Karsa Orlong

So this week has been my first week of jury service. Here's a brief summary of my experience so far: Monday: 8:40am - Arrive at court. Sign in. Five new trials due to start today. Sit at end of sofa. No-one's talking to each other. Watch video about jurors' responsibilities. Wait. Play game on Nintendo 3DS. Try to listen to digital radio bought specially for the occasion. No reception! And wait. Two stand-by juries are called. I'm not on them. More waiting. Lunch. Too uptight to eat much. Another jury is called. I'm not on it. More waiting. 4pm, told the other two trials have been cancelled. Sent home. Tuesday: 9:40am - Arrive at court. Sign in. Four new trials to start today. Start chatting to some people I recognised from the day before. Wait. Time goes a bit quicker (not much!) due to company. 11am, jury is called. One of my new 'friends' has to go. Nooo! More waiting. 12:45pm, jury is called - my name comes out of the hat! Go to desk. Told the trial will start in the afternoon so go to lunch and be back for 2pm. Too nervous to eat. Wait. 3pm, called to front desk, told defendant has changed plea to guilty and trial is cancelled. Sent home. Wednesday: 9:40am - Arrive at court. Sign in. Four new trials to start today. Seek out friends from day before. Have a chat. Read book for an hour. Can't concentrate. Someone changes the tv channel to the athletics. Watch athletics. With subtitles. Play 'The Chase' on my tablet with fellow jurors. Win £25,000. 11:45am, jury is called - my name comes out of the hat! Told the court room is not quite ready so to sit and wait. 12:30pm, told the trial will now start in the afternoon, so go to lunch and be back for 2pm. Go to lunch. Too nervous to eat much. Watch athletics. Chat a bit. 2pm comes and goes. 2:45pm, called to front desk, told defendant has changed plea to guilty and trial is cancelled. Sent home. Thursday: 9:40am - Arrive at court. Sign in. Three new trials to start today. Seek out friends. Yay, some other people who've been on a jury have returned. Nice people, fun chat. Time passes gradually. 1045:am, jury is called - my name comes out of the hat! Told that we're on stand-by for court 5 and to wait until the usher comes to get us. Yay, maybe I'll now be able to get in a court room and take the oath (the bit i was nervous about). 11:30am, usher comes to get us, takes us up to the jury waiting room for court 5. Gives us a little speech. Apparently the defendant has refused to get out of the van, so the trial will proceed in his absence. I say I thought they'd drag him in kicking and screaming. Usher tells me if it happens again she'll send me down to deal with it I liked her - she knew I was nervous and tried to put me at my ease 11:45am, she takes us into the court room. There are only four people in there: the judge, the court clerk, and the two barristers. There are 15 of us jurors in waiting. The court clerk randomly selects 12. I was the last one called - thought after all that that I wasn't going to be selected! I go and take the final seat. I take the oath. Yay, sigh of relief, over and done with, know I can handle it now. Judge says 'sorry to keep you waiting, the trial is now not going ahead today, please come back at 10am tomorrow'. Go back to jury area. Sent home. Friday, today: 9:35am - Arrive at court. Don't need to sign in cos I'm on a sitting jury! No new trials due to start today. Only people who are already on trials have come in. Deficit of friends as a result. Sit down, chat, wait. 10:45am, message that the usher will be down to get us at 11am. 11am comes and goes. All the other juries have gone to their court rooms. Just the 12 of us left. 11:30am, lovely usher comes to get us, takes us up to the court room. I walk in last cos we have to sit in the same seat as yesterday. Judge tells us not to worry too much - because we won't be there long. Between the time Anne-Marie, the usher, had left the court room, come to get us, and taken us back up there, the defendant had changed his plea to guilty, so there will be no trial. Judge thanks us and apologises for the wait. Anne-Marie takes us back to the jury area. 11:40am, sent home. It's got to the point now where I just have to laugh, cos it's all so ridiculous. Five days, selected for three juries, and not one of the trials has gone ahead, so I've yet to see anything actually happen On the plus side, I've taken the oath once in front of 20 people, so I hope next week I won't be so nervous about it. On Tuesday there'll be a new bunch of jurors turning up, so lots of new people. In theory, I have four days left to go.

Yeah, it's daft. The only way to get Blindsight over here - other than ordering online - is to get the omnibus, Firefall. No, unfortunately not. It was a season 2 episode (obviously!) but I'm staying spoiler free at the moment *cough* There's no 'The' in Arrow *cough* I thought season 2 was great fun. Probably worth picking it up four or five eps from the end of season 1 and then watching it.

