Reading Fox in 2013

The Old thread was not that long but for a new Year it's time for a New Thread. As always the in depth reviews for all my book can be found on the Works Page, or via my Profile, or Catalogue. Would it make more sense to copy them in here?

Blue Remembered Earth An excellant start to the new year, much lighter in tone than his previous works, set a lot closer to Earth too - Follows the fortunes of a pair of siblings as they try to unravel the clues their Grandmother has arranged for them to follow - without disturbing the power structure of their African family; the Ocean Nations and Pansperanians or the Nanotech watchdogs of the overseeing Mechanism. Good fun, wonderful ideas bounded in hard science (no ftl dries here), and no limit to the imagination.

Ok, you've got a star!

I sometimes think I should give Reynolds another chance - perhaps I should.

Starred you, by the way :)

Will be following along with your reading as usual.

Yarp. What they all said.

I was given Blue remembered earth for Christmas; glad you thought well of it. I didn't like that the publishers totally changed the cover image and blurb for the paperback, making it sound like a completely different novel to the hardback! (More focus on space, less on Africa/Earth.) I wonder if they had negative feedback to the original copy?

Anyway, I'll be following your reading journal again this year!

Here as always -

Thanks everyone! I'll stick with precis format for now

White mountain An ER title. YA fantasy ish - but unsure of it's target audience. Set in the modern world, no normal humans actually appear at all which is only one of the distinctly odd things about it. An old magican gets drained of his powers by a demon and goes on a Quest to get them back. Visits lots of dwarven cities and has a few fights. Far to many problems with scale - characters carrying multiple lances, flying for days non-stop just after needing to rest every night, things towering over you which can then get hit in the head ect etc etc. Probably readbale as a YA, but then there's no young hero, only an old and shrunken mage who can't do much magic; a lot of descriptive paragraghs and it gets fairly dark towards the end.

Well, now I'm really quite curious. I looked at the listing for White Mountain (Darkling Chronicles over on Amazon and the marketing blurb makes reference to all kinds of things, such as it being a contemporary fantasy with "strong ecological themes" and "a rich blending of historical fact with mythological fiction". It also references murder, intrigue, stolen identities and betrayal. All of which suggests a kitchen-sink approach to YA fantasy to me (admittedly, not necessarily a proponent of YA fantasy). Is it really like that?

Sort of - ish. "It also references murder, intrigue, stolen identities and betrayal" that bit works definetly not so sure about the others TBH. One of the friends is a wicca ish sort of person who cares about forests and there's a few references to how humans are poisoning the planet, and my wasn't it better in the old days when only magicians and dwarves were running around didn't we look after it better, but that's not really a strong ecological theme to me, when shortly after they start collapsing caverns. The blending of history with fiction is not a positive! A few historical myths are attributed to fantasy sources - real dragons and the like. I wasn't impressed.

Sounds like a good candidate for "not for me". Thanks. Sometimes the negative, or lukewarm reviews are the most valuable. Thanks.

Quantum Thief
A clever SF novel in the style of hte recent fantasy based thieves tales - a personable and charismatic thief embroils himself in complex plots. I think it is slightly too clever for it's own good, but only by a small margin. I liek that the main character takes 1st person voice while the others are all third, but this might irritate some people - as will the lack of explanations. There is some detail revealed in the gradn denoument, but only enough for guesses. I really enjoyed it though and am looking forward to the sequel which I was Santathing'd.

Oh, so you read Thief first! Glad you liked it. It is kind of special, I very much enjoyed it but had a hard time deciding why this was so.
Just like with the sequel.

Quantum Thief sounds like an interesting premise. Though I might wait to add to the WL until you read the sequel and see what you think then.

It's announced to be a trilogy and the concluding book ought to be out sometime during 2013. I have yet to see signs of it though, but am holding my thumbs.
I definitely enjoyed both books, even as they are hard to classify or put the finger on.

Fractal Prince - raced through this, trying not to get too bogged down in the weirdness too much, and just enjoy the story. It does explain a bit more of the backstory than QT, but you never know who to trust or believe. I think my biggest issue was I still don't know which are the true digital mindsand which are just copies. I think it matters but I'm not sure.

Our thief having not stolen his life back, goes to earth and becomes embroiled in an Arabian Nights semi digital world that has become infected with semi-self aware nanotech, trying not ot be betrayed too often whilst of course attempting to betray everyone else except his rescuer to whom he has promised a favour. Very confusing. But good fun, it was enjoyable thorughout, with a few very cool scenes. As Busifer says - hard to put a finger on.

I read Quantum thief last year and, like you and Busifer, enjoyed it despite feeling a bit lost at sea at times. Looks like I'll feel the same about Fractal prince, when I track down a copy. But it sounds as though there is a lot to enjoy, and I'm looking forward to it.

A Wanted man -Lee Child and Jack reacher. TBH the film is better than this story. It sort of works, ish. It has most of the 'classic' reacher bits in it, but somehow it just doesn't read right. The action is too slow, the details shoehorned in, the contrivences far too many, ABout the only bonus is that the female detective doesn't leap into bed with him.
Jac's hitchhiking only a day or so after his last adventure (but apart form a broken nose he's otherwise fine). He gets a ride from an unlikely lift (never done that one before Lee??) And quickly realises somethign is up. Thereafter goes pretty much as expected.

Mecha Corps - the first part of the series I recieved as Santathing. I wasn't sure this was something I'd enjoy. It certainly wouldn't have been on my radar. And while it wasn't as bad as I expected it still wasn't that brilliant. Grown-up transformers with human pilots play soldiers against an enemy stronger than expected. pigboy hero seeks revenge against his father's killers.

Mecha rogue - Santathing title. Better than the previous, slightly. Still very mil-SF with all that that entails. What's most lacking I think is any other characters, almost all the action is taken by the hero, with everyone else bit players, contributing very little indeed. Matt abandon's the Union to discover all the rebels are 'just people too' and embarks on his new crusade to persuade the universe of this.

Alloy of Law - Set in the mistborn world but much later on - sort of a spaghetti western/crime mix withe magic. Which just doesn't quite work. I think the basic problem is that it's too short to contain all the ideas within it, meaning the characterisation suffers the most, but none of the themes really quite get the attention they deserve. Fun though! It isn't classic fantasy at all - more like urban fantasy (not paranormal though!) set in the wild west.

