09-13-2007, 10:50 PM
Here is the list of what was read while I was waiting for my knee to get better:
Dashiell Hammett: The Big Knockover. Continental Op stories and a semi-biographical novella that sucked. The introduction by Lillian Hellman was genuinely touching and made me somewhat sad that I never met Hammett. Continental Op stories are great, mostly SF/Bay Area based, guy is tough, never learn his name, great language, everyone has an angle.
Wm. Dietz: Bodyguard. Our hero is a little slow, mentally, since his massive headwound...fun book. Buy it used or borrow it from Greg after i send it down to him.
Christopher Moore: A Dirty Job. Death has some helpers, but they still have to raise a family. Takes place in SF, ACWLP is in it a couple times, fictional building of protagonists is just a half block from where I used to live in North Beach. Has strange dressed-up taxidermy creatures that I saw in a shop in the Mission chasing people. Moore is really funny. Contains possibly the best dialog exchange in Western literature: "What're you going to do with that spork?" "Well, when we find some bad guys, I'm gonna spork the fuck out of them." Brilliant! OK, maybe it was funnier at 4 a.m. on pain meds.
Steven L. Kent: Rogue Clone. Second book in a series. Lotsa ass-kicking. Not Shakespeare, but better than TV. If I can find the other books "used", I would pick 'em up.
Alastair Reynolds: Century Rain and Pushing Ice. Both books are single, stand-alone works and not trilogies, tetrologies, series, etc.. Read some of his other stuff and didn't care a lot for it (too talky, waaaaay too much math, not enough violence and Big Space Opera stuff). Century Rain was very satisfying though. The 22nd Century, archeologists studying Paris on uninhabitable Earth (destroyed by a nanotech disaster, or "nanocaust"). How did the head of Antiquities obtain new-looking artifacts from the Paris of 1959...? Big Space Opera - good read.
Pushing Ice: more talky, more math, but very compelling story and surprisingly well-drawn characters, very good dialog and character relationships. Sure could use some more violence. Another big story in a big universe. Thumbs up.
JK Rowell: Harry Potter 7, The Angst Years. Speaking of too much talking...
G-Man, tell me which of these you would like to have delivered to your door; I have a box o' books to return to you (as soon as I'm done with that Venice history),
Dashiell Hammett: The Big Knockover. Continental Op stories and a semi-biographical novella that sucked. The introduction by Lillian Hellman was genuinely touching and made me somewhat sad that I never met Hammett. Continental Op stories are great, mostly SF/Bay Area based, guy is tough, never learn his name, great language, everyone has an angle.
Wm. Dietz: Bodyguard. Our hero is a little slow, mentally, since his massive headwound...fun book. Buy it used or borrow it from Greg after i send it down to him.
Christopher Moore: A Dirty Job. Death has some helpers, but they still have to raise a family. Takes place in SF, ACWLP is in it a couple times, fictional building of protagonists is just a half block from where I used to live in North Beach. Has strange dressed-up taxidermy creatures that I saw in a shop in the Mission chasing people. Moore is really funny. Contains possibly the best dialog exchange in Western literature: "What're you going to do with that spork?" "Well, when we find some bad guys, I'm gonna spork the fuck out of them." Brilliant! OK, maybe it was funnier at 4 a.m. on pain meds.
Steven L. Kent: Rogue Clone. Second book in a series. Lotsa ass-kicking. Not Shakespeare, but better than TV. If I can find the other books "used", I would pick 'em up.
Alastair Reynolds: Century Rain and Pushing Ice. Both books are single, stand-alone works and not trilogies, tetrologies, series, etc.. Read some of his other stuff and didn't care a lot for it (too talky, waaaaay too much math, not enough violence and Big Space Opera stuff). Century Rain was very satisfying though. The 22nd Century, archeologists studying Paris on uninhabitable Earth (destroyed by a nanotech disaster, or "nanocaust"). How did the head of Antiquities obtain new-looking artifacts from the Paris of 1959...? Big Space Opera - good read.
Pushing Ice: more talky, more math, but very compelling story and surprisingly well-drawn characters, very good dialog and character relationships. Sure could use some more violence. Another big story in a big universe. Thumbs up.
JK Rowell: Harry Potter 7, The Angst Years. Speaking of too much talking...
G-Man, tell me which of these you would like to have delivered to your door; I have a box o' books to return to you (as soon as I'm done with that Venice history),
In the Tudor Period, Fencing Masters were classified in the Vagrancy Laws along with Actors, Gypsys, Vagabonds, Sturdy Rogues, and the owners of performing bears.
