What books are we reading at the moment ?

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Just read two detective thrillers set in Edinburgh - Perfect Remains and Perfect Prey by Helen Fields. Lots of gruesome killings, a sexy French-Scottish detective, sexual tension between him and another DI, grumpy Scots polis with attitude. Next one, Perfect Death, should be released next year.

[Kim]

Just about to embark on Battlefield Earth by the legendary L. Ron Hubbard, fully expecting it to be totally shit.  I detest nearly all sf, but I found this doorstop of a book at my in-laws and thought that the first couple of chapters wouldn't be a complete waste of very much of my time.  I've looked at some of the reviews online, and the only positive ones seem to be from Scientologist fruitcakes.  Watch this space.

Suddenly the film makes sense:  It's so you don't waste the time involved in reading it.   

[Kim]

On a whim, I've just finished re-reading Rama 2.  Everything everyone says about overly forced character development^[1] is true, but you know what?  I don't care.  At least it's not as dry as the original.  The second half was fucking awesome when I was 11, and it totally holds up.  People making bad decisions in space is a long-standing bugbear (see film thread posts about Alien sequels passim), but it more than makes up for that by being interesting.  You just have to try not to snigger at "Do you have a tape recorder?" and other bits where Clarke drops the technological ball.

Maybe I should re-read Asimov's Nemesis?


_{[1] From a 21st century viewpoint, it's hard to tell where deliberate multiculturalism ends and racial sterotyping begins, but at least the main character is a black woman with agency.}

[Ashaman42]

Just about to embark on Battlefield Earth by the legendary L. Ron Hubbard, fully expecting it to be totally shit.  I detest nearly all sf, but I found this doorstop of a book at my in-laws and thought that the first couple of chapters wouldn't be a complete waste of time.  I've looked at some of the reviews online, and the only positive ones seem to be from Scientologist fruitcakes.  Watch this space.

I guess somebody had to so that the rest of us are spared the experience.

I enjoyed it so much that I've read it three or four times now.

I'll concede that's it's probably not actually a good book per se but it's fun bombastic space opera.

[Ashaman42]

In a similar vein I'm just starting a fifth or sixth read through of the Ender's Game books.

[ian]

After my recent Heinlein experience, I'd rather jump down a well that has been filled with poo. Old school sci-fi seems near universally dire.

[Mr Larrington]

Just about to embark on Battlefield Earth by the legendary L. Ron Hubbard, fully expecting it to be totally shit.  I detest nearly all sf, but I found this doorstop of a book at my in-laws and thought that the first couple of chapters wouldn't be a complete waste of very much of my time.  I've looked at some of the reviews online, and the only positive ones seem to be from Scientologist fruitcakes.  Watch this space.

Be advised that my chum Mrs Hague nominated it as the book she'd most like to throw out of a car window.  And she, judging by her posts on the matter on FB, reads anything.

[Ashaman42]

After my recent Heinlein experience, I'd rather jump down a well that has been filled with poo. Old school sci-fi seems near universally dire.

I liked The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land. Think that's all of his I've read.

[ian]

It was Starship Troopers. I was under the misapprehension it would be a big bug fight. It wasn't. I thought all the fascistic military fetishisation would be, well, ironic. It wasn't. What it was, was a dull survey of military ranks and someone's time at boot camp (where we learned about the food and other exciting things). I did slug through to the end when finally there was a bug fight. Which lasted a paragraph about about sixteen pages droning on about how the troopers were deployed. I mean seriously, wtf?

[Ruthie]

On a whim, I've just finished re-reading Rama 2.  Everything everyone says about overly forced character development^[1] is true, but you know what?  I don't care.  At least it's not as dry as the original.  The second half was fucking awesome when I was 11, and it totally holds up.  People making bad decisions in space is a long-standing bugbear (see film thread posts about Alien sequels passim), but it more than makes up for that by being interesting.  You just have to try not to snigger at "Do you have a tape recorder?" and other bits where Clarke drops the technological ball.

I have to decide who my heroes are for a church thingy. I think she might be it.

[Mrs Pingu]

Just read two detective thrillers set in Edinburgh - Perfect Remains and Perfect Prey by Helen Fields. Lots of gruesome killings, a sexy French-Scottish detective, sexual tension between him and another DI, grumpy Scots polis with attitude. Next one, Perfect Death, should be released next year.

