Reading in January 2010

I'm reading The PKD Reader - Very Good, next up is 1984 and Ender's Game.
 
Just started and finished Patrick Lee's first novel Breach which is a novel about a fissure in space/time out of which comes strange mysterious artifacts with advanced technology. Interesting idea, some points of the book seemed to break from the usual cliche, but I did feel like I was reading a movie plot somehow - the book could have been onscreen with very little change - very little happens that couldn`t be done onscreen.

Interesting enough, although near-future action sci-fi novels aren`t really my thing. I won`t be continuing on with the series.
 
livens said:
Just finished Chindi by Jack McDevitt. Fun read but after the first 1/3 of the book it became predictable and flat. The ending was a little dull too, and didnt clear any of the mysteries up in itself. One of those books that gets cleaned up at the end by alot of narration explaining everything. Pretty much what happens in his other books that Ive read. And Ive got a few more McDevitt's on the shelf but I need a break from him, I need something more exiting!
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I was really disappointed in this one after reading Deepsix. And by the time the third book had an archaeological site that just HAD to be finished being documented in the last thirty seconds, I kind of started to roll my eyes. And yes, there are basically no answers about Chindi at all.

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I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. This was the the first time in a long time that I was actively thinking about a book while I was at work the whole day. It was actually driving me crazy not being able to read.

I'm in the middle of Exultant by Stephen Baxter. This is the first time I've been extremely impressed with him since Raft. He always had great ideas and has created a fascinating universe (Xeelee Saga), but he really has some great characters in this one to put the icing on the cake, so to speak.
 
chitman13 said:
Rob - looking forward to see your review on Orphan's Triumph (the last one?). I've read the first two and have the other three sitting on my shelf to read, something I plan on doing this year :)
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I finished it off on my lunch break and was pleased with the ending. A good concluding book to the series and I wouldn't mind seeing Buettner pick up this universe, say a couple of hundred years in the future.
 
Currently reading Chasm City, by Alastair Reynolds. Like one of the above posters, I found Revelation Space to be a real page-turner once I managed to get into it... several years after my first try. Enjoying it thus far but the pace hasn't picked up yet.

Glad I'm finally enjoying Reynolds because I was feeling slightly jealous of all those people raving about him and having plenty of books and new releases to check out..
 
1. The Road by Cormac McCarthy [A]
2. Exultant by Stephen Baxter [A+]

3. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

I've tried at least twice to read this book. The prologue is so akwardly written and vague that I've set it down both times and moved on to something else. I actually read a couple of chapters last night and I realize that the whole book isn't written like that, so I'm going to keep reading this time.
 
I finished The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfeld. Westerfeld doesn't really do anything new, but the story is well written and quite entertaining. I knew it was the first book of a duology, but I was still surprised that it ended so abruptly.

Anyway, I want to find out what happens so I've started The Killing of Worlds.
 
I'm working my way through Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Treasury. Fun short stories, I love 'em. My favourites so far have been "Who Can Replace a Man" by Brian W. Aldiss and "Who's There?" by Arthur C. Clarke.
 
Finished 7th Son: Descent by J.C. Hutchins today. This was a thriller mostly with science fiction tendencies and it was fun at the same time. I can say I liked it even though I had some gripes such as the "Go Team!" atmosphere and the Bond-type villains (which the book even ironically mentions).
 
Well, I got my six David Weber books that I ordered yesterday. I'm a 1/4 of the way through The Short Victorious War. I'm enjoying it thus far. I'm glad that Honor

wasn't fully repaired after her injury. I like the fact that the one side of her face is still lopsided.

The reason I'm glad is that characters like Honor, especially when there's a long series following them, can easily turn into a Mary Sue.

The fact that she's physically flawed helps offset that.

Weber still finds time to give us some of his technogobbledegook info dumps, but I'm pleased to say, that they're not as long as some of them in the previous two books.
 
Last night I finished The Killing of Worlds by Scott Westerfeld, the second half of the Succession duology. I didn't like the books quite as well as Leviathan, but I did enjoy these well written space operas. The author left a universe with a lot going on so I wonder if he ever plans to come back to it. Anyway, I'd recommend these to just about any scifi fan.

Next up is Hex and the City by Simon R. Green.
 
Reading and really enjoying a guilty pleasure: Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Diving into the Wreck. A great read from a dependable author.

Mark
 
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Now reading Cyteen, by CJ Cherryh...it's incredibly dense, but extremely absorbing, just like all Cherryh books...
 
I took Larry's challenge on Of Blog and read Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and I'm glad I did. It was both interesting and thought-provoking, things anyone would expect from Sir Clarke.
 
Seak said:
I took Larry's challenge on Of Blog and read Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and I'm glad I did. It was both interesting and thought-provoking, things anyone would expect from Sir Clarke.
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I just read that for the first time this winter break. The first two-thirds were very boring and pedestrian...and the last third was just amazing. It was absolutely the loneliest, most haunting, most spine-tingling piece of sci-fi I have ever read, even beating out Vinge's Marooned in Realtime...
 
nquixote said:
I just read that for the first time this winter break. The first two-thirds were very boring and pedestrian...and the last third was just amazing. It was absolutely the loneliest, most haunting, most spine-tingling piece of sci-fi I have ever read, even beating out Vinge's Marooned in Realtime...
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The beginning did take me a bit to enjoy although it was interesting at the same time. I haven't read Vinge, but that puts the ending very well and I in no way saw that coming.
 
I'm reading A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. It's been on my shelf for a little while so I finally got around to reading it.

I'm actually struggling to get into it currently but I have this feeling it's quiety going to grow on me
 
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