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So what are you reading now (Part 4)?

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I've finished only two books since I last posted here.

I gave up on Die Ästhetik des Widerstands because it gets rather repetitive and nothing really happens.

I finished Doctor Who - The Price of Paradise by Colin Brake. The prose was a bit shaky in parts, apparently it was rushed to publication. The story bears some resemblance to others in the new series books but it was still good and an entertaining read.

I also finished Foundation by Isaac Asimov. While it was interesting and I might pick up more of the Foundation novels in the future I didn't think it was really that good. The behaviour of the characters and the long-term strategic planning aren't always plausible, in my opinion. I also chuckled at the way nuclear energy is portrayed here as the pinnacle of energy production. I wanted to yell, "what are your plans for the radioactive waste you're producing?" a few times (It's sort of a controversial issue right now in my country at the moment ;)). Well, people thought it was the greatest things since sliced bread back then and I just imagined it was something different while reading the book.

After those, I started with Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton. It's huge and unwieldy for a paperback but it's really exciting and captivating. I'm about halfway through, but it's only part one of a duology, so I suppose, those two books will keep me occupied till Christmas. I still have to get the second book, though.
 
Dr. Mabuse said:
I also finished Foundation by Isaac Asimov. While it was interesting and I might pick up more of the Foundation novels in the future I didn't think it was really that good. The behaviour of the characters and the long-term strategic planning aren't always plausible, in my opinion. I also chuckled at the way nuclear energy is portrayed here as the pinnacle of energy production. I wanted to yell, "what are your plans for the radioactive waste you're producing?" a few times (It's sort of a controversial issue right now in my country at the moment ;)). Well, people thought it was the greatest things since sliced bread back then and I just imagined it was something different while reading the book.
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Heck, nuclear waste disposal would be easy for a spacefaring civilization. Just dump it into the nearest Jovian atmosphere. All the nuclear waste on Earth would probably be just a blip compared to Jupiter's fierce radiation belts. Heck, space is full of all sorts of radiation, and it isn't as safely contained as the radioactive materials in a nuclear reactor. Any civilization that had mastered radiation protection sufficiently to enable it to function in space on a regular basis wouldn't be the least bit troubled by nuclear waste.

Nuclear energy is the pinnacle of energy production. The only thing in the universe more powerful is matter/antimatter annihilation, and antimatter is extremely hard to manufacture and handle. Of course, fusion is preferable if you have the tech to pull it off, but fission power is a lot safer, cleaner, and more reliable than conventional wisdom would have it. And to this day, we still haven't managed to make fusion practical as a sustainable energy source. So there's nothing laughable about the idea of an interstellar civilization that relies on nuclear fission as its chief power source. Well, of course, the ultimate energy source would be solar power; a star is a naturally occurring fusion reactor producing near-limitless free energy for anyone who can harness it. But for those who aren't living near stars, such as ships travelling between them, a different power source would be needed.
 
A couple days ago, I realized I was having a lot of trouble keeping all of the books I was reading straight, and it was taking me forever to get through them all. So I decided to cut back from reading A Game of Thrones, Dresden Files: Grave Peril, The Phantom Menace, A Time to Kill, Immortal Coil, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, to just A Time To Kill, Immortal Coil, and Grave Peril. And since I'm almost done with GP I started reading The Amber Spyglass, the third and final book in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I'd been planning on reading this one for a while, but since I was reading so much stuff I hadn't started till now.
 
Currently about halfway through Under the Dome by Stephen King. After that i'll get back to the Dresden Files series with book two, Fool Moon. Also might juggle around a couple of TOS books. Trying to get through TOS "A Wounded Sky" but just finding it so boring.
 
I finally finished The Life of Greece by Will Durant and am flirting with The Good that Men Do by Martin and Mangels. The two Beyer-written Voyager books are supposed to arrive in the mail tomorrow, though, so...we'll see.
 
I finished Full Circle. Although there were parts I didn't much care for (do we really need another faked death causing much unnecessary suffering for family and friends? Also, Captain Eden's backstory revealed at the end was somewhat cliche), I very much enjoyed it.

I'll get to Unworthy in a bit. First: Q-Squared.
 
Smellincoffee said:
I finally finished The Life of Greece by Will Durant and am flirting with The Good that Men Do by Martin and Mangels. The two Beyer-written Voyager books are supposed to arrive in the mail tomorrow, though, so...we'll see.
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Oh yes; read those first. TGTMD is a decent enough novel, but Beyer's stuff is inarguably superior.

KingDaniel said:
I finished Full Circle. Although there were parts I didn't much care for (do we really need another faked death causing much unnecessary suffering for family and friends? Also, Captain Eden's backstory revealed at the end was somewhat cliche), I very much enjoyed it.

I'll get to Unworthy in a bit. First: Q-Squared.
Click to expand...

Wow. Talk about "and now for something completely different"...
 
Just started J.G. Ballard's novel Kingdom Come. His last handful of novels were a bit formulaic, but he's the only one who used that particular formula, and no one else writes like he did. Though I sometimes think William Gibson's post-cyberpunk novels come close.
 
Ohhh, I hate you. Why did you read it for work? Are you doing the next DS9 book?
 
I'm reading Peter Robinson's Gallows View (British crime) and working my way through the TNG Post-NEM relaunch. Having reread Death in Winter I am now reading Resistance. DiW was better than I remember it being but still below par compared to books from the same (and other) series.
 
I'm still reading the unauthorized Star Trek: The Next Generation/Winnie the Pooh crossover that is Q-Squared. The Pooh gang charged Worf's security goons! Sadly it ended before a much-needed Troi/Eeyore counselling session could begin.
 
I just read the Honor Harrington series (books 1 through 12). It's a fun series. Now, I'm going to read the spin-offs.
 
Finished The Third Claw Of God. Got a little self-important at the end, but a great mystery.

Now, I'm starting Peter F. Hamilton's second series in the Commonwealth Universe, the Void trilogy. Hope to have that done in time to read Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game right when it comes out. We'll see...
 
Finished DS9 - The Soul Key. About to start on Fable - The Balverine Order, based on the Fable video game series, by Peter David.
 
I just finished Unspoken Truth . An interesting look at Saavik's life after ST IV. I've read so many different takes on Saavik's origins that it's hard to look at any one of them objectively. I did like the feel of the relationships between Sarek and Saavik as well as Sarek and T'Saan. Amanda was pretty spot on with guiding Saavik along as well. Was I the only one imagining Mikal as a bald Merritt Butrick wearing Dr. Severin's ears from "The Way to Eden" while reading this book??:wtf:
 
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