Redshirts

A fun twist but not as funny as it thinks it is. Startrek like characters realise they are the redshirts fated to die in away missions and try to save themselves, whic his all very meta and fun. BUT - Scalzi is making fun on fanfic, by ripping off a fanfic creation. This is not clever, and just because you're an established author doesn't make it right. Even if you've changed some names. He also fails to attribute many of the other concepts that are there before him, for instance pTerry has an active Narrative force in discworld, long before Scalzi "invented" it. If you're making fun of others breaking copyright, it would help if you were beyond reproach in this regard.

I did enjoy it, btui there was always a nagging feeling in the back of my head.

The long Earth
Definelty more Baxter than pratchett. Very slow, nothing much happens, but with a 'special almost Aspergers teenager we explore a some almost Earths and see how much (little) they've changed from Earth, and also a brief glimpse of what access to such wealth might do to society. This was probably the more interesting part, but sadly barely touched upon. If you're a Baxter fan, it's no morse than his other offerings. I'm not.

Sorry to hear that about The Long Earth. I've got the audiobook on hold at the library. I've never read Baxter so I don't know what to expect but I was hoping Pratchett's voice would come through. But I'll still give it a try because I'm curious to find out what they do with the multi-world idea.

I liked The Long Earth, sandragon, so don't write it off yet :)

Wandering by later than some... Quantum Thief sounds entertaining. I've reserved it at the library. Only a hundred or so books already on Mount TBR, but this one sounds like it might deserve to be pushed up a bit.

25 - Thanks, Tardis :o) Good to hear.

Principles of Angels - becasue I'd enjoyed the ER short story collection late last year I thought I'd try the novel. Probably not suitable for everyone! It's quite a dark beginning describing our unlikely hero's life in one of the squatter gangs clinging to the underside of a floating city. But it gets less nasty as the hero gains some powerful connections. I'm still not a big fan of multi-voice novels and the ending here is particularly annoying as we rapidly switch between characters. But overall it's a very interesting world, well described and a fun plot.

Yvgenie
Conclusion to CJC's russian stories, that I started last year. For some reason this took a lot longer to appear on Closed Circle - I think Jane Fancher had quite a hand in editing/re-writing it. It is certainly a faster moving story than the first in the series. The happy family living alone together in the dark russian woods for the last 15 years, discovers thatt heir daughter has been seeing a secret friend down byt he river - none other than the ghost of their old nemesis Kavi Chernavog. What does he want this time?

Features more of CJC's brilliant teenagers, perfectly portrayed mixture of angst, self confidence, anger and joy. Maybe her years as a teacher have allowed her to just capture how teenagers behave - they haven't changed.

Do you recommend I give this trilogy by Cherryh another shot with the re-edit? I do love her work - this one in original form was so gloomy, though it may have been my mood at the time.

With reservations yes I do. I think is partly at least also the mood CJC was in when she originally wrote them. The first is definetly the gloomiest, they lighten up (somewhat) as the trilogy progresses. I wouldn't class them as CJC's best work, but I did quite like Yvgenie. I'm not sure how often I'd re-read them, they are more interesting as a study of what can be done with the russian folk tales, than as fairy tales in their own right - and as such the first then contains more exploration of the themes, while the others 'merely' finish the story off.

I do like her 'magic' system that Tristain also has - of just wanting something to happen hard enough - but that it still isn't easy, with little control over how that happens, or when. Especically when someone else wants something different.

The pure cold light
Dammed with faint priase really - noen of it was bad, all of it was competantly written, it just didn't do anything with the ideas that it had. SF future earth, corrupt corporation (only one left) drug riddled underclass and vanishing limb by limb. Investigative reporter wants to find out how and why, which she does without taking any of the drugs, inflicting any harm, meeting any romantic attachments, or generally much of anything. Things just happen around her.

The Meri - next ER book. Light religious fantasy following a teenage girl on Pilgrimage to her divine Mermaid. Surprisingly enjoyable even if it isn't really my sort of book. Full of very obvious moral lessons without being too preachy. Well written though with an engaging central character, and a small world. I'm mildly curious where the ongoing series is going to take the issue of women in the church, but probably not sufficiently so that I'll read the rest of the series. Recommended to other people though - @MrsLee maybe? Or fans of Narnia although it doesn't have that much adventure to it.

"This is probably a book best enjoyed by welsh catholic teenage girls " from reading-fox's review

LOL, I'm not sure I would seek it out, but from reading your and other's reviews, I might enjoy it if I read it. I don't usually gravitate towards coming of age tales, although I have enjoyed the good ones. Also not much into guilt/religion, but if thoughts and ideas are there without being pounded into you with a plank, I can enjoy the morality tale. However, the NAMES! I like to be able to at least guess how to say the names. Glad it wasn't a stinker for you. The general consensus of the reviewers seems to be that it could have been, they were worried it might be, but it didn't turn out so.

Inside out -a non-fiction book for a change. Sponsered by Sharp, this is a photograpghic account of three young new riders to the Garmin-Sharp-Condor professional cycling team. Does well at catching the non-glory aspects to it, how even the podium is not about the riders, but the media; and how hard lige to be on the days when you're not racing - or racing in minor races rather than the glory of the Tour.

Nation one of the best of pTerry's non-Disworld books. Still nominally YA I would say this has a broad appeal to anyone. It's set in an alternative univere (or alternative history) which isn't immediately apparent. A tidal wave destroys the small island Nation of 'savages' apart from one boy Mau who struggles to continue to believe in his old gods and way of life. A western girl is shipwreaked there too which allows for plenty of humour. Very worth reading if you've ever wondered why god would allow this to happen. Doesn't give you a definative answer though!

netwalkers omnibus
Jane's excellant prequel Duology to her Harmonies of the Net series. This looks at the back story of the chief antagonist to the hero of the trilogies. Wesley Smith is a genius, and hence life at an Acadamey is somewhat dull when you know it all, and even more so when you're concerned about the drift into producing unoriginal templates rather than creative thought. Very character driven SF.

Changes the pivotal book in the Harry Dresden urban fantasy - lots and lot sof action - almost non-stop. with a very very dramatic cliffhanger ending. Good fun.

Yes, Changes certainly doesn't hold back, does it? I've always felt that Turncoat was the pivotal text for me. The one where I think I got the sense, for the first time, that something very big was coming.

