what are you reading?

[F-ZeroOne]

I've read "The Hunt for Zero Point" - although I found it very intriguing at the time, well, I felt the same about "Fingerprints of the Gods" at the time... I've gotten a lot more sceptical since then. The whole "Aurora" thing has become something of a running in-joke among military aviation fans. You might want to try somewhere like "rationalwiki" for an alternative viewpoint...

[funkstar]

So errr.. you read 342 pages per hour ?? Or is the font very big.

It's Dan Brown - master of the poor plot and low lix: 350 pages/hour is considered a close read.

I just raced through
.
Very enjoyable space opera romp. Not "high concept" in the least, but good fun. I am tempted to pick up some more of his stuff.

I've just started on


Lots of Culture ships in this one, so far. I have a feeling that if you liked "Excession" you'll like this as well...

[zip accident]

Arrived today from Amazon:

[VNVObit]

Been reading a lot of graphic novels of late

Three books of Richard Stark's: Parker adapted by Darwyn Cooke



Hunter, The Outfit and The Score.

excellent read

Volumes 1 to 5 of Locke & Key


Excellent horror story set in a large mansion in Lovecraft
Nice revenge arc with some interesting twists

I picked the above up at various sales on Comixology (2.99 an omnibus ) usually have something on offer every weekend so tend to wait and then pick up collections

[Jonesey]

Since the film is out in a few months I've decided to read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

Now a quick search of this thread reveals the book's popularity - and opinion regarding Card's anti-gay activism. Humanity versus the "buggers" - I see what you did there, Orson.

Twunt.

All the same I have to say I'm quite enjoying the book, but the film, too has raised controversy, as well as - irony?

I'll watch the film because the trailers I've seen look a lot better than what I've been seeing in my mind's eye whilst reading the book...but also because I haven't seen Hailee Steinfeld acting in anything since her brilliant turn in True Grit three years ago...

[NorthWay]

moved onto the LongEarth (Pratchett and Baxter). About 25% in to the book and very enjoyable so far

Read through it. Good writing, but I felt very cheated at the end. What end rather.
Is this supposed to be a long running series?

The follow-up is "The long war".

I don't expect to buy any further books in the series.
It is not a (direct) follow-up, it simply jumped 10(or was it more) years into the future from where the last book ended.
Very slow going, didn't have much momentum until the last third.

Sci-fi is typically used to gently hold up a mirror and show us our human activities and ways. This feels like it has an agenda it wants to pull over your head.

I also don't buy into the basic premise of the book. First of all I think man is a bunch of shitheads and would use stepping whenever wherever to be utter shits, all the time all the place. Second I don't see why these people move away from comfort and conveniences only to start making them all over from ground up. "Datum" has such a headstart that is doesn't make sense to me. I don't know if it is an "Americanism" or something, but it doesn't work for me.

[Darkflame]

Haven't read the second yet but there was people acting like dicks in the first book - it just didn't dwell or follow them as a story.

Second I don't see why these people move away from comfort and conveniences only to start making them all over from ground up.

America has a lot of idiots that think they would be better of on their own - its very realistic that groups would go off and set up "free" colonies.
Likewise, theres many romantics that want to live more "natural"
Or others that just want to get away from the over crowded cities.

The unrealistic bit is not people leaving - its them not coming back a week later

[Mat]

On a bit of a contemporary Occult fantasy binge at the moment, mostly thanks to some good recommendations by Cory Doctorow over on Boing Boing.

I read Mur Lafferty's "The Shambling Guide to New York", which was a great bit of fun and an excellent first novel.
It centers around a woman landing a job working for a publisher who makes travel guides for monsters.

Of course, after finishing that, it prompted me to re-read Good Omens for the first time in years. Still a brilliant book, and it feels a little more personal now that I work not far from where Aziraphale's bookstore must be.

Then I moved on to and am currently thoroughly enjoying the Sandman Slim novels by Richard Kadrey. The eponymous Slim, or James Stark, is a hitman who got sent to Hell by his friends eleven years ago and has now escaped and is looking for revenge. They've got great pacing and a thoroughly noir-ish feel along with that supernatural spin. Slim's also one of the best badasses I've read recently. Highly recommended.

[Muttley]

My copy of the Kickstarted Sensible Software biography arrived the other day. 'tis a thing of beauty: http://www.readonlymemory.vg/

[Istar]

@funkstar: I loved Debatable Space, bought that on release. But - The Hydrogen Sonata?! I thought I had all IMBs' Culture novels! Did he sneak this out after Matter? (EDIT: yes, he did)

@Jonsey: Anti-gay activism? Man, people will read anything into anything these days. They're called the Buggers because they're bad bugs. And anyway, things become much more interesting in the sequels - Enders Game is a largely two-dimensional 'trainer' novel by someone just starting to write SF, whereas Speaker For The Dead (and beyond) are fully-formed and highly complex tales.

[Firefox]

Yeah, I've been re-reading Ender's Game and Speaker For The Dead since they came out, and I've never spotted anything in the least bit anti-gay in them.

I think you're way off there, Jonesey.

[Loada]

My copy of the Kickstarted Sensible Software biography arrived the other day. 'tis a thing of beauty: http://www.readonlymemory.vg/

Me too!

[merman]

Yeah, I've been re-reading Ender's Game and Speaker For The Dead since they came out, and I've never spotted anything in the least bit anti-gay in them.

I think you're way off there, Jonesey.

It's more about the author has said, not written.

[The Caffeine Kid]

I've just started on


Lots of Culture ships in this one, so far. I have a feeling that if you liked "Excession" you'll like this as well...

I'm currently reading through the Culture series. As it happens I've just finished Excession, and love the intrigue with the ships etc.

Half way through them now... Shame that Mr Banks isn't around to write more of them, it's a great loss.

[Jonesey]

They're called the Buggers because they're bad bugs.

I think you're way off there, Jonesey.

Card's Freudian slip..