I'm reading 'The Reality Dysfunction' again. His unnecessary detail grates occasionally, but the opening few chapters are storming. I'm looking forward to everything that comes later!

I reckon it's going to be at least another year before I can do them again. All opens up with a beautifully described space ambush if I remeber rightly. Immediately brings voidhawks, blackhawks, adamist ships and combat wasps into the equation. I love how something like the combat wasp has such a major 'role' in the books, when they're essentially just an advanced missile. The way they're described both technically, but also the imagery of clowds of wasps closing on each other, desperately sending out their countermeasures, slagging each other, then the final couple bursting through to close on their target, with whatever warhead still unknown.

Ah, I haven't read the Night's Dawn books since the first time, 5 or 6 years ago. But yeah, there is the ambush, but that is quickly followed by introducing Joshua, the Ly-cilph creatures, Syrinx and the Edenists, etc. And all with beautiful writing, which for me, the Commonwealth Saga was missing.

I recently finished The Year The Gypsies Came, which made me cry.

I got Slam by Nick Hornby last night so I'm now reading that. It's okay so far, I've only read a few chapters.

Oh, THANK GOD YES.

I ordered my copy from Play at the start of last week, and I still don't have it - damn postal strike.

My guess- a relifed and Tarlo after he had his Starflyer conditioning removed. No idea why I think that, I just reckon it's about right for Hamilton's style.

Ooh, I think that could be more likely. What better reason to want your memory scrubbed than having been a puppet of an alien and forced to betray your species? If not Tarlo then another ex-StarFlyer agent. I'm also interested in what part LionWalker will play. Has his deal ever been explained? He was lurking around and let Dudley use his telescope to record the envelopment. And he just happened to be head of the Void expansion research station thingummy when the first Dreamer was there. Suspicious.

My thoughts before clicking this link were ''either it's a new Douglas Coupland book or Jack Bauer: My Story''.

You know me so well, Ed.

I just finished reading Fat Chance by Simon Gray. Gray is the playwriter/director of Cell Mates, the drama that Stephen Fry was performing in when he went AWOL. The book is his account of the whole drama.

The most enlightening thing in the whole story is Rik Mayall. It really says a lot about him. However I think that the author really did his best to get this across because Rik was really left fairly screwed on all levels by the betrayal.

Interesting, but why does he appear to have the memories of a Guardian? Is it too crazy to suggest Kazimir (McFoster, not Burnelli, obviously)? I know it was made very clear that he was dead, but he fits the profile best.

Hey, what about Dudley?!


Good point, maybe he's God.

I'm reading 'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland' for pure nostalgia as I worked out I haven't read it for 18 years...It's quite lovely.

I got it in a rather odd set for £7.99.....'Wonderland' and 'Looking-Glass' together in one book and Murakami's 'The Wind-up Bird Chronicle'.

Bargainous.

Was there something specifically guardian about his dreams?  Maybe I forgot something.  There was killing, looming dark figures etc but I don't remember anything specific.  It would be interesting if it was Kazimir.  Perhaps his reason for wiping his memories is because he doesn't want to have to think about Justine?I did consider that for about half a second, then remembered that the decent Dudley - rather than the wimpy whiny twat Dudley - was last seen inhabiting the body of a Prime motile inside the envelopment on Dyson Alhpa.

Perhaps in some bizarre twist, it's Joshua Calvert..?

No, both Dudleys ended up the same after the whiny idiot Dudley had his memories merged with the Motile Dudley.

Just finished Transformers - Alan Dean Foster.

The Dean did what he could, but he's not a miracle worker. If you liked the film, however, it's better.


EDIT: Damn! I'm still logged in as Mel!

Well, that just puts anopther nail in the - it could be Dudley - coffin. What about this then? It's a copy of Gore Burnelli, re-lifed into a body with it's past memories removed. If you want something done right, do it yourself. Or a copy of another important influencial person, although Gore is the main man in this book.

Yeah, that was me.

Paul - you are rubbish at logging in and out properly. Just a small point.

I went to a great little second hand book shop last night that I've walked past a few times - it's one of those places with everything sort of jumbled up, it's absolutely tiny and there are books piled on every surface. I ended up getting 4 books for $22. Bargain!