#39 that's an interesting point. Certainly it's the key reason why I'm still reading the series - the sense that there is a fully developing over story, rather than more episodes in the life of Hary (cf say Jack Reacher). I could see an argument for a key moment to be earlier than changes - when Harry accepts the possability of his darker side, or the introduction of the black council;. But I'm not so sure about Turn Coat.

Ghost STory the counterpoint to changes. Harry can't touch anything or effect anything, and can barely be heard by a few people. Hence it's much much slower and more cerebal.

#22 - Hey, r_f have to disagree with you on this one. I don't think he was making fun of fanfic at all. In the past he made his living writing scripts for a Star Trek rip-off, after all. Also, the book was meant to be more poignant than humorous. Though I believe he put most of the humor up front to 'catch' his audience.

#41 - I didn't know he wrote scripts for Intrepid. I'm not sure it changes my point though - he was pointing at fanfic and saying how rubbish it is. Which isn't big or clever especially when you're using other people's material to do so. It didnt come across as either poignant or humerous. The rest sure, authors do abuse their characters, and we all want a happy ending, bt he probably could have made this meta issue from a different starting place.

If we all agreed on books though it would be very dull!

Cold Days. 14th in the Harry Dresden series with an end now looming in the horizon. Harry is now the Winter Knight and has to learn to live with 'evil' in his newly strengthened body. I feel there's been some amount of retconning going on here, changing past interpretations of events to fit the new plot line. i though JB had a better overview of the whole series arc, not to need to do this. Action packed and fun, but a bit rushed.

A blink of the screen. pTerry's short fiction collection, various ideas he's had over the years some prelminary stories that get turned into novels, his earliest writings as school kid and while he was working for a newspaper, and a few discworld tales. Some outrageous puns. The short story of Long Earth was much better than the full novel, but few others were particularly brilliant. One for the fans rather than the best of Pratchett.

I seem to be reading faster than I can get computer time to review them!

A thousand words for stranger - Not her best, although debuet novel. Mental powers in SF doesn't always work that well. teleportation even less so. It doesn't get explained until the end which is hard going, and I didn't believe the biological basis for it either. Enjoyable enough, but I prefer her later series where the writing style has settled down a bit more.

Limbus Inc

ER collection of nov ellas. Liek many 'shared world' stories it isn't shared enough to work properly. Although the basic themne is there, too many of the details vary for it to be belivable.

Rum affair

Action Adventure on the High Seas. Staring an Opera Singer and Spies. NOt what I was expecting at all. late 50s? adventure, plenty of drink drugs and casual (although nondetailed) sex. No idea who the 'opposing powers' wewre although likely to have been the Russians at the time. I enjoyed it, but probably not to everyone's taste. The 'hero' Johnson Johnson barely gets a look in, it's all told from the amazing Opera singer's POV. Anyone know if this is the same in the rest of the series?

My favorite SF by Julie Czerneda is In the Company of Others and I also loved her newly released (first) fantasy, A Turn of Light - both are standalone. If you enjoy Patricia McKillip you may well love Turn, also.

Dunnett's mystery series all 'center' around the activities of Johnson Johnson, a portrait painter/yacht owner of international renown, who is an undercover operator....but none of the stories are told from his POV - they are ALL unreliably narrated by a young woman with a profession - a different young woman, and a different profession, each volume. So as you read, you gain careful (not always accurate) insight into Johnson Johnson - with each episode having a different focus, but with the relationships to his cronies shifting and growing.

This was not the usual way mysteries were told, at that time, and certainly action adventure was NOT written very often from a professional heroine's perspective - and NOT one with a love interest in the leading man. So the premise she worked with, back then, was pretty progressive, in many ways.

Dunnett was a singer, a portrait painter, and a superb writer - Scottish - and extremely intelligent. She pulls no punches/writes some of the richest (visually) and densest (ideas and references) prose imaginable. You can not skim. And you can't take the characters' word for what is happening - she brilliantly uses the unreliable narrator, then pulls a reveal that upends everything that came before, and totally shifts the perspective. Few authors can manage to surprise me or pull off plot twists I can't see coming - I admire her original voice, and the courage she displayed by not dumbing down her prose, her storylines, or her characters.

Interesting that you picked this book up. They get better as they progress and you are a LONG way from knowing all about Johnson Johnson - the reveals keep on coming all the way through the series.

Now I hadn't been aware that Dunnett was a singer (operatic training?). But I agree with you that the reader is best served by not skimming, but rather by paying attention to everything offered up. There was something I saw the other night on TV about the trick to fiction-writing is knowing when to reveal information and when to hold back for greater impact.

Isn't that the truth - knowing when to hold back for greater impact - but it's a two edged sword in today's fast paced tendency to reach for instant gratification. I find works by a master at holding back for maximum impact, such as Dunnett, often become abandoned BECAUSE readers don't want to wait for the maximum impact reveal - they give up too soon, or start skimming and lose the point.

Pacing matters a lot more than it once did - and books that have that incredible slamming reveal (often with a slower build) are harder to find. Sigh. Because I LOVE that sort of story the most.

Janny, have you read Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie? He is very good at holding back until you want to shake him by the throat to get on with it! Then when he does, you're somewhat broadsided! Didn't work for me, but I would have enjoyed it earlier in my life. Maybe it's menopause, but I am not patient now.

I'm not too worried about the pacing of when the twisist occur - but the delicate balance between action and introspection or description matters a lot to me. I find too many books that are very fast on the action, but leave too much detail out about the rest of the world and the characters. I know this is always a matter of personal taste! It does dpeend o nt he story though, and how I'm feeling at the time. Short stories are much harder in this respect, because there isn't space for many words - but action without context does little for me.

Interesting on the rest of the Johnson series, I will probably read them in time because I enjoyed that one. But Will need to space them out, so that the style doesn't become over whelming or too familiar.

Wonders of the invisible world Probably not the best place to start with Patricia, but the only reasonable priced ebook of hers that was available. Been on my radar for a long time. A collection of faery tales set into modern life. How do Undine's cope when there is no free water around, Wild Hunt when it's hunting season, and the like. A couple were more pure fantasy, and always in such collections not all the stories worked well.

World War Z
Quickly got bored of the interview format. It was a clever idea to start with, but insufficent to sustain the whole book, especially without an inherent underlying narrative. I gto very annoyed by the sterotypes as well, especially those that were wrong.
Mira Grant's Feed is much much better - pretty much based in the same world but some 40 years on rather than just a couple.

