Yipes! What can I say? We hardly ever run out of memory. Still, as said before, we were running out of memory storing some of your data. Yipes.

Can you give me an example books. Chances are we have the data in one of the two places it's stored.

T

posted by timspalding at 1:06 pm (EST) on Apr 29, 2008

"Don't drop the black hole, dorkbrains."

Possibly the best first line of a book review I've ever read. Thanks for the laugh!

Cheers
Dani

posted by philosojerk at 7:58 pm (EST) on Apr 6, 2008

Hi fellow dog lover! Thanks for stopping by my profile and saying "hi" -- great blog!

posted by deborah.soltesz at 6:51 pm (EST) on Mar 5, 2008

Probably - its been going since 2000 and interest has grown over the last 8 years so now there's about 1200 hits a month.

posted by Cascawebsite at 5:25 am (EST) on Mar 5, 2008

You might be interested in seeing the complete Casca series at my website www.casca.net which is the fans website. Has everything about the series and the character.

posted by Cascawebsite at 3:20 am (EST) on Mar 4, 2008

Thanks for the response. When you say Dinosaur was your fav - did you mean the short story or the book itself? I think my favorite short story is Faith, which is in Dinosaur. My favorite of Kelly's novels is Wildlife. It's kind of interesting to read Wildlife and then read the story Mr. Boy, in Dinosaur.... have a great day!

posted by VictoriaPL at 4:33 pm (EST) on Feb 15, 2008

You got me curious and so I searched about; and as far as I can tell, these books haven't ever been published in mass market paperback. :(( Curiouser and curiouser, as it was said in some book. How rude is what I say!! I hate that - I'm not sure I WOULD buy them in hardback even if I had a big win - Blood Follows is S50 on Galaxy.

posted by Lman at 6:27 am (EST) on Feb 15, 2008

Hi Blue,

These characters do appear in the Malazan books - in the third book Memories of Ice. How much more I don't really know as I haven't read the last few yet. But they are great characters IMO, especially Emancipor Reese (how can you not love that name). Did you get these books from your local library - hardback edition? I haven't been able to find them yet and I would love to get them - they are not in any of my stores or on-line. Sigh. And they were published ages ago! I have a feeling that these books could be even better than the main series - I checked your reviews; you liked them. yes?

BTW I've been very busy collecting Justina Robson books, thanks to you! Looking good...

Hope you are well and not too wet.

posted by Lman at 4:08 am (EST) on Feb 15, 2008

WOW. I thought I was a James Patrick Kelly fan. What's your favorite by him?

posted by VictoriaPL at 3:59 pm (EST) on Feb 13, 2008

Well, besides the wineries, I do see you have some lovely caves and, of course, Kangaroo Island in your area. The decisions will be very tough. It would be a hellavu lot easier if your country was a wee bit smaller, say, the size of Italy! - L

posted by avaland at 8:40 pm (EST) on Jan 7, 2008

You got some great books in your library.

posted by The_Humungus at 4:48 pm (EST) on Jan 3, 2008

Hey Blue,

What a neat cover! I suppose the picture belongs to the Triplanetary story mentioned, but it looks like something right out of The Thing/Who Goes There?

posted by jseger9000 at 1:10 am (EST) on Dec 29, 2007

Hey Bluetyson,

Why no group picture for the Science Fiction Fans group? I think a panel from the old Buck Rogers comic strip or maybe a shot from 2001 would make a great group photo.

posted by jseger9000 at 1:37 am (EST) on Dec 26, 2007

Interesting you should say that as Name of the Wind is on this month's Galaxy newsletter as "Fave Rave New Title" and when I read that I wondered whether I would actually like it - sort of sounded OK and maybe a bit different from the usual formulaic fantasy?? It is getting lots of good reviews - even for a "best written tedious fantasy"! LOL. Your review was great - got a thumbs from me. I will wait for the paperback to come out, which will be a year probably! These trade books are becoming outrageously priced - as we have discussed before! I'm looking forward much more to reading the Abercrombie books, which are on my list after a few other genre reads.

At the moment I'm reading this book about a Samurai detective in 16th century Japan (not as weird as that sounds) and I am enjoying it a lot. I find I enjoy fantasy and Science fiction more when I read something different in between now - and I am disinclined to read anything bad as we have too too many books to read!

What are you reading now?

BTW is your FF still making your catalogue out-of-line?

posted by Lman at 4:33 am (EST) on Dec 15, 2007

Thanks for the update on the Amazing anthology. I think I saw the TV show exactly once, and I don't think I ever ran across the book.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 10:26 pm (EST) on Nov 15, 2007

OMG!! despite the starving elf pretty boy half of Fabio romance type cover I didn't notice THAT!! LOL!! BIT of a worry?! I have to go back and take another look. One of my other LT friends has read it 'MisterJJones'; interestingly he considers it more for younger readers. His review about it wasn't too bad - books are like food though, very much a personal taste! I have to check the covers on LT now...

posted by Lman at 4:21 am (EST) on Nov 9, 2007

I just saw the next Abercrombie book in trade size this evening - another great cover too - how weird as I thought of you when I saw it. ~cue twilight zone music~ AND the Rothfuss book, also in trade paperback size (I hate those big expensive books), but I guess lots of books are appearing for Xmas selling. Have you actually got it to read?
Thanks for the info on the Egan story, I will check it out this weekend.
BTW, I like your short, succinct reviews, but I just thought you must have liked that book as its review was so much longer. :) I have got my hands on the next three Black Company books too - coming my way through swap sites - v. excited to get books I want FREE!! Looking forward to those too.
I see you have hit the 32,000 well and truly - HUH, I am getting excited about me closing in on 2000; our shared is going up too. You inspire me, you do!
I've just started Double Star which I hope to knock over tonight actually - he is v. easy to read - yes?
I'm off to look at what you added today, I have a spare few hours!!! hehe!

posted by Lman at 2:58 am (EST) on Nov 9, 2007

Thanks for becoming a friend! Impressive catalog of books.

posted by lisaunger at 12:14 pm (EST) on Nov 8, 2007

hi, a tragedy... i don't find any translation of Blue Tyson in French! do you know if one exist somewhere?
yours sincerely

posted by kanichat at 1:01 am (EST) on Nov 7, 2007

4 1/2 stars!!!
V. long review (compared to some of your other succinct - dare I say curt - one liners); and very good: got a thumb from me.
Guess it is an OK fantasy then. :))
I'm very happy - might be a fantasy book we both like. I hope the next is as good. I haven't seen it around yet, though I know it is out there.
Might need to change my TBR list but you have motivated me to read more sci-fi so it may have to wait!!

posted by Lman at 9:30 pm (EST) on Nov 4, 2007

There's a Vol I on BookMooch - in AU:

http://bookmooch.com/m/detail/0441019064

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 9:48 pm (EST) on Oct 26, 2007

I spoke too soon - the ISFDB does not list a "Vol I" under "Bauer",
but an Amazon search DOES turn it up:

http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Spielbergs-Amazing-Stories-Bauer/dp/0441019064/ref=sr_11_1/103-2585302-7841443?ie=UTF8&qid=1193448247&sr=11-1

ISBN 0441019064 Oct 1986;

whereas Vol. II is
http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Spielbergs-Amazing-Stories-Bauer/dp/0441019129/ref=sr_11_1/103-2585302-7841443?ie=UTF8&qid=1193448729&sr=11-1

ISBN 0441019129 DEC 1986

So my guess about the similar ISBNs showing a reprint was wrong - they ARE two different books, as a close look at the photos proves - "Vol II" is so labeled at the top.

