I've been reading

[Brightonian]

Currently reading Count Karlstein by Robert Pullman. It's a slight, enjoyable children's melodrama, not as good as The Golden Compass by a long shot, but a fast read and fun.

Um yeah, you evidently read it so fast you misread the author's name

[admin]

My bad. it's Philip Pullman, of course.

[Brightonian]

I'm now reading The Dying Earth by Jack Vance. As with van Vogt, the pace of the narrative comes as a shock in contrast with today's big fat novels: so far, each chapter could be spun out into a 1,000 page saga.

[HAL Jr]

I'm now reading The Dying Earth by Jack Vance. As with van Vogt, the pace of the narrative comes as a shock in contrast with today's big fat novels: so far, each chapter could be spun out into a 1,000 page saga.

Fast or slow paced? I have 3 of his Adam Leith Planet of Adventure books but haven't tried them yet cos I'm waiting to get the final one, The Pnume.

[admin]

I haven't read all of Planet of Adventure, but I've read reviews that say that Jack Vance's best works are his first novels in what later became a series, and that the quality goes downhill as he gets tired of the series, and only continues it to pay the rent -- or, in Vance's case -- the docking fees for his boat.

[k1w1taxi]

Just finished The Runes Of The Earth, first book of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Main protagonist is Linden Avery who is not, despite her personal demons, anywhere near as interesting or conflicted a character as TC. Thus what we have is an above average fantasy story but one which lacks something for the loss of Covenant.The minor characters are well drawn though with a nice tension between the Ramen and Haruchai. Not as good as the 1st chronicles, but certainly well worth continuing with the next volume.

Cheers
Lee

[slaven41]

Just finished The Runes Of The Earth, first book of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

I've read the first two trilogies. I really liked the first four books and the last two were okay. But I just haven't gotten the urge to read the new series, and probably won't. I've tilted much more towards scifi and away from fantasy in the past, say, 15 years. (Although, I just read that George R.R. Martin is finally making some progress in the lastest Song of Ice and Fire book, and this makes me happy.)

I'm 445 pages (out of 585) into Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. It looks like it's going to be good, but there's a lot of mystery going on, so that how he ties it all together will really make or break it.

I'm also reading Physics for Future Presidents by Richard Muller. It's got a lot of useful facts in it, and for better or worse, it really is geared towards people who make or closely follow public policy.

--Dave

[slaven41]

Just finished Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. Not a particularly deep book, but enjoyable. (Other than a neat idea and a good story around it, there's not really a whole lot for one to take away from it when it's done.) I was starting to worry towards the end, since he had a lot of stuff to wrap up and was running out of pages. :-) But he managed to get everything resolved that needed resolving.

Next it's onto either Aldiss's Helliconia trilogy or Wright's Null-A Continuum. Haven't decided yet.

Somebody write something. It's been kind of dead around here lately. :-)

--Dave

[admin]

In reference to Null-A Continuum, I generally avoid books by other authors who continue a famous series. There may be exceptions to that rule, but I can't think of any. A really good author is probably going to do his best work on his own ideas.

[k1w1taxi]

On that subject I was listening to a radio review of the 6th HHGTTG book today. Written by Eion Colfer The reviewer was not impressed and for similar reasons regarding the changed authorship and how it changed something. Me I just wrote the book off when he said there was no Marvin

On a brighter note I just finished Some Will Not Die by Algis Budris. A Post Apocalyptic tale it tells the tale of Ted Berendtsen's efforts to re unify the eastern US after a plague wipes out 90% of the population. I found this to be another enjoyable tale from an author I greatly enjoy and one whose work I feel is underrated.

Cheers
Lee

[admin]

"Some Will Not Die" is one of my favorite post-apocolopse novels, and a touchstone when people suggest that if we just tore down the establishment, a better world would naturally arise. Not.

Other favorites in that genre: "Lot's Wife" by Ward Moore, "Davy" by Edger Pangbourne, "The Long Loud Silence" by Wilson Tucker, and, best of them all, "A Canticle for Liebowitz" by Walter Miller, Jr. All of these are much better than most of the more famous mainstream efforts in that genre, though I did like Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

[k1w1taxi]

Just finished another short sf novel that is probably completely unknown (it certainly was to me) that impressed the hell out of me.

High Steel by Jack C Haldeman Jr and Jack Dann is an interesting mix of Hard sf and Native American Spiritualism. A strange combination to be sure but one that the authors manage to pull off well.

The world is essentially run by huge family controlled mega corporations who are competing with one another to solve the Rosetta Triptych which arrived from beyond the solar system. As part of its efforts Trans Ultra draft (as per their treaty rights) Apache trainee medicine man John Stranger to work on construction of a spaceship supposedly destined to land man on Mars. But things don't go according to plan.

Cheers
Lee
now reading Century Rain

[admin]

I'm reading Fred Pohl's last Heechee novel, The Boy Who Would Live Forever. It is like a finely made watch that lacks a mainspring. It is interesting chapter by chapter, and the writing, as one expects with Pohl, is excellent. But since from the title we know that the story is open ended, there is no overarching plot, just a neverending ride into the far future.

[HAL Jr]

I'm about a third of the way thru The Palace of Eternity by Bob Shaw.His writing style is beautifully elegant in this at times!