York overrun by zombies (and that's the least of their problems). It's a real slow starter (it really is, took me a couple of weeks to get into this one) but the book really pays off when it gets going. David Wellington has obviously spent a long time thinking over the implications of a zombie apocalypse and comes up with a couple of interesting zombie variants as well. If you're a fan of zombie fiction then this is certainly worth a look. My full review is Here.

I'm now well into 'Inside Straight', the new Wild Cards collection edited by George RR. Martin. There aren't many books that would make me want to go out and find the rest of the series (stretching back over twenty years) but this is one of them!

[Bellis]

So, spurred by DylanFanatic's thread and BofG, I re-read Urth of the New Sun, the fifth Severian book by Gene Wolfe. It wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered, but still a bit too metaphysical for my tastes. However, the passages through time and space were... interesting. You all have my permission to read it, and not ignore it, if you wish

Last night, I finished The Club Dumas, by Pérez-Reverte. It was a fascinating story, on the surface a detective tale but woven with references to rare books, 19th century figures such as Dumas, and occult practices and societies. The narrative structure, where the first person narrator is a secondary character that acts as an omniscient voice of the main character, while also appearing as first person in a few scenes, was also quite interesting. I've seen this structure before, but usually in non-English language lit (such as Pamuk). I realized just now that the book was made into a movie, The Ninth Gate, which removed the Dumas subplot. This strikes me as strange, as the Dumas angle was the more interesting imho and the book doesn't really have much of a point without it... or much to distinguish it from your usual Da Vinci code-like story.

[Winterfella]

I've seen this structure before, but usually in non-English language lit

Isn't this translated from Spanish? I think so, but I could be wrong. I've also been meaning to give this one a try as it sits on my bookshelf.

[Bellis]

Isn't this translated from Spanish? I think so, but I could be wrong. I've also been meaning to give this one a try as it sits on my bookshelf.

Yes. I guess i wasn't clear. I meant I've always seen this structure in non-Anglo lit.

[Winterfella]

Gotcha.

[Guest]

I'm about 2/3 through The Lions of al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's solid so far, I feel like it could turn out awesome or just be OK, but it's been an enjoyable book to this point.

[Serious Callers Only]

Last night, I finished The Club Dumas, by Pérez-Reverte. It was a fascinating story, on the surface a detective tale but woven with references to rare books, 19th century figures such as Dumas, and occult practices and societies. The narrative structure, where the first person narrator is a secondary character that acts as an omniscient voice of the main character, while also appearing as first person in a few scenes, was also quite interesting. I've seen this structure before, but usually in non-English language lit (such as Pamuk). I realized just now that the book was made into a movie, The Ninth Gate, which removed the Dumas subplot. This strikes me as strange, as the Dumas angle was the more interesting imho and the book doesn't really have much of a point without it... or much to distinguish it from your usual Da Vinci code-like story.

Read the whole of the Ninth Gate thread in Entertainment. But only if you saw the film.

[Bellis]

Read the whole of the Ninth Gate thread in Entertainment. But only if you saw the film.

Thanks for the tip. I knew The Ninth Gate sounded familiar... i usually don't click in Entertainment unless I know something about the topic.

According to Wiki, the movie simplified many of the plot convolutions from the book. I guess if you'd seen the movie first, you might think the Dumas subplot was completely extraneous.

My final assessment is that its probably one of those books with so much going on that it would be impossible to pack it into a couple hours movie experience and have it be comprehensible. Even with the simplification, it seems as though a lot of people didn't quite get the "devil" subplot.

[Mr. X]

Finished off Dennis Lehane's Mystic River which was a very enjoyable read. He may not be a master stylist, but he can tell a good story.

Now I'm about 100 pages into Dinner At Deviant's Palace, by Tim Powers. It's interesting -- set in a future, post-apocalyptic L.A. At times it reminds me of Gene Wolf's Book of the New Sun (largely because I just read that), and other things bring to mind Veniss Underground by Jeffrey Vandermeer (deformed freaks in a fucked up city).

[ithanos]

I just finished reading the Dexter thread over in Entertainment, always intriguing. Before that I lurked to read the short story How Fat Can Sam really still be? by Adanin in the AFFC forum, nice. I'm curious about Our dreams are not always literal by Jon Targaryen in General and may check it out soon.

Before this though someone recc'd The Quincunx by Charles Palliser in a thread somewhere in this forum. Library had it. Now I do and was about to give up on it 20 pages in. But at 60 pages now the hooks are in. Liking it now, things are developing, characters in shadow are appearing. Will need to stay away from this site to get this book read.