So - a Vol.I does exist, V.I/ V. II are two different books, both with Bauer as editor of record.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 9:37 pm (EST) on Oct 26, 2007

Ah, from that link seems like there is actually 2 of them, and that one doesn't look familiar, so must have been the first one.

Well, not necessarily.

I assume Bauer was a scriptwriter for the tv show; Vol. I of this was apparently under someone else's name.

And according to LT, this Vol.II has a couple of different ISBNs, which matches Ace's practice of giving a new number to a new printing.

So it's entirely possible that Bauer's collection appeared with different covers.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 11:11 am (EST) on Oct 26, 2007

So that is one of the ones that it is a bit scary to get to at your place then?

Well - a few years ago, we ran out of shelf space, so stuff like that has been boxed up. A few boxes are around the house, but most of them have gone to a storeroom. (Which is now ALSO full....)

I typically only get to my store room in the warm months. On the weekends. When it's not raining. When I don't have much else on the schedule.

(So in practice, I only look in a couple times a year.)

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 11:07 am (EST) on Oct 26, 2007

Amazing/Bauer: not having the copy to hand (...and not having read it...), this is the best I can do:

http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?VLMFSTVNSP1986

I think that's the book....

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 1:00 am (EST) on Oct 26, 2007

Amazing - I'll keep a lookout for it.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 7:23 am (EST) on Oct 25, 2007

You're funny!

posted by Lman at 8:47 am (EST) on Oct 23, 2007

I had to get out my copy and trawl through it to figure out what the hell you meant! :))
You almost got a Pauline Hanson "Please Explain?!" but then I saw what you meant - I'm so glad its good (in your opinion - which means I should love it). I want to read it now, may have to shuffle my list and stop checking out authors YOU keep telling me about (like Justina Robson - looks like an interesting author). I haven't seen the second one of this series in the shops yet but I know it is published.

Part II better not let us down...

posted by Lman at 5:37 am (EST) on Oct 23, 2007

Howdy Blue,

Thanks for adding me to your interesting libraries list. Sorry for the delayed response, but I somehow missed your notification in the "flurry" of other messages I received on or about the 17th. I have to say, I'm starting to feel some real love from my fellow LT'ers:)

I picked up a Baker's Dozen of Perry Rhodan books the other day (#'s 3-15 at US $1.50 each), but I need to track down books 1 & 2 before I start reading them. I detest starting a series anywhere else but at the beginning.

Talk with you later,

bookstothesky

posted by bookstothesky at 6:50 am (EST) on Oct 21, 2007

Hi bt,

How is The Blade going - I have that book but I am doing my usual wait-until-I-get-all-the-series thingy so I don't forget what happened in book 1 when I am reading book 3 - is is good? Looks good and it, along with Scott Lynch are, IMHO, the most interesting fantasy series to come out lately.

I'm not sure which Shillitoe series the author is talking about. I think I have all of his books but I haven't read the last two series. I have heard good things about Blood, Passion and Freedom so I bought the next series 'Dreaming in Amber' on 'spec' - and because I like to support local if I can. That may be the one he means, but I have just found out there is a fourth book out soon and I'm not sure how many more will come after - I think the new fantasy 'trilogy' has now changed to at least four; which may or may not have anything to do with monetary gain, depending on one's amount of cynicism, so I'm a bit peeved and therefore have put all his books down the ladder of my TBR list. I'm annoyed because it is the third series I 'thought' I had got all books for; and they all have a fourth (and who knows how many more) book coming out. I'm starting to feel 'over' these multi-book fantasies (SACRILIGOUS!!) unless the writing quality remains as good or improves. And, without being politically incorrect or sounding harsh and uncalled for, these authors take so long to finish that some of them are now dying on us!! There is a personal story I have to that which I will get around to telling one day...

Finished ranting now. I wanted to be part of the group read (as I hadn't read that Heinlein) but I am having difficulty finding a copy of Double Star. BTW, in your opinion, is it worth my while hunting down a copy?

Do you go to lots of book convention / shows? It seems like a fun thing to do.

Lyn

posted by Lman at 7:00 am (EST) on Oct 20, 2007

thank you very much, especially for the lede on elections story. all the way back is also in Issac Asimov's MONSTERS;

andy ray

posted by andyray at 5:39 am (EST) on Oct 13, 2007

hey mate: mike shaara never wrote a BOOK called "All the way back" nor "Grenville's Planet" or "Election 2066." He did write many short stories and two of the above i have found in collections. My question is two-fold: If I am misinformed, please tell me the BOOK form of the above so I can chase them down; (2) I have never heard of "Elections 2006" in any form. Could you give me publisher, year, and title, please. I'll be your LT slave forever if you do. :)

andy ray

posted by andyray at 6:50 pm (EST) on Oct 12, 2007

The dog's name is Boru. He's an eight year old victorian bulldog (or olde english bulldogge, but I hate all the pretentious extra "e's").

And yours?

posted by bibliophool at 8:22 am (EST) on Oct 11, 2007

Hi Blue,

Nice to hear from you - though I still wonder how you have time to put down words when you are adding so much to your library daily. As for time for reading.... !

Back to topic: I'm glad, and I've got my hands on the first three Black Company books plus three Greg Egan - woo hoo! Not sure when I will get around to reading them but they are there when I want to. Actually I think The Black Company books will be pushed up my list as I am feeling curious - and if they are like the Malazan books then I want to read them. I am waiting for more Malazan books to be published - I'm feeling worried after RJ's sudden demise - before I read any more.

posted by Lman at 8:45 am (EST) on Sep 25, 2007

I am trying to find the sf story "Mechanical Mice" by Maurice A. Hugi (Astounding Stories 1941) which I remember reading 50 years ago in high school. I can't find any mention of it on amazon. On google there is a quotation. Could you tell me what collections this might be in and which sites might be good places to look? Or which store or site you found your copy on?
ps One other story I was looking for was "Killdozer!" by Theodore Sturgeon and I found this on amazon. Thanks, Anthony Bullock (aka paperpusher.)

posted by paperpusher at 7:09 pm (EST) on Sep 23, 2007

As others have said, awesome collection - I'm flattered that you tagged mine as interesting...

