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

[xg4bx]

Helix by Eric Brown

"Helix is a fast-paced action adventure novel following the plight of four humans when they crashland on what they think is a desolate, ice-bound planet. Daylight brings the discovery that the planet is one of thousands arranged in a vast spiral wound about a central sun. They set off to discover a more habitable, Earth-like world and come across strange races of aliens, and life-threatening perils, on their way."

[jgaiser]

Just finishing up Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China by Paul Theroux. Read it many years ago in paper and for the most parting enjoying the book, though it feels a bit dated (published in 1988). I'd forgotten how snarky he can be.

Still slowly working my way through A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara Tuchman and Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian.

[covingtoncat73]

I'm reading The Hangman's Daughter. I'm 20% in and it is proving to be an excellent historical mystery so far. It is kind of refreshing that it is set in Germany, not Britain. Mostly these types of things are set in Britain. I really loved Ellis Peters' "Cadfael" books but had gone off the genre for some time. However, this book seems to be "sticking."

I finished The Land of Later On. It was alright. I thought The Brief History of the Dead was a better book set in the afterlife but I'm not sorry I read The Land of Later On.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

I'm reading The Hangman's Daughter. I'm 20% in and it is proving to be an excellent historical mystery so far. It is kind of refreshing that it is set in Germany, not Britain. Mostly these types of things are set in Britain. I really loved Ellis Peters' "Cadfael" books but had gone off the genre for some time. However, this book seems to be "sticking."

I finished The Land of Later On. It was alright. I thought The Brief History of the Dead was a better book set in the afterlife but I'm not sorry I read The Land of Later On.

The Hangman's Daughter, quote is from Google Search:

The Hangman's Daughter

The Hangman's Daughter is a novel by The Beggar King. The book gained readership in the United States when it was made part of the AmazonCrossing collection of translated work and offered as an inexpensive Kindle title.

Published: December 7, 2010
Original language: German
Genre: Historical novel

The Hangman's Daughter is on my TBAARE [To Be Acquired And Read Eventually] list along with The Beggar King and The Dark Monk both also in The Hangman's Daughter trilogy.

[carld]

I finished Greg Egan's The Clockwork Rocket. It starts off with a bucolic scene that makes you wonder if it's going to be a light-hearted story about quirky aliens, but before long you're neck deep in theoretical physics in a universe with different physical laws than our own. If you love your science fiction with a big heaping dose of science then this is a series for you. Recommended.

I was impressed enough with The Clockwork Rocket to grab another of Egan's books, Schild's Ladder, from the library.

[Fbone]

After a few duds I will start The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas. The book was originally published in 1996 but only translated into English a couple of years ago. The author (a historian and archeologist) is a 2-time Dagger Award winner. She has written several other books but this is my first with her.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I just finished reading Death of a Citizen by Donald Hamilton which was a good and also a quick read. Happily (IMHO), it was not very much like the Dean Martin series of Matt Helm films from the late 60's.

Now I'm starting to read the next of Dana Stabenow's [the 13th] Kate Shugak book, A Grave Denied.

Wow, what an ending to A Grave Denied! It got me in the mood to continue visiting in Kate's world, so I'm reading the next book in the Kate Shugak series, A Taint in the Blood, #14.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Wow, what an ending to A Grave Denied! It got me in the mood to continue visiting in Kate's world, so I'm reading the next book in the Kate Shugak series, A Taint in the Blood, #14.

I'm a couple of books behind you in my re-read of them. But it's a good place to be reading!

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'm a couple of books behind you in my re-read of them. But it's a good place to be reading!

I agree!

[DiapDealer]

I finished James S. A. Corey's (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck pseudonym) Caliban's War and really enjoyed it (the second in the Expanse series).

I'm getting a bit of a Gap series (Stephen R. Donaldson) vibe from the Expanse series. Not quite as huge, of course, but the political wrangling of the U.N., Mars, and the O.P.A (Outer Planets Alliance) reminds me of the similar wrangling in Donaldson's sprawling scifi epic. Namely the political maneuvering between the United Mining Company, the UMC's personal police force and the Governing Council for Earth and Space (and of course, an alien bogeyman). Basically all the political/legal/logistic issues one would expect when space starts to be commercially exploited and humans start living on nearby "rocks." The difference being that the Expanse utilizes a bit of a goofy/lovable "buddy cop" atmosphere at times (mostly through dialogue) where the Gap series was deadly serious—almost exclusively. And yes... the Gap series did have a "hyper"-drive and some of the pseudo-science baggage that something like that invariably brings to the narrative (that the Expanse series eschews), but it wasn't a galaxy-hopping technology; nor was the pseudo-science behind it mind-numbingly quantum-ish in nature. Humans were still limited to a small corner of the universe just like in the Expanse series.

The Gap series is one of my all-time scifi favorites (modern anyway) ... and the Expanse series seems to be tickling the very same pleasure-centers—even if it is a bit "lighter" (both in heft, scope, and tone). I want more.

I will say that I thought Caliban's War had some minor pacing issues late in the game. Namely the "Wandering in the Wilderness" portion of the narrative. But it didn't trip me up too much—it's not overly long to begin with.

[coderserdar]

gilbert keith chesterton - the trees of pride
Maurice leblanc - arsene lupin in prison
Maurice leblanc - the mysterious railway passenger
Maurice leblanc - the wedding ring
Maurice leblanc - the sign of the shadow
maurice leblanc - the tremendous event

[HomeInMyShoes]

I finished up Sarah Selecky's This Cake is for the Party which was a very good collection of short stories. Very tangible, very moving in places.

Now I'm reading Tom Robbins' Another Roadside Attraction which is funny, wry, satirical and very relevant in places despite being over 40 years old. You have aged well Tom.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Now I'm on "Fortress of Ice". And I find that my previous assessment wasn't quite right. It's the middle three that for one story arc. The first and last are separate. (Although all five fit together naturally.)

Good so far.

Aaarrrggghhhhh!

I thought that this was a finished series. It's not. The last book doesn't end on a cliff-hanger, but it certainly isn't a conclusion.

Looking at publication dates, I see that the first one was published, and then the next three, and after a gap of six years, the fifth one was published in 2006.

Apparently the publisher then dropped the series. There is some hope of a sixth (& more?) books through C J Cherryh's own publishing venture, closed circle. But authors need to eat, and have to spend time on the more profitable books.

Bother!

Apart from that, it was a good book and an interesting series.


Next up: Towards Zero by Agatha Christie. Her 42nd detective fiction book.

[taosaur]

Finished Reamde last night and while I wasn't 100% satisfied with the ending, it was a great ride. I'm actually in between books now, but might start on The Quantum Thief tonight.

[maianhvk]

Well, I started The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern) more than a week ago. It's good enough, but not really a page turner. Only at 50%.

Oh, and I'm reading Tender is the night.