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kmusserA long, overdue books post, or
. . . what I've been reading this summer.
The Scar by China Mieville - sequal to Perdido Street Station. If you want to read something very well written and completely bizarre try China Mieville - very dark urban fantasy set in an alternate universe. I found Scar a little less surreal than Perdido. The two don't share much other than taking place in the same universe. Scar is sort like Stephenson's Snow Crash if it took place on bizarro world. Next up, need to read Iron Council and coming soon Looking for Jake, a collection of short stories set in the same world.
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay - first book of the Fionavar trilogy, good old fashioned fantasy epic. Thank to those that recommended it. Need to get books 2 and 3 now.
A Secret Atlas by Michael Stackpole - sometimes I run across a book that seems to be written just for me. How can I not like a fantasy novel in which the good guys are cartographers? Nicely done, Stackpole's still not a great writer, but he's come a long way since his Battletech days. This also has a sequal in the works, Cartomancy.
The Island of Lost Maps by Miles Harvey - non-fiction work about an antique map thief. Fun read, lot of cartography related tangents and a peek at the world of map collecting. Recommended for anyone that likes maps.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - I found it disappointing, no real action till the last 100 pages or so. Just too slow paced for my taste, liked Goblet of Fire much better.
The World According to Garp by John Irving - proof that I read things other than fantasy. Good read, sort of weird as I've already read most of Irving's book somehow skipping over what's probably his most famous. Lots of fun, random strangeness - though Irving's books due tend to run together after awhile.
Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman - graphic novel that dumps a bunch of the Marvel comic book heroes in Elizabethan times, fun for fans of either. As always the artwork is great.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman - sort of set in the same world as American Gods this story manages to be both lighter and more personal. A look at what can happen with you have Gods in the family. Excellent book, it amazes me that Gaiman can keep churning out brilliant things. Forget Lucas, forget Whedon, Gaiman is my true master *grin*.
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson - a quick re-read in preperation for playing in a Callahan's based LARP tomorrow. Always fun.
The Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton - Thanks to I think it was![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evcelt that gave me the recommendation. I'm amazed it's taken me this long to find this. Evengeline Walton's work belongs alongside that of J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis with whom she was contemporary. Classic epic fantasy, it's a retelling of Welsh myth. Draws on the same sources as Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books but is obviously intended for adults. Simply excellent writing, in retrospect I can see her influence on alot of my favorite fantasy authors, especially those with a feminist bent to their writing. I've finished Prince of Annwn, Children of Llyr, and Song of Rhiannon. Still working on Island of the Mighty.
Next up I think will be a re-reading of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books in preperation for A Feast of Crows and/or Umberto Eco's Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana.
. . . what I've been reading this summer.
The Scar by China Mieville - sequal to Perdido Street Station. If you want to read something very well written and completely bizarre try China Mieville - very dark urban fantasy set in an alternate universe. I found Scar a little less surreal than Perdido. The two don't share much other than taking place in the same universe. Scar is sort like Stephenson's Snow Crash if it took place on bizarro world. Next up, need to read Iron Council and coming soon Looking for Jake, a collection of short stories set in the same world.
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay - first book of the Fionavar trilogy, good old fashioned fantasy epic. Thank to those that recommended it. Need to get books 2 and 3 now.
A Secret Atlas by Michael Stackpole - sometimes I run across a book that seems to be written just for me. How can I not like a fantasy novel in which the good guys are cartographers? Nicely done, Stackpole's still not a great writer, but he's come a long way since his Battletech days. This also has a sequal in the works, Cartomancy.
The Island of Lost Maps by Miles Harvey - non-fiction work about an antique map thief. Fun read, lot of cartography related tangents and a peek at the world of map collecting. Recommended for anyone that likes maps.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - I found it disappointing, no real action till the last 100 pages or so. Just too slow paced for my taste, liked Goblet of Fire much better.
The World According to Garp by John Irving - proof that I read things other than fantasy. Good read, sort of weird as I've already read most of Irving's book somehow skipping over what's probably his most famous. Lots of fun, random strangeness - though Irving's books due tend to run together after awhile.
Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman - graphic novel that dumps a bunch of the Marvel comic book heroes in Elizabethan times, fun for fans of either. As always the artwork is great.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman - sort of set in the same world as American Gods this story manages to be both lighter and more personal. A look at what can happen with you have Gods in the family. Excellent book, it amazes me that Gaiman can keep churning out brilliant things. Forget Lucas, forget Whedon, Gaiman is my true master *grin*.
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson - a quick re-read in preperation for playing in a Callahan's based LARP tomorrow. Always fun.
The Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton - Thanks to I think it was
evcelt that gave me the recommendation. I'm amazed it's taken me this long to find this. Evengeline Walton's work belongs alongside that of J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis with whom she was contemporary. Classic epic fantasy, it's a retelling of Welsh myth. Draws on the same sources as Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books but is obviously intended for adults. Simply excellent writing, in retrospect I can see her influence on alot of my favorite fantasy authors, especially those with a feminist bent to their writing. I've finished Prince of Annwn, Children of Llyr, and Song of Rhiannon. Still working on Island of the Mighty.Next up I think will be a re-reading of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books in preperation for A Feast of Crows and/or Umberto Eco's Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana.