Reading in August 2012

[Kazz Wylde]

Yes. For all intents and purposes, The Book Depository is still independent from Amazon.

Ok thanks for that, I'm gonna order from there after I finish One Jump Ahead, so far so good with that, started it last night.

[Rob B]

Ok thanks for that, I'm gonna order from there after I finish One Jump Ahead, so far so good with that, started it last night.

By Mark L. Van Name?

If so, very interested in your thoughts. I've said before more folks 'round here should be reading these books.

[Kazz Wylde]

By Mark L. Van Name?

If so, very interested in your thoughts. I've said before more folks 'round here should be reading these books.

Yup, Rob thats it. I've seen Liviu's reviews on this and been wanting to get to this, I actually havent read alot of scifi, and I've been on this scifi kick now for a little while. Alright I'll let you know.

[Luke_B]

I finished 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson. What an incredible book! It's a dense book and fairly plot-less book, and it needs to be read carefully to find all the Easter eggs. While I had a few quibbles with it I ultimately found it a very rewarding experience.

[Westsiyeed]

Finished Paolo Bacigalupi's Pump Six and Other Stories, and have to say this is the best collection of short stories I've read for a number of years.

They all have an underlying political or social commentary, but also show the author's imagination coming to life in some plausible far-future scenarios. He doesn't pull any punches either, with some of them quite grim and graphic, but all very well written.

Looking forward to whatever his next adult novel will be.

[Loerwyn]

I'm totally geeking out on 'Who at the moment, so I'm reading Doctor Who: Apollo 23 by Justin Richards. Enjoying it, actually.

[symbolhunter]

I finished two of the Doctor Who novelisations by Terrance Dicks:s The Terror of the Autons and Mind of Evil. Read purely as novels, they are fairly good but not exceptional. However, read them after watching the series on which they are based and they improve enormously. One can visualise the characters and incidents much more vividly and appreciate the greater depth that the novel brings to the characters and their motivations.

[Luke_B]

I have started The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. It's pretty light, whimsical stuff at the moment. I hope it develops a bit more substance as it goes on. The premise holds a lot of potential (pretty much the entire population of Earth gain access to layers of alternate reality Earths, which are unpopulated by humans).

[Ropie]

I remember that one. Read it years ago when it first came out. I have to agree that it's one of the better books of it's genre with an unusual storyline. I might have to dig it out of my book closet and give it a re-read except for my ever growing "to be read" pile!

Yes, unusual in that it has other SF genres integrated very successfully into it:

alternate realities, trans-humanism, even a bit of hard-sf.

I finished it yesterday and enjoyed every minute. Even when I found the dialogue a bit clunky or a touch predictable, it still held together extremely well and the whole was much greater than the sum of the parts. Good ending too, that tied everything up and brought us back full circle, although there were still a few uncertainties left to the imagination.

****.5 out of 5 stars

[Chrysippus]

Started 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson. Never read anything by him before. First 50 pages were pretty slow.

[Loerwyn]

I'm totally geeking out on 'Who at the moment, so I'm reading Doctor Who: Apollo 23 by Justin Richards. Enjoying it, actually.

Finished. Went straight into the next, Night of the Humans.

[Ropie]

Started 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson. Never read anything by him before. First 50 pages were pretty slow.

The next 500 or so pages are pretty slow too. It does have a few exciting chapters but they are separated by yawning chasms of not very much happening. Still a pretty good book.

[Luke_B]

I said in the thread dedicated to the book, 2312 is not a novel to read for its plot. The plot is little more than an excuse to move the characters around on a tour of the solar system. And the book is dense with ideas and worth reading slowly. But I didn't find it hard work.

[Chrysippus]

I said in the thread dedicated to the book, 2312 is not a novel to read for its plot. The plot is little more than an excuse to move the characters around on a tour of the solar system. And the book is dense with ideas and worth reading slowly. But I didn't find it hard work.

Hm. I may consider moving on to something else then. Things are kind of busy with me right now, and I'm not sure I have the kind of time necessary to give 2312 a fair read at this point. I'll think about it.

[Luke_B]

I liked the book a lot and would encourage others to read it and discuss it. But I don't think it's the right book to read if you're in the mood for a fast-paced space thriller. Better to wait until you're in the mood for something more slow burning and detailed.