what are you reading?

F-ZeroOne · Post by **F-ZeroOne** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:23 pm 0

Currently reading "Distrust that Particular Flavour", a collection of various non-fiction articles by William "He invented Cyberpunk and lives in Canada" Gibson.

Your taste may vary, but one thing I do admire Gibson for is that I don't think anyone has ever managed to capture Japan in text like he can (read "Idoru" for proof). I have particularly delighted in his account here of how he walked into Tokyu Hands [1] - possibly the only department store on the planet where one can buy a pet fish, a propelling pencil and a chemical warfare suit in one visit - and ran into Douglas Coupland and Michael Stipe.

[1] Both Tokyo branches, Shibuya and Shinjuku do strange things to topography, too. The Shinjuku branch is about seven levels high but the escalator, the only means of moving between them, is outside. The Shibuya branch, on the other hand, has floors marked 2, 2b, 3, 3c...

funkstar · Post by **funkstar** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:55 am 0

Finished

recently. Very much the first in a series, but so good I already have half a mind to read it again, and so much better than what I'm reading now that I despair at my reading stack...

*checks post count*: leet, yo.

VNVObit · Post by **VNVObit** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:21 am 0

Just finished Jasper Fforde's The Jane Eyre Affair

Enjoyable SciFi/detective/humour/far fetched fiction book. Reminded me of Robert Rankin although not as many puns/page

Next is the latest book in the Songs of Fire and Ice series (need to dust off the kindle first)

F-ZeroOne · Post by **F-ZeroOne** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:50 pm 0

David Attenborough, "Life on Air". Then the first in the "Lost Fleet" series, which I keep seeing in bookshops to the point where it was starting to bug me, so I bought it.

VNVObit · Post by **VNVObit** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 10:02 pm 0

Hmm see the kindle version of A dance with Dragons can be bought in 2 flavours
single volume at 11.99 or 2 volumes for 5.99 each ?????

not impressed by that

disciple · Post by **disciple** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:42 pm 0

What a rip off.

benedictw · Post by **benedictw** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:53 pm 0

I've just read Ron Jonsons The Psychopath Test. Very good.

Governmentyard · Post by **Governmentyard** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:55 pm 0

Buy the hardback and yarr the kindle version.

I'm reading Metro 2033 at the moment. It's very good indeed. Sort of a road movie through Russian society in the microcosm of the setting we know from the game. Echoes of F. Pohl's Gateway at times, sort of.

everklear · Post by **everklear** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:52 pm 0

Whipped through the latest Honor Harrington book by David Weber - enjoyable as always. I'm not sure what it is about those books.

On to the Millennium trilogy - the girl who did stuff. Maybe halfway through book one, and I must admit it is interesting reading.

F-ZeroOne · Post by **F-ZeroOne** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:03 pm 0

Some Comix:

First, "Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War", in which Nikolai Teslas robot son punches Nazis THROUGH THE FACE. Features a guest appearance by Otto Skorenzy, every sci-fi writers go-to German uberzuperblitzenspetsnazkommando whenever they want to insert a Bond-style villain into a war story who actually existed. Seriously, Skorenzy did what would normally be described as comic-book stuff during the war, except he did it for real, like dropping a force of gliders onto an isolated, heavily guarded mountaintop to rescue Mussolini. And that was only because he couldn't use helicopters.

Next up, "Judge Dredd The Complete Files" volume 5. I didn't get into 2000AD until around about issue 300 or so, which means I missed one of the great epics of Dredd, "The Apocalypse War". Volume 5 contains it in its entirety, but I was also delighted to find it contains another Dredd classic, "Judge Death Lives!" in which Dredd punches Judge Fear THROUGH THE FACE. Theres also some quaint early-Dredd stuff, such as the "Numbers Rackets". Apparently, in the future, computers will be vulnerable to hacking attempts. We'd better start watching for that.

Finally, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century 1910". Which... erm, yeah. I think I preferred it when it had Mr. Hyde punching Martians THROUGH THE FACE.

Gorecki · Post by **Gorecki** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:09 am 0

F-ZeroOne wrote: Finally, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century 1910". Which... erm, yeah. I think I preferred it when it had Mr. Hyde punching Martians THROUGH THE FACE.

I loved 1910, absolutely loved it although I do admit that Book 2 is TLoEG's highwater mark. I think he's lost it a bit with 1969 but I'm still looking forward to 2009 which should be out soonish.

Just read Russell Hoban & Alexis Deacon's Soonchild in a single sitting.

Sixteen-Face John is a shaman who lives in The North, but he has been neglecting his spiritual duties. His wife is pregnant, but the baby, Soonchild (of the title), refuses to be born because it can't hear the World Songs that every child must hear before they can be born. It is Johns' responsibility to retrieve the World Songs that Soonchild may come into the world.

I can't do justice to the beauty and wonder of this book.
http://amzn.to/xS4jPc

Baggypants · Post by **Baggypants** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 10:16 pm 0

Gorecki wrote:
F-ZeroOne wrote: Finally, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century 1910". Which... erm, yeah. I think I preferred it when it had Mr. Hyde punching Martians THROUGH THE FACE.
I loved 1910, absolutely loved it although I do admit that Book 2 is TLoEG's highwater mark. I think he's lost it a bit with 1969 but I'm still looking forward to 2009 which should be out soonish.

Just read Russell Hoban & Alexis Deacon's Soonchild in a single sitting.

Sixteen-Face John is a shaman who lives in The North, but he has been neglecting his spiritual duties. His wife is pregnant, but the baby, Soonchild (of the title), refuses to be born because it can't hear the World Songs that every child must hear before they can be born. It is Johns' responsibility to retrieve the World Songs that Soonchild may come into the world.
I can't do justice to the beauty and wonder of this book.
http://amzn.to/xS4jPc

T'cha, bloody ungrateful kids, don't know they're born.

Darkflame · Post by **Darkflame** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:12 pm 0

The Unwritten: War of the Words. - Still a fantastic story. Hard to see where its going at any point, while the pace keeps accelerating none the less.

Terrypantsman · Post by **Terrypantsman** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:01 pm 0

F-ZeroOne wrote:Just finished "Retribution Falls" by Chris Wooding; its a rollicking retro-pulp adventure set in a world of magick and airships. Very entertaining, like re-watching a favourite 80s film on TV after you haven't seen it for years.

just finished this today. Nice blend of Steam punk / Serenity.

loved it.

Jonesey · Post by **Jonesey** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:59 pm 0

Kindle flavour of course.

YakYak