Blimey, Michelle, what a surprise! Great to see you here - hope all's well with you Steve (willowroolz)

By the sounds of it you'll be fine with Wolf Hall. I didn't notice the issue some weak-minded fools people were complaining about when I read it, only heard about it afterwards Yeah, steady - soon you'll be as broad-minded as I am

I think this is the most frequent complaint I've heard about it. It seems similar to me to the complaints of people who didn't get along with Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall where she uses 'he' for every male character, including Cromwell. The latter complaint completely bemuses me because I found WH a wonderful, flowing read, so I'm thinking/hoping I'll get on with Leckie - once I get round to it Have you bought the sequel already? But it's not fantasy! It's the end of the world as we know it!

Ah right. You've got some crackers to look forward to, then. I think it really, really takes flight around ep 15 or 16 And yeah, I did laugh at that I think they must've loved hamming it up as Captain Cold and Heat Wave Now, repeat after me: Cisco rules. Cisco rules. Cisco rules. Obviously, stop it at episode 13 to avoid spoilerisation Still can't believe I got to see Grant Gustin and Jesse L Martin in the flash - er, flesh I think the makers have learned a lot from the mistakes they made in season 1 of Arrow, for sure. The Flash is altogether lighter on its feet and much more fun. I do think Arrow improved markedly in season 2. Still not as good as The Flash though. You've probably missed out on a lot of the fun of the crossover episodes as a result, which is a shame Yeah, I watched it religiously. It's hilarious. It's not meant to be, but it is. Highly recommended

Aw, Yvonne Craig has passed away RIP Batgirl http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33985709

The original Hong Kong version, Infernal Affairs, is far superior, IMO

Oh goody, someone else watching it at last Glad you're enjoying it - I thought it was great, and consistently good throughout the season. Where are you up to? Hmm, good question. Is there any science in it that you need to understand? No. Is it a book I'd recommend to someone new to the genre? No. Not sure where that leaves it Funny you should mention the Bridgeburners because I thought as much as I was reading it - it does have that feel about it. Just with less words That's what always put me off up until now. I'm not saying this is the greatest thing ever, but it was a damn sight more entertaining than I was expecting it to be.

I didn't feel I needed any foreknowledge to be able to enjoy it, or that I was missing anything by not having that info. Abnett did a good job of giving the reader enough background without resorting pages and pages of info dumps. He walked that tightrope very well, I think. The good thing is that, if one wanted more info, it's freely available. I took a quick glance at the wiki page but couldn't be bothered reading through it. I'll stick with the novels. From everything I've seen, the series is a winner. A bit of a come-down after Peter Watts but, as far as Military SF goes, one of the best I've read so far. Interesting that Abnett's sales are up there with Hamilton, Banks and Reynolds. Did not know that until a few days ago.

Woohoo! Well done Sari

First and Only (Gaunt's Ghosts Book 1) by Dan Abnett 1999 - The Black Library ebook - 416 pages In the nightmare future of Warhammer 40,000, the galaxy-spanning Imperium is riven with dangers. In the Chaos-infested Sabbat system, Imperial Commissar Gaunt must lead his men through as much in-fighting amongst rival regiments as against the forces of Chaos. First and Only is an epic saga of planetary conquest, grand ambition, treachery and honour. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt of the Imperial Guard is tasked with founding a regiment on the planet Tanith, only for their homeworld to be annihilated just as they escape into space. These few, then, are the last of the Tanith, its first and only regiment. As the years pass they gain a new name: Gaunt's Ghosts. Now deep into the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, Gaunt has made some powerful enemies and his Ghosts are inevitably given the most difficult and dangerous missions. When a mysterious encrypted data crystal comes into Gaunt's hands, he and his men are dragged into a race against time to unlock its secrets and prevent a coup that could tear apart the Imperium of Man. I was led here by the usually sound recommendations I pick up from the Malazan forums. I'd seen the 'Gaunt's Ghosts' series mentioned many times over there, usually in glowing and enthusiastic terms. I've never really paid any attention to the Warhammer 40k universe, apart from briefly playing Dawn of War II, a real-time strategy game (which was actually pretty decent) but, as far as knowing anything about the backstory (which is HUGE - just try googling it) or what the difference between a Space Marine and an Imperial Guard is, I'm completely in the dark. I've certainly not been anywhere near the table-top war game which began it all. Come to that, I've never really been interested in books based on pre-existing game worlds and commissioned by that game's makers (in this case, Games Workshop). It implies mass-produced pulp, and that the author is working within a tightly controlled framework, forced to fit in with the established canon, with little freedom for new ideas and creativity. Kind of ironic, then, that this is the second such book I've read in the space of a few weeks (the other being Salvatore's Homeland). So it's something of a surprise to report that I enjoyed First and Only a lot. Whilst the above synopsis might sound bland and by-the-numbers, in reality this is a fast, flowing read with a decent plot and a cleverly designed structure. It's got some neat surprises that turn some of the tropes on their heads, and a brilliant ending. What I also liked is that the title takes on several meanings as the novel progresses, as does 'Gaunt's Ghosts' - are they his men, or are they the ghosts of his past that still haunt him, linked to a prophecy he was told when he was young? What's most surprising is that it's full of good characters, meaning that as they fall - which some inevitably do - it is often a cause for a moment's pause. It's kind of like Band of Brothers relocated to outer space. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Gaunt, Corbec, Rawne and Mkoll, amongst others. In this regard, Abnett's writing reminded me muchly of David Gemmell. His character development is pleasingly subtle and makes you genuinely care about these people, and the action scenes - of which there are many - have a visceral punch that had me ducking for cover along with them. The 'Gaunt's Ghosts' series has been likened to a science fiction equivalent of Bernard Cornwell's work, and I can see that comparison, too. For a first novel, and a few rough edges aside, I thought this was surprisingly accomplished and entertaining novel. Until recently, these books had been difficult to get hold of. The omnibus editions published just a few years ago had been out of print for some time, and second-hand copies are going on Amazon and other sites for £20 or more (for a new copy think more like £70 upwards). It's all a Black Library ploy, of course, as they are now starting to re-issue the novels individually, bagging themselves three times the money they would've got for each omnibus edition in the process. Also, they're not available for Kindle. Not via Amazon, anyway. I recently found out that you can get MOBI versions directly from the Black Library website.