Born to Exile
One of those books you stumble upon by chance as a teenager, and whose magic never quite leaves you. Very well written for a 70s fantasy, it feature a teleporting minsteral. No fighting (he sings you can't train at both!). A bit of romance, quite a bit of casual sex (minsteral again). And a vivid imagination in a well thought throught world. I'm always a sucker for novel fantasy worlds especially one where the author has thought about how it all fits together and how the characters are belivable - not what would make an exciting scene, but how real peopel would react when faced with the 'hero'. BtE although short, does this very well. Looking forward to the sequel.

I wasn't that crazy about World War Z either. But then I think the whole zombie craze is crazy.

I really liked World War Z - I agree that it didn't have a plot, per se, but I liked the episodic view of the evolution of the crisis. I'm not a huge fan of the zombie genre, but there are definitely a few good books out there.

In the red lord's reach

Sequel to BtE above, that I've finally found after years of (not very dilligent) searching. OK but I'd hoped for more of a novel format, wheras it is a continuation of the collected novellas featuring Alaric. He doesn't get to go back to his first true love. But the stories are centred a little bit more around the same area of the world. As well written as the first, but a middle book feeling to it. Shame that no more were written that I know about.

I've not read man zombie books - I think I have the general gist of the concept now. But Feed (I may have mentioned this before!) was excellantly done.

Consorts of heaven

A very poor sequel to Principles of angels. Althought the writing is good enough, the ideas have run out. It would work as a series of interludes within a more dramatic plot, but the sole story is some amnesiac waking in a pesant village (ala pig boy fantasy) and walking to a city before arriving at the spaceships with his memory. The only interesting point is working out how it connects with the previous story. There is none of the brilliance of the world, spark of characters or novelty of ideas and politics.

Probably won't read any more (or at least pay for them) unless the rest of the series is recommended.

GCHQ
Bought because I'd seen the author on his lecture circuit. Overall interesting, but definetly slow in the early years. Looks at the history of the british signals intelligence stations - GCHQ. Doesn't cover much of the personal stories, and gives more of an overview of general activities and focus of interecept. There is some look at the technologies. Probably more of interest to people generally interested in history rather than people looking for an insight into the secrest of government.

Star wars on trial

Non-fiction ish. A few SF authors give a few pages each of thoughts about various areas that Lucas didn't do so well on. Too long, the basic point is quickly made, and after that it becomes repetative. Stover tries to be funny, but isn't.

Taminy which I'm sure I wasn't going to request from ER. But glad I did. This is better than the first part (see back at #34) with more depth to it. The welsh based names have an appendix at the back for those who care. The politics are more complex and a few of the characters have intersting conflits. it's still a small world with an odd religious magic system, but enjoyabel plesant reading. Nothing too bad happens to anyone. Even if they die.

Queen of the May
Short story beta draft from an internet friend. Still needs a little touching up in places but a clever idea. Botanist gets entrapped in Fairy, but uses her knowledge to expose the truth.

Vaporware
ER release that still needs a bit of proof reading. Good concept but took the easy path rather than exploring interesting questions. Software teams dream project gets cancelled. They continue to devotte heart and soul to it, enough to bring it to life. Geeky programmer fails social expectations but manages to survive.

I'd love to read the first of those

A girl who circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of her own making

Wonderfulyl whimisical all the way through. I'm really not sure this is at all suitable for children. Teenagers will probably find it boring. But htere are some delightful insights and wonderfully crafted passages of text. The importance of shoes. The freedom of choice. Etc. Light hearted, not over the top in morals or trippy fairy fantasy. But just good fun. Internally consistant, clever inventive and just a full Fairy Tale novel to be enjoyed by anyone.

The Neon Rain. Somewhat of a contrast to Girl Who! This is grimey New Orleans back in the 70s? with corrupt cops, gangster and racial tensions and loose women. Dave the black cop is a bit of a vigelente, but unlike say Reacher, he claims to have a moral code, and then ignores it. I think what I most liek about Reacher is his open honesty. Dave doesn't have any of that, it is nearly all grimey NO, with a few paragraghs of excessive description thrown in here and there. Maybe no badly written, but it didn't work for me.

The Neon Rain didn't work all that well for me either, when I read it five years ago. As you say, Dave doesn't struggle over any real moral choices, other than trying to sober up. He repeatedly puts himself into situations where he's likely to have to use deadly force, and amazingly enough, he does. I did think a lot of it was quite well written, but Dave didn't interest me enough to read the sequels.

With the series receiving pretty good reviews, The Neon Rain is currently sat on my tbr shelves. You two aren't doing much to move it up the list of actually getting read.

#63 - it gets quite a few recommendations so some people quite like it. I suspect if you have any connection to New Orleans it will appeal a lot more than to someone like me who's not even in the same country and has to cope with a lot of cultural shift in addition to the story.

Hounded Enjoyable urban fantasy. Also recommended from LT, but I got on much better with this. Unusally skips the whole trainig thing and launches straight in with a 2000 yr old really quite powerful hero, ready to battle with gods. This does lead to power management issues. (cf latter Dresden). the link to a druid works quite well though as it coems with several restrictions and is in general well managed

Outside the spotlight
ER - fourth wall mystery. The characters in books don't really die. When a plot kills them off they just lie very very still for a bit until attention has moved away from them, and then they can get up and carry on chatting etc. Our heroine a 16th century maid baking cakes in Christmas wants a holiday in the sun. She is temp'd out to Sherlock for a bit, before being moved to a supporting role ina new author's first book. When a character dies for real, she knows who to call. Charmingly OK but doesn't quite hold water.

Full reviews to come in time

Sitting outside for a quiet a sunny lunch, I finished the last of my trasin ride books from the weekend:

Cantata in Coral and Ivory by lt'S own L Shelby. Thoroughly enjoyedNeither commedy of manners nor romance are really my normal cup of tea, but this worked excellantly. A ship's captain is elevated to the position of courtier in a pseudo african citystate. His brash appearance and manners don't quite match the delicate refinements of palace life, where anything important is conducted by song. But he does know how to get things done...

Realy enjoyable, an unexpected treat. I've no idea how something like this languishes formally unpublished, whilst so much dross does manage to make the leap. Notably better than pretty much any ER title I've ever had the chance to read. (Initiate's trial wasn't available to me!).

