Make my decisions for me!

[matgb]

Don't you just hate it when that happens? This moring, on the bus, I finally finished reading Blish's Cities in Flight (Baxter's right, don't read book one, it's pointless - book 4's a bit poo as well), so I started reading Ken Macleod's Newton's Wake. I'm on about page 70 by the time I got home this evening.

What is greeting me when I get through the door? My Amazon delivery. Now, given I'm under instructions to read The Modern World as soon as possible, but I'm really enjoying Newton's Wake and it's due back at the library, what should I do?

[Poll #989719]

The former because I'm winding faeriecween up. The latter because I'm curious. I'm half tempted to read them all and then review them side by side, but we all know that's never going to happen, so I might just write reviews up as I go.

Comments

[freddiefraggles.livejournal.com]

"none of the above"

*needs a book icon*

[matgb]

As you saw, I've now read two, not sure if you'd like either, but Stars my Destination is definitely worth the praise it's had.

*so go make one then*

[tinuvielberen.livejournal.com]

I said you should finish the book because...you should finish books.

Flowers for Algernon was summer reading for me when I was in school.

I HATED SUMMER READING!!!!

Not because I hate reading, not at all. But because the books the English teachers chose were always RELENTLESSLY depressing. Not just Flowers for Algernon, but The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Jude the Obscure, Of Mice and Men, etc. etc.

* Headdesk *

[matgb]

It's not that I was planning on not finishing the book, I'd ave gone back to it, but the new shiny books. Especially given I specifically reread books 1 & 2 last month to make ready for the new one.

Of Mice and Men as a summer read? Ouch. OTOH, better then than midwinter in a way, that'd really be depressing. We never really had such things, year starts in September, most UK schools don't even know what class you'll be in until you get there. Well, mine didn't, anyway.

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

Unrelated, but have you recieved the texts I've sent over the last couple of days?

[eldar.livejournal.com]

When I say I've read The Stars My Destination and Cities In Flight, I really mean I've started the former, and read book one of the latter (though I do, if it's still around at my parents' place, have a really nice boxed set of paperbacks of the latter).

I also have a copy of The Forever War, but I've never even started it.

[matgb]

For Flight, Baxter says book one was written last, and is essentially plotless irrelevence. I only bought Stars in January, and Flight last month, having enjoyed Stars so much I want to read the whole series.

Give Stars another go if you can, and look at all the stuff that's come since that it's influenced; it really is proto-cyberpunk, amongst other things.

[tyrell.livejournal.com]

I loved all of Cities in Flight.

Apparently I need to read Sirens of Titan... working my way through the SF MASTERWORKS series has taken care of the other lot :)
Zelazny's 'Damnation Alley' was better than Lord of Light. Bester is great. The Forever War wishes it was as good as Slaughterhouse 5.

[matgb]

I'm, essentially, not very well read when it comes to 'clasic' SF; up until '99 when I went back to university, I'd pretty much been reading pulp stuff like Warhammer tie-ins.

So all these cool old authors that I'd never heard of when I was a teen are great, although I wish I had heard of them then, as Clarke and Asimov were pretty much my staples; pretty sure I've read all of Asimov, not sure. The only Blish I'd read before now was Star Trek stuff.

[tyrell.livejournal.com]

I was the same until a few years ago, and then I started chewing my way through most of this lot and there hasn't been a dud one yet.

[innerbrat]

Wow. No one I've ever met before had read The Stars My Destination before.

Now, were Movie!Nightcrawler's scars a rip-off or a nod towards Gully Foyle? Discuss.

Cinema options

[matgb]

Linkdump, late for work, oops:
cinemas westminster - Google Maps

Welcome to Cineworld Cinemas - The broadest range of films in the UK

Map of United Kingdom | Multimap.com

Welcome to Cineworld Cinemas - The broadest range of films in the UK

Orange & film − cinema & film finder

Map of United Kingdom | Multimap.com

Two, same company, both nearish our end of town, depending on if you're at work and when you finish. Gotta go catch bus, LMK what you thinkg

Re: Cinema options

[innerbrat]

Ho crap. I have therapy tonight in West Hapnstead. Can we make it next week?

