December Reading Thread

[beniowa]

I just finished The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne M. Valente. It's the second book in the duology and every bit as good as the first one. See here for the review.

I think I'm going to jump on the Tim Powers love parade and start a Powers sequence starting with The Drawing of the Dark.

[Mr. X]

I think I'm going to jump on the Tim Powers love parade and start a Powers sequence starting with The Drawing of the Dark.

Woo-hoo!

Funny, up next for me (once I finish the last 100 pages of Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, which got put on hiatus while I dealt with finals) is The Stress of Her Regard by Powers.

[WhiteQueen]

I just finished the most depressing and the creepiest book in the world -- "Winterwood" by Patrick McCabe. I liked his Breakfast on Pluto (interestingly, I liked the movie better than the book, which is never a case with me), so I picked up "Winterwood." It's so creepy, that when I was reading that book, I could not bring myself to use the bookmark my 5 year old son made for me. As if the book was too eerie to have any connection with my little boy, you know. As for the synopsis -- Irish rural people, heavy drinking, several children molestation, several murders, some incest, adultery, madness -- the usual.

[williamjm]

Funny, up next for me is The Stress of Her Regard by Powers.

That's a book I wanted to like more than I did. The premise was intriguing and there are plenty of good bits in the book, but also some scenes I found a bit too unbelievable and it did feature Powers' least likeable protagonists.

I finished reading Richard Matheson's I Am Legend which is a short, very effective vampire novel with a very memorable ending. Next up is Charlie Stross' The Jennifer Morgue, I really enjoyed The Atrocity Archives (which tJM is a sequel to) so I'm looking forward to it.

[Thrashalla]

Just finished up Abercrombie's The Blade Itself which was excellent. Next up is Bakker's The Darkness That Comes Before , then I think I might finally give Gardens of the Moon one more shot.

[RedEyedGhost]

I finished Un Lun Dun two days ago. This one took much longer than it should have and I feel exactly like Deonoth felt about A Sword from Red Ice -

'! It's one of those really annoying reads that makes me just want to give up but there's just enough good stuff to make me want to keep going...

There were lot's of good things about it, but it never inspired to to read further, and I would inevitably have to force myself to read. I had been wondering if it was just me, because I had the same trouble with the last book I read (Acacia), but I am not having that problem with the book I'm reading at the moment (more on that later).

I think part of the problem was it was so freaking weird (animated milk cartons, lions with earthworms as heads, word creatures, and so on). This was marketed as a kids book, but I can't see any of the children I know enjoying it... Several times I could feel the hooks trying to grab hold, but then the following chapter would leave me flat. Deeba was a strong character though, and I kept reading so I could see what she would do next - great take on the chosen one.

6/10

I've been wanting to read something other than Heroic/Epic Fantasy, but based on Werthead's high praise for Daniel Abraham's The Long Price, I started A Shadow in Summer. And damn am I glad I did! I'm about half was through and it has been fantastic so far (I wish I were reading it rather than writing this post). The prologue hooked me, and chapter 5 was the clincher.

SPOILER: Chapter 5

In the prologue, I thought Otah was a fascinating character to give up such power and walk away, and then I was very disappointed when it appeared he wouldn't be integral to the main story. I liked that Maati was the boy Otah encountered in the Prologue, and that was enough. Then we find out Otah = Inati, and I was thrilled. I did not see that coming, and I think it only improves Otah as a character.

Great book so far, and there are not any indications of it slowing down.

[Dr Adder]

just finished Every Dead Thing by John Connolly. its crime fiction with slight supernatural themes that become more prevalent in later books. His protagonist Charlie Parker came across as sociopathic and curiously likeable probably because of all the shit thats been shovelled onto him and the way he deals with it. There is also well drawn secondary characters (Louis and Angel) that flesh out the book really well. I liked it and I think its worth reading.

[Ser Barry]

Berlin Games by Guy Walters

A history of the Berlin Olympics and the Nazi association with the games. A fascinating subject badly handled. GW seems unsure as to whether he is writing a political or a sports book and while one book should be able to weave both topics together it would need a defter touch than applied here. The first 150 pages introduce the politics behind the decision to award the games to Berlin and introduces a handful of athletes who will compete but then it all goes of the rails. One chapter is basically a list of the parties thrown by prominent Nazis during the games and what they ate, ugghh. It really hits the skids when Walters gets to the sporting action. He either knows nothing about sports, has never competed or is a terrible writer, I am not sure which. I will give you his report on Jesse Owen's 100m campaign as one bad example from many; two pages on the first and second rounds and one line for the semi and final. Ok we know he won but put some effort in! It also turns out that he did not actually focus on the athletes who's stories he had established in the beginning third of the book and instead wondered off into stories previously unknown to the reader. There is a great story to be told here but you won't find it in this book.

[Mexal]

I've been wanting to read something other than Heroic/Epic Fantasy, but based on Werthead's high praise for Daniel Abraham's The Long Price, I started A Shadow in Summer. And damn am I glad I did! I'm about half was through and it has been fantastic so far (I wish I were reading it rather than writing this post). The prologue hooked me, and chapter 5 was the clincher.

That reminds me that I need to get the second book of that series. I did enjoy A Shadow in Summer.

[Mr. X]

That's a book I wanted to like more than I did.

Personally, I'm amused as hell that the protagonist is named Michael Crawford. Some might remember him as originating the title role in Andrew Lloyd Weber's The Phantom of the Opera, but he'll always be Condorman to me.

