- Just finished David Wong's "John Dies At The End". It was very good: very funny. and actually a little scary at times. Crazy other-dimensional demon nightmare monsters attack the world and two slackers have to fix it. Feels a bit like an R-rated slacker Ghostbusters, but gets away with it by being so funny. I'm about to start the sequel.
- Almost done with Nabokov's "Pale Fire". It's a brilliant and interesting construction: a 999-line poem followed by a critique of the poem done by someone who really wants the poem to be about something else - can't say much more without giving it all away. And while Nabokov was a brilliant writer and observer, the style he uses feels a bit dated 60 years out: very intricate, allusive, witty but exceedingly dry; some of his sentences take effort to fully appreciate.
Also, I struggle a little with the story because the narrator sounds so much like legendary buffoon, Ignatius J. Reilly, that I can't take him seriously (am not yet sure if I'm supposed to, either). And since I can't shake the physical image of waddling, slovenly, hypochondriac Reilly, I can't believe the narrator could have physically done any of the things he says he did. My fault, not Nabokov's, though.
- "Snow Crash" was fine, except for the plot. The futurism was fun - though so much of what Stephenson describes has become Hollywood stock that I feel I would've enjoyed this much more if I'd read it 20 years ago. The ancient-religion-is-a-human-meta-virus thing felt silly, though.
You?
I read and liked pale fire ( a lot) and snow crash (nit as much, but it was pretty fun). Does John die at the end? Or would that be a spoiler? Reading La casa de la loca right now, short stories; most of them are just fine and one (so far) exceptionally great.
actually, John dies at the beginning of the book. but he gets better.
I read Snow Crash about 10 years ago and rather enjoyed it. The Dentata scene (anti-rape device) stuck with me for some reason. And the nuclear bomb in the motorbike side car.
I’m currently reading Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds but I’m struggling with it a little – it’s a decent enough story I guess but it just doesn’t grab me.
Today I have bought “The Long Earth” which is a collaboration between Stephen Baxter (hard SF author) and Terry Pratchett (!). It could be interesting! The plot looks good (alternate Earths).
I also re-read 1984 (for the umpteenth time) at the weekend after watching the movie on Netflix.
If you haven’t read the Wool series by Hugh Howey then you’re missing out on some great SF. I urge you to read them, and the Shift follow-ups.
My wife is now close to her 600th book in 12 months. She’s a total Kindle addict.
Pale Fire’s “index” is also cool. Needless to say, there have been a number of books written elucidating the plot. One theory: the butterfly at the end is really the poet’s suicidal daughter. (!)