Entries tagged with china miéville

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Make my decisions for me!

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.

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Swainston, Miéville, Amazon temptations...

So,

steph_swainston's new book is out today. And I'm tying to save money. Given that there are three books out this month I really want, well, patience is a virtue, I'd decided to switch to paperbacks only way before I ran out of money. Then she posted a link to a really good interview and a follow uppost about modern fantasy / New Weird writing. Got me all excited it did (plus,

faeriecween had texted me to say she'd bought her copy and I was all jealous, I'm supposed to be the one that gets the books first). And Steph had also posted a link to the Amazon page. So I went to look. Y'see that bit that says "nearly half price", and the bit that says "free delivery for orders over X". Yeah, I thought I'd see if I could find something. So a little bit further down the page? A "Perfect Partner". At the top of the post, I mention there are three books I'm excited about them coming out? Swainston, Reynolds and, well, Miéville's Un Lun Dun. The Reynolds will wait, but those two came to £16.77.

They're, um, in the post now. Oops. So much for waiting for the paperbacks.

On the subject of Miéville's Un Lun Dun, podcast of him doing a reading from it, so very cool. Many thanks to Iain of

tsitsoss_rss (formerly

daweaver of this parish) for mailing me that link.

Um, yeah. Life = very busy. Job = fun, well, dull, but great atmosphere and company. Location = Westminster, I'm still loving it. Mat = busy little bee. Need to sort out my friends list and viewing filters soon, but in the meantime, time to turn in, another long day tomorrow.

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Icons, interests and some rambles they've inspired

OK, just got in, and rather than do my usual friends list read then attempt to update, if I update first I might actually get an entry in tonight, n'est ce pas? Anyway, a meme from

frightened that I've always liked the look of before anyway:

explain three icons and three interests. Comment and I'll demand explanations for yours.

She gave me:

Interests: "china miéville"; "george r. r. martin"; "steph swainston".

Icons: "Anarchist Fineas"; "Categories" (Captain Jack quote?); "Temptation".

And, well, I should've known someone would ask about dear old Fineas. Anyway, interests first. Curious that she choe the three authors, but not too hard to explain. ( China Miéville and the 'New Weird' )

Edit (before posting even), any idea how hard it is to write a post with lots of well researched links when your wireless craps out every five minutes? Yeah, this is fun. The above paragraph? 40 minutes it's taken me to get this far. The connection has been mostly fine for ages, but today? *kicks PC* Please to be imagining there are more links in the above (and below), because there was meant to be.
( Steph Swainston and a book signing ). ( GRRM, board games and evil knights )
Now, those next two paragraphs? Half an hour. With many many kicks. I'm going to save a draft and reboot the machine. FFS.

Icons

( Fineas - Mad scientist anarchist with a taste for dropping bombs from blimps )

( On the pointless nature of trying to define people by what they are, not who they are )

( On icon philosphy, and LJ sponsored communities )

[1]Thursday, June 7th with a mass signing at Waterstones Piccadilly (5:30pm - 7pm) with Steph Swainston, myself, John Lambshead, Andrew Dennis, Steve Savile, Eric Brown, David Devereux, Jon Courtenay Grimwood and Robert Holdstock.

tyrell is also planning to be there,

jantshira /

faeriecween? I know you both like Steph, pretty sure you liked Jon as well but I forget.

[2] Who, let's face it, should be on everyone's friends list, just because, ok? Plus, she looked damn hot in the outfit she wore to Sin City Friday night, which is an added bonus in a friend I always think. Don't believe me? Reflections and Opinion. Go read. Plus, did I mention the dinosaurs? Yeah, she plays with dino bones for a living.

ETA: TWO HOURS this post took to get online and edited for my little tags not being closed errors. Two hours. Gah!

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Reviews: Some books I've read recently

Well, it's about time I got around to writing up the books I've read recently. Well, the good ones, anyway. The avarage are for fans, the poor, well, less said about them the better, really.

( Steph Swainston: the YEAR OF OUR WAR & no PRESENT LIKE TIME )
Mat's verdict: Buy these books. Now.

( China Miéville: King Rat )
Mat's verdict: For the fans, but if you like Gaiman or his later work...

( Jasper Fforde: the Thursday Next books )
Mat's verdict: If you like your humour clever, and love reading, you'll love it. If you can't tell your Heathcliff from your Marlowe, you may want to give it a miss.

Books to avoid: Dracula Cha Cha Cha by Kim Newman; bought it on remainder as I liked his pulp Warhammer tie ins written as Jack Yeovil. I can see why it's on remainder. Anything by Laurell K Hamilton. She has her fans, but, well, she can't write sex scenes for toffee, and as that's the only reason she seems to be writing now, you might as well buy some decent porn.