A game of Thrones

Yes I've started the series at last. Much better than Erikson, but I'm not a huge fan of multiperson multipoint of view epic fantasy. He writes well, each chapter is engaging, but I frequently lost track of who was who, to whom they were related, whether or not it mattered, and what they'd been doing last. And I read fast in big chuncks of an hour or two at a time. Those who can only dab in and out here adn there must find it exceptionalyl difficult. Or have better memories that me. It did all pull together in the end, but I found it hard ot care about any of the characters, none of them had much motivation, or forethought they were all just reacting to each other. I'll see how the 2nd one goes.

I think I would have struggled with GoT if I hadn't seen the tv series first - but I struggle with large cast lists so epic fantasy tends to confuse me anyway. I did really enjoy the first two books but I found myself skipping over certain characters for not really having any point (to me anyway), I'm thinking of Bran in particular who even at the end of the second book doesn't seem to do anything.

reins of destiny seemed to have got missed somewhere. The 2nd of Janny's short stories looking back at the pre-history of the Althera and how the societioes we know came to be there. This is much less far back and is ta the time of the first uprising. Not all the heors were lords at the time, and not all their deeds recorded in song and tale. As you might guess form the title it features horses.

A clash of kings
Book 2. More of hte same. Each chapter is good and compelling. But the narrative as a whole has no flow or sense about it, and I frequently put the book down between chapters as I don't really care what happens next to any of them. Feels like Geroge already doesn't have a firm grip on the time and place each team is in, and moves them around as suits his whim rather than rationally.

a storm of swords The other reviews were late which is why I appear to have finished this so quickly, although it is shorter at only 650 pages or so. Technically by my ereader pagecount I'm halfway through the series now, with 4 books still remaining (plus another 2 to be written). I was expecting to have loist a lot more significant characters by now - everyone says a lot fo favourites di in GoT but so far we've lost Ned, a few minor hangers on, and vast numbers of peasants no of whom apparently are of note. None of the 'heros' have died.

Meh. I'll stop here and read somethign with a bit more direction and plot to it, or even maybe some non-fiction as it still isn't really gripping me, even though I like each individual chapter. Maybe the publishers could pull it together into a series of character based books like polgara.

A delicate truth
Not his best, short and fairly simple, but still good. A possible look at the background ot extraordinary rendition, and what happens when it goes wrong. As ever with Le Carre's works the central players are all civil servants - this time memebrs of the Foreign Office and a Private Sectretary. There is a shadowy coroporation lurking in the background - Probably the least belivable aspect tot he story but still fully plausible.

Outside the Spotlight sounds like imitation Jasper Fforde.

Jim53 - yep very much so, and unfortunately most like the weakest in the series, when it's all bookpeople with no-one 'real' at all.

Hexed
2nd in the ancient but really powerful druid series, who so far is surviving by use of extreme force as necessary, and running awaythe rest of the time. Still comes across as somewhat trite, and I'm not sure why. Enjoyable, but nothing special.

Hammered. Best of the series, but still popcorn. Atticus hangs out with a bunch of duides and they go out to show how macho they are by beating on some gods. OK Thor kinda deserves it apparently, but really Atticuys needs some more moral empathy, which as a 2000yr old Druid you'd exoect him to have by now. But if you like that kinda thing, it's quite good. Slightly more balanced in terms of pure power than the previous ones.

Bad Pharma

Ben Goldacre's second book (follow-up to Bad Science) looking specifically at all the misdeads pharmacuetical companies can/do get up to, that misindicate how effective/safe their drug is. If you're at all concerned about public health (or even just the cost of public health which is driven up by such actions), then you should read this, and follow the suggested actions! Ask your GP what drug company reps have done for him, sign up to the All Trials campaign - it calls for every trial to be registered beforehand, and all results (including negative ones) to be published. This vastly reduces the amount of misinformation that can be produced.

Wool Much commented upon already by GDers. I enjoyed it too although with a few practical reservations which somewhat spoilt the tension the author was trying to create. An interesting dystopia, not as bleak as many in this genre. We experience life in the Silo, over a hundred floor of self contained humanity looking out at their ruined world through lenses which need occasional cleaning, something the petty criminals never fail to do, much to everyone's secret surprise.

two ER titles:
the excellent crossed genres magazine and the very short concientious inconsistencies. Both feminist fantasy short story collections featuring heroines of one stripe or another. In general the Crossed Genres had better stories, and there were far more of them. Nancy Moore only havd 5 very short stories - 60pages total, which isn't enough to justify publishing in my mind. Some of the CG ones were very werid.

Storm of Swords 2 far and away the best fo the series so far. Many things happen! characters you are vaguely interested in finally get killed. I'd been warned this would happen, but the first three books only seem to kill innumerable peasants. The magiuc ramps up a bit which is also cool. I could live with more explanation of the worldbuilding again.

Book 4 unfortunetly seems to be reverting to the dullness of the previous set. I'll stop after this and have a breather with somethign more entertaining before resuming the trek.

A Feast for crows distinctly unimpressed. Meandering. Retconned. Dull. Little happens to almost anyone, most of the interesting characters don't feature, what does happen feels as if it's just been invented ont he spot with bizarre motivations. Way too long. It was supposed to have been about the KL characters, and it could have been a third shorter (and therefore beeter) if George had kept to this.

Definetly reading something else before braving the last two.

The casual vacancy

Very definetly not harry potter! A realistic look at small town england. I have met many of those sorts of characters! They are all slightly larger than life in the book of course, but not by excessive amounts. Teenagers versus their parents. with plenty of sex and swearing thrown in for good measure.

78: Did you like it, though? I couldn't get through it. I wasn't expecting Harry Potter, not at all, but I was expecting at least one likeable character. After a hundred pages or so, I gave up.

78-79> I didn't like any of the characters in The Casual Vacancy, either, but I couldn't stop reading it. I won't ever read it again, though.

#79 yes I did. I thought the ending was particularly good and appropriate. I kind of stuttered through some of it, reading a bit and then doing something else. But I always came back to it, and wanted to know how the various threads resolved. I don't usually like multi-voice tales, but this worked for me - although there were a couple of occasions when I lost track of who I was reading about. It is quite grim in several places, but I thought it was well handled.

The Hunger games
As I am reading a few of the more popular works I haven't caught up with. I liked this, somewhat simplistic (but it is YA) and with a few continuity errors that niggled me, but generally enjoyable even if it is about 24 children fighting till the last one is standing.

