[I] Some book reviews
Arthur Hagen
and Fantasy. Here are my mini-reviews of a few of the newer novels I
have bought.
Hal Duncan: Vellum (paperback)
The ambition exceeds the skills of the author at his present stage.
Sumerian gods and goddesses re-live their old stories as humans/angels.
The author has the advantage on the reader by only having to tell the
"old" myths as they happen, and not in advance.
Add some gay romances and sex which serves no purpose to the story
except for allowing the author to put in a shaggy dog story where he
alludes to the word "fairy". Hur, hur. Oh, and the "Vellum" -- a book
you can get lost in, and which loses its importance after the first
couple of chapters.
All in all, this one is a D. YMMV.
Charles Stross: Saturn's Children
Stross is an old afp'er, so I'll be gentle. This is a space farce that
belongs in the pulp era, and not the aughties. Robots have taken over
the solar system, and humans are extinct (from boredom). The
protagonist is a "female" sex robot who gets dumped into a plot thinner
than the drinks at Chili's. Don't let "sex robot" scare you -- there's
almost no sex to speak of, except what the publisher probably demanded.
What the publisher SHOULD have demanded is the head of the lady who
picked fonts for this book. It's so fancy that it doesn't work. It's
unreadable in low light, due to the extremely thin lines. A reoccurring
name in the book is name "Rhea", but due to the fanciness and lack of
kerning of the font, it reads as "R hea". Which you're willing to
overlook the first few times, but after a while, you want to commit
atrocious acts to this "designer" (at least she didn't call herself
typographer) involving bamboo sticks and phosphorus. Anyhow, pare this
one down to novella length and stick it in an Amazing/Astounding type
magazine, and it'll be a great hit. As a novel, and the presentation of
the novel, no way.
Grade: C. If not for the typography, it would have been a B+.
Neal Stephenson: Anathem (a Novel)
The narrator, Fraa Erasmas is a fid in a mathic concent, who enters the
sæculum at a decenarian apert, when avouts are permitted extramural
peregrination.
And once you've looked up the dictionary entries for all the new (or new
meaning) words for the fiftieth time, you're ready to hit Stephenson
over the head with this 1000 page Gene Wolfe fanfic.
Grade: D. If you haven't read Gene Wolfe's "Litany of the Long Sun" or
have an autistic penchant for maths and circular logic, it may score
higher.
William C. Dietz: Bodyguard
Very predictable space drama about a -- you guessed it. You spot the
"surprises" several chapters before they happen, but at the same time,
that gives you the good feeling of putting on well-worn shoes. It's an
easy read with a Disney ending, and not great literature by any means,
but a decent read nevertheless.
Grade: B
Not a good catch this time, I'm afraid.
Regards,
--
*Art
Regards,
--
*Art
Aggie Angst
{snip}
I'm not even going to admit to what I'm reading right now aside from text
books.
Thanks for the reviews. I'll know what to go past in the shelves.
:)
A ggie
Arthur Hagen
> {snip}
>
> I'm not even going to admit to what I'm reading right now aside from text
> books.
It could always be worse. Once I got stuck on a plane without anything
to read except a paperback a former passenger had left. When leaving
the plane, I felt a perverse desire to exact revenge on innocent
travellers, and left the Nora Roberts novel too.
They confiscate emery boards, pipe bombs and thermonuclear devices, but
allow Nora Roberts. It makes no sense.
> Thanks for the reviews. I'll know what to go past in the shelves.
> :)
>
> A ggie
*grin*
Regards,
--
*Art
Jeff Howell
> On Thu, 2008-10-09 at 21:47 -0500, Aggie Angst wrote:
>> {snip}
>>
>> I'm not even going to admit to what I'm reading right now aside from text
>> books.
>
> It could always be worse. Once I got stuck on a plane without anything
> to read except a paperback a former passenger had left. When leaving
> the plane, I felt a perverse desire to exact revenge on innocent
> travellers, and left the Nora Roberts novel too.
> They confiscate emery boards, pipe bombs and thermonuclear devices, but
> allow Nora Roberts. It makes no sense.
Wouldja believe some people actually *like* her books? I know, it's
crazy...
Oh, and the reviews were helpful too. Not so much so I know to avoid
the books in question, but more that I won't have even *more* books to
add to the list of 'stuff I want to read at some point'.
--
Jeff
Bonzai Kitten
Unsuprisingly, I'm going to disagree with something you've written,
Art, dear. I really liked this one, and I'm certainly not a maths
geek.
>
> William C. Dietz: Bodyguard
> Very predictable space drama about a -- you guessed it. You spot the
> "surprises" several chapters before they happen, but at the same time,
> that gives you the good feeling of putting on well-worn shoes. It's an
> easy read with a Disney ending, and not great literature by any means,
> but a decent read nevertheless.
> Grade: B
And I'm suprised this one got a B!