[Deornoth]

I finished reading Michael Moorcock's 'The Metatemporal Detective' last night. Because of it's format (collection of short stories) it was sometimes hit and miss and I thought that some of the intended satire veered very close to becoming personal attacks on certain historical figures. Certain people make very easy targets but even so...

Having said that though I really enjoyed the 'pulp' element to all of these tales; loads of hardbitten detectives and double crossing beautiful women! I also liked the way that everything tied into the whole 'Multiverse' mythos, definitely a good place to start if you've never read anything by Moorcock. My full review can be found over Here.

I really got into the whole 'nefarious goings on in dark alleyways' thing so I'm now switching between 'The Doomsday Machine' (Catherine Webb) and 'Savage' (Richard Laymon)

[Rakehell]

Just started Raymond Feist's Honorable Enemy, lunch reading is a re-read of David Gerrold's When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One.

Damn SFBC just offered a $10/book deal for everything in their catalog. *sigh* 7 more books on their way.... Is bibiliophilia a recognized mental illness?

[Smeech]

I've started Fires of Eden, an older and lesser-known novel by Dan Simmons. He's my favorite author -- and I like this novel -- but it is still a ridiculous read. I get the feeling the guy just cut loose and had one hell of a time writing about Hawaiian mythology, man vs. nature, etc. The themes are borderline trite, and as some review said, in lesser hands this would fail utterly. (Mind you, this is still well above most bestseller trash in quality -- it's just not up to the author's standards, in my opinion.)

As with many Simmons books, it's meticulously researched -- it details a significant portion of Mark Twain's life, abounds in Hawaiian words, lore, history and geography, and you might even learn a thing or two about volcanos.

By his standards, it's not terribly well-written, and I feel the female characters are too stridently feminist. Still, it's great fun and if you want a Hawaiian romp with an infusion of literature, mythology and history, I can't imagine you have any other choice

Oh yeah -- I'm about a third of the way through, and don't really know what's going on (I didn't read the back cover). I'll probably be classifying this as a horror novel, albeit a very unconventional one.

edit: fixed a few typos

[AprilFool]

I was given a copy of Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for Christmas and I just started it during my lunch break. I am only about 40 pages in, but this book is amazing! This is one I might not be able to put down. This is my second foray into Chabon's work (the first was the recent Gentlemen of the Road which was pretty good) and I am very impressed.

[Winterfella]

I've started Fires of Eden, an older and lesser-known novel by Dan Simmons.

Cool, thanks. I have this on my shelf as kind of a backup Simmons when I'm in the mood someday. The Terror was just an incredible read earlier this year.

[kcf]

I've started Fires of Eden, an older and lesser-known novel by Dan Simmons. He's my favorite author -- and I like this novel -- but it is still a ridiculous read. I get the feeling the guy just cut loose and had one hell of a time writing about Hawaiian mythology, man vs. nature, etc. The themes are borderline trite, and as some review said, in lesser hands this would fail utterly. (Mind you, this is still well above most bestseller trash in quality -- it's just not up to the author's standards, in my opinion.)

As with many Simmons books, it's meticulously researched -- it details a significant portion of Mark Twain's life, abounds in Hawaiian words, lore, history and geography, and you might even learn a thing or two about volcanos.

By his standards, it's not terribly well-written, and I feel the female characters are too stridently feminist. Still, it's great fun and if you want a Hawaiian romp with an infusion of literature, mythology and history, I can't imagine you have any other chouce

Oh yeah -- I'm about a third of the way through, and don't really know what's going on (I didn't read the back cover). I'll probably be classifying this as a horror novel, albeit a very unconventional one.

I've got this on The Stack to read at some point. It sounded interesting and I think I paid something like $1 for it, so even if it sucks it wasn't a bad investment. But Simmons has come dangerously close to getting on that list we've been discussing in another thread.

[Marcelo Rebelo Firqoralas]

I'm almost done with 9tail Fox by Jon Courtenay Grimwood. The man can definitely write, but the story is almost a straight mystery and I find myself longing for some stronger sf ideas.

[Peadar]

This week, having suffered grieviously from the 'flu, I finished two biggies from the same author: A Fortress of Grey Ice, which I enjoyed, and A Sword from Red Ice, which gave me flashbacks to some of the latter Robert Jordan books.

[pat5150]

Just finished Chris Roberson's Paragaea: A Planetary Romance.

The novel was advertized as a great old pulp adventure story, grounded in the latest thinking in the fields of theoretical physics, artificial intelligence, genetics, and more. Paragaea is indeed a throwback to those science fiction pulp stories of yore made popular by authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Alex Raymond, Leigh Brackett, etc. Roberson demonstrates that he has a fertile imagination by cramming this work with cool and fascinating themes and ideas.

Unfortunately, I felt that Chris Roberson was never quite able to make this book rise above the traditional scifi pulp subgenre. All the tropes are present, from original monsters and creatures and swashbuckling to narrow escapes from certain doom. With lots of action, Paragaea is an entertaining read. And yet, the storytelling, relying too heavily on action in typical pulp manner, precludes this one from reaching a higher level.

If you are craving a novel which is a throwback to those old scifi pulp adventure stories, Paragaea: A Planetary Romance is exactly what the doctor ordered. But if you are looking for a work that rises beyond that, then you are bound, as I was, to be disappointed.

Check the blog for the full review.

Patrick

[lessthanluke]

Just Started reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson. Don't really know why I chose to read this next just saw it in charity bookshop and thought why not.

Finished Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman yesterday and I enjoyed it. Thought it was very funny at times and I will probably read some more of both authors very soon.