Some superhero books you don't appear to have caught are Julie Kenner's Superherocentral series
http://juliekenner.blogspot.com/2007/04/aphrodites-kiss-related-books.html
has a list of them.

Standard sorts of superpowers, X-ray vision, etc.

I'm in awe, and also grateful because you have some older stuff that I have -- that I didn't think anyone else would have

posted by romsfuulynn at 12:49 pm (EST) on Sep 21, 2007

awesome collection!

posted by keidz at 10:30 pm (EST) on Sep 19, 2007

Thanks for the comments of the Terry Brooks books. I'll keep that in mind when I decide about reading more.

posted by rocalisa at 4:31 pm (EST) on Sep 1, 2007

Surprised to read your review of David Malouf's "Fly Away Peter." War is a messy business, and his portrayal is vivid indeed. (Saw it just as I was going to recommend the book! Now I'll need to write a review too. ) LibraryThing does give all of us a voice, and I wonder if you really thought it such a bad book. Esta1923

posted by Esta1923 at 1:06 pm (EST) on Aug 26, 2007

Thanks for the comment on the Analogs. I'll try it as time, and my wife, allows! "Don't you do anything besides sit in front of that computer?!"

posted by etrainer at 9:22 pm (EST) on Aug 24, 2007

Thanks, but you're right, Google did find those. I suppose a lot of early stuff might have been in pulps but then sank pretty much without trace.
Regards, Jim Roberts

posted by jimroberts at 11:12 am (EST) on Aug 24, 2007

Hi,
you are the only person with The Case of the Candied Diamonds cataloged. I get only 5 Google hits for it, one is LT and another is your blogspot. Was it ever issued under another name?
Regards, Jim Roberts

posted by jimroberts at 8:24 am (EST) on Aug 24, 2007

Re: Moorcock IZ.

Yep - I'm an IZ subscriber so I already have it. Although I may not have catalogued it yet, August is an incredibly busy month for me.

posted by andyl at 12:59 pm (EST) on Aug 22, 2007

He IS!

posted by Lman at 9:21 am (EST) on Jul 30, 2007

Have never heard of them - I think - what are they?

posted by Lman at 8:12 am (EST) on Jul 30, 2007

Thanks for the reminder, I occasionally cruise ebay looking for Modesty Blaise and that's how I got my copy of The Silver Mistress.

posted by Black_samvara at 9:04 pm (EST) on Jul 24, 2007

Gosh, your catalog is simply amazing (and definitely puts mine to shame) :) I'm gonna have to take several weeks just to go through all your reviews (for book recommendations), been thinking of devoting more reading time to SF, which is one genre I have always neglected :)

posted by asiandivergal at 1:25 pm (EST) on Jul 14, 2007

bt
glad to see you are well at it still. I was just wandering & saw your inquiry re: contents of Page's HEROIC FANTASY. if you need one, I'll cheerfully send you one

posted by bookstopshere at 12:19 pm (EST) on Jul 14, 2007

Yeah, 777 is kind of like you say - actually a significant Qabalistic number and the title of one of Aleister Crowley's books on the subject.

- Leigh

posted by 666777 at 4:08 am (EST) on Jul 14, 2007

here ya go:

"Heroic Fantasy" edited by Gerald W. Page and Hank Reinhardt
DAW #334 April 1979 0879974559 320p.

from the blurb: "New writers and old masters contribute original stories"

14 original stories and three essays

Sand Sister by Andre Norton {a Witch World novelette}
The Valley of the Sorrows by Galad Elflandsson
Ghoul's-Head by Don Walsh
(First Commentary: Swords and Swordplay by HR)
Astral Stray by Adrian Cole
Blood in the Mist by E.C. Tubb
(Second Commentary: Armor (unsigned))
The Murderous Dove by Tanith Lee
Death in Jukun by Charles R. Saunders
The De Pertriche Ring by H.Warner Munn
(Third Commentary: Courage and Heroism (unsigned))
The Hero Who Returned by Gerald W. Page
The Riddle of the Horn by Darrell Schweitzer
The Age of the Warrior by Hank Reinhardt
The Mistaken Oracle by A.E. Silas
Demonsong by F. Paul Wilson
The Seeker in the Fortress by Manly Wade Wellman

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 9:03 pm (EST) on Jul 10, 2007

Hi, I see you show up on the Zeitgeist page as the most prolific reviewer on LibraryThing. Quite an amazing acheivement! Congratulations. - Leigh Blackmore (666777)

posted by 666777 at 7:09 pm (EST) on Jul 9, 2007

(Hi, sorry I'm just getting back to you, I was away for a few days.) Yes, my older DAWs are right at hand, I'll post that info in a day or two when I catch up with some things.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 12:14 am (EST) on Jul 9, 2007

Heh, you read my mind - I was just about to go searching you for Aurealis and Orb :)

posted by dragonkat at 4:55 am (EST) on Jul 7, 2007

Richard you're a champ! Thanks for the Andromeda Spaceways listings.

posted by dragonkat at 2:06 am (EST) on Jul 7, 2007

Actually, it's much the same here in my local Borders: When the Hugo nominees were announced, I went out to look for them - and the only one of them still in my local Borders (say, an average of 8 months after publication) was the paperback of the Novik. So I'm sort of scratching my head over: "Well, who DOES buy the hardcovers?"

The answer seems to be (largely): "Libraries".

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 11:12 am (EST) on Jul 1, 2007

Oh, I was going through the Locus "Year's Best" issue, and one of this year's recommended books is something called

"Myths for the Modern Age" edited by Win Scott Eckert - which they describe as "a collection of essays by Philip Jose Farmer and various scholars about Farmer's Wold Newton fiction family tree."

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 7:58 pm (EST) on Jun 29, 2007

Bluetyson-as far as the superhero prose-if noone's told you about it Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep falls into this category-a new book,out sometime this month.
By the way,I see you're the only other LT'er with Nonstop to Portales-what did you think of it?

posted by leennnadine at 7:44 pm (EST) on Jun 27, 2007

checkout www.inkstuds.com. I don't know how I found it...thought you gave it to the group.

posted by belleyang at 11:01 pm (EST) on Jun 18, 2007

So what you're saying is inkstuds.com is superior to comicgeekspeaks.com? Wordballoon looks to be moving to another forum; it's also hard to understand what they are offering.

posted by belleyang at 10:12 pm (EST) on Jun 18, 2007

Bluetyson--Some months back you recommended a website where I could listen to discussion about comics. I looked thru the threads till I got dizzy and still find it. Thanks. Belle

posted by belleyang at 6:16 pm (EST) on Jun 18, 2007

I just found your three on http://www.joanspicci.com/js_pawntoinfinity.htm
which covers the question.
Looks like the Saberhagen anthology will make my Amazon wishlist.

posted by DromJohn at 9:26 am (EST) on Jun 3, 2007

So, I'm cleaning up the Daniel Gilbert page with three very different works, and I edit the disambiguation notice to state they are from three different authors. I then ask the author of Stumbling on Happiness permission to use his photo. The reply of the Harvard psychologist:

"Yes you may use the photo. The credit is Marilynn Oliphant.

