Cuchulain Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='Peadar' post='1682638' date='Feb 11 2009, 09.53']No doubt Cryptonomicon will shortly find itself on your radar... Another great read, although I'm one of those sick fan boys who love everything he writes.[/quote] Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle look very interesting, but a bit daunting at the same time. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuchulain Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='Velos' post='1683173' date='Feb 11 2009, 20.04']I watch Heroes, which means I can't help but envision Hiro as Hiro from the show... it's amusing in a way.[/quote] Now I've got the urge to watch Heroes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arlingzen Bill Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Just finished [i]The Anubis Gates [/i]by Tim Powers while eatign lunch today. I liked it better than [i]Expiration Date[/i], but I don't think Tim is my cup of tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IheartTesla Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='Peadar' post='1682638' date='Feb 11 2009, 03.53']No doubt [url="http://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0060512806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234342252&sr=1-1"]Cryptonomicon[/url] will shortly find itself on your radar... Another great read, although I'm one of those sick fan boys who love everything he writes.[/quote] I am currently reading [i]Crytopnomicon[/i] and enjoying it greatly. I believe it was written somewhere around the peak of the dot-com bubble, so I feel like yelling at the protagonists to get out while they can. And I do enjoy the digressions into mathematical analysis and math-geekiness that pervades the books. I am also a sucker for historical figures pervading books, so I gave a mini man-squeee when Turing showed up in the books. But I still feel I am missing something about why the book is so great. Maybe I should troll through old threads on the board to see what I have missed in my first read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teng Ai Hui Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [i]The Eyes of the Dragon[/i], Stephen King Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maester Joergensen Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I went down to my local library yesterday afternoon in a singleminded frenzy half and hour before closingtime, in order to grab something, anything new to read. I am sure some people here now the feeling. I grabbed the first book from a random shelf that looked interesting. A have quite a history of good luck with this method. And I was rewarded for my effort once again. I am at the moment reading "The 2½ pillars of wisdom" by Alexander McCall Smith. It is delightfully quirky. A light and fun read. The book is a collection of the Von Igelfeld trilogy: "Portuguese irregular verbs" "The finer points of sausage dogs" "The villa of reduced circumstances" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peadar Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='cyrano' post='1683266' date='Feb 11 2009, 20.27']I am currently reading [i]Crytopnomicon[/i] and enjoying it greatly. I believe it was written somewhere around the peak of the dot-com bubble, so I feel like yelling at the protagonists to get out while they can. And I do enjoy the digressions into mathematical analysis and math-geekiness that pervades the books. I am also a sucker for historical figures pervading books, so I gave a mini man-squeee when Turing showed up in the books. But I still feel I am missing something about why the book is so great. Maybe I should troll through old threads on the board to see what I have missed in my first read.[/quote] I don't want to hijack the thread, but for me, his greatness lies in the sheer fecundity of his imagination and the bizarre (sometimes) hilarious pathways his mind follows. If you're a bit of a techie, you would probably really enjoy his discourse on the history of operating systems: [url="http://artlung.com/smorgasborg/C_R_Y_P_T_O_N_O_M_I_C_O_N.shtml"]In the beginning was the command line[/url]. You can read the whole thing by clicking on the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IheartTesla Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I'm only halfway through the thing, but he does have a flair for using metaphors. I like the description of installing different operating systems particularly....indeed, getting Linux to install is like taking a ride in an Egyptian taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHoundRules Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Finished Term Limits by Vince Flynn. I nice easy read. Started Swan Song by Robert McCammon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Wolf Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I finished Joe Hill's novella, "Gunpowder". I have to admit that Joe Hill's works are quite impressive and if he keeps his works at this level he will be strong voice in literature. "Gunpowder" is an absolutely lovely read. ([url="http://darkwolfsfantasyreviews.blogspot.com/2009/02/gunpowder-by-joe-hill.html"]My full review[/url]) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuchulain Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I've just finished [i]The Castle of the Otter[/i] part from Gene Wolfe's [i]Castle of Days[/i]. [i]Castle of Days[/i] is a collection consisting of [i]Gene Wolfe's Book of Days[/i] (in itself a short story collection), [i]The Castle of the