Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[ficbot]

Almost done Just After Sunset by Stephen King. It's very good. Some nice stuff in my Fictionwise TBR pile.

[lilac_jive]

I'm just about done with "I Kissed an Earl" by Julie Ann Long and halfway through "The Mummy Case" by Elizabeth Peters.

[nomesque]

Parable of the Forgotten, by Simon Fenn. He's a fellow Aussie indie I ran into over on KindleBoards. Think - Trainspotting + mental illness + murder mystery + a lot more drugs and some bourbon. So far it's fantastic. I can see how "not for everyone" would be a slight underexaggeration, but it's pulled me in and made me laugh, too. Black humour, in case you couldn't guess It's the sort of 'gritty', 'realistic' book that many would attempt, and very few actually do well.

[jgaiser]

Finished "Shards of Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold this afternoon.

I'm highly conflicted by this book. For heaven's sake, it's a romance novel in outer space and I don't read romance novels. But the writing is terrific and I actually enjoyed it. Will read "Barrayar" before I make my mind if I will continue with her novels.

[glowhappy]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Finished "Shards of Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold this afternoon.

I'm highly conflicted by this book. For heaven's sake, it's a romance novel in outer space and I don't read romance novels. But the writing is terrific and I actually enjoyed it. Will read "Barrayar" before I make my mind if I will continue with her novels.

Is it more romance then Science Fiction? I'd prefer it if it were the other way around. If its well-written then I'm interested.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by glowhappy

Is it more romance then Science Fiction? I'd prefer it if it were the other way around. If its well-written then I'm interested.

Bujold's work is really good. Even the books where a relationship is central (like Shards of Honor) are nothing like 'real' romance novels, in which the whole setting of the novel is nothing but a backdrop to the relationship. In Bujold's work, the rest of the story is integral to the romance, and equally important.

Not all her books include a romance plot. If straight Science Fiction is more your thing, then perhaps start with the first written of the series (rather than the chronologically first), which is The Warrior's Apprentice, available in a omnibus with the second in the series and a short story as Young Miles for $5.

Although Shards of Honor and Barrayar and also a good place to start, and are also available in an omnibus, Cordelia's Honor, also for $5.

Umm... I think it's fair to say that I really like Lois McMaster Bujold's books.

[WT Sharpe]

(Cross-posted today in part to an older thread)

I'm currently reading White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke by MobileRead member Paul Clayton. I'm almost finished now and it's really spellbinding; but one thing surprised the heck out of me, and I can only assume it's a misprint (unless Paul Clayton works for DC comics).

In chapter 34 of my Kindle edition, I discovered the following curiosity:

.....Captain Stafford had Superman signal the charge on his trumpet and they raced into the square.

Superman???

Maybe The Man of Steel rescues the Lost Colony in the final chapter by flying around the Earth faster than light in a counter-clockwise direction and changing history!

Seriously, though; White Seed is a wonderful and imaginative retelling of the true-life mystery, and I highly recommend it.

And no, Superman—except for that one obvious misprint—isn't one of the characters.

[edbro]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

(Cross-posted today in part to an older thread)

I'm currently reading White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke by MobileRead member Paul Clayton.

Is it Fiction or NF?

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by edbro

Is it Fiction or NF?

It's a fictional account. To this day, no one really knows what became of the lost colony, but there are many theories. Clayton's novel is very engaging, and his characters are well-fleshed out.

This thread is quite old, but has more information on his novel, if you're interested:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ht=lost+colony

[roger the rabbit]

Just finished *Risen*, after enjoying the free short stories. - from MR member Jan Strnad.

See this post for link. and info

An excellent, interesting and entertaining read, a chilling creepy story reminiscent of Stephen King's early days, solid 4 stars from me. Well worth the read.

[neilmarr]

With you, Roger. *Risen* has been plugged in a genre I normally wouldn't look at twice, but Jan has spun a very different kind of 'zombie' tale here. Utterly realistic and with intriguing story lines and solid characters so often absent from books pigeon-holed as 'horror'. A terrific read. Cheers. Neil

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

F&SF, July-August 2010 by Spilogate, Inc. F&SF has moved to six bigger issues a year - falling circulation and rising postage costs. Perhaps ebooks will save the magazines, if they actually start offering direct ebook subscriptions.

I must admit to finding the bigger magazines not as enjoyable. They're putting in two columns of book reviews, etc.

I did like some of the stories. 'The Tale of Nameless Chameleon' was good — I enjoyed the pseudo-ancient-China. I really disliked the Novelet, 'The Revel'. I just hated the style of writing in it.

I did give up my sub to F&SF a few years back, and then restarted. I'm not sure I'll subscribe again once by current sub finishes. And I especially won't if there's no good way to subscribe, not that Fictionwise no longer offers subscriptions!

Next I read Destroyer of Worlds by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner. This continues the story they started in Fleet of Worlds, and although one story arc is completed, they can't resist adding an 'epilogue' setting up for the next in the series — Betrayer of Worlds. And I find I've missed one, Juggler of Worlds that I'll now have to see if I can find, as it's no longer on sale at Fictionwise.

And it's no longer on sale anywhere where I can buy it. Sigh...

So: next up, Soothsayer by Mike Resnick. It sounds fun, and it's been on my TBR pile since December 2005!

[Trebro]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

(Cross-posted today in part to an older thread)

I'm currently reading White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke by MobileRead member Paul Clayton. I'm almost finished now and it's really spellbinding; but one thing surprised the heck out of me, and I can only assume it's a misprint (unless Paul Clayton works for DC comics).

Seriously, though; White Seed is a wonderful and imaginative retelling of the true-life mystery, and I highly recommend it.

Picked this up on your recommendation. Might be awhile till I read it, though.

I'm still picking through American Gods. Not sure I'll love it, but it's not bad. I love the concept, not as sure about the execution. We'll see!

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Trebro

Picked this up on your recommendation. Might be awhile till I read it, though.

I'm still picking through American Gods. Not sure I'll love it, but it's not bad. I love the concept, not as sure about the execution. We'll see!

Would be interesting to read your impression of it in the AG discussion thread.

[carld]

Finished: 2184 a interesting look at a future world dominated by mankind's genetically engineered descendants. A dark story in a lots of ways, but a good read.

Currently reading: Dark and Stormy Knights, an urban fantasy collection that I mainly bought for the Jim Butcher story, but am enjoying for the other stories too. They're are a mixed bag, as usual, but lots of entertainment for the urban fantasy fan.

Next up: Scryer's Gulch, a sort of old west urban fantasy, or Mech, Humans build a colony on a world they wrongly assume is long abandoned, the original inhabitants are back and not happy.

Fixed for bandwidth and to add a bit more information, thanks Ea. And edited for typos.