Science of Discworld IV
Not the best of the Science of Discworld series, and a non-fiction take on Discworld, only to be read by those with some understanding of the basics in sub-atomic physics, and basic evolution. Most of it is a poorply contrived and rambling attack on the strawman position of 'fantaical' religionists. Little effort iis made ot deal with the more nuanced moderate positions, and nothing at all done to consider the societal impacts of moral choices.

Have you read the first three of the Science of Discworlds? I bought them for my son, but from what you've said I will probably give it a miss.

Yes I have, and I quite liked them, although it was a while ago and I only dimmly remember them. I reviewed the first one, but I don't think I have done the others. May have to re-read them. The others are all far less religion based, and are more pop-sci explaining how we currently think the universe/earth and us came to be here today.

A dance with dragons
Meh. Still. waiting for the dragons to grow up and make an appearance. Or for Danys to invade. Given the title I'd hoped we'd ahve reached a pinacle by now, but no it's just dull waiting. Some more. For anything to happen. People march around a bit.

after the feast

Continued Meh, but slightlymore exciting than before because the dragons are finally doing something, and Jon at the wall is having fun with the Wildlings. Most of the rest is still filler, but at least, Dragons!

fantastical ramblings
ER short story collection - all fantasy based, but varied from traditional prince and dragon (taken from her novels) through kings arthur's modern descendants (ditto) to some less obvious pieces. I found the ordering slightly strange as they start out with weak endings (always disappointing in a short story) and progress to better and better. the last story - The Fall is a taken from the viewpoint of a waterfall! Bizarre, but works really well.

#88 I found the ordering slightly strange as they start out with weak endings (always disappointing in a short story) and progress to better and better.

I always expect the quality of short stories in a collection to be varied, but I agree that starting with weak and building as one reads through the book is a bit strange. If I were reading such a collection I might give up after two or three weak stories and fail to reach the good ones.

There are short story collections I love in which the last two or three stories have proved to be weak in my opinion, but the earlier stories were so strong I have been left with an overall positive opinion of the writer's work.

#89 - I was expecting varied, some suit my taste and others don't, I've read quite a few short story collections, but this seemed deliberately built this way. Maybe it was just coincidence? the other ER reviewers haven't noted it.

Middle dammed

Was my other ER title and one I could have done without. "Between the obviousness, the wrongness and dullness there is little to recommend this book." its an exploration of the concept of purgatory, but badly imagined with lots of flawed thinking and a decidedly preaching tone to it.

I hate preachy books. It was what spoiled Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land for me and forced me to stop reading Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in Arthur's Court.

A couple of years ago I discovered a relatively new Irish writer who has brought out two excellent collections. His first collection, There are little kingdoms won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2007. I read these stories and he captured real moments in Irish life. When I read the first story about any small town in Ireland in the 1970s and the teenagers in the town he captured moments from my life.

I thought his stories might only appeal to an Irish audience, but his second collection, Dark Lies the Island contains a story about a group of real ale enthusiasts going on a Beer Trip to Llandudno and I challenge anyone to fault it. That story won the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award.

He wrote a novel, City of Bohane, set forty years in the future which is quite different from his short stories, but it is also excellent, though probably not everyone's cup of tea. In it he toys with the language using a mixture of Irish, Scottish and Traveller accents and words to form a slang which, if the reader can get into it really adds to the story. it is like a modern Clockwork Orange/Gangs of New York tale and the underlying themes are powerful. Other obviously liked it because it won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the richest literary award in the world for a piece of fiction in the English Language. (100,000 euros)

I have no connection to this author other than I have read his work, loved it and managed to get myself into the position of interviewing him at a literary convention last year. He is on my list of authors whose work I will buy and read as soon as it is published.

If you like good short stories you could do far worse than hunt out some of Kevin Barry's works. I would suggest you start with the short story, "Beer Trip to Llandudno".

Catching fire the sequel. Enjoyable. Somewhat obviosu and simplistic again, but still well contrived. Author has done a good job of trying the keep Katniss central to the plot whilst realising that a young girl however spirited is not going to be the person who sparks an entire country to rebellion. How do you feel to be a figurehead?!

I've heard of beer trip to llandudno it might even be in my wishlist somewhere.

Boneshaker
Zombie steampunk. Almost works kind of. Set in 1880 Seatle a drilling machine releases the Blight that causes Zombies. So the town throughs up a (gastight?) wall to keep them contained, but people want to go in anyway especially our hero, one young Zeke son of the drilling machines' inventor. Zeke's mother chaes after him which is an unusual touch and works quite well. But many of the details were lacking which left the whole thing with a sour unexplained 'it just does' feeling that I don't much care for.

I wasn't impressed with Boneshaker either, and in fact, did not finish it. I never developed any feeling for any character so honestly didn't care what happened to any of them.

Been away for a week - I didn't do much reading, but managed to finish:

Mockingjay the dull and obvious conclusion to the trilogy. Katniss stands around a lot, noone makes any kind of complicated decisions with consequences - even the major one just happens ratehr than being an obvious choice.

second chance
ER Novella - badly written preachy religion in space / technology polemic. Basic idea ok, and the concept of people being accepting and changing thier minds sort of works, but very heavy handed.

Deeds of men
Much better ER novella - will suit many GDers. Alternative faery history set in London. The Queen's (Elizabeth) court is matched by one below - faery. Intrigue is rich and the Faery Queen needs a mortal hand ot help her keep the English land stable, so that her own lands remain. Well written and enjoyable even if not exactly my cup of tea. I may read the rest of hte series which is probably a better place to start the story.

Machine of death
Humble bundle short story collection on the premise that a machine can tell you how you die, but not when. "Cancer" is obviously a fairly explicable readout, and although you can live more healthily you won't stave it off, but some of the other options are much more strange, and tend to come true in unusual ways. Interesting collection but probably slightly too long, as I lost the novelty half way through.

Shadow Magic
Average fantasy- Daughter gets kidnapped, discovers she has special powers. Friends chase after her, and find non-human allies. Some Magic Trinkets. Big Fight. all over. Competantly written but nothing particularly special. The swapping of dwarves (ewoks?) and elves seemed a bit odd.

smokescreen
Francis about average. Actor goes to S Africa on a pretext to investiget why his Aunt's horses are losing. Visits some sterotypical locations, and interacts with some sterotypes before reaching the predictable conclusion. Entertaining enough, but it really isn't high literature.

