What are you reading?

[DKT]

Had a getaway weekend, actually got to browse a bricks and mortar bookstore, without children, for AS LONG AS I WANTED TO.

I ended up picking up a book called The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes because it looked like fun. Victorian era, stage magician with a bizarre assistant, and a weird series of murders. Not sure I love it (that setting immediately puts it against Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell for me, as well as The Prestige (the movie - haven't read the book), but it's amusing.

And, I actually had the time to read like 100 pages of it without taking a break, which was unusually cool.

[Scattercat]

Just finished my umpteenth reread of "Villains By Necessity" by Eve Forward. The story has a creative premise, but the more I read it the clunkier the text gets.

I loved that book, but in order for me to read it I have to pretend that when they say "good" and "evil" they actually just refer to the power sources of the two camps.  The good guys are all mind-controlling rapists and the bad guys are all relatively normal, even altruistic towards their friends.  It was a bit cheap to claim that they were "evil" in that context.

[Listener]

Just finished my umpteenth reread of "Villains By Necessity" by Eve Forward. The story has a creative premise, but the more I read it the clunkier the text gets.

I loved that book, but in order for me to read it I have to pretend that when they say "good" and "evil" they actually just refer to the power sources of the two camps.  The good guys are all mind-controlling rapists and the bad guys are all relatively normal, even altruistic towards their friends.  It was a bit cheap to claim that they were "evil" in that context.

Holy crap, someone besides me has read it???

At the end they try to explain to Robin their concept of good vs evil, or "good deeds causing evil vs evil deeds causing good", and that works for me. I rather imagine it's like the Empire vs the Rebellion -- technically the Rebellion are the bad guys, breaking the law and fighting the government, committing acts of terrorism and vandalism and destruction of property... but we cheer for them when they blow up the Death Star. Same principle. (And Valerie cast Magic Missile first, damn it! I don't care what George Lucas did to make it look like Tesubar was the aggressor!)

[Scattercat]

At the end they try to explain to Robin their concept of good vs evil, or "good deeds causing evil vs evil deeds causing good", and that works for me.

The problem is that the story doesn't actually work on its own metaphysical level.  Yes, everyone sees themselves as the heroes of their own story, and yes there are times when good intentions lead to bad outcomes and vice versa, but that doesn't really change the fact that in the real world, "good" and "evil" are abstractions of intention and desire, with "good" generally correlating to altruistic and/or beneficial acts and "evil" correlating with selfishness, broadly speaking.  In this world, somehow "good" and "evil" exist as actual alternate dimensions and power sources for magic, but their effects don't actually correlate to "good" and "evil" as someone might actually use the words to describe anything.  No matter what your opinion of brainwashing and "light-minding" in the book, rape is pretty much godawful and evil; how can Mizzamir be the leader of "good" and, in fact, be accepted by the dimension of pure "good" as its avatar when he is an unrepentant rapist?

Ergo, they've just got a dimension of heat and light and a dimension of entropy and shadow from which they draw magical power, and I'm happier with the story when I mentally replace every reference to "good" and "evil" with "Plains" and "Swamps" respectively.

[Sgarre1]

Finished the anthology A CENTURY OF HORROR: 1970-1979 (did an extensive review on Goodreads here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37437211).  Nice overview of a decade in which horror was in transition.

Almost done with THE BLACK GODDESS AND THE SIXTH SENSE by noted poet Peter Redgrove, an examination of the biological senses and occult/mythology theory.  Halfway through THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW HORROR #19 (covering the year 2007).

[Listener]

On a bit of a Star Trek kick lately.

"The Entropy Effect" by Vonda McIntyre

[Sandikal]

I made a splurge purchase of "Kraken" by China Mieville.  It's a lot of fun so far.  I'm also reading "Light" by M. John Harrison.  It's really weird.  Somehow, I don't think it's good to be reading these two books at the same time.

[Scattercat]

I saw "Kraken" and went "Oo!  New Mieville!" and then read the blurb and went "OMG the bastard stole my Nobilis game storyline!"  I'm looking forward to reading it once I find a cheap enough copy to justify buying it.

Right now I'm reading "Boneshaker" by... Cherie Priest, I think?  I'm kind of going "meh" a lot at it.  I'd have liked it a lot better without the zombie crap, honestly.

[Sandikal]

People keep saying that "Boneshaker" is just another zombie book.  The zombies are such a small part of it, it hardly qualifies as a zombie book.  I really liked it, but I thought the zombies were unnecessary.

[Scattercat]

People keep saying that "Boneshaker" is just another zombie book.  The zombies are such a small part of it, it hardly qualifies as a zombie book.  I really liked it, but I thought the zombies were unnecessary.

That was really the problem.  The zombies don't NEED to be there, but they're there anyway and so much of the action revolves around them, and the boring old zombie movie tropes are present throughout the book.  I'd rather have just seem them struggling through poisonous gas than the silly zombie stuff.

[Sandikal]

People keep saying that "Boneshaker" is just another zombie book.  The zombies are such a small part of it, it hardly qualifies as a zombie book.  I really liked it, but I thought the zombies were unnecessary.

That was really the problem.  The zombies don't NEED to be there, but they're there anyway and so much of the action revolves around them, and the boring old zombie movie tropes are present throughout the book.  I'd rather have just seem them struggling through poisonous gas than the silly zombie stuff.

I agree.  There is plenty in the book to provide drama without zombies.  There's dealing with poisonous gas and the threat of the face masks coming loose or getting clogged.  There's the drama of a boy trying to discover his roots.  There's the pathos of a mother willing to sacrifice everything to save her son.  And, there's the whole issue of people stuck inside trying to survive.  The zombies were superfluous.

