Not a novel, but I'm reading and enjoying Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story right now. The 70s were an... interesting time inside the House of Ideas!
Not a novel, but I'm reading and enjoying Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story right now. The 70s were an... interesting time inside the House of Ideas!
So good, though, since most of the pros from the late 90's-00's are still working the dirt kinda stops coming at a certain point. Fewer stories about LSD trips in San Fransisco and more just the facts style history. I think people were afraid of burning bridges or embarrassing people who they may still have to work with, which is understandable, but I almost wish Howe had stopped at the bankruptcy and saved what followed for a second volume down the line.
I just read the first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript. i enjoyed the heck out of it. That is my 3rd this year i think. the others were Chances and School Days
Not a novel, but I'm reading and enjoying Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story right now. The 70s were an... interesting time inside the House of Ideas!
That was a great read. If you haven't already done so, you should check out an episode the CGS gang did with with Sean Howe about the book back in 2012 ...
I just read the first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript. i enjoyed the heck out of it. That is my 3rd this year i think. the others were Chances and School Days
I find it fascinating how unformed Parker's style and the character of Spenser were in The Godwulf Manuscript.
I just read the first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript. i enjoyed the heck out of it. That is my 3rd this year i think. the others were Chances and School Days
I find it fascinating how unformed Parker's style and the character of Spenser were in The Godwulf Manuscript.
really? I was surprised myself at how consistent it was with the later books in the series i had read first. I expected the first book to be much more dated and dry but Spenser's smartassery (nobody thinks he's funny but him) and his investigating style (keep pushing and poking until somebody comes after you) seem to be there right from the beginning. References to food and drink occur throughout and his trademark stubbornness...The "I only take the cases I want and i work them until I am satisfied even if the person hiring me pulls the plug I have to finish it", sort of obsessive completist mentality was right there.
About 2/3 of the way through the Butcher story in Dangerous Women. I'm really digging it and will likely be heading down that rabbit hole.
Welcome, my friend.
A co-worker dropped off a copy of Stormfront for me. Will give it a spin as soon as I wrap up Dangerous Women. So far I'm enjoying it, but it's a meaty tome.
I just read the first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript. i enjoyed the heck out of it. That is my 3rd this year i think. the others were Chances and School Days
I find it fascinating how unformed Parker's style and the character of Spenser were in The Godwulf Manuscript.
really? I was surprised myself at how consistent it was with the later books in the series i had read first. I expected the first book to be much more dated and dry but Spenser's smartassery (nobody thinks he's funny but him) and his investigating style (keep pushing and poking until somebody comes after you) seem to be there right from the beginning. References to food and drink occur throughout and his trademark stubbornness...The "I only take the cases I want and i work them until I am satisfied even if the person hiring me pulls the plug I have to finish it", sort of obsessive completist mentality was right there.
True, but his ethical code was much fuzzier. He slept with a mother and her daughter, for instance, and generally seemed a bit more thuggish.
When I re-read them all in order a few years back, I was fascinated with how much more civilized he became when his relationship with Susan stabilized. (and how many of his rules he broke when he was trying to get her back)
About 2/3 of the way through the Butcher story in Dangerous Women. I'm really digging it and will likely be heading down that rabbit hole.
Welcome, my friend.
A co-worker dropped off a copy of Stormfront for me. Will give it a spin as soon as I wrap up Dangerous Women. So far I'm enjoying it, but it's a meaty tome.
I need to pick it back up. Still got about half the stories to read.
A co-worker dropped off a copy of Stormfront for me. Will give it a spin as soon as I wrap up Dangerous Women. So far I'm enjoying it, but it's a meaty tome.
I've read the first 3 and really enjoyed them. I've a copy of the 4th on my nook.
I just read the first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript. i enjoyed the heck out of it. That is my 3rd this year i think. the others were Chances and School Days
I find it fascinating how unformed Parker's style and the character of Spenser were in The Godwulf Manuscript.
really? I was surprised myself at how consistent it was with the later books in the series i had read first. I expected the first book to be much more dated and dry but Spenser's smartassery (nobody thinks he's funny but him) and his investigating style (keep pushing and poking until somebody comes after you) seem to be there right from the beginning. References to food and drink occur throughout and his trademark stubbornness...The "I only take the cases I want and i work them until I am satisfied even if the person hiring me pulls the plug I have to finish it", sort of obsessive completist mentality was right there.
True, but his ethical code was much fuzzier. He slept with a mother and her daughter, for instance, and generally seemed a bit more thuggish.
When I re-read them all in order a few years back, I was fascinated with how much more civilized he became when his relationship with Susan stabilized. (and how many of his rules he broke when he was trying to get her back)
I did get a bit of the dirty dog vibe there with the mom and daughter in the same day bit.
