Reading in July 2012

[Ropie]

Ropie: You've pretty much said what I thought. I wanted to enjoy it, and there were parts that were lovely, but in the end I wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I had hoped to be.

Exactly, Mark. I remember having a pretty good time reading Red Mars and the small amount of hype around 2312 led me to hope that I'd feel the same this time.

Yes, too much musing on subjects that detracted from the feel of the book. It may have worked better as a collection of short stories/novellas linked by the common theme of the year 2312, rather than one longer story with tiny chapters with those slightly irritating (I thought) lectures and 'excerpts' in between the chapters. I think KSR was trying to go for a bit of the feeling of Stand On Zanzibar by introducing imaginary text books and things between the chapters - and the plot involving computers and terrorism was actually quite similar - but the conviction towards either infomercial or strong plot didn't go either way strongly enough I felt.

[Chrysippus]

Just finished The Stars My Destination. After the Prologue, I had a hard time getting into it. Until Part II, that is. Those last 120 pages are completely gripping. Totally deserving of its status as a classic.

Also, has anybody else noticed just how indebted James S.A. Corey's The Expanse is to Bester's novel? There's a lot of inspiration being drawn, there, it seems to me.

[Rob B]

Also, has anybody else noticed just how indebted James S.A. Corey's The Expanse is to Bester's novel? There's a lot of inspiration being drawn, there, it seems to me.

Not surprised as Daniel Abraham, one half of James S.A. Corey, has basically said he's taken a lot of old school and influential Space Opera thrown it into a pot, cooked it up with Ty Franck's worldbuilding and there you have The Expanse.

I started (well, a couple of pages at least) Existence by David Brin today. It was basically a coin flip between it and Caliban's Hour for the next book. Regarding Brin, I wonder if I'll fall more in line with Werthead or suciul on this one.

[Chrysippus]

Not surprised as Daniel Abraham, one half of James S.A. Corey, has basically said he's taken a lot of old school and influential Space Opera thrown it into a pot, cooked it up with Ty Franck's worldbuilding and there you have The Expanse.

Fair enough. Corey dedicated Caliban's War to "Bester and Clarke, who got us here", and it's pretty clear in Bester's case. I haven't read any Clarke, but the striking similarities between Corey and Bester make me think that all of the stuff in Corey that isn't from Bester might just be from Clarke. Maybe that's just not being fair, but the influence is really, really strong.

[Ropie]

I just read Vurt by Jeff Noon. I must have been in the mood for it because it took me just 3 days to finish. Quite a lot of fun, very much of its time (a mixture of cyberpunk, acid house and recession-period UK) and easy to read and follow, as long as you can accept the madness of it all. Reminded me quite a bit of Michael Marshall Smith's Only Forward, although I preferred Vurt.

*** stars

[DDCOrange]

Whew!!! Finished The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter Hamilton. Another manic, crazy, ending and a great cliffhanger (or three!). This was a great book for the middle volume of a trilogy! I know not everyone likes Hamilton but for me, The Night's Dawn trilogy are easily the best stories I've read this year. On to The Naked God! I can't wait to see how this ends... and who survives (my experience with Hamilton so far shows that he is not afraid to kill off a main character or two).

[Mr. Aware Eagle]

I'm about 60 pages into Caliban's War. Loving it so far.

[livens]

Finished up Surface Detail by Iain M Banks. It was a bit long in a couple of places but otherwise an awesome read! It had of the more memorable characters Ive read, Veppers. A truly evil man, but totally hysterical at the same time. For me he was sadistic comic relief and really kept me interested in the book. In the end I almost (almost) felt sorry for him: spoiler, for those who have read it:

I kept waiting to see how Banks was going to put Veppers out of his misery but I was a little disappointed when he was just julienned, while painful I though it was too quick. My way would have been better: That NR (NA? whatever) hell that survived being destroyed... they should have transferred his mind into it and let him experience 10,000 years of subjective time in it, with separate copies of himself to replace everyone that was in there to begin with. In real time maybe a few minutes could have passed. Then cram all of the copies back into his head and then publicly execute him.

I just got started on Brin's Existence. It took a few chapters to get into it, but now that I am I'm hooked.

After that its onto my first book by Philip Jose Farmer, The Unreasoning Mask.

[Shadowcharge]

I'm reading Julian May's "Saga of Pliocene Exile." Just started book 4, "The Adversary." Loving it

[Ropie]

For me he was sadistic comic relief and really kept me interested in the book. In the end I almost (almost) felt sorry for him: spoiler, for those who have read it:

I kept waiting to see how Banks was going to put Veppers out of his misery but I was a little disappointed when he was just julienned, while painful I though it was too quick.

I have to say this kind of gratuitous violence was the reason I put Surface Detail down halfway through. I know Banks has a reputation for putting streaks of gore in his books but this book was just full of it and used it as a constant source of entertainment - not something I expected. I think he was trying to capture some of the claustrophobic suffering of Hyperion. Not for me.

After that its onto my first book by Philip Jose Farmer, The Unreasoning Mask.

Now that's a book - good, old fashioned, blowing-your-mind type of SF

[Hobbit]

Now that's a book - good, old fashioned, blowing-your-mind type of SF

I'm reassessing my previously generally bad opinion of Philip Jose Farmer at the moment - liked what I read of Riverworld, still really, really dislike Riders of the Purple Wage - but his Wold Newton books I'm finding quite fun. Not deep, just fun.

Mark

[Ropie]

I'm reassessing my previously generally bad opinion of Philip Jose Farmer at the moment - liked what I read of Riverworld, still really, really dislike Riders of the Purple Wage - but his Wold Newton books I'm finding quite fun. Not deep, just fun.

I've only read one or two by Farmer but I gather his output was patchy at best. The Unreasoning Mask is something else, though - as far as ideas go it's up there with the best (Barrington Bayley, AC Clarke, Aldiss, for example) and is probably the reason it's on David Pringle's top 100 list. Must get myself a copy of Riverworld.

[Hobbit]

is probably the reason it's on David Pringle's top 100 list.

I'd forgotten that one was on Pringle's list. Once upon a time I set myself the task of reading them all.... didn't get there, obviously.

Must get myself a copy of Riverworld.

I suspect it's dated horribly, but be interested to hear what you think, should it ever happen.

If I remember right, I did quite like The World of Tiers books though: I'd forgotten that!

Mark

[Rob B]

RE: Riverworld...

I read through the series ooohhh...a little over a decade ago when Del Rey reissued the series in trade paperbacks. I enjoyed them and felt the held up considering their age, even a decade ago.

Still trudging through Existence by Brin and still enjoying it.

[Shadowcharge]

I've only read "Startide Rising" by Brin. Was thinking about reading another of his after I finish "The Adversary" (J. May). Any suggestions?

Thanks guys!