Reading Rayners

The Name of the Wind in paperback

2008-03-29T09:00:00Z

Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist: THE NAME OF THE WIND is now available in paperback:

Only the Bookscan numbers are in (it will be a while before we get a full tally), but it looks as though The Name of the Wind has surpassed the sales of both George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and Terry Goodkind’s Wizard’s First Rule.

Woah! If it beat out A Game of Thrones and Wizard’s First Rule, I am going to have to check this book out. I really enjoyed those two books, especially A Game of Thrones.

Arthur C. Clarke has passed away

2008-03-18T22:39:17Z

According to the Associated Press, Arthur C. Clarke has passed away.

[HT: Charles Stross]

Last Wish Giveaway!

2008-03-14T16:15:00Z

Well, somebody else is giving away a copy of The Last Wish. Over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, there are four copies of the book available. I’ve already sent in my entry!

I am really looking forward to The Last Wish finally being available in the US. I have heard nothing but good things about the series.

Thanks to Orbit Books for linking to the giveaway, and for both getting the book to the states and making it available through a fellow blogger!

Neil Gaiman's American Gods available for free (for a month)

2008-03-03T23:20:00Z

From Neil’s Journal Kids! Free! Book!:

For the next month, your free copy of American Gods is waiting for you at http://tiny.cc/WRiXE

Feel free to spread the link as widely as possible around the web. If it works, and people read it, then a) we may be able to put up another book and b) sooner or later they’ll simply let us give away the book in electronic form….

There is some follow-up discussion of the pros and cons of making a book freely available if you check out the free book section of Neil’s Journal.

There’s even a fancy little flash widget you can stuff onto your own sites.

Gaiman on Lovecraft

2008-02-10T05:00:00Z

One of my favorite authors talking about another of my favorites.

Damnation Alley

2008-01-16T04:30:00Z

Nuclear war stinks. It completely screws up the middle of the country and totally makes coast-to-coast travel difficult. That’s why the people of Boston need Hell Tanner.

The premise sounds a bit typical, but there’s nothing wrong with that. A convicted killer is given a chance for a pardon if he does “insert probably fatal task that only he is qualified for here” and he reluctantly takes it. The task, in this case, is to drive a vaccine from Los Angeles to Boston, through Damnation Alley, what is left of the middle of the country. In a souped-up super car, no less! What follows is a fast-paced romp through well worn post-apocalyptic encounters of the animal and biker types, among others. Great fun for the train ride up to New York.

New author for Wheel of Time has been found

2007-12-15T03:35:03Z

From the announcement:

Tor Books announced today that novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish the final novel in Robert Jordan’s bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Robert Jordan, one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th and early 21st centuries, died September 16th after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

The new novel, A Memory of Light, will be the twelfth and final book in the beloved fantasy series which has sold over 14 million copies in North America and over 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers, and for over a decade fans have been eagerly awaiting the final novel that would bring the epic story to its conclusion.

Dragonmount was able to interview Brandon Sanderson before the announcement was made.

There are some sample chapters and a free ebook available on his site: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/

Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's

2007-12-14T16:45:00Z

One of my favorite authors, one whose books I have unfortunately yet to review here, has announced that he has been diagnosed with a form of early onset Alzheimer’s. His Discworld novels are some of my absolute favorites and you really owe it to yourself to try a few of them if you haven’t already. I’m roughly only a third of the way through the series myself and each book I have read has been a real treat and often had me laughing out loud.

From the announcement, An Embuggerance:

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s, which lay behind this year’s phantom “stroke”.

We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there’s time for at least a few more books yet :o)

PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as ‘I am not dead’. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it’s too soon to tell. I know it’s a very human thing to say “Is there anything I can do”, but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.

Half Life

2007-12-11T04:30:00Z

In the future, neurological disorders are running rampant and medical science is unable to keep up. Humanity is on the verge of extinction unless something can be done. Fifty scientists with terminal diseases head out on a mission to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, to study the pre-life chemistry taking place in the hope of finding a clue to stave off the end of man. Naturally, not all of them survive the trip, but that is only just the beginning of the story.

Everybody is terminal. Everybody is isolated. There is no direct interaction with anybody else on the mission or with the moon they are studying. This book is essentially a novel length transcript.

This is one of the first hard science fiction books I’ve read. No aliens. No ray guns or faster than light travel. To be honest, it was a little difficult to get into at first (I usually tend to go for more action/adventure type novels), but before long I was completely sucked in by this story and managed to gobble down the rest of it in just a couple more nights.

I can now see why Hal Clement was recognized as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). I never thought I would have enjoyed what is basically a book long account of scientific research, but I really did. I look forward to reading more of his work.

Heir to the Empire

2007-10-31T03:30:00Z

Return of the Jedi did not, in fact, chronicle the complete end of the Empire. Portions survived and still fight the New Republic.