No most of the way through Dangerous Women. I was trying to go through it front to back, but hit a point, where I could no longer stall and had to jump back to the GRRM (hi)story. So far, I've only really encountered one or two clunkers. Will post more thoughts about each of the stories later (when I have the book in front of me to jar memories about each story.
Also burned through the first of the Dresden Files books - Storm Front. I enjoyed it far more than I had originally anticipated and will carry on with the series.
No most of the way through Dangerous Women. I was trying to go through it front to back, but hit a point, where I could no longer stall and had to jump back to the GRRM (hi)story. So far, I've only really encountered one or two clunkers. Will post more thoughts about each of the stories later (when I have the book in front of me to jar memories about each story.
Also burned through the first of the Dresden Files books - Storm Front. I enjoyed it far more than I had originally anticipated and will carry on with the series.
Re-listening to Dead Beat, the book in which, for me the Dresden series went from good to freaking amazing.
Reading Wild Tales, a memoir by Graham Nash. Interesting, but he's really kind of a tool.
Just picked up 13 Mongo the Magnificent novels by the late George Chesboro. I'd read one or two as a kid but was never able to find most of them. Turns out they were out of print until being self-published (re-released) by Chesboro & his wife under their imprint Apache Beach Publications. The covers are not nearly as cool as the funky 70's stuff i remember but the stories are still brilliant. and i hear it has been optioned by HBO as a series for Peter Dinkledge
Ok, I'm in the midst of the final offering in the Dangerous Women anthology and it's a WildCards piece so I feel like I'm OK talking about it before I wrap it up. All in all, this is probably what I would consider the weakest of the anthologies that I've picked up for the Martin Ice and Fire stories. I think that that is partially a result of it crossing far more genres but also in part simply because of some of the contributors. Ultimately, I like this kind of volume because it's an opportunity to explore new authors and, many times (at least in the past) be exposed to existing series (Legends was great for that!).
On to the stories:
~Some Desperado - Joe Abercrombie - It's been a long time since I've read any westerns and last time that I did, they were Louis L'amour novels, so having Abercrombie do Old West was kind of fun. I'm a big fan of his First Law books and their follow-ups, so this was an easy way to ease into the fact that, even though this book was being sold out of the SF section at the bookstore, much of it is not SF. Would definitely be willing to pick up Abercrombie westerns.
~My Heart Is Either Broken - Megan Abbott - I'll confess, that I put this book down for a week or so to get caught up on comics and TV and to read a couple of other things. I vaguely remember elements of the story and I don't remember disliking it, but the lack of it standing out, doesn't help my feeling that it wasn't for me.
~Nora's Song - Cecelia Holland - Pretty much straight up historical fiction. I like historical fiction - big fan of Dunnett, O'Brian, Cornwell, Pressfield and others. This one was OK at best. Ultimately, it felt very much like an excerpt of a longer work. I might look at historicals by Holland.
~The Hands that Are Not There - Melinda Snodgrass - a member of the WildCards Consortium and creator of some of my favorite WildCards characters. Turned out to be a pretty fair story in an interesting world. I think that if Snodgrass were to expand upon this world, I'd read more.
~Bombshells - Jim Butcher - I read this one because it was included (obviously) and I'd been hearing much love for Butcher. Didn't think that urban fantasy was my thing. I really enjoyed this story and ended up picking up the first Dresden book as a result. I will read more (and thus the strategy of the anthology has done its bit).
~Raisa Stepanova - Carrie Vaughn - Historical fiction set un the Soviet Union during WWII. Only read Vaughn's WildCards offerings previously. I enjoyed this enough that I would consider coming back for more. I will say that the title character only qualifies for the title of the anthology by being a WWII Russian fighter pilot.
~Wrestling Jesus - Joe R Lansdale - Almost indescribable but a whole lot of fun. I will read more.
~Neighbors - Megan Lindholm - This one was of some interest and used some intriguing twists but was a little flat.
~I Know How To Pick 'Em - Lawrence Block - straight up Femme Fatale noir. It was OK while I was in it, but I'm not sure that I would want to read any more.
~Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell - Brandon Sanderson - Straight up fantasy. Interesting world and concepts. I've liked what I've read from Sanderson in the past and I would read more from this world.
~A Queen in Exile - Sharon Kay Penman - I was moderately intrigued with this as it had so many of the great elements for a historical fiction yarn. Unfortunately, like the Cecelia Holland piece above, it felt like an excerpt and ended up having to be wrapped up with an author's note that expanded upon the overall story, explaining the actual events and then completing the story. Based on the good elements, I might consider more of Penman's work, but based on this, I fear that much of the story will actually get advanced through the footnotes and author's notes / afterward. That worked pretty well for Robert Anton Wilson, but I'm not sure that it would be terribly satisfying here.
