This is a public service announcement for the benefit of all humanity: new Laird Barron just came out.
That is all.
This was amazing. If you like the modern science fiction writers like Cixin Liu but you grew up on Arthur C. Clarke, this just might be for you. The theme actually isn't unlike 2001 and Childhood's End (in short, the next stage of evolution) but this time it's humans who venture out to terraform planets. Except it's not a monolith but a nanovirus.
This is top tier science fiction.
I'm about to read The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey, best known for his Sandman Slim series.
Castle Roogna by Piers Anthony i had started it like a year ago and put it down i picked it up last night and i'm gonna hopefully finish it tonight
well i did end up finishing it the other night and i started the next book Centaur Aisle and old one from (1981) that would be the 4th book in the series. i've read this one as well this would be i think the i think 3rd time i've read i think?
I picked up Brother from the library. 50 pages in, it's pretty good. I'll probably finish it by the end of the week. Then it's The Institute and We Live Inside Your Eyes.
I'm also reading Murder of Jesus Christ by John R. Little but only a chapter or two a day. He's not exactly prolific so I'm trying to make it last. And yes, it's a book by Little, you can bet there's time travel in it.
I also read the first novella in the Binti trilogy. Some pretty cool gadgets but the writing was a little too YA. Back to the library it goes.
Joe R. Lansdale - The Elephant of Surprise Excellent as always from JRL.
Andrew McCarthy - Ball Of Collusion (much scarier than The Institute!). Well written and researched.
Edward Levy - The Beast Within. First read this in early 80s.
Started the much hated Cari Mora by Thomas Harris last night. See how it goes.
seeking: ANYTHING DT related #246
Dead Zone 1st Edition F/F or NF/NF
ANYTHING DT Related #246
Dead Zone First Edition F/F or NF/NF
how is it so far? i dunno Thomas Harris's work i mean i have heard of the red dragon of course and Hannibal both movie wise and bookwise and i do own red dragon on paperback and hannibal on hardback but i've never read them well not yet anyways.
Red dragon, Silence, and Hannibal are excellent. Hannibal Rising not too good. Cari Mora I have not read enough of yet. But one thing that is great about Harris is even if the story ultimately may fail his writing is amazing.
Uncle Stevie said it as only he can:
seeking: ANYTHING DT related #246
Dead Zone 1st Edition F/F or NF/NF
ANYTHING DT Related #246
Dead Zone First Edition F/F or NF/NF
It wasn’t great but it was enjoyable. Half way through The Institute and absolutely love it. So far, it is good old SK at it’s best.
Wish List:
Any of the following flatsigned or inscribed-
It, Shining, Salem’s Lot, Mr. Mercedes, The Stand
Brother ARC, Seed ARC
The Institute is AWESOME SO FAR. I cannot put it down... like 80's King here!!!
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
Justice On Trial -Mollie Hemingway & Carrie Severino. A chilling account of the Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation.
I'm also reading The Institute. Only about 1/3 of the way in but really enjoying it so far.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
I'm looking forward to The Institute. It seems like people here are really enjoying it. I'm reading Fantasticland now, then going to continue the Halloween-ish books for October with Lore and The Turn of the Key.
A NEW GAME BEGINS
I recently finished A Clash Of Kings (George R. R. Martin). Nothing new to report: it continued to be exciting, surprising, violent, and engaging, and I still can't wait to read the next one (A Storm Of Swords), although I will have to.
Some great quotes from Tyrion, who is becoming one of my all-time favorite characters to read:
“…it doesn’t seem quite just that you should open your legs for one brother and not the other.”
“Truly, sister, you were born to be a widow…Now, if you are done slapping me, I will be off.”
“Look at me, Pod. It unnerves me when you talk to my codpiece, especially when I’m not wearing one.”
“Take them, thank me, and begone before I’m forced to take a crab fork to you again.”
"A pity Stannis and Renly aren’t twelve-year-old girls as well.”
“Sorcery is the sauce fools spoon over failure to hide the flavor of their own incompetence.”
“If you die stupidly, I’m going to feed your body to the goats…”
“Those are brave men...Let’s go kill them.”
