Now reading

Dave Michuda · May 31, 2008, 08:21:56 PM

Mike,

I loved Spin. Like you said, great from start to finish. I have Axis, the sequel, on order.

I also just finished another book by Robert Charles Wilson, Blind Lake. Another excellent book. Maybe not quite as good as Spin but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

mgriffin · June 02, 2008, 11:11:52 AM

Right after I finished Spin, I picked up Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson, but it started out so similar to Spin that it felt like it had been made from the same template -- not that I won't read Darwinia at some point, just that I didn't feel like reading another so-similar book right away.

Both books could be described as starting with a strange, globe-spanning anomalous event that immediately shift the way that every human being on earth views their world. The events are observed by a young teen-aged boy who is the protagonist, and who goes on to be somewhat involved in the exploration of "the anomaly" -- as the boy grows up, we learn more about the events that changed the world.

I know the story is different in significant ways from Spin, so I'll get back to it.

Dave Michuda · June 02, 2008, 08:45:59 PM

Blind Lake sort of follows that same format as well. In this case it's a wildly fantastic technology that has already been developed when the book starts. There is a young kid who is a central character. Similar format, but I definitely enjoyed the book. Axis will be here on Thursday. :)

Just started Line of Polity by Neal Asher, a sequel to the excellent sci fi novel, Gridlinked.
http://www.amazon.com/Line-Polity-Neal-Asher/dp/0330484354/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212464791&sr=8-1

mgriffin · June 17, 2008, 02:42:42 PM

Has anybody here read The Dark Tower by Stephen King?

I had sort of given up on Stephen King some years ago, after being a big fan of his work through my teens, and maybe early twenties. He started to go haywire a bit, in my opinion, around The Tommyknockers.

I've never bothered with The Dark Tower before, despite having been recommended the series many times, until recently my fabulous wife finished the series and assured me that it was very different from King's other work. So, I'm part of the way into book 3, and I would have to agree. There are times in these books when I'm aware of some of the weaknesses of Stephen King as a writer, but overall they're more serious, abstract and bizarre (in a dreamy, metaphysical way, not in a horror story way) than I'd have expected.

Now that I'm into this series I've done a little investigating about it and there seem to be a lot of extremely devoted fans of the series. I've tried to avoid spoilers but I gather that generally people feel this is King's big "epic," with mythic elements and an over-arching set of themes that occasionally cross over into his previous works, and even touch upon events in the author's real life.

I wonder if anyone here on the Hypnos Forum has any thoughts on The Dark Tower, or has enjoyed reading it in the past.

SiF · June 18, 2008, 07:10:46 AM

Quote from: mgriffin on June 17, 2008, 02:42:42 PM
Has anybody here read The Dark Tower by Stephen King?

I had sort of given up on Stephen King some years ago, after being a big fan of his work through my teens, and maybe early twenties. He started to go haywire a bit, in my opinion, around The Tommyknockers.

I've never bothered with The Dark Tower before, despite having been recommended the series many times, until recently my fabulous wife finished the series and assured me that it was very different from King's other work. So, I'm part of the way into book 3, and I would have to agree. There are times in these books when I'm aware of some of the weaknesses of Stephen King as a writer, but overall they're more serious, abstract and bizarre (in a dreamy, metaphysical way, not in a horror story way) than I'd have expected.

Now that I'm into this series I've done a little investigating about it and there seem to be a lot of extremely devoted fans of the series. I've tried to avoid spoilers but I gather that generally people feel this is King's big "epic," with mythic elements and an over-arching set of themes that occasionally cross over into his previous works, and even touch upon events in the author's real life.

I wonder if anyone here on the Hypnos Forum has any thoughts on The Dark Tower, or has enjoyed reading it in the past.

I love The Dark Tower Saga. Almost done with the last book.
Wonderful story. But i have to say that i read it in german.

Snee · June 18, 2008, 01:33:56 PM

Quote from: mgriffin on June 17, 2008, 02:42:42 PM
Has anybody here read The Dark Tower by Stephen King?