Otter[/i] (a collection of essays by Wolfe about [i]The Book of the New Sun[/i]) and some miscellaneous essays. I'm not in the mood for Wolfe at the moment, so I've decided not to read the entire collection. I just wanted to read [i]The Castle of the Otter[/i] now while TBotNS is still relatively fresh in my mind. TCotO didn't really turn out as expected; It didn't provide that many new insights into TBotNS. I still found it an interesting read, though. Recommended for fans of Wolfe. I haven't really decided what to read next. Maybe [i]The Light Ages[/i] by Ian MacLeod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deornoth Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I've now finished reading an ARC of John Marco's 'Starfinder', steampunk meets fantasy with a quest added for good measure! As much as I enjoyed reading 'Starfinder' it is very much a young adult book and, as such, didn't give me an awful lot to identify with... My full review is over [url="http://www.graemesfantasybookreview.com"]Here[/url]. I'm now finishing off the week with an ARC of Aaron Allston's 'Outcast' (a Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi book)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Currently reading Chris Wooding's [b]Braided Path[/b] trilogy in an omnibus format from Gollancz, about a third of the way through. Absolutely cracking read, great characters, interesting world (drawing much more from Asia than medieval Europe), solid magic system (those critics who took part in the recent slamming of Bakker for his treatment of female characters should really like this one) and a fast pace with some GRRM-esque jaw-dropping moments. Given it's about three years older than Abercrombie and Lynch's work, I'm amazed this series hasn't been mentioned more often or picked up for US publication. It's great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Barry Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 The Gate by Fancois Bizot Intriguing memoir of a French academic caught up in the Khmer Rouge uprising. Bizot found himself taken as a prisoner by the Communist forces and, following his release, central to events at the French Embassy. Bizot has an alternative world view and his straight faced disbelieve is at times comical. He is honest to the point of being painful. Unfortunately the pacing is uneven at times and the jumble of events and names can become confusing. This does not lessen the emotional impacts which come thick and fast. Bizot is capable of beautiful prose and his idiosynchratic telling of this tale fits the oddness within it very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I'm reading fiction again, after months when I couldn't get into anything. (wow, its a relief.) I just finished Nation, by Pratchett, which was generally very enjoyable, but a bit underwhelming. Currently reading Simmons "Terror" which is also good. (And I agree with everyone that the monster is by far the least interesting bit. Its like the vampires in Fevre Dream - Who cares? More about ships, please.) And next to read is "Gentlemen of the Road", by Chabon, on strength of "Yiddish policemens union" and becuase i'm fascinated by the setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bossfan2000 Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I just finished The Riven Kingdom by Karen Miller ([url="http://fantasybookreviewer.blogspot.com/2009/02/review-riven-kingdom-by-karen-miller.html"]review[/url]). I liked it a lot, quite a bit more than Empress. In fact, I think you can skip Empress and jump straight into this book instead. Fans of the Kingmaker/Kingbreaker books (like me) would get a lot of enjoyment from this one. Next up is [b]Midwinter[/b] by Matthew Sturges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meili Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Paul Kearney's Sea Beggers books. [b]The Mark of Ran[/b] and [b]The Forsaken Earth[/b]. Both excellent reads. After what I am reading now I'll probably go back and reread his five book series [b]The Monarchies of God[/b] which I remember being excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookWyrm Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Besides the [i]Wizard Knight[/i] and the [i]Sword of the Lictor[/i], I'm also reading Poul Anderson's [i]The Broken Sword[/i]. It is good, very good, but it doesn't live up to the expectations I got from Michael Moorcock's ravings. It's a very fast-paced book about a changeling, Valgard, and the human he replaced, Skafloc (who was raised among the elves). More or less, this book is a tragedy of literally [i]mythic[/i] proportions (Norse, Irish, English, and Greek among other mythologies are present in the novel). I would definitely say Gollancz is right in calling this a classic of fantasy, and I highly suggest those of you who can get this novel to do so. That being said, the book in no way equals the [i]Lord of the Rings[/i]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 100 pages left in [b]Drood[/b]. No idea where it's going, and I'm starting to have misgivings.. Edit: Finished. Review: Read [i]The Egyptologist[/i]. It's shorter and better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I just finished [i]The Painted Man[/i] by Peter V Brett. It was pretty standard fare but it captured me and I finished it in a few days. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to the next book. Next up is [i]Feast of Souls[/i] by Friedman I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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