The Disambiguation notice says : As far as we know, Daniel Todd Gilbert who
wrote Stumbling on Happiness did not write Guitar Soloing : The Contemporary
Guide to Improvisation. Neither of which probably wrote the sci-fi Kokomu."

I did not write "Guitar Soloing" but I did, in fact, write "Kokomu."

-d.

Prof. Daniel Gilbert
Department of Psychology
1430 William James Hall
33 Kirkland Street
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Tel & Fax: 617.495.3892
Website: www.danielgilbert.com "

And the only LTer with Kokomu is Blue Tyson!

So, tell me about Pawn to Eternity tag. Bierce, Zelazny and Gilbert

posted by DromJohn at 6:35 pm (EST) on Jun 2, 2007

hey, dukedom noticed that on Lucius Shepard's blog, he cited your reviews recently. I think he particularly noted a review you did for one of his books... Just in case you hadn't heard about it yet.... Best, Lois

posted by avaland at 11:27 am (EST) on May 23, 2007

Re the Adept series - it varies through the set I'd say. It starts off more as an occult detective piece, and always retains that, but becomes increasingly high fantasy as it goes through.

posted by lewispike at 4:01 pm (EST) on May 12, 2007

Hey, just realized I never answered your last question re: [Operation: Super Ms.] - I was expecting a spoof, especially with the cover art, but it was done totally straight.

dan

posted by Mantra at 2:46 pm (EST) on May 7, 2007

Right, found it. And it very nearly persuaded me to rejoin....

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 10:38 pm (EST) on May 2, 2007

Thanks for the link, blue.

And I'm glad you like the books. Check my bookmooch listing in a month or so, I should have unearthed another box by then.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 10:19 pm (EST) on May 2, 2007

salut!
je suis nouvelle sur ce site... et comme vous semblez parler francais, j'aurai été intéressée pour avoir une explication de "a list of superhero prose novel type works", parceque mon anglais est assez mauvais! merci...

posted by durandal at 9:20 am (EST) on Apr 28, 2007

Thanks again.

1) They certainly are profliferating: I COLLECT these, and a couple have nearly snuck past me.

1a) I NEVER SAW the Strahan "Very Best of 2005" in any store( it's still nearly unknown on LT),
I wound up having to order it from Amazon.

2) I might have to re-join SFBC simply to get my hands on "Best Novels of the Year" series.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 8:49 pm (EST) on Apr 24, 2007

Thanks for the link to the "Best SF" site, I learned some data points.
(I'm of somewhat mixed emotions to realize that I have a better collection of "Best ofs..." than the "best SF" site has....)

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 7:19 pm (EST) on Apr 23, 2007

Thanks for that, it's true enough to make me laugh.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 2:25 pm (EST) on Apr 21, 2007

Thanks for your kind words about my Lin Carter reviews. I'm a fan although it may not seem like it from some of the unfavourable comments I've made about his work.

Just reviewed 'Found Wanting' which is one of his last books and I think it's actually great - he must have peaked really late in his career.

posted by schteve at 9:14 am (EST) on Apr 20, 2007

Do you mean 'done' as in ASIM?

posted by SimonHaynes at 3:24 am (EST) on Apr 20, 2007

Profiles on many aussie SF/F authors, with pics and some bio details. If you ask Donna she might send you a review copy.

posted by SimonHaynes at 12:33 am (EST) on Apr 19, 2007

bt
empire princess NOT sword & sorcery, but does have intelligent critters amidst the dreck. bsh

posted by bookstopshere at 7:07 pm (EST) on Apr 18, 2007

bt,

I wish I could be more helpful, but I don't remember the details of The Apocalypse Door and it's lost in the library right now. Perhaps someone else will have better recall.

td

posted by trollsdotter at 11:38 am (EST) on Apr 18, 2007

hi bt
this is a review of EP #4:

"The Beasts of Hades: Adventure of the Empire Princess #4 by Graham Diamond is a good old-fashioned sword and sorcery epic featuring a warrior princess with an affinity for animals, Stacy the Empire Princess! From the cover copy:

From the tranquil forests of Haven, a small and gentle rabbit brings a message: The peace of the empire is threatened by animals maddened by bloodlust. And in their violent wake there is an unearthly creature, not animal, not man.

With her trusted wolf at her side, and the small rabbit as a guide, Stacy the Empire Princess begins a hellish descent far beneath the forest. In a subterranean world of fire and brimstone lives the true enemy: their plans do not include either the puny human race or the many animals that live on the earth’s surface. It is up to Stacy and her animal friends to stop them from turning the world into another hell."

not my review & I can't say I recall it quite that way, so now I'll have to go dig these up and have a look. more to follow scott

posted by bookstopshere at 1:42 pm (EST) on Apr 17, 2007

The Diamond stuff is largely swashbuckling and Arabian nights, though a couple - Samarkand and it's sequel - do present as sword & sorcery candidates. Most have a supernatural element (and none are very good.) I probably have a bunch available. :)

posted by bookstopshere at 12:20 am (EST) on Apr 17, 2007

From Pink Parka Girl -
You asked me about the Empire Princess series a few days ago. :) I do believe they are sword and sorcery oriented - I could be wrong though, as I haven't had the chance to read them yet, honestly, but I've looked them over. :) They're also printed by Playboy Press - that should also indicate something XD They DO have some uniqueness though from a lot of other sword and sorcery books in that talking animals play a big role, as opposed to pretty much all other titles in the genre :)

posted by pinkparkagirl at 3:50 pm (EST) on Apr 16, 2007

I never read any Ghost Busters movie books, wasn't even aware that such things existed. I am not a big fan of media tie-ins, they are the Cliff's Notes version of actual books. Horribly bland writing and static stories, pre-digested for easy absorption.

I would agree that Steakley's book could be called a Ghost Buster, besides being appallingly written (the joke about monkeys and typewriters in a locked room springs to mind), it was cartoonish and had very little depth to it. Not in the same class as Dresden, or Anita, or Harrison, or any of the others who are working in the same general vicinity.

In fact the other books you mention along with Steakley's seem to be of the cartoonish variety where they could just as easily be about super-heroes, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, or humans and magical beings. I would agree that those could be called Ghost Busters, I just don't see them as belonging to the same category as the books that attempt to deal with the idea of magic in the world in a more modern manner.