~The Girl in the Mirror - Lev Grossman - Sort of an American Harry Potter-verse story. I liked it. Will look for more Grossman.
~Second Arabesque, Very Slowly - Nancy Kress - Post-apocalyptic fiction. Not a terribly original premise, but a generally good story.
~City Lazarus - Diana Rowland - Sort of a genre blend. Overall, I liked this one pretty well.
~Virgins - Diana Gabaldon - Read the Outlander offering from the first Legends anthology and didn't care for it at all. Have skilled her work ever since. Did not read this one either.
~Hell Hath No Fury - Sherrilyn Kenyon - A ghost story. Enjoyed this one a lot.
~Pronouncing Doom - SM Sterling. I've read a number of Sterling's works in the past and really liked many while being ambivalent about a few others. I thought that this was pretty decent and may well pick up more of his Emberverse books.
~Name the Beast - Sam Sykes - Fantasy effort to, I suppose make the point that in most conflicts both sides think that they're doing right. Quickly recognized what was happening and ultimately didn't care.
~Caretakers - Pat Cadigan - Cadigan is also a member of the WildCards consortium and was a significant part of the cyberpunk movement. I did not care for the majority of her contributions to WildCards and, based on those works as well as this, don't think that I'll go out of my way to read anything else of hers. By go out of my way, I mean expend the calories to pick up and open a Cadigan book that was set out in front of me.
~Lies My Mother Told Me - Caroline Spector - A WildCards offering featuring a couple of the newer characters. They're not my favorite WildCards characters, but I'll welcome any change to revisit that world. Overall, this was a pleasant surprise.
~The Princess and the Queen - George RR Martin - Written in the form of an historical account of the Targaryen War of Succession known as the Dance of Dragons. I enjoyed it though from my many previous readings of the main series, I felt like it was missing any detail about the one thing that the original series references with regard to the Dance of Dragons - my recollection was that two of the Kingsguard, the twins Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk, ended up on opposite sides in the war (this is covered in the story) and ended up fighting each other (I don't recall this being addressed, and quite honestly, felt like Arryk and Erryk were really only mentioned in passing and then had their locations and loyalties established before the story moved past them.
Wrapped up the last story from Dangerous Women - Lies My Mother Told Me. It only featured newer WildCards cast members but left me with the realization that I really miss that series and would love to see more of them. Admittedly, I'd love to see more of my favorite characters, but it's such a rich world that I'm good with most of the the new characters as well.
Had a long wait to see my doctor today and read 200 pages of the paperback today. Pretty good. I like the neat little throwaway things that only fans of the comic would pick up on.
Just finished the latest Discworld novel, Raising Steam. I hope it's not the last one, but if it is, it's a great place for them to end.
Now reading The Given Sacrifice, latest of S.M. Stirling's "Change" series. Annoying pacing and kinda repetitive, as the last few have had, but I know it'll get exciting eventually.
Comments
So good, though, since most of the pros from the late 90's-00's are still working the dirt kinda stops coming at a certain point. Fewer stories about LSD trips in San Fransisco and more just the facts style history. I think people were afraid of burning bridges or embarrassing people who they may still have to work with, which is understandable, but I almost wish Howe had stopped at the bankruptcy and saved what followed for a second volume down the line.
http://www.comicgeekspeak.com/episodes/comic_geek_speak-1596.php
When I re-read them all in order a few years back, I was fascinated with how much more civilized he became when his relationship with Susan stabilized. (and how many of his rules he broke when he was trying to get her back)
It's a huge, deep exercise in world-building, but the stories themselves are kind of a slog.
Definitely lacking the Pratchett magic.
Also burned through the first of the Dresden Files books - Storm Front. I enjoyed it far more than I had originally anticipated and will carry on with the series.
Reading Wild Tales, a memoir by Graham Nash. Interesting, but he's really kind of a tool.
On to the stories:
~Some Desperado - Joe Abercrombie - It's been a long time since I've read any westerns and last time that I did, they were Louis L'amour novels, so having Abercrombie do Old West was kind of fun. I'm a big fan of his First Law books and their follow-ups, so this was an easy way to ease into the fact that, even though this book was being sold out of the SF section at the bookstore, much of it is not SF. Would definitely be willing to pick up Abercrombie westerns.
~My Heart Is Either Broken - Megan Abbott - I'll confess, that I put this book down for a week or so to get caught up on comics and TV and to read a couple of other things. I vaguely remember elements of the story and I don't remember disliking it, but the lack of it standing out, doesn't help my feeling that it wasn't for me.
~Nora's Song - Cecelia Holland - Pretty much straight up historical fiction. I like historical fiction - big fan of Dunnett, O'Brian, Cornwell, Pressfield and others. This one was OK at best. Ultimately, it felt very much like an excerpt of a longer work. I might look at historicals by Holland.
