posted by
machine_dove at 07:55am on 13/09/2004
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I'm currently reading Light by M. John Harrison, an author who I'm not very familiar with. I'm currently borrowing Things That Never Happen from Stacey, a collection of his short stories, but it didn't really click with me. I've only read the first four or so stories in the book, though, and I wasn't really in a thinking sort of mood when I read them, so that might be part of the problem.
I picked up Light on the earnest recommendation of Neil Gaiman, who calls it one of his favorite science fiction novels. I didn't bother to read the summary either on Amazon or on the flap of the book before I started it, and was therefore caught extremely off-guard by what happened in the first three pages. It was kind of nice...I may have to start blind-reading books like that more often.
Thus far it's a fairly dense book, and I haven't been giving it the amount of attention it really deserves. I may have to go back a few chapters and start over as a result. It's really, really good, in a "there's lots of strange things going on, and I know there's connections of a strange sort between these disparate storylines, but I haven't the faintest idea where this is going" sort of way.
It kind of reminds me of Cryptonomicon, in that I feel like I would really benefit from a couple physics or quantum mechanics classes before I reread it. In the case of Cryptonomicon, I took a bunch of math classes (Linear Algebra, Computer Security, et al) before I reread it, and the math parts of it made much more sense in a later reading. Light is kind of like that, but only kind of. Maybe. I'm not sure yet.
I started reading Tales of the Cthulu Mythos, but it annoyed me, because there are only two actual Lovecraft stories in there, and I already have both of them in other collections. Bleh! I'm not sure what I'll read after I finish up Light. Maybe I'll make another list of what's on my "to read" shelf and ask for opinions. Pity I don't have any more unread Sherri Tepper, as that seems to be what I'm really in the mood for. Stacey has my copy of Hyperion, so I can't embark on the Cantos until after I get that back. Provided she doesn't want to borrow the rest, that is...
[EDIT] I should note that any book that has a giant yellow duck attempting to shove itself into a diner is OK by me.
I picked up Light on the earnest recommendation of Neil Gaiman, who calls it one of his favorite science fiction novels. I didn't bother to read the summary either on Amazon or on the flap of the book before I started it, and was therefore caught extremely off-guard by what happened in the first three pages. It was kind of nice...I may have to start blind-reading books like that more often.
Thus far it's a fairly dense book, and I haven't been giving it the amount of attention it really deserves. I may have to go back a few chapters and start over as a result. It's really, really good, in a "there's lots of strange things going on, and I know there's connections of a strange sort between these disparate storylines, but I haven't the faintest idea where this is going" sort of way.
It kind of reminds me of Cryptonomicon, in that I feel like I would really benefit from a couple physics or quantum mechanics classes before I reread it. In the case of Cryptonomicon, I took a bunch of math classes (Linear Algebra, Computer Security, et al) before I reread it, and the math parts of it made much more sense in a later reading. Light is kind of like that, but only kind of. Maybe. I'm not sure yet.
I started reading Tales of the Cthulu Mythos, but it annoyed me, because there are only two actual Lovecraft stories in there, and I already have both of them in other collections. Bleh! I'm not sure what I'll read after I finish up Light. Maybe I'll make another list of what's on my "to read" shelf and ask for opinions. Pity I don't have any more unread Sherri Tepper, as that seems to be what I'm really in the mood for. Stacey has my copy of Hyperion, so I can't embark on the Cantos until after I get that back. Provided she doesn't want to borrow the rest, that is...
[EDIT] I should note that any book that has a giant yellow duck attempting to shove itself into a diner is OK by me.
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