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
I recently began Centipede Press' Library of Weird Fiction volume of Arthur Machen (I'm 116 pages in, in the middle of the third story) (see http://www.centipedepress.com/masters/machenlwf.html). This is the first (and only) book from CP that I've owned. It's one of their more modest offerings ($45, not the giant beast of Machen they did under the "Masters of the Weird Tale" banner; see http://www.centipedepress.com/masters/arthurmachen.html), which is not to say there's anything wrong with it; it's a nice cloth-bound black book that feels right for an October read.
It opens with The Great God Pan - the big one, that whose name accompanies all mentions of Machen in examinations of the genre; to say I was looking forward to this would be an understatement. Perhaps I expected too much; it struck me as low-octane Lovecraft (who I love), although it packed more answers in its resolution than I'd expected, and, no matter what else, this is the kind of weird fiction I enjoy, and I did enjoy it, so I can't really complain.
There have been some fun quotes:
“…I listened to what I was told out of a constitutional liking for useless information…”
“I don’t approve of slang, mind you, but such was my condition.”
“…a strange tissue of improbabilities strung together with the ingenuity of a born meddler in plots and mysteries…”
“Though to all appearance devoid of romance, Salisbury had some relish for street rows, and was, indeed, somewhat of an amateur in the more amusing phases of drunkenness; he therefore composed himself to listen and observe with something of the air of a subscriber to grand opera.”
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
Juggling 4 right now:
Bloody Genius - John Sandford. For my money Sandford is the most consistently entertaining and enjoyable author that I read. Some may find him formulaic (usually happens when writing a series) and trite but I love his pacing, dialogue exchanges (there at least 2-3 laugh out loud lines per book) and plot creativity. I liken him to listening to AC/DC: you know what you are going to get every time out.
October Dark - David Herter. Channeling his inner Ray Bradbury and sort of succeeding.
End Of Summer: 13 Tales of Halloween - J. Tonzelli. Some really good stories.
The Conservative Sensibility - George Will. Well written and educational.
Has anyone read The Invited by Jennifer McMahon? Is it better than The Winter People? I wasn't a fan of that one but this one sounds intriguing and I'll be seeing her next weekend so thinking of picking it up.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
Recently finished Brother. Solid read. Albhorn didn't pull any punches and I'm a big fan of that even if it hurts. The Murder of Jesus Christ by John R Little was an interesting read. It's somehow both blasphemous and religious. Pretty neat but not my favourite Little. The Institute by this guy whose name rhymes with Stephen King was a serviceable and readable later King book, but ultimately it was bloated and IMO failed at one thing King used to excel at: characterization. I posted a few spoilerish thoughts in The Institute discussion thread.
I haven't decided what I'm going to fully commit to yet. I have Epitaphs by Tom Piccirilli that I read at work during downtime but that's it. I might tackle the collected stories of Frank Herbert. I admit that I'm intimidated by it. I might re-read The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein too
Almost done with The Institute. It is so far one of my faves of his, reminds me of his 80's work.
Wish List:
Any of the following flatsigned or inscribed-
It, Shining, Salem’s Lot, Mr. Mercedes, The Stand
Brother ARC, Seed ARC
Started Brother to see what all the fuss is about.
seeking: ANYTHING DT related #246
Dead Zone 1st Edition F/F or NF/NF
ANYTHING DT Related #246
Dead Zone First Edition F/F or NF/NF
I just came home from a local ComicCon where I accompanied my daughter. I saw the Smoking Man, Skinner and Lt. Tasha Yar and more importantly, I came home with a handful of signed/inscribed books from ChiZine Publications. I met and chatted with Michael Rowe, Sandra Kasturi and a few more authors.
Hollywood North is set in a small town in Ontario and it's being recommend to fans of Boy's Life meets The Body. So that's what I'll be reading next and then it's going to be October by Michael Rowe.
October: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...om_search=true
Hollywood North (4.86% on Goodreads)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...om_search=true
The War Beneath: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...om_search=true
The Bone Mother
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...om_search=true