I had sort of given up on Stephen King some years ago, after being a big fan of his work through my teens, and maybe early twenties. He started to go haywire a bit, in my opinion, around The Tommyknockers.

I've never bothered with The Dark Tower before, despite having been recommended the series many times, until recently my fabulous wife finished the series and assured me that it was very different from King's other work. So, I'm part of the way into book 3, and I would have to agree. There are times in these books when I'm aware of some of the weaknesses of Stephen King as a writer, but overall they're more serious, abstract and bizarre (in a dreamy, metaphysical way, not in a horror story way) than I'd have expected.

Now that I'm into this series I've done a little investigating about it and there seem to be a lot of extremely devoted fans of the series. I've tried to avoid spoilers but I gather that generally people feel this is King's big "epic," with mythic elements and an over-arching set of themes that occasionally cross over into his previous works, and even touch upon events in the author's real life.

I wonder if anyone here on the Hypnos Forum has any thoughts on The Dark Tower, or has enjoyed reading it in the past.

The series is my favorite of all of his work."The Drawing of the Three" is my favorite book of the series.
Currently reading;
Coffin County by Gary Braunbeck.

mgriffin · July 07, 2008, 10:34:59 AM

I almost created a new topic for this, but I doubt most people would know who it was about, so seeing that there's been a lot of science fiction discussion in THIS topic, I'll mention that I just read about the passing of Thomas Disch.

He was the author of one of my all-time favorite science fiction novels, Camp Concentration, though my forays into his other work (334, On Wings of Song) were not quite as satisfactory. Apparently he had been having personal problems, and his long-time partner had died a few years ago, and he just decided to take his own life.

mgriffin · July 07, 2008, 10:36:05 AM

Oh, and...

I'm currently reading a history of Apple Computer (kind of boring actually), and also listening to the audiobook of Dark Tower book 4, Wizards and Glass, which seems pretty good so far.

jkn · July 07, 2008, 11:33:16 AM

I picked up William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties right before surgery - didn't feel like starting it until recently. It's good - very typically Gibson. You either like him or you don't - I like him. :)

Antdude · July 07, 2008, 11:44:42 AM

Quicksilver - Neal Stephenson Volume 1 of the Baroque Saga. I wonder what I've gotten myself into....

And if you're interested in some good books on the computer industry, I'd recommend Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely or The Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll. Both are entertaining, accessible books that show the very human side of technology and how it's evolved over the last 20 years.

deepspace · July 30, 2008, 05:37:18 AM

I LOVED The first Dark Tower "The Gunslinger" It was so....empty, eeirie and quiet. As if King captured the silence in an art movie, and transferred it perfectly onto the page. I'm not into King's other material much, but this first little book stayed with me for a long time. It was like a road movie through an empty landscape. So cool. For some reason I didn't keep reading the other books- but I think I'm going to go out and read it again, then keep going this time. Thanks for the reminder.

mgriffin · July 31, 2008, 01:09:50 PM

I'm still enjoying The Dark Tower very much, and I'm on book 4 now. It's certainly a departure for Stephen King, and I would say it's more substantial by far than his other work.

Right now I'm reading the debut novel by King's son, Joe Hill (real name Joseph Hillstrom King), Heart Shaped Box. This is a very well-written, atmospheric ghost story, and I really love the idea of Stephen King's son getting started as a horror writer without piggy-backing on his dad's identity, succeeding on his own merits. Of course NOW we all know that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, which makes us see him in a somewhat different light. I don't know anything Stephen King has written in a very long time that's as good as Heart Shaped Box.

Bebbo · August 02, 2008, 01:27:26 AM

I've just had a thing for horror and read Dead Sea by Brian Keene (in some ways the ultimate zombie story) and The Ruins by Scott Smith (good story but FAR too long). I'm also reading Endymion by Dan Simmons which is the third book in the Hyperion series, it's good but weird Sci-Fi. Have started but left lying around for a while This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin and Moby Dick.

mgriffin · August 05, 2008, 03:01:26 PM

Quote from: Bebbo on August 02, 2008, 01:27:26 AM
I've just had a thing for horror and read Dead Sea by Brian Keene (in some ways the ultimate zombie story) and The Ruins by Scott Smith (good story but FAR too long). I'm also reading Endymion by Dan Simmons which is the third book in the Hyperion series, it's good but weird Sci-Fi. Have started but left lying around for a while This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin and Moby Dick.

