Reading in June 2006

s271 said:
Charles Stross Family Trade

First book of the series. While good entertainment by itself, book not quite fulfill it's promise. From the premises I'd expected socio-economic SF thriller about transforming society, kind of Amber Zelazny meet Accelerando. However nothing essential happen in the book. May be the theme will be developed in sequel.
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It is one of those poor books that was split in half by the publisher. Book 1 & Book 2 are really one I think.
 
Just finished Spin for the book club. A large book but a surprisingly easy read.

Beleg - how are you getting on with Marrow? There is a copy in my local library; I was thinking of picking it up...
 
Over the weekend I finished Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold and Numbers Don't Lie by Terry Bisson.

Barrayar was good, but I preferred its predecessor, Shards of Honor. This one was darker, a little less fun. Still, excellent adventure SF, great protagonist.

Numbers is a collection of 3 novellas, only available via ebook. However, there are supposed to be images in the text, and in the two formats I tried I couldn't get them to display. :( Still, the stories are fun science-fantasy, and it's a light quick read.
 
Just wrapped up 'Alien Taste' by Wen Spencer.

I liked the book. It reminded a bit of the movie 'Alien Nation' also had an 'X-Files' vibe to it.

I did have a few problems with the author not CLARIFYING at times. I also had a problem with the main charcater's true nature going unnoticed by those around him. I dont want to give away the secrets so I wont CLARIFY.
 
Flew through Spin and The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson. Enjoyed them immensely.

Just finished The Man in the High Castle by Dick. I thought it was a bit overrated. I am all for the social, philosophical, spiritual, psychological, alternative history sci-fi; as a matter of fact I thrive on that stuff, but this one didn't do it for me.
 
I recently finished reading Old Twentieth by Joe Haldeman and I have to say it was a little underwhelming. The idea in itself is something I've pondered writing about myself, but the direction in which he took the story was a little less than satisfying. Still, well written and pretty quick read.
 
...And I think I've got my votes lined up for the Novelette category for the Hugos:

1. "The Calorie Man" by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fantasy & Science Fiction October/November 2005)
2. "I, Robot" by Cory Doctorow (The Infinite Matrix February 15, 2005)
3. "The King of Where-I-Go" by Howard Waldrop (SCI FICTION December 7, 2005)
4. "Two Hearts" by Peter S. Beagle (Fantasy & Science Fiction October/November 2005)
5. "TelePresence" by Michael A. Burstein (Analog July/August 2005)

None of them are perfect, but they all have something to recommend them. "Calorie Man" has to be one of the more unique premises I've ever read, even if it's not terribly believable.
 
Fine, I give up: I stopped reading Mike Brotherton's Star Dragon halfway through, and I'm taking it back to the library tomorrow.

So...poorly...written...!

I think I'll read a few issues of Analog next; I haven't gotten through July/August '06 yet.
 
Ropie,

Sorry for the late reply. Things in life have been pretty hectic really so I haven't been able to get much (almost any) reading done during the last week. Did read a few pages of Marrow and it was pretty boring in the beginning.
 
Beleg said:
Did read a few pages of Marrow and it was pretty boring in the beginning.
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Not to worry, though I hope it picks up for you, I have started Soul of a Robot by Barrington J Bayley, which is a great book from the off, if surprisingly gritty.
 
Earlier this month, I finally finished the first of the new “Year’s Best Novellas” anthologies from the Science Fiction Book Club:

Best Short Novels: 2004, ed. Jonathan Strahan, SFBC Summer 2004 (ra, hc) / Modern Greats of Science Fiction: Nine Novellas of Distinction, ibooks Jan. 2006 (tp) { 9 stories }
-----The Empress of Mars, Kage Baker, (na) Asimov’s July 2003
-----The Green Leopard Plague [*Dr. Davout], Walter Jon Williams, (na) Asimov’s Oct./Nov. 2003
-----In Springdale Town, Robert Freeman Wexler, (na) PS Publishing UK 2003
-----The Swastika Bomb, John Meaney, (na) Live Without a Net, ed. Lou Anders, Roc 2003
-----Jailwise, Lucius Shepard, (na) SciFiction June 04 2003 (+3)
-----Just Like the Ones We Used to Know, Connie Willis, (na) Asimov’s Dec. 2003
-----Greetings, Terry Bisson, (na) SciFiction Sept. 03 2003 (+3)
-----Awake in the Night [*The Night Land], John C. Wright, (na) William Hope Hodgson’s Night Lands, Volume I: Eternal Love, ed. Andy W. Robertson, Betancourt & Company 2003
-----Off On a Starship, William Barton, (na) Asimov’s Sep. 2003

This is one of the most solid anthologies of the past 5 years, in my opinion, and I hope Strahan gets the chance to edit it for many years to come.