May I recommend an oldie, but goodie? "Jennifer Government" by Max
Barry. Def good for a lazy afternoon.
Bonzai Kitten
> Arthur Hagen wrote:
> > On Thu, 2008-10-09 at 21:47 -0500, Aggie Angst wrote:
> >> {snip}
>
> >> I'm not even going to admit to what I'm reading right now aside from text
> >> books.
>
> > It could always be worse. Once I got stuck on a plane without anything
> > to read except a paperback a former passenger had left. When leaving
> > the plane, I felt a perverse desire to exact revenge on innocent
> > travellers, and left the Nora Roberts novel too.
> > They confiscate emery boards, pipe bombs and thermonuclear devices, but
> > allow Nora Roberts. It makes no sense.
>
> Wouldja believe some people actually *like* her books? I know, it's
> crazy...
Who?
Jeff Howell
<shrug>
Dunno, but she's had a ridiculously large number of New York Times
bestsellers... so clearly someone's reading (or at least buying) them.
--
Jeff
GaryN
news:1223562742.2...@fairy.broomstick.com:
"House Of Suns" by Alastair Reynolds
New hardback - good if you're into hard SF. Not set in the same
universe as things like "Revelation Space" and "Absolution Gap" (that's
for those who've read his previous books)
Proposition and ideas are from an old, old tradition. The perspective
and writing can be somewhat awkward to follow as the first person
narrative switching between first persons can be awkward.
gary
--
Good Looking Women don't cook - someone buys them lunch!
Arthur Hagen
> On Oct 10, 1:32 am, Arthur Hagen <a...@broomstick.com> wrote:
> >
> > Neal Stephenson: Anathem (a Novel)
> > The narrator, Fraa Erasmas is a fid in a mathic concent, who enters the
> > sæculum at a decenarian apert, when avouts are permitted extramural
> > peregrination.
> > And once you've looked up the dictionary entries for all the new (or new
> > meaning) words for the fiftieth time, you're ready to hit Stephenson
> > over the head with this 1000 page Gene Wolfe fanfic.
> > Grade: D. If you haven't read Gene Wolfe's "Litany of the Long Sun" or
> > have an autistic penchant for maths and circular logic, it may score
> > higher.
>
> Unsuprisingly, I'm going to disagree with something you've written,
> Art, dear. I really liked this one, and I'm certainly not a maths
> geek.
Ah, but have you read Gene Wolfe's The Book of the Long Sun?
The avout Fraa Erasmas bears more than a coincidental resemblance to the
augur Patera Silk, and the whole style of telling is similar too. And
the religion vs. state conflict, and how to achieve a stable religion
that outlasts governments. Not to mention the heavy use of invented or
modified words, which even hold the same meaning in two books (avout =
augur, Fraa = Patera, Suur = Matera, Arbre = Whorl, Math = Manteion, and
so on...)
And honestly, Wolfe was not just first, but is the better writer.
> > William C. Dietz: Bodyguard
> > Very predictable space drama about a -- you guessed it. You spot the
> > "surprises" several chapters before they happen, but at the same time,
> > that gives you the good feeling of putting on well-worn shoes. It's an
> > easy read with a Disney ending, and not great literature by any means,
> > but a decent read nevertheless.
> > Grade: B
>
> And I'm suprised this one got a B!
Sometimes you want an easy read. Sometimes you want a B-movie. :-)
> May I recommend an oldie, but goodie? "Jennifer Government" by Max
> Barry. Def good for a lazy afternoon.
Noted!
Regards,
--
*Art
Eric Jarvis
40c6fc...@v16g2000prc.googlegroups.com>, The.Bonz...@gmail.com
says...
>
> May I recommend an oldie, but goodie? "Jennifer Government" by Max
> Barry. Def good for a lazy afternoon.
>
I'll second that recommendation. Hugely entertaining as well as
containing some nice ideas.
--
eric
Live fast, die only if strictly necessary.
Rocky Frisco
"Literary terrorism"
I like that!
-Rock
--
Rocky Frisco
The New York Times is notorious for lying and obfuscation.
-Rock
--
Chris Zakes
*Somebody* has to be buying them, or they wouldn't keep printing them,
kind of like supermarket tabloids. Maybe it's what the Jerry Springer
fans (at least the ones who *can* read) do while waiting for his show
to come on.
-Chris Zakes
Texas
Even a man who is pure in heart
And says his prayers at night
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
And the autumn moon is bright.
Daibhid Ceanaideach
Someone on the comics newsgroups pointed out that every time a Real
Author(TM) writes a comic book, the adverts say "From the New York Times
bestselling author". And it doesn't mean *anything*.
--
Dave
So I looked, and behold, a pale horse.
And the name of him who sat on it was Death.
And the name of the horse was Binky.
CCA
> Even a man who is pure in heart
> And says his prayers at night
> May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
> And the autumn moon is bright.
I've been trying to remember where that's from - could you possibly
refresh my memory? (For some reason I'm thinking of Van Helsing (the
film, that is)...)
