Finished Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Started Star Trek: Titan - Orion's Hounds by Christopher L. Bennett
Started Star Trek: Titan - Orion's Hounds by Christopher L. Bennett
SF/F Books: Chapter Two - What Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Neroon
- Start date
Forgive the thread necromancy, but I'd rather post here then revive another thread.
The Yiddish Policeman's Union: So, I'd heard this was very good. Turned out it was. I'm extremely ignorant about Yiddish and Jewish customs in general, so the glossary was very helpful, particularly how it divided the fictional Yiddish slang invented for the novel and actual words.
Beyond that? Very stylish, often quite funny prose; outsized characters, and excellent worldbuilding. I'm not quite sold on some of the details or indeed the plausibility of some aspects (such as the secrets uncovered in the novel); but more important than sounding plausible they sounded interesting.
The Cosmic Puppets: Classic PKD gnostic theology mixed with some bizarre imagery and a simple, compelling strange idea: Returning to the town you were born in only to discover it's in no way the town you remembered and never was. Of the PKD books that aren't quite often name-dropped, I'd count this as by far one of the better ones,
The Lathe of Heaven: Best sci-fi novel I've read in a long time, which, given the woeful amount of reading I've done isn't saying much. I've always got a weakness for stories where reality and dream worlds become blurred and indistinct; but even so, this was an incredible read. I could probably try to chip away at the logic of how the dreams change the world if I really want to, but honestly, this was five or six alternate speculative futures for the price of one. The evolution of Haber's office and importance is just one of the many fantastic details this book had.
I hate to sound like a bore about the last book (and in general), but hey, it really was a very engaging, very quick read.
The Yiddish Policeman's Union: So, I'd heard this was very good. Turned out it was. I'm extremely ignorant about Yiddish and Jewish customs in general, so the glossary was very helpful, particularly how it divided the fictional Yiddish slang invented for the novel and actual words.
Beyond that? Very stylish, often quite funny prose; outsized characters, and excellent worldbuilding. I'm not quite sold on some of the details or indeed the plausibility of some aspects (such as the secrets uncovered in the novel); but more important than sounding plausible they sounded interesting.
The Cosmic Puppets: Classic PKD gnostic theology mixed with some bizarre imagery and a simple, compelling strange idea: Returning to the town you were born in only to discover it's in no way the town you remembered and never was. Of the PKD books that aren't quite often name-dropped, I'd count this as by far one of the better ones,
Even if, and this is likely my lack of imagination, his description of the Ormazd and Ahirman mountains seeming to be vast people you just couldn't see and then did didn't really make sense to me.
The Lathe of Heaven: Best sci-fi novel I've read in a long time, which, given the woeful amount of reading I've done isn't saying much. I've always got a weakness for stories where reality and dream worlds become blurred and indistinct; but even so, this was an incredible read. I could probably try to chip away at the logic of how the dreams change the world if I really want to, but honestly, this was five or six alternate speculative futures for the price of one. The evolution of Haber's office and importance is just one of the many fantastic details this book had.
I hate to sound like a bore about the last book (and in general), but hey, it really was a very engaging, very quick read.
Rii
Rear Admiral
The Lathe of Heaven is on my 'to read' pile just now, and I'm very much looking forward to it. Since discovering her not so long ago, I've quickly become a huge Le Guin fan.
Currently reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.
Rii
Rear Admiral
^ I really like HDM.
I read Northern Lights (I think it goes by another title in the US?) as a kid but never got to the others. Reading it again today I'm better able to appreciate all the 'twisted worldbuilding' that goes on in it. I just started The Subtle Knife this evening, virgin territory ahead.
Incidentally, the edition I picked up is a large, hardback compendium volume with bookmark and a silky purple dust jacket. I love it.
Rii
Rear Admiral
Oh yes, I should've remembered from the film. That's what reignited my interest in the books in the first place, although there was a predictably long delay between stimulus and response.
I'm desultorily engaged in going back over the books I was most fond of in childhood and early adolescence. It's interesting to see which stand the test of time - and something vaguely resembling maturity, or at least a greater degree thereof - and which don't.
Seconded. It's great novel! I would also recommend the (very low budget) TV movie adaptation from 1980, starring Bruce Davison.
Currently I'm reading Time Enough for Love and now I got to ask... what is it with Heinlein and his fantasies concerning the protagonist impregnating as many women as possible? It's the same crap from Stranger in a Strange Land all over again. Pretty disturbing, if you think about it.
Rii
Rear Admiral
Did you read the originally published version or the later unabridged one? If the former, could you tell me: is the brief and uncharacteristic (of Heinlein) exchange about the nature of property in there, or is it only in the unabridged version?
Oh wow, it's been a long time since this thread was up. I like it.
Since I last posted I've read a collection of ghost stories by M.R. James, which I enjoyed very much. I like discovering new authors. Also a book called The Affinity Bridge by George Mann, which I was really looking forward to but had to put down when I could make no more excuses for the lousy writing. Storm Front by Jim Butcher was much better, but it didn't inspire me to immediately go for the rest of The Dresden Files. I re-read Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and caught up on the Death and The Dream Hunters books that I hadn't read before.
And now I'm into a re-read of Harry Potter.
Since I last posted I've read a collection of ghost stories by M.R. James, which I enjoyed very much. I like discovering new authors. Also a book called The Affinity Bridge by George Mann, which I was really looking forward to but had to put down when I could make no more excuses for the lousy writing. Storm Front by Jim Butcher was much better, but it didn't inspire me to immediately go for the rest of The Dresden Files. I re-read Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and caught up on the Death and The Dream Hunters books that I hadn't read before.
And now I'm into a re-read of Harry Potter.
Similar threads