Next, I finally finished Bruce Sterling’s landmark 1989 collection, Crystal Express. Magnificent!:

Crystal Express, Bruce Sterling, Arbor House 1989 (co, hc)
-----Swarm [*Shapers], (nv) F&SF April 1982
-----Spider Rose[*Shapers], (ss) F&SF Aug. 1982
-----Cicada Queen [*Shapers], Bruce Sterling, (nv) Universe 13, ed. Terry Carr, Doubleday 1983
-----Sunken Gardens [*Shapers], Bruce Sterling, (ss) Omni June 1984
-----Twenty Evocations [*Shapers], (ss) Interzone #7 1984
-----Green Days in Brunei, Bruce Sterling, (na) Asimov’s Oct. 1985
-----Spook, (ss) F&SF April 1983
-----The Beautiful and the Sublime, Bruce Sterling, (nv) Asimov’s June 1986
-----Telliamad, (ss) F&SF Sep. 1984
-----The Little Magic Shop, (ss) Asimov’s Oct. 1987
-----Flowers of Edo, Bruce Sterling, (nv) Asimov’s May 1987
-----Dinner in Audoghast, Bruce Sterling, (ss) Asimov’s May 1985

As a part of reading last year’s massive retrospective Two-Handed Engine: The Selected Stories of Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore, , I finished a small collection by Henry Kuttner:

Line to Tomorrow and other stories, “Lewis Padgett”, Bantam 1954
-----Line to Tomorrow, (ss) Astounding Nov. 1945
-----A Gnome There Was, (nv) Unknown Oct. 1941
-----What You Need, (ss) Astounding Oct. 1945
-----Private Eye, (nv) Astounding Jan. 1949
-----The Twonky, (nv) Astounding Sep. 1942
-----Compliments of the Author, (nv) Unknown Oct. 1942
-----When the Bough Breaks, (nv) Astounding Nov. 1944

Earlier this month, I obtained a copy of the TOC for the upcoming mega-anthology The Space Opera Renaissance (see the thread under “Science Fiction”), and have been reading all the stories available to me in various sources (only 4 more to go!). When I saw Lois McMaster Bujold’s “Weatherman” on the list, I decided to just read The Vor Game novel of which “Weatherman” is an extract. I have to admit that Bujold and her hero Miles Vorkosigan have never been my cup of tea, and this book is no exception. I found the ending to be unpalatable, to say the least (must the villain always get away scot-free in series-novels? I guess so!) Not a bad book, by any means, the fluidity and cleanness of her writing bring Asimov immediately to mind, but not my cup of tea.

Next month, I hope to finish the following:

No Boundaries, Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore, Ballantine 1955 (co, pb)
Two-Handed Engine: The Selected Stories of Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore, Centipede 2005 (co, hc)
Best Short Novels: 2005, ed. Jonathan Strahan, SFBC 2005 (ra, hc)
The Space Opera Renaissance, ed. David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer, Tor July 2006 (ra, hc)

And the new Charles Stross novel, Glasshouse [*Accelerando], arrived yesterday, so that goes right to the top of the stack...
 
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I returned Stupid Dragon, and now I'm reading David Brin's Glory Season. I hope it's much better than what I was reading before!
 
Clarkesworld:

I just finished Glasshouse. A damn fine novel, although I'm not sure it's deserving of winning an award, which I think Accelerando is. I'll put together a review proper in the next day or so.

I've also finished No Boundaries, by Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore, and Bypass to Otherness, by Henry Kuttner, a few older collections of their short fiction. In addition, The Space Opera Renaissance got here on Thursday, so I should finish up the last two stories in a few days.
 
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