Einstein's bridge - ER title

Poor 'Hard SF'. WHich did quite well at limiting the physics to not breaking any known laws, if not exactly belivable, but then went and spoilt it all by not caring about the biology. Also feature time travel which is another of my pet hates. ALthough at least the paradox is sort of resolved. The new supercollider project sends ripples through the multiverse explanation of quantum physics. Aliens in parallel universes converse with the scientists. It all goes downhill from there.

Shopocalypse
Shockingly bad ER title. Possibly the worst I've had. The sentences were gramtacially correct and the words were spelt properly. But the plot was dire, the characters wooden and nothing made any sense. Sort of anti-consumerist polemic, it was just bizarre. But in a bad way rather than an enjoyable way.

Two more ER titles before I'm all caught up:

Feather and Bone a somewhat creepy urban/contemporary fantasy set in the Cheviot hills, of an isolated farming community living with a dark spirit, and the stranger who intervenes.

Signs over the pacific and other stories a weird SF short story collection, all written by the same author and set in the same world, with many of the same characters reappearing. Grimey rather than grim looking at the underbelly of a high tech pirate world (sort of like Jaine Fenn's work). Somewhat varied as all collections are but the underlying theme of exploring the world works to hold them all together.

Twistor

Another pseud hard sf book. From a physicist who gets all the biology and crime wrong. But the physics is good, the characters aren't too bad, the departmental politics almost belivable. The plot is contrived though with too many convenient twists in just the right place. Added together it doesn't quite work, but has promise.

Finally cuaght up with my ER books. I'll be catching up with my backlogged periodicals so it could be a while before I've more to post.

Soverign by RM Meluch no touchstone.

One of her early works, in the style of Le Guin - not at all like Meluch's more common mil SF, muchmore of a fantasy start before the SF kicks in. Humanoid alien is the result of focused breeding plan, but when his mother dies in childbirth the father turns away form him, denying a crutial link. So he's forced to explreo the world, and the then the galaxy looking for father/god figures. Fortunetly he's in humanity's sphere of influence, so he teams up with Earth.

I've enjoyed R. M. Meluch's work for a long time, and yes, her earlier work is a lot more serious than her recent stuff.n I think she is vastlhy underappreciated, and for serious intensity, her Jersulem Fire was topnotch.

Justice Raffles

Chance buy from Hay-On-Wye. 1st penguin paperback edition in the proper green colours. From 1937 and still completely readable. How many of my digital files will I be able to say that of in 80 years time?

Reads very much of the end of the series that it is - so not the best place to be introduced to the Gentleman thief that is Raffles. Like a counterpoint version of Sherlock compete with his own Watson in the obtuse and aptly named Bunny who is frequently aprehensive of taking the bold actions. One of Raffles' school friends in in money troubels with a shrewd moneylender. Raffles takes the difficult way out! Much onger than is strictly necessary for the simple plot. The moneylender is clever enough to cause some complications, it's still a quick read. Probably most interesting for it's period associatiosn rather than any particular brilliance of writing or character.

#103 - fie on your spelling it correctly. Fie I say.

#105 Enjoy Raffles. I bought the box set of the TV series for my wife last year. We used to enjoy it when it was initially broadcast. I also bought her an omnibus edition of some of the stories. It is amusing watching the programme now and seeing how unsophisticated production standards were at the time.

There are only five books in the serries?! I was expecting more for some reason.

The Winds of Darkover / The Anything Tree Another Hay on Wye special - this is a 70s ACE double. Two novels in one cover. Both averagely good. I probably enjoyed ANything Tree more which has a naive telepathic tree as it's centre alien. But I will read more of the Darkover series, to try an establish the backstory to the world which was interesting. Fuedal telepathic aliens in a Terran technology dominated world/galaxy.

I really enjoyed the Darkover books when I devoured a whole lot of them some years ago. A couple of the early ones, Stormqueen and Hawkmistress, read like fantasy, but once the Terrans reconnect with the planet you get the tech side of things. Thendara House is probably my favourite of them all, but you need to read The shattered chain before it.

I highly recommend the Darkover series. My favorites are the Hundred Kingdoms group.

The last unicorn and the coda two hearts

I haven't read morphy's discussion thread yet, I'll go and do so in a minute.

I wasn't that taken by The Last Unicorn, it was OK, but the delightful joyous chery whimsy that I was expecting never really materialised. I felt the voice was wrong not quite capturing the unicorn but not allowing me to connect with the characters either, all of whom felt a little distant especially Lir, for whom life was too easy.

The Coda in the form of Two Hearts though was excellent. Sad and moving the 9yr old was a perfect narrator, and it made a huge difference. This is what I'd been expectecting from TLU.

Assault on the gods

Bizarrely ended. Science Fiction, a trader captain - athiest and female - so somewhat of a rarity, lands on a backwards planet and is amazed to discover active interventionist local gods. She nvestigates and decides to attack their stronghold before they can attack her (I'm not sure what point Goldin is trying to make here either pro or anti relgion). I didn't like hte ending which was presented without discussion or rationalisation on nayone's parts, even though there were plenty of alternative options available.

Surely you're joking mr feynman

Biography of the famous irreverant physicist. Not as funny as he thinks he is, but still entertaining. Very little science in it at all. More of an insight into life in mid century america. The transition between the formal arranged dances, and the free wheeling society. With oppresive government and lack of thinking things through. Feynman was a big believer in thinking about things properly and managed much of his life that way.

Enjoyable, but not brilliant.

climbers

Hopefully the wrost book I'll read all year. I don't think I could cope (almost certainly wouldn't finish) anything worse than this. From my review "I've seldom read a worse book than this - well written as it is. Pretentious, pointless, confused, and just wrong in so much spirit despite getting the technical details reasonably correct"

I've absolutely no idea why it was filed under science fiction. It isn't even magical realism. Very poor indeed.

Went and read your review.

Rubbish all the way through. I've read it for you. You shouldn't waste your money or time on it.

Thank you for taking the hit so the rest of us don't have to. Although it's making me less inclined to pick up the one book I have on the tbr shelves by the author.

M. John Harrison's work is a wierd bag - his SF is very involved and his prose style is pure poetry. Climbers has no plot whatsoever, it's a series of pastiches - you would not read it to go anywhere, but for the very strange collection of bizarre insights, and if you rock on beautiful language.

Definitely but definitely esoteric stuff and not for everyone, but I might not wish to entirely judge everything he has done off of Climbers.

He is considered - well - deep end? - literature??? Artsy....and it is not long on action at all. The people who like his work love it, but it is very polarizing.

I presume this is the same M. John Harrison who wrote the Viriconium books? I liked those.