CCA
SteveD
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolf_Man_(1941_film)>
-SteveD
Bonzai Kitten
I'll admit, I never finished it. I had to give it back. What I read
was pretty good though. Reminded me a little of Dune.
>
> > > William C. Dietz: Bodyguard
> > > Very predictable space drama about a -- you guessed it. You spot the
> > > "surprises" several chapters before they happen, but at the same time,
> > > that gives you the good feeling of putting on well-worn shoes. It's an
> > > easy read with a Disney ending, and not great literature by any means,
> > > but a decent read nevertheless.
> > > Grade: B
>
> > And I'm suprised this one got a B!
>
> Sometimes you want an easy read. Sometimes you want a B-movie. :-)
(applause)
Chris Zakes
laser caused CCA <sphir...@aol.com> to write:
It was quoted in several of the old Lon Chaney Jr. "Wolfman" movies.
It might have been in "Van Helsing" (I don't remember) but if so, they
were quoting the earlier source.
It's part of my "Halloween" sig lines.
-Chris Zakes
Texas
The Stainless Steel Cat
Jeff Howell <notan...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
I remember hearing on the radio a few years ago that she's the best-selling
living author, certainly in the USA, possibly the world. I suppose the
genre-insensible Joanne has now surpassed her though.
Thinking some more about it, that item may also have talked about the
unfeasibly successful "Left Behind" books.
Cat.
--
Jazz-Loving Soul Mate and Tolerable Frog to CCA
Kaylee, go find that kid who's takin' a dirt-nap with Baby Jesus; we need
us a hood ornament.
Larry Moore
> Thinking some more about it, that item may also have talked about the
> unfeasibly successful "Left Behind" books.
>
> Cat.
I reret to inform you that in an American context, their success
is all-too predictable. In the last survey I heard mentioned,
a quarter of US adults self-describe as 'evangelical'
or 'born-again'.
--
Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of
human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of
circumstances, to choose one's own way. Viktor E. Frankl
Paul Ian Harman
news:gcnjc0$77q$1...@prometheus.acsu.buffalo.edu...
> Arthur Hagen wrote:
>> They confiscate emery boards, pipe bombs and thermonuclear devices, but
>> allow Nora Roberts. It makes no sense.
>
> Wouldja believe some people actually *like* her books? I know, it's
> crazy...
I like her alter ego, JD Robb.
Paul
Jeff Howell
> Jeff Howell wrote:
>> Bonzai Kitten wrote:
>>> On Oct 10, 11:55 pm, Jeff Howell <notanem...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>> Wouldja believe some people actually *like* her books? I know, it's
>>>> crazy...
>>>
>>> Who?
>>
>> <shrug>
>>
>> Dunno, but she's had a ridiculously large number of New York Times
>> bestsellers... so clearly someone's reading (or at least buying) them.
>
> The New York Times is notorious for lying and obfuscation.
I suspect on something as easily verifiable as book sales there'd be
rather little point to lying or obfuscating. And anyway, as someone who
has worked in bookstores in the US in the past, I can attest to her
popularity. I can't *explain* it, but that's not really the point.
--
Jeff
Bonzai Kitten
wrote:
> On 2008-10-12, The Stainless Steel Cat <steel...@atuin.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > Thinking some more about it, that item may also have talked about the
> > unfeasibly successful "Left Behind" books.
>
> > Cat.
>
> I reret to inform you that in an American context, their success
> is all-too predictable. In the last survey I heard mentioned,
> a quarter of US adults self-describe as 'evangelical'
> or 'born-again'.
>
AHHHH! Now *THAT* explains the new Anne Rice!
Rocky Frisco
> On 2008-10-12, The Stainless Steel Cat <stee...@atuin.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>> Thinking some more about it, that item may also have talked about the
>> unfeasibly successful "Left Behind" books.
>>
>> Cat.
>
> I reret to inform you that in an American context, their success
> is all-too predictable. In the last survey I heard mentioned,
> a quarter of US adults self-describe as 'evangelical'
> or 'born-again'.
In other words, self-deluded hypocrites.
http://www.you-are-not-saved.com/
-Rock
--
Rocky Frisco
Harry Potter outsold Discworld, too. I think I can explain it:
Humans tend to be shallow and lost.
-Rock
--
Catja Pafort
Avert!
The scary thing is that they're among us, too.
I've run into my local evangelists last week. Had no idea they were
there (which hopefully means they're not too successful), but eek.
Catja
--
writing blog @ http://beyond-elechan.livejournal.com
Larry Moore
> I've run into my local evangelists last week. Had no idea they were
> there (which hopefully means they're not too successful), but eek.
>
> Catja
>
Everywhere there is oxygen, there is the True Believer
Be gentle with them for they are damaged.
--
"A mouse is a device used to point at the xterm you want to type in."
Kim Alm, a.s.r