Watched the first couple of episodes of Aquarius, about Charles Manson, starring David Duchovny (not as Manson!). I quite liked it.

Bit of a difference . . .

Thanks Laura There's no spoilers for Blindsight, as if! The zombies aren't the kind that you'd expect, so don't get your hopes up for hordes of undead wandering around eating people Oh it's in no way simpler than Blindsight. I didn't mean to give that impression. What I was trying to say was that I went into the first book with no expectations and got blown away by it, and the way it uncovers its central mystery is, I think, smoother and more organic than Echopraxia. I don't think this sequel is quite as mind-blowingly good, but I went into it with my expectations sky high, so the fact that it got anywhere near being as good is hugely impressive, I think

Thanks Gaia

Finished Echopraxia this afternoon. Wow. Just . . . wow.

Echopraxia by Peter Watts 2014 - Head of Zeus ebook - 352 pages It's the eve of the twenty-second century: a world where the dearly departed send postcards back from Heaven and evangelicals make scientific breakthroughs by speaking in tongues; where genetically engineered vampires solve problems intractable to baseline humans and soldiers come with zombie switches that shut off self-awareness during combat. And it’s all under surveillance by an alien presence that refuses to show itself. Echopraxia begins fourteen years after the day the Fireflies made First Contact with Earth which, in turn, happened five years before the beginning of Blindsight. Here, we are introduced to the character of Dan Brüks, a biologist who has exiled himself to field study in the Oregon desert after his life fell apart when one of his experiments had been used by others to cause large scale bloodshed, and his wife had fled to Heaven, the virtual universe into which Siri Keeton's mother had also retreated in the first book. Dan's only company, apart from rodents and snakes, are the inhabitants of a monastery a few miles away, members of the Bicameral Order - a hive mind which speaks in tongues and needs augmented human jargonauts to translate for them. These hive minds, burgeoning across the world, have been responsible for huge leaps in scientific knowledge, gaining them fortunes in patents in the process, and yet they place their beliefs in their faith. But they leave Dan alone and he leaves them alone. Until one night when the zombies come. Before he knows what's happening, Brüks has escaped to the safety of the monastery. It is here that the novel's cast assembles, including the vampire, Valerie. Yes. Valerie the Vampire. And, as funny as that sounds, she is the scariest character I've encountered in a novel in an age. Fairly soon, when the main thrust of the story moves beyond Earth and into the inner Solar System (for reasons I won't spoil), and when Dan and the crew of the Bicameral spaceship Crown of Thorns are forced into close proximity and enclosed spaces, Valerie haunts the shadows and nooks and crannies of the vessel, stalking Dan, ramping up the fear and paranoia in glorious, deliciously frightening ways. Even when she's not present in a scene her presence still looms, lurking at Dan's and, by extension, the reader's shoulder. Chilling mind-games and moments of sheer terror are sprinkled throughout the book, the fear that Valerie will kill every one of the augmented and non-augmented humans on-board in the blink of an eye a constant companion. Dan is the only character to be non-augmented. He is what the others call a 'baseline' human, still relying on screens to access the splinternet whilst the others just shrug a shoulder to see everything in their minds. Some, including the wonderfully skittish and amusing ship's pilot Rakshi Sengupta, call him a 'roach'. But why is she so preoccupied with him? And, more to the point, why is Valerie? Ultimately, where Blindsight was an examination of consciousness and identity, Echopraxia becomes an examination of faith and freewill. Is the latter something we ever truly have? Dan Brüks would certainly debate that. The story also connects, as you would expect, with the first novel, but not necessarily in the ways one might imagine. It is less a direct sequel than it is an extension of Watts's universe. The journey of the crew of the Theseus, and Siri Keeton particularly, cast a shadow over the story. However, this is very much Dan's