Karsa Orlong

Over the weekend I read Michael Moorcock's Behold The Man and got about halfway through Daniel Keyes' Flowers For Algernon. Am also reading James Patterson's Cross Country on the tube in the mornings but I'm not enjoying it very much.

I read this last week and thoroughly enjoyed it, a real page turner. I totally agree with the earlier comments about the historical accuracy (or, rather, lack thereof) but my real issue with it was that I thought it overstayed its welcome by two or three hundred pages and - without going into spoiler territory - became just a bit too repetitive. Still, as a Steven Erikson fan I don't think I have the right to complain about another author being self-indulgent As I say, I did enjoy it. I won't be rushing out to get the sequel, though.

From Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination: 'Take a war to make you spend. Take a jam to make you think. Take a challenge to make you great. Rest of the time you sit around lazy, you. Pigs, you! All right, God damn you! I challenge you, me. Die or live and be great. Blow yourselves to Christ gone or come and find me, Gully Foyle, and I make you men. I make you great. I give you the stars.'

I watched The Damned United last night. Thought it was excellent

The Leper Affinity by Opeth

Not quite 'now', but I watched parts 1 & 2 of The Silence last night - best thing I've seen on tv for aaaaages. Can't wait to watch the last two parts tonight

Bought some Glen Cook books: Return of The Black Company A Cruel Wind (sounds like the aftermath of a particularly hot curry) Shadowline

I went to see Avatar in 3D. I put the 3D glasses on over my own specs and spent the whole movie with my finger on the bridge of the 3D glasses cos they wouldn't stay on I just bought a new Sony blu-ray player and noticed that many of them are now '3D ready'. Couldn't see the point at the moment until/unless it becomes the norm. So it was great for my pocket cos the only one that didn't have 3D was under

Book 6?? You're not that close to the end of the series! You've still got Reaper's Gale, Toll The Hounds and Dust of Dreams to go, along with The Crippled God which comes out in January. Then there's Ian C. Esslemont's 'Malazan Empire' series, of which there are two entries so far: Night of Knives and Return of The Crimson Guard. Based on your liking Erikson and GRRM, I'd recommend the following (in order of my personal preference, with an extract from the first book in each series so you can 'try before you buy' and hopefully not have to guess): Glen Cook - The Black Company: http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Black-Company-Glen-Cook/dp/0765319233/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278963309&sr=8-2#reader_0765319233 David Gemmell - Legend: http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Drenai-Tales-Book-1/dp/0345379063/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278963385&sr=1-1#reader_0345379063 Adrian Tchaikovsky - Empire In Black & Gold: http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Black-Gold-Shadows-Apt/dp/1616141921/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278963426&sr=1-1#reader_1616141921 Joe Abercrombie - The Blade Itself: http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Itself-First-Law-Book/dp/159102594X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278963350&sr=1-1#reader_159102594X Also, to a lesser degree, there's: Robin Hobb - Assassin's Apprentice: http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278964134&sr=1-1#reader_055357339X Hope that helps

Finished Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. Shan't be rushing out to buy any more of his books

Confusing rubbish - a tad harsh, lol, although no doubt some have found it that way. Never thought it myself, though. On the first read through there were a lot of 'wtf' moments but I was happy to know that everything would be explained sooner or later. I've read up to book nine and am re-reading them gradually and, going back, all those 'wtf' moments have become revelations.

I got an e-reader yesterday and was looking for a book to buy as an experiment to see how it all worked, so I got this one. So much for willpower Might be a while before I actually read it, though.

I'm fighting my way through Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. I'm not really enjoying it but a friend loaned it to me, so I feel kind of obliged to try and finish it.

Left Out by Riverside

Welcome to the club Anything in particular that's mystifying you? I might - I stress 'might' - be able to help.

I Just bought one of these: http://www.sony.co.uk/product/rd-reader-ebook/prs300jppi.yg/tab/overview I got it from my local Sony Centre, and it was

I started with Perdido Street Station, which was excellent, highly recommended. Both The Scar and Iron Council are set in the same universe but aren't direct sequels.

Had a nice delivery from Amazon yesterday: my paperback copy (already had the hardback) of Dust of Dreams, the ninth tale of 'The Malazan Book of The Fallen'. Had to get a Canadian edition, seeing as - with the 8th book - the size of the UK editions changed from regular to HUGE. Really annoys me when they change these things part way through a series. Still, happy now

'I was set up,' Miz said incredulously. He flapped his arms as he turned back to look at the others. 'Some 'person of dubious parentage' had me steal the ****ing necklace and let Lebmellin think he was going to double-cross me, but they had it all worked out; ****ing Mind Bomb sh!t and the guns it switched off.' Against A Dark Background - Iain M. Banks

Very true! I'll also need more shelf space soon, which has to be more important as well ...

Damn Waterstones and their '3 for 2' deals Bought: The Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Rush - Beyond The Lighted Stage

Over the weekend I read Tau Zero by Poul Anderson. It felt like reading a physics textbook Then, last night, I read the first 100 pages or so of Iain M. Banks's Against A Dark Background. It was getting late and I couldn't put it down. You know that feeling you get when you start reading a book and you think to yourself "By 'eck, this is going to be good". After such a stonkingly good beginning it had better not let me down

Last night I finished The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Has anyone else read it? It's set in 22nd century Bangkok, when the world has succumbed to all the environmental perils we know about - and then some more. The face of the world has been changed by rising sea levels. Conventional fuels are a thing of the past. Calories are now a form of currency. GM crops mutate on a regular basis and spread plagues, while American GM corporations try to stay one step ahead, dominating the global economy by selling their disease-free products. Only Thailand has remained independent, with its closely guarded seedbank - uninfected genetic material which the corporations covet. Into this world the author throws a commendably small group of main characters: Anderson Lake, around whom the story pivots, is the undercover agent of one of the huge corporations; Hock Seng is a Malayan Chinese, a 'Yellow Card', who fled his country's ethnic cleansing, leaving behind his wealth and his family business; Jaidee and Kanya are soldiers for the Thai environment ministry; and then there's Emiko, the titular 'Windup Girl' - manufactured by the Japanese to be the perfect servant, she has been left behind in Bangkok and has fallen into a life of hatred and abuse from which she strives to escape. From these various threads springs an action-packed story of industrial espionage, political strife and civil war. But, through it all, it's the characters that take centre stage. The one warning I'd give about this novel is that there are a couple of horrific and disturbing scenes of sexual violence towards Emiko. I'm not sure I'd call them gratuitous, because - without spoiling anything - they do serve both the character and the story, but they make for uncomfortable reading. Apart from that, the book is written in present tense and moves at a cracking pace which makes you want to see what happens next. When the revelations start to come thick and fast in its second half I found it almost hypnotic. Paolo's writing style is marvellous. And it has what will probably become one of my favourite covers of all time - it's so evocative. With the aforementioned caveat aside, this book is utterly, utterly (utterly) brilliant. I've only just discovered that it won 2009's Nebula Award, and is up for a Hugo as well. Thoroughly deserved, imo.

I read the first book last week. I enjoyed it, overall. I was worried, because the first hundred pages or so was quite pedestrian, then it really picked up and I thought the next 300 or more pages was brilliant. Then it sagged quite alarmingly towards the end. But I have bought the next couple and will read them with interest