The cartoon variety when applied to magical beings seems to be a return to old time horror, but with the emphasis on action and gore, since horror as a concept is past it. A return to black and white concepts. They do have often have a human as the POV because they are geared to those who want to be that character.

posted by FicusFan at 2:42 am (EST) on Apr 15, 2007

Caitlin Kiernan

These books I have listed as Stand Alones:

The Five of Cups
Tales of Pain & Wonder (Collection)
Silk

These books I have as being part of the Threshold series, I have not read them all so I don't know how accurate it is:

In The Garden of Poisonous Flowers (prequel, published later)
Threshold
Low Red Moon
Murder of Angels
Daughter of Hounds

There are two other books that I don't have yet, and I am not sure how they fit in. They are still in hardcover and I wait until they go into paper to buy them.

Dry Salvages
Alabaster (the newest book)

posted by FicusFan at 12:20 am (EST) on Apr 15, 2007

Re: Ghost Busters

No confusion, just disagreement. Besides being a terribly dorky movie, the premise of Ghost Busters is humans fighting against magical, powerful, and often evil beings. That humans have to overcome and defeat the magic, in order to live safe lives.

All of the books that you refer to as Ghost Busters , at least those that I have read, feature a POV character that is not human. The story is told of how that person lives in the both the mundane and the magical world, and the difficulty in melding the two. There is often evil and mysteries involved but none of the cartoonish, good (humans) out to vanquish the bad (magical beings)and restore the world to a non-magical status. The books are about how different communities struggle to get along and deal with their differences.

posted by FicusFan at 11:51 pm (EST) on Apr 14, 2007

Hi. I just want to tell you that not many normal 6-year-olds are going to pick up Harry Potter and read it. And they are definitely not going to read Lord of the Rings. So you say that Harry Potter is childish, well I think you are wrong!! Sorry for being mean, but I ccan't believe you think 6-year-olds would read it! Bye.

posted by ChelseaBottomley at 1:29 pm (EST) on Apr 13, 2007

Re: Unshapely Things

No I wouldn't call it Ghost Busters. It is a murder mystery, and a slice of life in a world where the modern day has magic, monsters, and denizens of horror as a real part of life.

The main character is a Druid, who once had lots of power. This book seems to equate Druid and Wizard. His magic ability was damaged by a confrontation with an eco-terrorist Elf, and is now among the walking wounded. He has been retired from the Guild due to disability, so he works on his own with the Boston PD. He has a limited amount of magic, and inside information. He is pitied by the others who still have magic, and distrusted by many humans who only see a magical being, whom they consider dangerous.

Besides the series of murders, the story deals with his past and his current problems with both the magical and the mundane. How he survives, his relationships, and life in the Weird (the magical section on Boston). Think Anita Blake/Harry Dresden those types of dark urban fantasy. Not as good as either, or as good as Kim Harrison's series, but not bad. Just something about the writing that didn't flow.

posted by FicusFan at 12:16 am (EST) on Apr 12, 2007

I don't remember whether everyone has the abilities or just the ruling class, but I'm pretty sure it's everyone.

posted by zcannon at 9:09 pm (EST) on Apr 6, 2007

Timeshadow Rider is sort of a romance novel and sort of science fiction. The two main characters come from a planet of psychics, and when civilization on that planet collapses they have to figure out how to bring it back before the chaos there spreads to the rest of the universe. I thought it was pretty good.

posted by zcannon at 5:43 pm (EST) on Apr 6, 2007

The BookMooch scheme actually works, even internationally. They bill 2 points to 'mooch' from another country, and award the giver 3 points for international shipments. That's a little steeper than domestic mail rates here, but it makes it quite reasonable.

And 'multiple-books-to-the-same-address' makes the BookMooch system extremely rational. Two books = 6 points = roughly $10(US) in postage. I've had a collector request a dozen titles at once.

And I've found some great stuff on BookMooch, enough that being asked to do the occasional international shipment doesn't bother me at all. With US postal rates, BookMooch allows me to pick books for an average cost of about $1(US) each in postage.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 10:06 pm (EST) on Apr 5, 2007

...mindmelter tag...

Good stuff. Top of MY list under that tag is still Egan's Axiomatic.

which reminds me: (Somewhat related)- I was reading a discussion where someone referred to "Algernon moments": those works where reading them seems to make you smarter, as if one actually understood the underlying science.

(And speaking of Book Mooch - I still have a bunch of SF listed, and I'll be listing some more in a few weeks.)

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 7:03 pm (EST) on Apr 5, 2007

I haven't got my hands on the Simon R Green Druid's Torc yet but from all accounts it is James Bond with magic

posted by wyvernfriend at 4:28 pm (EST) on Apr 4, 2007

[Haggard] Anonymous. "The Doom of She, Fragment of a Romance of Political Adventure" in Punch March 31. 1888.

[Haggard] Anonymous. "An Interview with She" in St. James's Gazette February 16, 1887. Parody.

[Haggard] Anonymous. "She-That-Ought-Not-To-Be-Played" in Punch September 22, 1888. Parody.

[Haggard] Black, James. "She" a short story in London's Pictures & the Picturegoer Magazine new series number 117, 13 May 1916. Based on a silent film version of She that was directed by Will Barker & starred Alice Delysia.

[Haggard] "Daniel" [author unknown, ascribed to publisher James Burns]. MR. RIDER'S SHE, The Interpretation. Ln: Burns, 1889, 76p wraps. Associational. A little-known 40,000 word study of the character of She, brought to collectors' attention by George Locke.
[Haggard] DeMorgan, John [published anonymously]. BESS: A Companion to Jess." NY: Munro, 1887. A parody of Haggard, involving a matriarchal African tribe.

[Haggard] DeMorgan, John [published anonymously]. HE, A Companion to She. NY: Munro, 1887. Not a parody but an a serious lost race novel about Aztec-Phoenicians of Easter Island.

[Haggard] DeMorgan, John. "IT"; A Wild, Weird History of Marvelous, Phantasmagorical Adventures in Search of He, She, & Jess, & Leading to the Finding of "It." A Haggard Conclusion. NY: Munro, 1887. Goat-people.

[Haggard] DeMorgan, John [as By the Author of He, It, Pa, Ma, etc.}. KING SOLOMON'S TREASURES. NY: Munro, 1887. Troglodytes plus human-like sacred apes; prehistoric survival. Pastiche of Haggard.
[Haggard] Forrest, G. F. "The Deathless Queen: She-Who-Must-Be-Decayed" in MISFITS, A Book of Parodies. Oxford: Frank Harvey, 1905. Reprinted in AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MURKINESS edited by George Locke. Ln: Ferret Fantasy, 1973.