[DKT]

People keep saying that "Boneshaker" is just another zombie book.  The zombies are such a small part of it, it hardly qualifies as a zombie book.  I really liked it, but I thought the zombies were unnecessary.

That was really the problem.  The zombies don't NEED to be there, but they're there anyway and so much of the action revolves around them, and the boring old zombie movie tropes are present throughout the book.  I'd rather have just seem them struggling through poisonous gas than the silly zombie stuff.

Yes.

For me, the zombies were mostly a big distraction, and they took away from the characters and their development. I really, really would've loved to have learned more about the supporting cast: Swankhammer, and the Princess, Croggon Hainey (and the other air pirates), and whathisname who Zeke first encountered - and then ended up dead. Or maybe not? And I admit I never quite connected to either Zeke or Briar as much as I wanted to.

That said, I'm still holding out hope for the next few books in the setting, because I thought Priest's Four and Twenty Blackbirds was a lovely bit of southern gothic horror, and the set-up of Boneshaker was one of my favorite parts in the book.

[jrderego]

Oblivion by David Foster Wallace (it's a shorts collection).

[Listener]

"Prime Directive" by the Reeves-Stevenses, but I have three new books (including Boneshaker and I think Windup Girl) headed my way from Amazon today or tomorrow.

[Talia]

Trying to make my way through  Haldeman's 'The Forever War'since its a classic and all that. So far I am not enthralled, but I am willing to slog on as there is presumably some reason its so lauded.

So far, I enjoy Scalzi's 'Old Man's War' books a great deal better - I think because he infuses a lot of wit into the story, which I really enjoy.

[Boggled Coriander]

Trying to make my way through  Haldeman's 'The Forever War'since its a classic and all that. So far I am not enthralled, but I am willing to slog on as there is presumably some reason its so lauded.

So far, I enjoy Scalzi's 'Old Man's War' books a great deal better - I think because he infuses a lot of wit into the story, which I really enjoy.

I read The Forever War over a decade ago.  I wasn't much impressed with it.  I dunno if that's because a) I was too young/inexperienced to appreciate it, b) I read the edition that's less well-thought-of, or c) it just plain wasn't to my taste.

[Sandikal]

I'm still working on "Kraken" and am also reading "Changes", the latest Dresden Files novel. 

[Scattercat]

I'm still working on "Kraken" and am also reading "Changes", the latest Dresden Files novel. 

I am so cringing for that one.  God, I hate Susan.  Just... there are no words.

[Talia]

I'm still working on "Kraken" and am also reading "Changes", the latest Dresden Files novel. 

I am so cringing for that one.  God, I hate Susan.  Just... there are no words.

(spoiler)



 Well I guess you don't need to worry about HER anymore, at any rate.

[Listener]

China Mieville, "The City And The City". Not sure I like it yet. Good worldbuilding, as usual... but where's the ZOMG HUGE EVIL PLOT THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER STUMBLES ONTO that highlights most if not all genre fic? I haven't found it yet.

[Talia]

China Mieville, "The City And The City". Not sure I like it yet. Good worldbuilding, as usual... but where's the ZOMG HUGE EVIL PLOT THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER STUMBLES ONTO that highlights most if not all genre fic? I haven't found it yet.

It's not quite as black and white as that. I think you'll like it. Its really a brilliant book.

The last quarter of the book in particular is gripping. I could not put it down.

[Faraway Ray]

I'm slowly working my way through a compilation of Pushcart Prize winners. hard to deny the linguistic talent in any of them, but my tastes run towards the speculative and so I'm finding it kind of 'meh'.

That and reading a bunch of fiction markets while looking for places to submit to. Though that's pretty much a never-ending process.

[DKT]

China Mieville, "The City And The City". Not sure I like it yet. Good worldbuilding, as usual... but where's the ZOMG HUGE EVIL PLOT THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER STUMBLES ONTO that highlights most if not all genre fic? I haven't found it yet.

I'm listening to it now. I liked it when I first read it, but I have to admit that going through it a second time, I'm really, really loving it. Very different than any of his other novels, but it does some very interesting things by the end.

That said, I do remember feeling like the procedural aspect was meandering the first time I read it. I don't feel it this time, and that could have been a result of reading it spread out over a month, as opposed to listening to it in about a week.

How far into it are you?

[Listener]

China Mieville, "The City And The City". Not sure I like it yet. Good worldbuilding, as usual... but where's the ZOMG HUGE EVIL PLOT THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER STUMBLES ONTO that highlights most if not all genre fic? I haven't found it yet.

I'm listening to it now. I liked it when I first read it, but I have to admit that going through it a second time, I'm really, really loving it. Very different than any of his other novels, but it does some very interesting things by the end.

That said, I do remember feeling like the procedural aspect was meandering the first time I read it. I don't feel it this time, and that could have been a result of reading it spread out over a month, as opposed to listening to it in about a week.

How far into it are you?

He just visited the dig in Ul Qoma.

My problem with the procedural part so far is that Borlu and Corwi have other cases they have to work on, don't they? Instead, we don't even get a hint of that.

I like most of Mieville's books (I didn't really care for "Iron Council") but I fear this one will end up being more about the world and less about the story. I guess I'll find out when I get to the end.

[stePH]

Finished reread of Cyteen (fifth? Sixth? I've lost count), and went straight into second reading of the sequel Regenesis.  Almost done with that.

Next on deck, The Host by Stephenie Myer.  No reason.