Mad Knight Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote name='Deornoth' post='1462002' date='Jul 30 2008, 08.16']'I, Zombie' was pretty cool although the bits with babies getting their faces eaten by space maggots took a little getting used to... :ack: I've just finished reading 'The Clone Wars' and I have to say... meh' Don't get me wrong, it's got all the stuff that makes Star Wars books etc great (aliens, space battles etc) but the fact that it's filling in gaps between other events meant that I knew Anakin, Ben etc were all going to make it through to the end. Where's the excitement and anticipation if you already know how it's going to end up? I'll probably still see the film though... My full review is on the [url="http://www.graemesfantasybookreview.com"]Blog[/url]. I'm now reading Sean Williams' 'The Force Unleashed' (the book of the game!) in the hope that it will give me some better Star Wars reading, no luck so far...[/quote] It's hard to find any good Star Wars reading these days, unless you go back and re-read some of the old stuff. The whole Legacy of the Force series was a major disappointment to me. Someone with Skywalker blood turning to the dark side, causing death and destruction galaxy wide, fighting somebody else with the Skywalker bloodline and falling. Where have I heard that before? On a somewhat Star Wars related note, I just finished an older book by X-Wing series author Michael Stackpole, [i]The Dark Glory War[/i], and am planning on continuing the series with [i]Fortress Draconis[/i]. I haven't done as much reading the last year or so as I used to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellis Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote name='Plessiez' post='1463491' date='Jul 31 2008, 06.08']As for the Wolfe, I actually had a question I was hoping people could address: SPOILER: On Blue's WatersAre Blue/Green the same planets as Sainte Anne and Sainte Croix in [i]The Fifth Head of Cerberus[/i], or is this just a case of Wolfe using similar themes/concepts in two unrelated works?[/quote] The latter. They are different universes. This is stated explicitly in one of his interviews collected in [b]Shadows of the New Sun[/b]. The [b]Short Sun[/b] series is my favorite by Wolfe. :love: Hmm... [b]Twilight Watch[/b], the third book of Lukyanenko's series. This one's got a Baba Yaga figure, and also an overt self-effacing reference to Harry Potter, proving that the author doesn't take himself too seriously. [b]Babel-17/Empire Star[/b] by Sam Delaney. I can't figure out why this guy's work is so damn difficult to understand, found myself having to concentrate hard on where and why he was doing stuff. I liked [b]Dhalgren[/b] better for that sort of thing. [b]The Child Garden[/b] by Geoff Ryman. As with [b]Air[/b], the emphasis here is not on believable science, but on the effect of technological innovations on an individual story. Ryman is quickly becoming one of my top authors. Check him out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deornoth Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote name='Mad Knight' post='1463496' date='Jul 31 2008, 07.23']It's hard to find any good Star Wars reading these days, unless you go back and re-read some of the old stuff.[/quote] I'm with you there, Timothy Zahn's books and the X-Wing series are the books to beat as far as I'm concerned :thumbsup: Having said that though, 'The Force Unleashed' turned out to be better than I expected in the end. It still reads very much like a computer game, with its 'beat the boss and get to the next level' approach in the first few chapters, but it's great fun at the same time with pretty much everything that a Star Wars fan (like me) wants from a Star Wars book. My full review is over [url="http://www.graemesfantasybookreview.com"]Here[/url]. I'm keeping it sci-fi, for the time being, with Walter Jon Williams' 'Implied Spaces' up next but I'm also going a little bit retro with the Michael Moorcock novella 'The Jade Man's Eyes'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereward Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote name='Plessiez' post='1463491' date='Jul 31 2008, 12.08']How far did you get into that before quitting? I thought the first half (or so) of the book was fairly promising (in a slightly derivative Mieville/Peake sort of way, anyway), but that things rapidly went downhill from there.[/quote] Only about 150 pages. My determination to press on is not what it once was. Three children cut down on opprtunity and tiredness cuts down on perseverence! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Sneachd Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 I'm rereading Pratchett's Thud!, together with Night Watch my favourite Discworld book. I'm also rereading For Fear of Pain by Peter Stanley, a book about british surgery between 1790 and 1850, i.e. the time before anesthesia (which was invented 1846). It's very well researched, has lots of contemporary quotations and is quite fascinating to read. If you are interested in history of medicine and have a reasonably stout stomach (I'm compensating the latter with the former). On the non-reread list I've started The Resurrectionist by James Bradley, a book about a medical student in London, 1826, complete with grave-robbing scenes. It's very atmospherically written and well researched as well, but as the author puts his focus on the protagonist's experiences, it is anything but 'dry' academic material. Again, not for you if you can't stomach the occassional dissection scene. Big bonus for the medical historian: you get to guess which historical figure the anatomy teacher is based on, or rather which various people show influence (he shares location and one specimen with John Hunter, has the appearance of James Syme and some of the temperament of Robert Liston and Astley Cooper combined. In other chapters he is more like Aberneathey, and the Knox reference is obvious through the topic.). All in all good gory historical fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sms Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote name='Peadar' post='1463420' date='Jul 31 2008, 01.44']How [b]did[/b] you find that out? :wideeyed: Welcome, by the way. :)[/quote] -- I read it in an obscure magazine article on the Eagle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Storm Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Finished[i] Bloodheir,[/i] by Brian Ruckley, its a middle book in a series so its building to more later on. I liked it not sure about what he is doing with the Shadow Hand though and a few other things in this book, but I have liked the series so far. About half way though[i] Black Ships[/i] by Jo Graham like it so far, some of the ideas and actions are a little modern but it had been a fun read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plessiez Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote name='Bellis' post='1463607' date='Jul 31 2008, 14.48']The latter. They are different universes.[/quote] Ah, thanks. I was confusing myself about this: I'm sure I read some speculation ages ago on Usenet that the two were one and the same, and I couldn't decide if that was wrong or I was misremembering the details of the other book (it's been a while since I read it). [quote]This is stated explicitly in one of his interviews collected in [b]Shadows of the New Sun[/b].[/quote] Hmm. I didn't know that this existed. One more Wolfe-related thing to track down I guess ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteQueen Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote name='duchess of malfi' post='1462261' date='Jul 30 2008, 12.04']I got that book from my son a couple of years ago - he read it for one of his classes at his univerity. I thought it was an incredibly powerful book - perhaps one of the most powerful I have ever read in my life. SPOILER: The Yacoubian Building For the first time I was able to understand how an otherwise bright and promising young man could turn to and join the jihadists... :wideeyed: And how, in doing so, he weds death rather than life. And how, in doing so, [i]he chooses the opposite of what the heart of his religion teaches and believes[/i]. But the book itself, while it views the young jihadist and his choices with grief and sorrow, embraces love and life. [/quote] Great book, and I have heard that the movie was pretty good, too. There are not too many Egyptian movies known in the US, but The Yacoubian Building is very well known and liked by a lot of people. Once I am done with the book, I will rent the movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat5150 Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Just finished Neal Stephenson's [i]Cryptonomicon[/i]. Ambitious, complex, insightful, hilarious, action-packed -- all in all, one heck of a read! :D Check the blog for the full review! Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedeheadchris Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 I finished [b][i][url="http://thebookswede.blogspot.com/2008/08/graceling.html"]Graceling[/url][/i][/b], the début of [b]Kristin Cashore[/b], from Gollancz in November, and overall I thought it was quite good. Nice clear prose, a fast-moving story, good characterisation. This is one that features the seven kingdoms, though ... A bit "fluffy" compared to most Gollancz releases, but still a good read :) [url="http://thebookswede.blogspot.com/2008/08/graceling.html"][i]Graceling[/i] review here![/url] ~Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.