[Haggard] Lang, Andrew. OLD FRIENDS: Essays in Epistolary Parody. Ln: Longmans Green, 1890. One of the parodies is a letter written by Allan Quatermain to Sir Henry Curtis.

[Haggard] Lang, Andrew, & W. H. Pollock [as by anonymous]. HE. Ln: Longmans Green, 1887 wraps. The true first was limited to 25 copies; reprints were also paperbound. Parody of She set in London.

[Haggard] Marshall, Sidney J. THE KING OF KOR; or, She's Promise Kept: A continuation of the Great Story of "She" of H. Rider Haggard. Washington, D.C.: S. J. Marshall, 1903.

[Haggard] Ragged, Hyder [pseud of Sir Henry Chartres Biron]. KING SOLOMON'S WIVES; or, The Phantom of the Mines. Ln: Vizetelly, 1887, wraps. Parody.

[Haggard] Sims, George R. "The Lost Author" a parody of Haggard in TINKLETOP'S CRIME. Ln: Chatto & Windus, 1891. Originally in Hood's Comic Annual Christmas 1888.

[Haggard] Tremayne, Peter. THE VENGEANCE OF SHE. Ln: Sphere, 1978 wraps.

[Haggard] Weird, Walker [anonymous]. "Adam Slaughterman by Walker Weird, author of Hee-Hee & Solomon's Ewers" in Punch August 27, 1887. Parody.

[Haggard] Weird, Walker [anonymous]. "A Haggard Annual, specially written by Walker Weird, author of Hee-Hee & Solomon's Ewers" in Punch December 5, 1888. Parody.

[Haggard] Williams, J. X. HER. San Diego: Corinth, 1967, wraps. Erotic lost race parody of She.

several of these were reprinted in the Arno lost race & fantasy series

also GREAT DETECTIVE AT THE CRUCIBLE OF LIFE (also Holmes)

ALLAN AND THE SUNDERED VEIL by Alan Moore

Monaco's JOURNEY TO THE FLAMES

etc (first lot from Salmonson's lost race site)

posted by bookstopshere at 2:28 pm (EST) on Apr 4, 2007

Hi again.
re: Operation: Super Ms. - yes, as the cover says - "The superagent of the 70's who makes Wonder Woman look like Nancy Drew"

I'm reading it now and it's a lot like an early Bond novel. She's beautiful, sexy, extremely good at everything. Not as risque (so far) as the cover might suggest. So far, I'd say it's average, not great, but ok.

Dan

posted by Mantra at 12:23 pm (EST) on Apr 4, 2007

Re: Harkfast. I don't think I ever got round to reading it, so it's probably something that my late husband picked up in an SF convention book room (a "4 books for £5" deal or similar). I tagged it as fantasy because that's what the blurb made me think it was. My personal definition of fantasy is pretty broad and encompasses everything from orcs to alternative history and Terry Pratchett to brave-animals-in-peril stuff.

posted by madcatwoman at 12:11 pm (EST) on Apr 4, 2007

I'm not sure about Harkfast. It's one of those books I've had forever (probably 10 years) and never got to. I assumed it was a kind of -Mists of Avalon- thing but that was purely instinctual, I haven't actually read anything about it.

Very impressive library BTW. My trifling (by comparison) 2500 books took 3 or 4 weeks to enter, I can't imagine the number of hours you've put in.

posted by ragwaine at 10:11 am (EST) on Apr 4, 2007

Hi Blue
Tremayne's book is certainly a "pastiche" in the sense of a hodge-podge. He takes the HRH character (sort of) and tells a story. I seem to recall it's a novelization of a very bad film - and a mediocre book at best (too bad because Tremayne is capable of competent writing.) I'm not around the library at the moment, but if that's not correct I'll update when I get home. Lots of HRH pastiches that are more fun and better done. Your library still looking great! best, scott

posted by bookstopshere at 9:09 am (EST) on Apr 4, 2007

Thanks for the Howard corrections.
I'm a newbie that needs to pull back.
OTOH, if you are a Howard fan, I strongly recommend watching the indie film "The Whole Wide World."

posted by DromJohn at 9:34 pm (EST) on Mar 15, 2007

Hey bluetyson,
I just stumbled across this site and was thrilled to see that you had "tagged" my book. Thanks.

Ty P. Norling

posted by brotherghrim at 7:37 pm (EST) on Feb 27, 2007

Thanks for the Kim Newman link, most cool. Now I have to read more of the series. Dammit anyway.

posted by wyvernfriend at 7:43 pm (EST) on Feb 22, 2007

bluetyson, I've started an "Australian SF & F" thread on the Readercon Group if you'd care to post... Eventually, I'll do threads for other major regions, but one at time. Best, Lois

posted by avaland at 9:10 am (EST) on Feb 14, 2007

Ah, I didn't know of the prose novel. Thanks for the clarification, I had assumed that the one entry with [novel] after it was just a quirk.

Is it any good?

posted by Woebane at 5:57 pm (EST) on Feb 11, 2007

Wow, that's some library you have!! I stopped by to let you know I looooved Ill Wind by Rachel Caine and spent this week reading the entire series. I'm starting book five today. I definately have no problem recommending these books.

posted by Jenson_AKA_DL at 1:59 pm (EST) on Feb 10, 2007

Nope, no ebooks for Hal yet. My publisher doesn't have an ebook division, and it wouldn't be a good idea until print versions were available in the bigger English-speaking markets.

posted by SimonHaynes at 8:19 am (EST) on Feb 3, 2007

Thanks; the only one I've heard of is Doc Savage, of which I read one book about 30 years ago. I'll check out the others sometime; thanks again.

Burnit99

posted by burnit99 at 8:10 pm (EST) on Jan 2, 2007

Yup, been a Tarzanophile since 1964 (age 10). Have enjoyed the complete series, not quite as enamored of ERB's other books, and am slowly upgrading to the old hardcovers in good condition. One you might enjoy (haven't yet perused your collection) is "Tarzan Alive", by Phillip Jose Farmer, which is his postulation that Tarzan was actually a real person with roots in heroic iconology, and may or may not be tongue-in-cheek, your call.