~The Hands that Are Not There - Melinda Snodgrass - a member of the WildCards Consortium and creator of some of my favorite WildCards characters. Turned out to be a pretty fair story in an interesting world. I think that if Snodgrass were to expand upon this world, I'd read more.
~Bombshells - Jim Butcher - I read this one because it was included (obviously) and I'd been hearing much love for Butcher. Didn't think that urban fantasy was my thing. I really enjoyed this story and ended up picking up the first Dresden book as a result. I will read more (and thus the strategy of the anthology has done its bit).
~Raisa Stepanova - Carrie Vaughn - Historical fiction set un the Soviet Union during WWII. Only read Vaughn's WildCards offerings previously. I enjoyed this enough that I would consider coming back for more. I will say that the title character only qualifies for the title of the anthology by being a WWII Russian fighter pilot.
~Wrestling Jesus - Joe R Lansdale - Almost indescribable but a whole lot of fun. I will read more.
~Neighbors - Megan Lindholm - This one was of some interest and used some intriguing twists but was a little flat.
~I Know How To Pick 'Em - Lawrence Block - straight up Femme Fatale noir. It was OK while I was in it, but I'm not sure that I would want to read any more.
~Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell - Brandon Sanderson - Straight up fantasy. Interesting world and concepts. I've liked what I've read from Sanderson in the past and I would read more from this world.
~A Queen in Exile - Sharon Kay Penman - I was moderately intrigued with this as it had so many of the great elements for a historical fiction yarn. Unfortunately, like the Cecelia Holland piece above, it felt like an excerpt and ended up having to be wrapped up with an author's note that expanded upon the overall story, explaining the actual events and then completing the story. Based on the good elements, I might consider more of Penman's work, but based on this, I fear that much of the story will actually get advanced through the footnotes and author's notes / afterward. That worked pretty well for Robert Anton Wilson, but I'm not sure that it would be terribly satisfying here.
~The Girl in the Mirror - Lev Grossman - Sort of an American Harry Potter-verse story. I liked it. Will look for more Grossman.
~Second Arabesque, Very Slowly - Nancy Kress - Post-apocalyptic fiction. Not a terribly original premise, but a generally good story.
~City Lazarus - Diana Rowland - Sort of a genre blend. Overall, I liked this one pretty well.
~Virgins - Diana Gabaldon - Read the Outlander offering from the first Legends anthology and didn't care for it at all. Have skilled her work ever since. Did not read this one either.
~Hell Hath No Fury - Sherrilyn Kenyon - A ghost story. Enjoyed this one a lot.
~Pronouncing Doom - SM Sterling. I've read a number of Sterling's works in the past and really liked many while being ambivalent about a few others. I thought that this was pretty decent and may well pick up more of his Emberverse books.
~Name the Beast - Sam Sykes - Fantasy effort to, I suppose make the point that in most conflicts both sides think that they're doing right. Quickly recognized what was happening and ultimately didn't care.
~Caretakers - Pat Cadigan - Cadigan is also a member of the WildCards consortium and was a significant part of the cyberpunk movement. I did not care for the majority of her contributions to WildCards and, based on those works as well as this, don't think that I'll go out of my way to read anything else of hers. By go out of my way, I mean expend the calories to pick up and open a Cadigan book that was set out in front of me.
~Lies My Mother Told Me - Caroline Spector - A WildCards offering featuring a couple of the newer characters. They're not my favorite WildCards characters, but I'll welcome any change to revisit that world. Overall, this was a pleasant surprise.
~The Princess and the Queen - George RR Martin - Written in the form of an historical account of the Targaryen War of Succession known as the Dance of Dragons. I enjoyed it though from my many previous readings of the main series, I felt like it was missing any detail about the one thing that the original series references with regard to the Dance of Dragons - my recollection was that two of the Kingsguard, the twins Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk, ended up on opposite sides in the war (this is covered in the story) and ended up fighting each other (I don't recall this being addressed, and quite honestly, felt like Arryk and Erryk were really only mentioned in passing and then had their locations and loyalties established before the story moved past them.
HIGHLY.
Much more adult than the Potter books.
The teacher in the short story is the protagonist of the novels.
Had a long wait to see my doctor today and read 200 pages of the paperback today. Pretty good. I like the neat little throwaway things that only fans of the comic would pick up on.
Now I'm reading One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak (yeah, from the Office). It is really good so far.
I'm also listening to the Lonesome Dove Audio Book by Larry McMurtry. Lonesome Dove is one of my desert Island books.
Now reading The Given Sacrifice, latest of S.M. Stirling's "Change" series. Annoying pacing and kinda repetitive, as the last few have had, but I know it'll get exciting eventually.