July 14th, 2009
Listening to: Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America
I am about 25% through it, into Act 2 of 5. Regarding specifically the audio version of the book, I don’t really like the narrator, Scott Brick. He narrated Spin also. In both books, I find him very too dispassionate and almost dull. I am not sure this is the intent of the author. I like the stories much better than his narration. I am more sensitive to this because of a Neil Gaiman blog post on reading books aloud. OT, I may have already said this, but I love author read books, and Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and Neverwhere are in the top three. (Note to Self: list the best read books I have heard, especially books where the narration made the audio version BETTER than the written version).
Not long ago, I noticed a post from Instapundit about an interesting article that describes how a lot of new novels are moving away from expecting the singularity/transcendence of human kind. My initial thoughts are this is not new, per se. Off the top of my head, Planet of the Apes, Logan’s Run and the like have existed to provide a counter point to Foundation, Dune, and others.
Some interesting thoughts while writing this post:
- How utopian and dystopian SF view the singularity
- How post-Apocalytic SF views the singularity
- What kinds of apocalypse are referredto in post-Apocalyptic SF (plague, nuclear, peak oil, alien invasion)
July 14th, 2009 |
Posted in Uncategorized
| Tagged with book of the day, julian comstock, neil gaiman, neverwhere, note to self, robert charles wilson, spin, star dust |
December 30th, 2008
Kindle:
Was reading
Sebastian (Ephemera Book 1) by
Anne Bishop, but that has been delayed until I finish
At Grave’s End (Night Huntress, Book 3) by
Jeaniene Frost. Really like both so far. Anne Bishop is becoming one of my top five or so favorite authors. Her characters are interesting, and the worlds novel and engrossing. But I just love the Night Huntress books, because they have a great mix of action / humor and great characters, so I am going to get through Grave’s End in a few hours later today.
Finished:
Orcs by Stan Nicholls. Average, about 2.5 of 5. Interesting point of view, but otherwise straight forward tale. I like Glen Cook’s Black Company series (especially the first couple of books) much better as an examination of the dark side of the fight.
Audio:
Finished several:
Making Money by
Terry Pratchett. Great book. 4.5 of 5 stars. Haven’t really been a fan of Discworld, but I loved this book. I think I got it because of a Grammar Girl reco.
Karen Chance’s three Cassandra Palmer books: Touch the Dark, Claimed by Shadow and Embrace the Night. I enjoyed these, but I didn’t think they were great. The first was probably the best, 3.5 of 5 stars, but the next two were probably 2.5 or so. I read Midnight’s Daughter and I liked that one a lot, 4 of 5 stars. Dorina is just a better heroine than Cassandra. Cassandra is never in control and whines too much for my tastes, too much of a victim. Whereas Dorina kicks some ass and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. It’s nice to see some of the crossover characters, Mircea and Claire (from Buying Trouble). Mircea needs to re-evaluate his plans, because I don’t think they are working out so well.
Listening to:
Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. A classic I never read. About 60% done, and I have enjoyed it. I find the actual character of Oliver very thin. The really interesting stuff is the people around him. It’s like Oliver is just a prop for the examination of the other characters.
Next in play list:
Podcasts I really Enjoy:
December 30th, 2008 |
Posted in Uncategorized
| Tagged with anne bishop, book of the day, charles dickens, david drake, jeaniene frost, karen chance, neil gaiman, robin mckinley, stan nicholls |