Burnit99

posted by burnit99 at 8:02 pm (EST) on Jan 2, 2007

Lovers and loathers of Dan Brown and his on-off relationship with the English language are directed to http://chasmsoftheearth.blogspot.com/ You know it makes sense. Well, more sense than the book.

posted by TimFootman at 7:52 am (EST) on Dec 31, 2006

Hi! Thanks for joining Used Books.

posted by Hermgirl at 8:52 pm (EST) on Dec 16, 2006

Sorry for not responding sooner. I have only just returned from travelling. I believe Healer is part of the Chronicles. Honestly, I am not an expert. I own the Chronicles as well as certain pieces of it and can't even remember which parts I have read in their entirety. I continue to feel that his self-contained Black Wind is just brilliant, though it seems to be among the works of this prolific writer which is least read.

posted by oakesspalding at 6:32 pm (EST) on Nov 14, 2006

Hey BT - you haven't been to a book club yet, and that's totally fine. Our group is for newbies and veterans alike. We've got a bunch of really great folks so far, and some good conversations, too. Feel free to join or just pop your head in now and again. It may inspire you to host/join a book club. Reading is great, and talking about what you've read is where the real fun often starts. :-)

Best,
Jen

posted by mypcjen at 2:44 pm (EST) on Nov 14, 2006

Hi Bluetyson. Thank you for picking up my book. If you like the out-of-body superhero "Ram" then you might enjoy my next novel, a modern day Cheyenne warrior with incredible powers. "The Dogman Cometh" is not being released until next fall but you can read an excerpt at my website, www.acryforahero.com If you like that, perhaps you would like a full preview for your compilation?
Thanks again.
Jonathan
jwomack@acryforahero.com

posted by abeed1 at 2:54 pm (EST) on Nov 6, 2006

Thanks for picking up my book,
Ron Fortier

posted by RonFortier at 10:40 pm (EST) on Nov 1, 2006

Hi again.
I have, indeed, read Superheroes by Michael Parry, but it was 20-30 years ago, so I don't remember too much about it.
I'll see if I can dig it out and refresh my memory.

Dan

posted by Mantra at 4:47 pm (EST) on Oct 30, 2006

Hi bt, I didn't realize you could leave comments here! I just use Librarything to catalog what I've read, bought recently for trade on Bookcrossing.com and have in my TBR pile.
In responce to your question; I love Bill Pronzini books and I think I have read most of them over the years. I own very few because I give away books I love faster than ones I don't.
Look up the author and start at his earliest "Nameless Detective" series. Nameless (who aquired a name a few years ago) is a great character. As the series progress other characters grow along with him. I enjoy that. The stories are simple and straightforward. They are an easy, fast read which I enjoy when I don't want to think too much.
I was surprised that I enjoyed his Western type books also as I don't usually like this type of fiction.
Mr Pronzini is married to the author Marcia Muller and they have written a few books together which I enjoyed. Some of her books are pretty good, others I didn't care for.
Try him out. You may enjoy his writing.

posted by Cynthia357 at 3:26 pm (EST) on Sep 24, 2006

Fortunately for the world, my book is unpublishable. :)

posted by monkity at 10:04 am (EST) on Sep 7, 2006

Re: biology-based SF and superhero fiction, I've written a nasty little novel about that intersection!

posted by monkity at 2:37 pm (EST) on Sep 6, 2006

I noticed you also have the newest Hellboy novel "The God Machine". I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Have you read any of the other various novels?

posted by Powerslave214 at 2:31 pm (EST) on Aug 13, 2006

Hi - You asked me about The Ultimate X-Men. That's an anthology of short stories written by a number of authors, including myself -- looking furiously around for my copy to tell you who else is in it -- umm...eluki bes shahar, Ashley McConnell, Dean Wesley Smith, Ken Grobe, Andy Lane & Rebecca Levene, Glenn Haumann, Stan Timmons, Evan Skolnick, J. Steven York and Dave Smeds. To the best of my knowledge, Marvel has only authorized two anthologies, and this is the first one. There may be a guide to the X-Men out there, but if so, I don't know its title. Thanks for dropping by my library!

posted by jp_burton at 6:10 pm (EST) on Aug 12, 2006

Hi.
I've got one for you - The Great Gold Steal by Ted White.
It's a Captain America novel from around the same time as Avengers
Battle the Earth Wrecker.

It's in my collection.

Dan

posted by Mantra at 4:35 pm (EST) on Jul 27, 2006

Have you checked out the "Bison Frontiers of Imagination Series"? They're reprinting pulp classics such as "Gladiator" and the works of Clark Ashton Smith. I've heard good things but haven't gotten a hold of any myself. Like to hear your opinion if you have anything in the series.

posted by coffeezombie at 5:27 pm (EST) on Jul 25, 2006

I noticed that you have Arthur C. Clarke's Oddyssey II and III tagged with a Wold Newton universe association. What's the connection there?

posted by Powerslave214 at 1:56 pm (EST) on Jul 17, 2006

"caveman fiction, that is a good tag! Hope to see that one expand!"

Oh, hi.
Yeah, thanks, me too - that tag occurred to me as I cataloged a couple specimens of the genre. I don't actively read or collect that tag, but long ago I did read a children's "caveman fiction" story that I would not mind finding again. (It's too bad I don't know the title or author.) Maybe if the tag spreads, someday I'll find it.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 11:47 pm (EST) on Jul 14, 2006

The CDROM of my "Revised Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography 1749-2000" should be priced at about $50. From Locus Press.

Allen J. (Al) Hubin

posted by AllenJHubin at 5:30 pm (EST) on Jun 20, 2006

Check out Superheroes, a short story collection edited by John Varley. I realize it's not a novel, but it sounds like something you might like.

posted by Zaklog at 11:22 am (EST) on Jun 7, 2006

In response to your The Black Company question:

Back in High School, I did read the first couple of books in the series; fun, but the series real didn't hold my interest.

posted by MWShort at 4:49 pm (EST) on Jun 4, 2006

You asked about the publication of my crime fiction bibliography. Well, the current version ("Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography 1749-2000") is available on CDROM from Locus Press and in print (5 volumes, $500!) from Battered Silicon Dispatch Box (George Vanderburgh) in Canada. I've completed work on the Revised CFIV and hope for publication on CDROM later this year (whenever Bill Contento gets around to incorporating all the new/corrected information I've sent him); publication in print form is also possible. Naturally (since I've been at this game so long, with contacts with so many helpful people and new data sources continuing to turn up) new/corrected information continues to flow in, and I'm planning to send batches of this (as Addenda to the Revised CFIV) to Steve Lewis for posting on his Mystery*File web site. Probably more than you wanted to know...

Allen J. Hubin

posted by AllenJHubin at 8:17 am (EST) on Jun 1, 2006

Hi - you'd asked me about The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril...