tale. He and the characters around him are excellent and I genuinely liked all of them. This doesn't mean they are all nice people, by any means, but you wouldn't expect that, would you? Echopraxia surprised me. In many ways, it is a re-run of Blindsight's main story, and yet it somehow manages to be completely different. It is still unforgivingly heavy on the science, it takes no prisoners, and it is relentlessly uncompromising. But, unlike some, I didn't find it difficult to follow. Watts's writing seems to me to be so refined, as if he's chipped away and chipped away until every word is exactly where it should be, chosen for specific purposes, polished to a shine. Perhaps it is not as revelatory as its predecessor, but it is still fabulous stuff, consistent, hard as nails, and right on the bleeding edge of science fiction. Together, these two novels have catapulted him right to the top of my list of 'must-read' authors. And he does it all in less than 400 pages. Oh, and the zombies? He has a scientific explanation for them, don't worry! To finish, I'll just quote Richard Morgan from his blog, cos it made me laugh: Ever wondered what X-Men or Avengers Assemble might have looked like if it were written for adults and based on actual bleeding edge science – now you don’t have to; Peter Watts is back after cometary absence and burning bright as ever across the genre skies. Zombies, vampires, post-human prophets and invasion from outer space – Echopraxia reads like some dark, twisted superhero ensemble piece, but with all the prose gravitas of a novel by Cormac McCarthy or Philip Roth. Its late twenty first century future feels at one and the same time dizzyingly outlandish and all too grimly real, exploding with high-end concepts, laced through with harsh human truths. If science fiction can really be claimed as a literature of ideas, then Watts is without doubt its premier practitioner – Echopraxia is a depleted uranium shot across the bows of complacent, by-the-numbers SF, and a bright rallying cry for the soul of the genre. F***ing awesome! http://www.richardkmorgan.com/2014/07/if-you-only-read-one-science-fiction-novel-this-year/ ETA: changed second extract

I must get around to reading that soon. I've had it for ages No, not for me. But then I knew I'd be diving straight into Echopraxia as soon as I finished it. I did read one review which piled a load of criticism on Tor (not Watts) for not making it clear that it isn't a standalone story. A valid point, I think.

The Colonel by Peter Watts 2014 - Tor ebook - 30 pages The Colonel is a short story (Tor call it a novelette ) which links Blindsight and Echopraxia. Actually, it's more a case of it filling in some more detail on a character from the first novel, and introducing some concepts and a new character who will appear in the second novel. It tells the story of Colonel Jim Moore. As the story begins, Moore is trying to deal with an attack on a military base which is under his watch. The attack, we soon find out, is being carried out by a hive mind - thirteen people whose minds are linked to form one larger 'brain', each person's body being a digit or limb of the larger whole. It's an interesting and exciting sequence which deals with the action at a remove: Moore and his lieutenant are watching and reacting to the attack via satellite imaging from a command centre 'half a world away'. What happens after that chilling attack (chilling because of the ruthless efficiency of the hive mind) would be to spoil too much, but Moore is linked inextricably to the first book, the events of which play a part here. I wouldn't say it was essential to read this story before reading Echopraxia, but then I'm saying that having done so myself and I think it really helped in adding some background and context, and possibly alleviating any confusion at the start of the novel. Watts's writing is as brilliant as it was in Blindsight. The solidity of his world, the way the characters fit into it, the sense of future history, the dialogue, are all outstanding. What you won't get is an ending. It is, in effect, a teaser for Echopraxia, which picks up the story a short while after these events. The Colonel can be read for free here, but please beware that the blurb at the top of that page (stupidly, IMO) and the latter stages of the story contain massive spoilers for Blindsight, so proceed at your peril