This book tells just that story and is widely attributed with revitalizing interest in the Star Wars expanded universe outside of role playing games. And, I think, with good reason.

Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last Imperial Grand Admiral, is hatching a plan to take what is left of the Imperial fleet and take on the New Republic.

I came to this book already as a Star Wars fan (for the record, I merely tolerated the prequel trilogy, and Han shot first). That said, I really enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I would expect for a follow-on to the original trilogy: well paced, lots of action, and Jedi!

If you are a fan of Star Wars in any way, I highly recommend this book. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next in the series (via Bookmooch of course).

A Wizard of Earthsea

2007-10-11T02:15:00Z

What do you get when you combine a naturally talented young wizard and a wizard school? Here’s a hint: it’s not another Harry Potter novel.

A Wizard of Earthsea is the first book in Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea series. It tells the story of a boy with a significant natural talent for wizardry, his experiences at wizard school, and his journey to right the wrong he committed there.

This book reminded me alot of The Hobbit (one of my favorite books), which I suppose would make sense as they are both considered children’s fantasy novels. The general tone of the novel and fairly straightforward writing style was nice, and, as short as the book is, it made for a very quick and satisfying read. I am very much looking forward to reading more of Ursula K. LeGuin’s work, especially the other Earthsea stories.

King Rat

2007-10-02T03:30:00Z

King Rat was China Mieville’s debut novel, and goodness, what a way to start! I was lucky enough to be able to dedicate a good portion of one day to reading this treat (train rides to and from New York) and I absolutely devoured it.

I cracked open this book after boarding the train at Baltimore’s Penn Station and I didn’t come up for air until it reached New York. I didn’t finish the book, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it until I finally got back on the train to go home that night. I gobbled up the rest of it on the way back.

To say I enjoyed this book would be a vast understatement. One of my favorite types of story is that which peels away a layer of reality to show the reader the true reality that we ignore (intentionally or otherwise) or are simply incapable of seeing. Mieville grabs a fistful of that top layer, rips it away, and runs with it.

If I have not been clear enough so far, let me be very explicit. Read this book now.

The Anubis Gates

2007-09-25T03:30:00Z

This was the first real time travel novel I’ve ever read. I’ve seen plenty of time travel movies, but haven’t read any books. That said, there were a number of time travel cliches in this book, but I suppose that is to be expected. They are cliches for a reason, after all.

Beyond the cliches though, the book had an extraordinarily interesting answer to the “Can you change the past?” question. I loved it! It completely blew me away. I could go on and on about how great it was, but I would end up giving it away, and ruin this book for anybody who has not yet read it.

Do yourself a favor and crack open a copy of this book this weekend. You won’t come up for air until you’re finished.

Anansi Boys

2007-09-18T03:30:00Z

Anansi Boys is only the second Neil Gaiman novel I’ve read; the first being American Gods, which I enjoyed but not nearly as much as Anansi Boys.

Anansi Boys centers on a man (nick)named Fat Charlie. After his father dies, Fat Charlie discovers that there is much more to his family. His father was a god and Fat Charlie has a brother he never knew. Fat Charlie’s life is turned completely upside down when his brother comes to visit.

While much of the book centers around the everyday supernatural as only Gaiman can tell it, ultimately I thought the book was about Fat Charlie’s relationship with his father. Though, I suppose my view is colored by the fact that I’ve got a pair of nearly fourteen month old boys around. Either way, that is the particular theme of the book that I really latched onto, and it’s probably why I misted up at the end of the book. I cannot think of another book that has ever done that to me before.

Robert Jordan has passed away

2007-09-17T18:00:00Z

Robert Jordan, author of the Wheel of Time series of fantasy novels among others, has passed away today. The Wheel of Time series is a big chunk of my to-be-read pile. Currently, book twelve of the series is still unfinished and is supposed to be the final novel in the series. I’ve read the first few novels already, but I think I will wait until I hear what will be happening to it before I start reading the series from the beginning. I don’t want to be left hanging after reading eleven books of that size. :)

According to Robert Jordan’s official blog, the story made it out of his head at least, so there is some hope:

Epilog: Yes he is continuing to work through all of this medical calamity. [A Memory of Light] is going into the word processor and onto audio tapes almost daily. Not every day mind you, because the medical fight takes first priority. But, he told you he’d finish and he will. Fact is that it has been finished in his head for years. During a recent family sit around, he became the Gleeman and told the bones of it ALL to Harriet and me. You read that right, I did say ALL. Don’t ask, ain’t telling. Two and a half hours of story telling by the Creator himself went by in the twinkling of an eye. Truly magical. All I can say is WOW! Best stuff he’s ever done. MOL is going to knock your socks off! That’s a promise.

Maybe I’ll just read his Conan stories for now instead.