Re: Cinema options

[matgb]

Absolutely, makes it easier for me as well, I lost track of what day it was anyway.

Less likely that Spidey will be an option, but I'm sure we'll think of something.

[matgb]

Wow. No one I've ever met before had read The Stars My Destination before.

It would appear 17 of my friends list has at time of typing; as I said to Neil above, I bought it in January, read it while flat hunting and crashing at Mike's; it was a fairly regular tube read, alongside Smoke and Mirros, I bought them the same day, the former because Gaiman wrote the introduction to the classic print and I couldn't resist.

Now, were Movie!Nightcrawler's scars a rip-off or a nod towards Gully Foyle? Discuss.

Um, no idea. Still not seen the film.

[the-vin.livejournal.com]

The Forever War, aside from other very good reasons, is notable for being a fairly early book concerning powered armour. Yes, yes, Heinlein, I know, but it's a sort of a "reply" to Starship Troopers anyway.

And I do love powered armour.

[matgb]

Cool; I may get that one next; I'll probably do the lot over a period of time, or get them from the library.

Having spent 5 years f/t and another 6 p/t selling bloody Space Marines, I like anything that kills power armour m'self.

[jonhodgson.livejournal.com]

Just finished Ken Macleod's The Sky Road and really enjoyed it. Don't know much about scifi, but I know what I like. :) Finish the Mcleod.

[matgb]

I'm going to; I read over 100 pages of it on the bus today, and am enjoying it immensely. Unfortunately, I now have to get the rest of his books.

If you like Macleod, try Charles Stross, very very similar in style and ideas, and NEwton's Wake is dedicated to him, they're friends. Which is why I'm now reading Macleod.

[faeriecween.livejournal.com]

Do what you like (and I'd say to probably finish the one you've started as I'm currently surrounded by half read books-all of which I'm enjoying but, for some reason, keep putting down and then starting others) but I assure you - It's Good!

And the twist?! Holy Fuck!? Though, to be fair you figure it out before it happens. even so it STILL feels like a slap in the face.

However Ash has read it now so i have someone to blurble with.

[matgb]

I'm more than half way through the Macleod now, so it won't be long; and I have a 5 hour coach journey, twice, this weekend as well.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Baxter's right, don't read book one, it's pointless - book 4's a bit poo as well

Pfft, book one is the only one that is any good at all. Although still not very good.

[matgb]

I would say book three is a fairly good collection of old and dated short stories; they haven't dated as badly as many other authors, but they're still dated. Book 4 is pointless, book 2 is a good prequel, and all are nice PSB adventure /problem solving yarns.

But book one is bad politics, plotless exposition, world building and dullness. If it'd been a library book, I'd have given up then and just returned it I think.

If I'm going to read outdated and outmoded stuff with weird ideas about how society will develop, let alone technology, then I want it to be fun. Ah well.

[uninvitedcat.livejournal.com]

I think I've got the Haldeman book on my To Read pile at the moment...

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Man that icon looks familiar...

Icon...

[uninvitedcat.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you recognise it! I've only just realised though, that my credit to you for it doesn't show up if you hover over it. Hmm. I wonder how I can change that...

Re: Icon...

[matgb]

Gah! Hadn't received notification for any of these comments, ah well.

Icon text is a quote from Cicero, I think SB took the inspiration from an icon of pickwick's though, so no real credit needed.

Also? If you put the credit into the description, and just use a simple keyword like 'Books' (case sensitive), then in the future if you update it, or change it, the new icon will still show up on old posts and comments with the old keyword; hence all my old book reviews have that icon as well; rather nifty feature that, keep meaning to write it up. I fairly regularly rotate some of my 'topic' icons, and this way they all stay static.

Re: Icon...

[uninvitedcat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip! ::wanders off to try it::