I shall put them on my list, ta. Have you read the Rhona Macleod books by Lin Anderson? I'm currently bingeing my way through them...

[ElyDave]

After my recent Heinlein experience, I'd rather jump down a well that has been filled with poo. Old school sci-fi seems near universally dire.

I liked The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land. Think that's all of his I've read.

I've recently read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as well, quite liked it myself

[rafletcher]

I’ve just embarked on the near 600 page Six-Four by Hideo Yokoyama. How far I get will I think depend on the quality of the translation.

[Mr Larrington]

After my recent Heinlein experience, I'd rather jump down a well that has been filled with poo. Old school sci-fi seems near universally dire.

I liked The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land. Think that's all of his I've read.

I've recently read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as well, quite liked it myself

It's a regular on my list of books to be read repeatedly.

[Ashaman42]

Thinking about it I think The Number of the Beast was Heinlein too. That I've read a few times as well.

[Paul]

The Oddessy. Not as good as The Iliad.

Second album syndrome?

For light relief, a marvel comic where Ms Marvel is a 16 year old Muslim girl was a very good read.

[rafletcher]

I’ve just embarked on the near 600 page Six-Four by Hideo Yokoyama. How far I get will I think depend on the quality of the translation.

Which I swiftly realised I’d already read. Tried an Arne Dahl but couldn’t stand it, so now onto Jussi Adler Ohlsens “Guilt”. Better.

[ian]

Oh look, The Martian is 99p on Kindle. I didn't even survive the sample. Do I dare deliberately annoy myself by reading the rest? Or do I go back to Inferno. I have better support from Sophia Langoustine and not-entirely-able assistant Trieste Bouffant Bunny-Pillow this time. Though I'm not entirely sure Sophia wants to climb back between those pages.

[citoyen]

Oh look, The Martian is 99p on Kindle. I didn't even survive the sample. Do I dare deliberately annoy myself by reading the rest? Or do I go back to Inferno.

I very nearly bought The Da Vinci Code when it was 99p on Kindle recently. By the time I decided it probably was worth reading at that price, it had gone back up again. Lucky escape.

[ian]

I did read the Da Vinci Code and didn't recall it being that bad. That may be a fault of my recall, of course. It was that that led to me trying to read Inferno the first time, just to puncture all that literary snobbery that attaches itself to books. My assistant, Trieste Bouffant Bunny-Pillow, already has a book deal for instance – on account her mother knows someone 'in the industry' – and Trieste can't even write a shopping list.

I'd dig out my copy of Da Vinci Code and fill the bath and settle down to some sudsy transeuropean symbol chasing, but I can't find it (I, erm, moved the books to the garage so I could make more room for the gin collection, priorities).

[rafletcher]

I’ve just embarked on the near 600 page Six-Four by Hideo Yokoyama. How far I get will I think depend on the quality of the translation.

Which I swiftly realised I’d already read. Tried an Arne Dahl but couldn’t stand it, so now onto Jussi Adler Ohlsens “Guilt”. Better.

But not by much, or maybe it’s my mood. Now trying Le Carre’s A Legacy of Spies.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

The Oddessy. Not as good as The Iliad.

Second album syndrome?

For light relief, a marvel comic where Ms Marvel is a 16 year old Muslim girl was a very good read.

Am reading Lysistrata.

And The Muse by Jessie Burton.

[Paul]

The Oddessy. Not as good as The Iliad.

Second album syndrome?

For light relief, a marvel comic where Ms Marvel is a 16 year old Muslim girl was a very good read.

Am reading Lysistrata.

What do you think? I hadn't read anything Greek before, but it's okay. Different. I thought I'd just be reading the Iliad out of a sense of Ought To, but I finished it because I wanted to. I'm not feeling the same way about the Odyssey (which I remember now just has the one 'd' ), but I'm not very far in, so will give it a bit more of a chance.

Having googled Lysistrata, I suspect your choice might be funnier than mine.

[T42]

Saw a Beeb production of Lysistrata back in the 60s that had my dad tut-tutting, but we watched it because it was Beeb and classical and had to be OK.

[Chris S]

On recommendation from #2 son, I'm listening to Ready Player One. I'm working hard at it, but I may have to borrow some more Geek from someone in order to make it to the end.

My geek-overdose antidote is the other book I have on the go - American War. Depressingly believable. And so far, mostly just depressing.