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Cassie - Sci Fi Reading list please

I got quite tired of Consider Phlebas, but I did like how it ended.

It was refreshing for a novel to show that hard work and determination can still turn to shit in the end.

I've read a few reviews saying that for a Culture book, this really isn't a very good introduction to them, so I'll try another in the series at some point.

Now I'm reading Nightmares and Dreamscapes, one of Stephen King's short story books. It's the first time I've read any of his stuff and so far I'm really enjoying it!
 
I love Stephen King, he has a really bizarre imagination and an easy to read style that kinda lets you get all sucked into his stories. I especially love The Dark Tower series, which lots of people started to hate towards the end, but I couldn't get enough of it.
 
I think Use Of Weapons was the Culture book I read. And another one. Can't Remember. The Bridge was good too, if you're interested in Iain Banks without the M.
 
I have had to order Way of Kings Part 1 from Amazon as I got Part 2 from the Library. This is a very boring anecdote.

Anyway - I will try and catch up Wacky.

(Player of Games is the best Culture introduction book)
 
I hate recommending things, especially really long things, because I know people have real lives and I don't want them wasting like 3% of their life reading something I recommended that they might not like.
 
Don't worry, if I don't like it there will only be a small poster campaign in Central Glasgow about how much I hate you. It will be very low key, mainly buses and bus shelters.
 
Something a bit like this
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If you rip down ALEX SALMOND'S FACE POSTERS to replace them wtih that, then I approve! (I don't know if there's posters of Alex Salmond's face all over the city really, I'm just imagining it.)
 
Last week I finished reading Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, which was very good on the whole. I can't say I had to go around my flat checking for monsters before going to bed, but the stories certainly stirred the imagination and were very readable. The only one I just couldn't get through was a non-fiction piece he'd written about his son's baseball team. I'm sure it was very well written, but there was so much jargon I would've needed to sit with Wikipedia open just to understand what was going on. Not King's fault, though.

I also started and finished reading Anthony Horowitz's "The House of Silk", which was the first officially authorised Sherlock Holmes book written by someone other than Sir ACD (incidentally, Horowitz's second Holmes novel was released this week, titled Moriarty. Can't imagine what it's about.).

Anyway, he's previously written (maybe even created - not sure) Midsomer Murders, so he knows his way around a mystery, and he managed to capture Conan Doyle's style pretty well. He uses "singular" often, has a character point out that Watson loves Holmes more than his wife, and writes a brilliant Sherlock/Mycroft scene that could've been lifted straight from an original. The only main flaw is when he has Watson describe a historical detail, like what a landau cab is. That's when you're reminded you're not reading something written a hundred years ago.

I still prefer Wacky's stories, though. :)

Currently reading Iain Banks' The Wasp Factory, which weirdly I'm finding a lot easier reading than Consider Phlebas. Frank's strangely endearing, for a serial killer.
 
What makes this book officially authorised over any of the other Holmes stories from other authors? ACD's estate, I assume? Did they approve of his use of "singular"?
 
Yeah, it was the estate. This guy's also written official Tintin and official 007 books. Heard him talking about it on the radio and he said they basically gave him free reign to write whatever he liked, which is odd if they've been so particular about who writes it. They approved his use of "singular" and whole lot more! The story's much darker than any of the other plots I can think of. I couldn't really say why without spoilers, but it's an unsettling subject.
 
MAYBE I'LL READ IT SOMETIME but I still haven't read the Nicholas Meyer book I can't even remember the name of now.
 
Started reading Ben Bova's Colony the other day. Got it for free at a scifi con a while ago, so have no idea how it ranks alongside his other work, but I'm really enjoying it so far. It deals with the overpopulation of Earth and the construction of a colony to house the elite of multinational companies. Reminds me a little of the latter stages of the Mars trilogy, but without the science or politics porn. Bit of a page turner.

Has anyone read any other Ben Bova books? Defo interested in reading more.
 
I have not but I'll keep it on my MENTAL LIST.

I'm still reading book 2 of the Stormlight Archives (it's really long!) I may have read some shorter things on and off at times too.
 
Cassie I said to myself "OKAY I'LL DEFINITELY BUY SNOW CRASH ON KINDLE TODAY" but then when I went to I looked at the reviews and remembered the reason I didn't: the Kindle version is supposed to be badly formatted and lots of people were marking it down. So I'll buy it when I next buy paper books (which isn't very often at the moment) OKAY?

I can't remember what the other Neal Stephenson book was you mentioned...
 
It's The Diamond Age. It's set in the same universe as Snow Crash but the stories are completely different.
 
OMG IT'S A CONSPIRACY :rwmad:

If you'd get an ipad I could send you the copies I have lol GET ONE YOU MOFO
 
Forgot to mention I was reading Jurassic Park (much darker and grislier than the movie - beginning with a baby's face being eaten), and have now moved on to The Lost World. I always liked the movie even if it wasn't as good as the first, but I'm not so sure about the book. Michael Crichton really couldn't write children, so he made them all Wesley Crushers who talk exactly like adults, and ask lots of the readers questions for them. Still, dinosaur porn is dinosaur porn and its sufficiently different from the movie that it still has surprises.
 
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