>102 reading_fox:,104 I read R.M. Meluch's Wind Child a couple of years ago and enjoyed it too, it sounds a little similar to Sovereign- it was definitely not military SF, and had a bit of the discovering-heritage plot to it as well. It ended up being the sequel to another work, Wind Dancers, however it stood alone enough that I was surprised to find that out.

I think I saw either Sovereign or The Queen's Squadron at my local used bookstore recently, perhaps I'll stop by and see if it's still there.

>105 reading_fox: I acquired an e-reader earlier this year, and enjoy the way I can carry so many books with me at once- I have a tendency to switch between several books instead of reading a single one all the way through, so it suits my reading style.

However, I must agree- one of the things that I dislike most with digital publishing is the way that books can just simply vanish from existence if a book is removed from publication, whether due to expiring contracts or the author disowning work as in the case of eg Octavia Butler's Survivor- there will be no legitimate "used" copies available, and even the availability of illegitimate copies would depend solely on demand while the work was available.

#115 - I liked the writing. It was just what he did with it that grated. Partly I think because I climb myself, and so know a few more of the details and spirit involved. I might try his SF one day if I can find it at a library. - but so many books to choose, authors seldom get a second chance.

#117 - thanks I'll look out for those.

ALl flesh is grass Somewhat more mainstream Simak, and I think not his best - City remains outstanding. But enjoyable enough. A look at how small town america would cope with unusal benevolent aliens - intelligent flowers. The science is pretty hooky, but the rest reads quite well. Simak's charactrers always feel a little similar to me.

#118 Reading_fox so many books to choose, authors seldom get a second chance.

I like to think I hold to this policy but I have slipped a couple of times.

118, Reading Fox, ah, yes, when your personal experience grates against what is on the page, I totally get that one. Certainly not trying to talk you out of how you feel, only to say that Climbers is TOTALLY different than any of M. John Harrison's other books that are SF. You'd said you had one unread on your shelves - that was the one I thought you might want to glance at, someday (if it is SF).

There is another discussion going that mentions The Wild Road and its sequels - the author pen name is Gabriel King - which is actually covering the fact those stories are a collaboration between Jane Johnson and M. John Harrison - and I did enjoy those books quite a lot - the magic was wonderful, and the story, tight.

Books on climbers: Jane Johnson wrote The Salt Road that features a climber as the main character - it is a mix of modern day with a parallel story line in the past. You might or might not like that one. I found it readable, too, but my climbing experience is very very limited (to Outward Bound course, done YEARS ago, and climbing was only a fraction of it).

I do tend to give authors a second chance - but I wait a long healthy time until their careers progress -- sometimes I can be surprised. I do know that John Harrison's ideas are convolute and strange and books make you work for what he's driving at. I am not always in the mood for that kind of story, either, when other life pressure is intense, so I get your reservations.

The last wish Prequel of hte Witcher series, and PC game of the same name. A re-read. I don't really like flashback narrative structures, but it just about works. Fantasy not quite quest based. Geralt is a monster hunter with his own clear line of ethics as to what is or is not a monster. Humans generally aren't no matter how badly they behave. But if they attack him then they're fair game. Many other things that might be monsters sometimes turn out not to be. It is a series of such tales interesperced with Geralt's recovery at a temple. YOu proabbly do need to know something about the world before starting here.

@JannyWurts I think one of the better climbing characxters I've met was in KSR's 40 years of rain series. Frank manages to convey the ethos without getting to bothered about the details.

reading-fox, thanks, I'll bear that series in mind.

Blood of Elves
Time of Contempt

The start of the Witcher series, Geralt doesn't actually star that much, he is more of a self appointed guardian to Ciri, who is a child of Destiny, and fated to do great and terrible things. But is mostly just accompanying Sorceresses and the like whilst growing up. Geralt is attempting to track down exactly whic factions are interested in her, as vast amounts of international and magical politicking happen - war is on the horizon.

Not really that similar to the PC game - although you'll notice a few familiar names, they are interesting dark fantasy reads.

The poison eaters: and other stories

Shortish collection of short dark urban and faery fantasy stories. Works well. Contains short stories set in her novel universes as well as some original works. I enjoyed most of the tales and while they aren't that grim or gorey, they are somewhat dark in tone with little true love shining through.

Spin

Last of the Humble Bundles' I picked up a while ago. Really very enjoyable, quite impressed. Hard sf, but with a soft writing style. A cross between KSR and alistair Reynolds. ish. Knew nothing about it and hadn't realised it was a Hugo winner until I started reading the reviews. Justifyable winner in my eyes, but I cna see why a few people won't like it.

Earth is encapsulated by a membrane and accellerated through time. Flashaback show how life was and how it changed for Tyler Dupree, poor kid ona rich block, medic, but friend of the powerful techno-scientific elite as they try and solve hummanities crisis. Really clever.

Reading Fox: You've seen this, perhaps?
http://www.librarything.com/topic/159953#4355117

#126 Meredy, that is a great thread.

Meredy - Thanks! I hadn't seen it. Now that I have I've shamelessly stolen it. Great picture.

The complete lythande ER title. Collection of short stories Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote over several years. Each story is ok, not stunning, but OK, But they really don't work as a collection. Too much repetition, too much deviation, and little or no explanation of how the world works. The entire book can be summed up by the first short story - it's tough pretending to be a man.

Red Mars Superb as it was when I first read it a couple of years ago. Can't believe its 20 years old. Still amazing. Complex politics in an uncomrimising world

Green mars slow politics, but remains enjoyable. I always expect the series to go red blue green for some reason, but it doesn't. Continued infightiing between the remainder of the first Hundred about what the future of Mars should look like. With added politics from Earth and the younger martian generations. Less science. But too much water to be fully belivable now.

Blue mars the sort of conclusion. Nothing actually happens but its en enthralling for all that. A look at biology aging, memory and personality. Great but very slow reading.

2312
Is the actual epliloge set another few hundred years on. Different! - I'm no re-reading it this time. I have a stack of magazines to get through before xmas.

Two ER books in quick sucession:
outbreak which was fairly middle of the road, bandwagon, zombie rising. With unlikable heros and not much in the way of plot.

Wasps at the speed of sound neing a far better SF collection of short stories. All a but weird and distopian, but a few were quite good indeed. Not quite Ted Chiang level, but interesting enough to keep an eye out for the author. Apparently he's written a novel too.