Debbie
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Posts posted by Debbie
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Well I finished the book eventually last night.
I found it really hard going at first, but it got better. I found the concept interesting, although I think Robert Heinlein did the fictional character thing better in 'Number of the Beast', which had everyone being someone else's fiction in multiple alternate realities.
I agree I wished I'd read lost boy lost girl first, but I feel I know enough about that book for it to be spoilt if I read it, so I probably will give it a miss.
There were a couple of glaring inconsistencies which irritated me as well, and I thought not tying up loose ends of the fictional Willy story by saying things like 'I was going to work that out later' were cop outs!
I thought Willy's disappearance was an anticlimax also, and not meeting Lily seemed to me to be another cop out.
I got the feeling that he couldn't wait to finish the book (on a deadline perhaps?) and rushed it, particularly towards the end.
I have read Peter Straub before and had mixed feelings about his work, and this one is definitely on the negative side for me.
Having been so negative, the idea was good and the plot reasonably effective after about the first 200 pages!
Debbie
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Still reading this one, I am finding it heavy going to be honest, although there are glimmers of interesting things to come, so I live in hope!
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Score this book 1 - 10 please.
Please consider the following in your score and add comments accordingly.
Plot and or themes
Characterisation
Environment and atmosphere
Writing style / How well it is written
Overall enjoyment.
Please don't use this thread for discussions, but keep it simple, just explaining your vote.
Thanks a lot
Debbie
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lol
adding to my reading list now Andy!
Deb
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I totally agree!
This is one of the best books I have read this year. It has won a lot of prizes which are all very well deserved!
Debbie
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You've shamed me - I now have a used lottery ticket as my bookmark! (Not a winning one obviously)
Debbie
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Isaac Asimov is the writer that got me interested in science fiction. I agree, his characterisation is what makes his books. I love science fiction but I hate long tedious 'shoot 'em up' battle scenes and often skim them!
I love the future history style and it is an ambition to sort out all his books into chronological order of events and read them in that order (how sad am I?)
Debbie
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My husband is dyslexic. He loves books but finds reading tedious, so we often have audio books. I must admit I prefer to read it for myself, but they can be enjoyable if the reader is on the same wavelength as me!
Debbie
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I am a terrible reader, I commit the sin of *whispers* turning down the pages of paperbacks! I use the jacket to mark hardbacks. I almost never use a bookmark.
I once had a library book with a piece of bacon rind in it as a bookmark!
Debbie
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I have more than one on the go all the time. I reread old favourites whenever I have nothing else, then if I get something new, I will read that, then go back to the old book. Or sometimes I have two different genres on the go - I won't read horror at night (I'm a wimp!) so I will have a bedtime book as well.
Debbie
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I refer to my previous post - here's another for the database! When will I have time to read all these? I'll have to win the lottery and give up work completely.
Deb
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I'm going to have to start a database of all the books I want to read/borrow - this could get out of hand!
Debbie
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Interesting thought on the horcrux issue - someone on the the Harry Potter LiveJournal Community has put forward a theory that Harry is one of Voldemort's horcruxes - he was made into one when his parents were killed. Therefore he has a bit of Voldemort's soul, which is why he can sense him and speak Parseltongue etc.
This would mean that for Voldemort to die, the horcrux that is Harry would have to be destroyed, but would destroying the horcrux kill Harry?
Deb
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Yes, he did write The Postman, and the book is much better than the film
Debbie
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In the same vein as David Brin, and just as good, is Peter F Hamilton.
The 'Night's Dawn' trilogy is really superb, set in the far future when many worlds are being colonised. It looks at genetic engineering and the moral difficulties, as well as being a good against evil space operal. It has an excellent ending with religious overtones, but not at all like Philip Pullman, but much more positive.
If you like crime the 'Greg Mandel' books mix scifi and crime and are set in a near future where Britain has been subject to global warming, and is just coming out of a dictatorship that was because of the emergency of losing so much land to rising sea levels.
The latest series is Pandora's Star, which i have discussed elsewhere.
I always really enjoy these books
Debbie
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Has anyone read any David Brin?
He is one of my favourite science fiction authors. His 'Uplift' series of six books is really good, a real space opera! I also like his stand alone books, noteably 'Earth', which is set 50 years into the future and has some really interesting things to say about global warming and anti social behaviour.
Debbie
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I too have been trying to broaden my horizons, and I will read recommendations or just something that catches my eye and the jacket blurb sounds interesting.
I have also recently worked through the Richard and Judy book list, and really enjoyed most of them!
Debbie
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I loved The Green Mile, and I thought the film was the best book adaptation I had ever seen.
I also liked Carrie, The Stand, Tommyknockers, and the one I can't remember the name of with the clown that was an alien spider like creature (was it 'IT'?)
Debbie
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Watchers was fantastic, and I enjoyed The Taking
Can't think of titles of others off hand, I will look them up when I get home
Debbie
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This post contains spoilers, please scroll down!
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Just for you, Jo, Dumbledore is killed by Snape who then runs to join Voldemort!
Debbie
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Has anyone read this series? It is set in the near future when virtual reality and the internet are connected and much more advanced, and a group of assorted characters go online in full immersion virtual reality and then find they cannot log off. It follows their adventures through a succession of game like realities as they try to find out what is holding them and why. It has science fiction, fantasy, thriller, crime and a little horror all in the mix. There are four books and I was really drawn in.
Debbie
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OK, having finished the book and trying not to spoil....
Is the character that died at the end really and truly dead, and is the character that went to Lord Voldemort really and truly a traitor, or is there going to be a real twist during the last book?
What does everyone think?
Debbie
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Has anyone read any of this series?
I started them but they are now on about book 12 and no sign of the story ending, so I am getting rather bored with them now. When the last one that came out was a prequel I got really cross!
Debbie
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I went to see 'War of the Worlds' on Saturday and they showed a trailer for 'Goblet of Fire'. It looks really good. This one is directed by Tim Burton, who did 'Nightmare before Christmas' so it may be a little darker than the previous ones.
I am looking forward to it.
Debbie
Peter Straub - In the Night Room - Vote Thread
in Previous Reading Circle Books
Posted
I'm giving this a 5, as it wasn't really terrible, but there were too many things wrong with it for me to give it a higher mark.
I will try Peter Straub again though, I think he has written better than this and will do again.
Debbie