The movie of The Ruins was actually quite good -- and I think Scott Smith wrote the screenplay for the film as well. Lena and I both found the film effectively creepy, and it's so great to see a horror film that avoids the usual stupid cliches... such a cliche-ridden genre usually, unfortunately.

Dave Michuda · August 05, 2008, 09:10:49 PM

Recent reads...

Axis by Robert Charles Wilson - the sequel to Spin. Good, but not as good as Spin(which I loved).
Reflex by Steven Gould - the sequel to Jumper. Like Axis, this was good but not nearly as good as Jumper(which I loved).
Brass Man by Neal Asher - another quality book from Asher that takes place in his Polity universe. There are now a ton of books that take place in that universe, looks like I've got a lot of reading to do.
Scardown by Elizabeth Bear - another sequel, the first was Hammered, the next is Worldwired. I've read several books by Elizabeth Bear & these are fairly straight forward sci-fi, with good characters & a good story. Undertow by Bear was nomintated for a few awards last year and is a worthwhile read.

I'm just starting Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson and am finally getting around to reading Watchmen.

mgriffin · August 06, 2008, 03:59:48 PM

I'm 10 issues through The Watchmen, planning to finish the rest this weekend.

I'm reading A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton, because Lena had just read it and said it was worth reading, and my mom always loved those books, and I'm so supremely confident in my masculinity that reading a "girl mystery" is no problem. I could read a Nancy Drew book, no problem!

I'm at the very end of the audiobook version of the Joe Hill (son of Stephen King) novel, Heart Shaped Box, and I thought it was great. Not a single bad thing I can say about it, other than if you don't like ghost stories, well... this is a ghost story!

Next up on the audiobook front, Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. I've heard this one recommended before, and Lena says I absolutely MUST read it, and I do whatever she says I should do.

Next "real, paper book" read will probably be Infinite in All Directions by Freeman Dyson.

Wayne Higgins · August 07, 2008, 07:40:17 AM

rereading (I gave my copy away a few years ago and never got it back)
Jim Marrs "Alien Agenda"

SunDummy · August 07, 2008, 01:00:25 PM

Just finished "Emergency Sex", a truly disturbing look at what it was like to work for the UN in the 90's, when Cambodia, Somalia, and Uganda all exploded in violence. A great read, not for the faint of heart.

Kaarinen · August 08, 2008, 06:00:14 PM

Spaces Speak, Are You Listening? Experiencing Aural Architecture (by Barry Blesser & Linda-Ruth Salter). This is a book that should be of interest to quite a few people here as well, since it's got a lot to do with reverbation and the way we experience space around us. Ambient is, after all, music that often takes place in a quite unique, virtual acoustic environment (e.g. a lush reverb a gazillion seconds long!). The book's been very good so far, although the sharpness of analysis seems far duller on the historical/cultural studies side of the equation (the opposite being that of acoustics) More about it here: http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10947

mgriffin · August 13, 2008, 01:26:34 PM

Finished The Watchmen... just fantastic! I read that a new edition of Absolute Watchmen is being printed later this year, to coincide with the release of the Watchmen film, and I'll pick up a copy. Those DC/Vertigo Absolute Editions are fantastic.

Also finished Heart Shaped Box and really liked that as well. I expect to read a lot more Joe Hill in the years to come.

Started the audiobook of Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk, and I'm a little jolted by it -- not the harsh/gross stuff everyone talks about, but by the relatively gimmicky narrative voice and structure, and the kind of silly character names. This is definitely a distinctive and fresh piece of writing but I could probably let a few years pass between Palahniuk novels and consider that to be frequent enough to read his stuff.

On the more textbook-y side, I'm also reading Sam's Teach Yourself PHP in 24 Hours and Flash 8 Cookbook. I started reading the first one more than 24 hours ago, so I don't know what the hell went wrong!