SF/F Books: Chapter Two - What Are You Reading?

[Steve Roby]

If he's got more short fiction on the level of "Surface Tension", I'd certainly like to read more, though.

I can't really make any useful recommendations because it's been 25 or 30 years since I read the Blish collections I have; I just remember enjoying the stories.

something by J.G. Ballard too (he's written too many excellent ones for me to choose).

I doubt Ballard would have been on the radar for this particular anthology, because most of his writing was done after the cutoff date for the book. Recommended reading for sure, though anyone who tries The Atrocity Exhibition should probably go for the Re/Search annotated edition.

If you like stuff like that try a German series called Perry Rhodan.

That'd be a bit of a challenge, wouldn't it? If you read German it'd take forever to catch up on 2000 or so stories, and if you don't you'd have to try to track down 130 or so English translations that were probably out of print by 1980. I read a lot of them back in the mid-'70s; I don't know that I'd recommend them, because I found they varied wildly in quality (could be translation and editing issues), and even the best were basically pulp space opera.

 

[Servo]

Just finished The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and started The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

 

[Stevil2001]

With the exception of the Heinlein(not one of my favs) that is a heck of a book. I own it myself and darn near everything in it is a classic. Helen O'Loy and Martian Oddessey are 2 of my favs(still can't spell that!)

I really liked the concept of the mobile road, but I felt that the story that was told didn't really take advantage of the concept-- it could have been any technical job of national importance. "A Martian Odyssey" was all right-- good ideas but kind of perfunctory-- and "Helen O'Loy" was pretty slight. The ending was good, though.

 

[Stevil2001]

I've been reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story collection Mosses From An Old Manse, which has more than a few fantastical tales in it (though obviously not billed as such). "Young Goodman Brown", "Rappacini's Daughter" (which I had read before), "The Celestial Rail-road", and "Feathertop" (which I just finished last night) are my favourites so far. He's a wonderful storyteller, and I've simply fallen in love with his writing.

I've liked all of the Hawthorne short fiction I've read-- "Young Goodman Brown" is a masterpiece, and "Rappacini's Daughter" is a beautiful story-- but I've never been able to get into his longer works; The Scarlet Letter and The Blithedale Romance were both tedious, muddled, and uninvolving. I'll have to look into that book.

 

[PointyHairedJedi]

Hmm, I've got no idea where my Blish anthologies have gone. They're probably hiding under some other books, which is more likely than supposing they've run off to join the circus. The only title I can remember off-hand is "How Beautiful with Banners" which was fairly short and not completely to my liking.

 

[indianatrekker26]

A few days ago, i started reading The Godless World: Winterbirth. Only 70 or so pages in so far, but im getting drawn into the book. I'm more of a scifi fan than fantasy, but I wanted to branch out.

 

[S. Gomez]

I've been reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story collection Mosses From An Old Manse, which has more than a few fantastical tales in it (though obviously not billed as such). "Young Goodman Brown", "Rappacini's Daughter" (which I had read before), "The Celestial Rail-road", and "Feathertop" (which I just finished last night) are my favourites so far. He's a wonderful storyteller, and I've simply fallen in love with his writing.

I've liked all of the Hawthorne short fiction I've read-- "Young Goodman Brown" is a masterpiece, and "Rappacini's Daughter" is a beautiful story-- but I've never been able to get into his longer works; The Scarlet Letter and The Blithedale Romance were both tedious, muddled, and uninvolving. I'll have to look into that book.

Technically speaking, I've been reading a collection of all his short works, Hawthorne: Tales And Sketches published by the Library of America; they list the contents of the different collections at the back. It's a beautiful volume and I'm on the verge of ordering my own copy when I return this one to the library.

 

[Demiurge]

Just finished the Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Excellent, excellent stuff. The big problem with fantasy these days is so few authors know how to write tight stories. Each of these is a stand alone story that is excellent in its own right, and links to the other. Paladin won the Hugo a few years back.

Going to read Hallowed Hunt shortly, but very impressed with this work.

 

[Stevil2001]

Technically speaking, I've been reading a collection of all his short works, Hawthorne: Tales And Sketches published by the Library of America; they list the contents of the different collections at the back. It's a beautiful volume and I'm on the verge of ordering my own copy when I return this one to the library.

Oh, man, that looks slick. Only four bucks used on Amazon, too-- I might have to spring for it.

 

[S. Gomez]

^Do it! Wish I could get it for four bucks.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice. I like the book so far but there's way too much Boba Fett in it.

 

[Capt_Piett]

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice. I like the book so far but there's way too much Boba Fett in it.

I'm on Invincible. The Boba Fett stuff in Sacrifice and the other novels has a pay off later in the series. Can't say what, for obvious spoiler reasons and because I'm not finished with the book yet.

 

[Mistral]

If you like stuff like that try a German series called Perry Rhodan.

That'd be a bit of a challenge, wouldn't it? If you read German it'd take forever to catch up on 2000 or so stories, and if you don't you'd have to try to track down 130 or so English translations that were probably out of print by 1980. I read a lot of them back in the mid-'70s; I don't know that I'd recommend them, because I found they varied wildly in quality (could be translation and editing issues), and even the best were basically pulp space opera.

Steve, the guy I was suggesting it to LIKES the Wingman series, etc-I figured Rhodan would be right up his alley. You can still find English translations in MomnPop stores-I saw a few at the LOB in Whittier,Ca a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Steve Roby]

Yeah, I get that he might like them, but considering the number of books and the fact that they're out of print, I just wonder if it might take too much effort for the payoff.

 

[Brian]

I just finished the uncut Stranger in a Strange Land, and I finally grok it! I started it years ago in college and when it got to the churchy stuff, I put it aside. Share water, brothers!

I've just started The Last Days of Krypton.

 

[S. Gomez]

Finished Neil Gaiman's short story collection Smoke And Mirrors. Some really good ones in there, though I'm still not quite amenable to his poetic stories.

 

[Shurik]

A Clash Of Kings by George R. R. Martin

 

[Mistral]

Yeah, I get that he might like them, but considering the number of books and the fact that they're out of print, I just wonder if it might take too much effort for the payoff.

Anybody who's reading Wingman has a lot of patience.

 

[Australis]

'Matter', the new Culture novel.

On Blish: before you whippersnappers came along with your DVDs and boxed sets - hell, even before videos! - he was turning TOS episodes into collections of short stories, 12 books in all. Sometimes in country Australia, that was all the Trek there was in the early/mid 70s.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

I'm trying to keep up some momentum with what I'm reading and intend to get back into Heart of a Dog.