It's a great read - the premise is that the leading pulp novelists of the 1930s investigate intermingled cases that might have come from their own pages... it has the feel of Kavalier & Clay or Carter Beats the Devil with a gripping story that just maybe possibly might have happened.

posted by judithz at 12:37 am (EST) on May 31, 2006

Glad you liked the review of V. Yup, although I never thought I'd see myself using the words I recommend the novelisation, in this case this is exactly what I'm going to tell you. The fact that Steve Moore is a close friend of AM, and more or less closes the circle linking GN to film, and the film back to GN, via his novelisation, makes it a very readable book. He also gives a lot of internalisation to the character of V, which he doesn't have in either of his other two incarnations. If you want a different perspective on the film, however, have a look at what Leah Moore has to say about it here. Yes, that's me interviewing the pair of them...

posted by slovobooks at 4:03 pm (EST) on May 27, 2006

Re: making it to 400 books this year, yes I hope so. I've reached over 200 so far this year and it's only May!

posted by wyvernfriend at 9:30 am (EST) on May 21, 2006

I forgot to answer your WEIRD HEROES question. I did read those as they came out in the late 1970's. They are wildly uneven but the good stuff is very good indeed. Particularly if you have a taste for pulp/comics/adventure fiction. THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BIRD by Harlan Ellison is a great SHADOW story grafted the Philip Jose Farmer meta-universe of heroic fiction. The Doc Phoenix/OZ novel is odd but quite collectible as bot h OZ and Doc Savage collectors are looking for it.

posted by Dannelke at 8:25 pm (EST) on May 20, 2006

Well, it's not much yet, but it'll look like the biblio-equivalent of the Deathstar when I am nearer to the finish. For instance, once I decide to post in a certain area things get sort of lopsided - like my Twain 8-1 ratio against the rest of the LIBRARYTHING database. When I am done there is no question that I'll "own" certain tags like SF, vintage paperbacks, noir, comics (I have 58,000), Ellison, etc. As for "have you read most of them yet?" - oh, heck no. Harlan Ellison is fond of saying "Who needs a library full of books they've already read?" and I would have to agree. There are other factors. I keep some books [my slowly expanding "451" tag] on principle. Other books round out sets. For instance I will probably never read all of Twain's JOAN OF ARC or half of Dicken's novels (unless I live a VERY long time) but I'm still going to have them on my shelves. I also have multiple translations of many Greek, French and Russian works. At some point I'll figure out what the optimal translations of Flaubert and Turgenev are - but I'm not there yet. I do have some idea of what's in each book and have a reading plan, but the plan assumes about triple my projected lifespan AND that people stop writing new and interesting books. I hope for the former and dread the later. Or perhaps the other way around. ;-) - Barney Dannelke

posted by Dannelke at 10:35 am (EST) on May 20, 2006

Alas, I am several years behind in my to-be-read pile and haven't read Godplayers just yet. Sounds like an interesting update on Amber though. I have read Judgment of Tears, and I did enjoy it immensely. It is a mystery, set in 1960's Rome, and even has James Bond, Orson Welles, and Patricia Highsmith's Ripley as characters. Newman's whole Anno Dracula series is awesome, I just wish he would come out with the collection of novellas set in the same universe. Have you read his excellent Back in the USSA? It's a collection of stories telling the history of a communist USA; with Tom Joad, Charles Foster Kane, Annie Oakley, Kurt Vonnegut, Harry Truman, and Isaac Asimov as characters.

posted by die6die at 12:27 pm (EST) on May 19, 2006

Blood Music by Greg Bear is another pretty good SF book focused on biology.
I tend to avoid biology SF so I can't give you good recommendations. I know too much about the subject, and I get annoyed when the authors get something wrong. With other kinds of SF I either don't catch mistakes in the science, or it just doesn't bother me. Also, reading biology SF is too much like what I do at work all day. :)

posted by RabidGerbil at 8:02 pm (EST) on May 15, 2006

It is the same. Tom DeHaven. He wrote 3 fiction/humor books about news paper comic strips and "Funny Papers" is the last one I need.

posted by inkdrinker at 8:55 am (EST) on May 14, 2006

That's funny... I ordered the Tarzan book along with the Wold book and DeHaven's "Funny Papers". Also, I was very sad to discover that I can't get a copy of any of Farmer's other related books at any of my local used stores. Nor can I find any of the 70's-80's copies of the Burroughs' books or the Doc Savage books. Used to be you couldn't go into a used shop without those books falling on your head...Now that I'm interested of course they're gone...

posted by inkdrinker at 9:43 pm (EST) on May 13, 2006

Glad you liked "crummypb"... Thoght you might like to know that I just (yesterday) ordered the Wold Newton book because I read the comments here on your page and it sparked my interest... I'm looking forward to its arrival.

posted by inkdrinker at 9:34 pm (EST) on May 13, 2006

yup, the kids finally arrived in the "basement" where a lot of the paperbacks are. we've been trying to weed out duplicates. They're about 1/3 of the way through the mass market stuff (unless I turn them loose on the stuff in boxes.) After it's cleaned up, I'd like to make my wife happy and trim down to maybe 5K titles. Then I'll tackle the music. Somewhere in there I'll try to consider what "superhero" items I might not find in yours (especially if you define that for me a bit.) I had to chuckle at some of the responses to your e-listings; some pretty fragile egos out there. Hang in there! scott

posted by bookstopshere at 9:18 am (EST) on May 12, 2006

I have read Nobody Gets the Girl, but unfortunately before I was doing reviews to help myself remember. It survived the great purge of 2002, so I must have liked it some. As I recall, it was a reasonably standard superhero plot; the gimmick was the novel rather than graphic novel format.

posted by rivkat at 6:40 am (EST) on May 10, 2006

Well, since my favorite Wallace was the book of essays, I'll make a plug for that, but I expect I'll like Infinite Jest a lot when I finish it, too. It is an absurdist look at the future, where years have corporate sponsorship (like the Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment) and characters struggle with tennis and other life-and-death matters.

posted by rivkat at 7:52 pm (EST) on May 2, 2006

I found the Wold Newton book was really interesting about how every (pulp) fiction character was interconnected in some way. It felt a lot like the brillant League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series, if confined to a specific time period of stories. One downside to me is that I haven't gotten around to reading a few of the characters discussed, such as Doc Savage or Tarzan, and so didn't quite get those essays. Plus some of the essays degenerate into a "A" begat "B" sort of thing that makes for really dry reading, especially if you don't know much about say Turkish fictional gangsters. But overall I found it to be interesting and fun, and I want to definitely try out more pulpier fictions. Sorry for the late response, I haven't checked out LibraryThing in a couple of weeks.

posted by die6die at 2:27 pm (EST) on May 1, 2006

i'm not sure i understand why people care so much about what you do. i too could care less about the stats. while i hear what tim is saying i can't see where one would know this is "against" policy. i would think an option to pull large user libraries out of the recc funtion would be the answer but what is large? the guys with 500 books seem to be complaining and I have probaby 5x if i had the time to put them all in. people complained when they heard people might put in kids books. for some reason those were "not important enough". i guess i just dont understand the competition. if i want to catalog my sons books why do they care?

posted by ngennaro at 2:17 am (EST) on Apr 30, 2006

David Foster Wallace writes epic sentences, fiction with footnotes, footnotes with footnotes, and otherwise baroque but engaging prose. I have yet to make it through his immense novel Infinite Jest, but I think his