Reading in November 2012

[krisbslick]

Yes... i need a new space opera EPIC myself... help!

[chitman13]

I finished New York Nights by Eric Brown yesterday. Really enjoyed it after not being quite sure at the start, and looking forward to seeing what happens in the next two books. I have a feeling that the Virex books are not so much a trilogy, but more three books with the same central characters and overall theme.

Re: epic space opera as mentioned above. If you've not read them, I'd recommend Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn/Commonwealth books, or Neal Asher's Cormc series - both authors I love to read with some pretty epic stuff going on

[Rob B]

Next up for me is The Creative Fire by Brenda Cooper. Generational starship, far future SF sounds pretty interesting.

This book is...just...not...working for me. Need to put it aside. Hate when that happens.

[chitman13]

I'm now reading Neal Asher's Zero Point, the second Owner novel. After struggling to adjust to the setting in the first, The Departure, I finally enjoyed it quite a bit. Zero Point picks up where the last left off, and it's a good start with lots going on. I'm hopeful that this will bring the series up to the level I expected from The Departure, and from what I've read so far I can't see it leaving me wanting.

[Ropie]

Re-reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin, for the third time.
Almost certainly my favourite SF book of all.

[starman03]

Re-reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin, for the third time.
Almost certainly my favourite SF book of all.

It really is a great, great book. One of my all-time favourites too.

[Ropie]

It really is a great, great book. One of my all-time favourites too.

Have you read any of her others? I quite liked The Dispossessed but didn't think much of The Lathe of Heaven - neither of them moved me in the way LHOD does. Might have a go at Earthsea one of these days - might read it with my daughter.

[starman03]

Have you read any of her others?

Alas, I haven't yet, although I definitely aim to rectify that. One reason for this is that after reading LHOD I made a concious decision not to devour her other works immediately! Her Worlds of Exile and Illusion, which apparently contains three of her earlier tales of the Ekumen, looks really interesting and I think I might plum for that next. I also fancy trying some of her lesser known works, too.

[suciul]

A quick update on my sf reads - finished Alarm of War by Kennedy Hudner and it was disappointing; great beginning, then pulpy run of the mlli mil sf; no interest in sequels despite the semi-cliffhanger ending.

Finished the associational Dark matter (US) /In Free Fall (UK) by Juli Zeh, a German title that made waves a few years ago; another disappointment after a great start; at least this one is well written but again shows the total inability of literary writers (see Charles Yu or Lisa Goldstein) to use sophisticated modern scientific concepts appropriately rather than in silly nonsensical ways; better stick with Reynolds, Stephenson or Egan who know what they are talking about when throwing around "quantum, many worlds, equations..."; plus Dark matter had such a silly word confusion on a phone call as the narrative impetus to make it worse; a pity as the book has literary merit

Started another Weberian indie series, Exodus - Empire at war by Doug daindridge and this looks much better so far, but will see; also started the upcoming Karen Lord The best of all possible worlds (Net galley earc) and that reads pure Ursula Le Guin so far so if like the above posters you love Left hand of Darkness, check this one out

Still have to finish fractal prince, Empty Space and Twelve as I have not been really in the mood for either - probably Fractal Prince will be read before year's end

[starman03]

Just finished Moorcock's Elric (will certainly be reading more by him), so moving on to some sf now. I've decided to go for Neal Asher's Cowl- very much looking forward to starting it.

[Loerwyn]

Last night I started, and finished about an hour ago, Doctor Whom by A.R.R.R. Robert's (yes, that apostrophe is meant to be there), which is rather obviously a parody of Doctor Who. It's part culinary jokes, part sci-fi parody and part... I don't know. But it's fairly good considering. Didn't get a few of the jokes, mind you, and I found some other jokes to be used ad nauseam.

[cgw]

Read Redshirts by Scalzi. I did not get the title until it was spelled out in the book. When I watched Star Trek as a kid, we had a B&W TV.
Nice light read. Just what I needed after reading a fantasy byErikson.

[livens]

Read Redshirts by Scalzi. I did not get the title until it was spelled out in the book. When I watched Star Trek as a kid, we had a B&W TV.
Nice light read. Just what I needed after reading a fantasy byErikson.

Thanks for posting this. I have seen that Redshirts book around amazon but always assumed it was some military/Russiany type of book, never bothered to read the blurb.

[Hobbit]

Rob reviewed it HERE for SFFWorld. Some minor misgivings, but Recommended.

Me, I'm less impressed, but I must admit I've not read that far into it. Humour's one of those things in reading/writing: if it works for you, you love it: otherwise it can leave you cold. Me, I'm not sure yet.

Or perhaps that's just my inner cynic creeping out...

[cgw]

Me, I'm less impressed, but I must admit I've not read that far into it. Humour's one of those things in reading/writing: if it works for you, you love it: otherwise it can leave you cold. Me, I'm not sure yet.

Or perhaps that's just my inner cynic creeping out...

I agree (I almost never read books that were specifically intended to be humourous). In this case the book was written very "tongue in cheek" and it was distracting at first. But either I got used to it or it got less overt through the book. So it was enjoyable enough on other levels.