I love second hand book shops. There's a shop in Sheffield that I go to all the time and almost always get something great there. Last time I got a Penguin Classics edition of The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells for £2. It was in pretty great condition as well.

Paul, I can't believe you even vaguely insinuated that I read that *tripe!

*based on the plot and script of the film.



Whatcha get??
I got a load of second hand books recently. Mostly fantastic charity shop purchases. The other day I got "Nothing But Blue Skies" by Tom Holt, "Last Human" by Doug Naylor, (which I haven't read for yonks!) and a huge book on Ashtanga Yoga...all for the bargain price of £2.50.

I'm great at logging in, but rubbish at checking whether Mel had already logged out first.


Recently I collected a load of books from my parents' house, where I have several boxes full.

I'll do some sort of inventory soon, I expect.

Winged beasts, riding a huge horned horse... you should stop skipping pages when you get bored


Gore is a good guess, but that doesn't seem as much of a twist as..someone else. Some people think he might be Stig.

I didn't skip pages but I really don't remember that. MIght have to read it again...

What about Adam Elvin?

Or Bradley Johansson. What happened to them at the end of the last books? I have a vague recollection that Bradley died - completely - robbing Paula of her chance to arrest him. Or did he wander off on a Silfen path?

Johansson ended up dead but revived as one of the Silfen in the gas halo.
Of course, he could be something really crazy like a Barsoomian construct or something.

Really? That doesn't ring any bells at all, and I've read it twice.

Anyone read anything by Italo Calvino? I've been recommended 'Invisible Cities' by a friend from Uni. It sounds most intriguing.

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! I love him. Cosmicomics is beautiful, and you should also try Numbers in the Dark. I don't think you can miss with him, really. LOVE HIM.

Well that is recommendation enough for me. Thanks Mr Craig. I shall look into it.

I can't remember, other than The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark which I just finished. The other three are at home so I'll check.



I utterly adored If On A Winter's Night A Traveler. He's very clever without making you as a reader feel stupid, if you know what I mean.

I've got all 7 Rincewind Discword books now, and I'm just about to start Sorcery, the 3rd one.

Kevin Smith's My Boring-Ass Life also arrived today, which I'm probably going to carry around in my bag for between lectures.

Eeeey!

The other three books in my secondhand book store haul were Emile Zola's The Earth, Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent and Giles Foden's The Last King of Scotland. Am just starting on Conrad and looking forward to it.

Finished it last night and it was very good indeed. The three novellas that form the story are all self-contained, fast-paced and hugely enjoyable stories which also combine to form a compelling narrative. I was also quite pleased to see that the novels have little, if anything, to do with the films, making the whole thing a pleasant surprise. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

For the moment, though, I've started The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Ooooh, post-apocalyptic wonderfulness.

Achtung Schweinehund! by HArry Pearson
The story of the author's obsession since childhood with war comics, films and toys, as well as a history of wargaming, it's origins and those that play (from the Bronte sisters to Martin Scorsese!). A lot more nteresting and entertaining than it sounds.

Music For Torching by A M Homes
A story of a married couple's disatisfaction with life, a failed attempt to change things through an act of arson, and it's aftermath. I say "failed" - it doesn't quite achieve what they intend but it does seem to help them express what they feel, expose their flaws and open the door to some strange situations. Simply yet brilliantly written. Homes is becoming a bit of a favourite.

I started reading The Gunslinger last night, the first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

Quite good so far, it's tempting me to buy the box set from the book people at work!

Alas, it's too big and thick to fit into my side-pocket, and I don't want to keep it in my main pocket for fear of damaging it, so it's not going to lectures with me.

It's a big, thick book. Tiny writing too, so there's a lot there.

Just bought a book at the airport on the way on holiday, The Eternity Artifact by L E Modesitt. For an airport book on a whim, it was actually really very good. An interesting story, neat twists, nice way of giving different characters interpretations of the same events based on their personal biases. A bit formulaic in its setting up of the cultures: Western, Orthodox Christian, Muslim, Chinese etc. However, I'd definately recommend it.

Thanks to the very kind Mr. Chappers, I'm reading 'A Fire Upon the Deep' by Vernon Vinge. It's skewed, universe-spanning SF that I'm enjoying so far.

Finished this this morning and it was a very, very good book indeed. Although the fictionalised parts of Jesus' childhood were thoroughly entertaining and funny, particularly Moore tackling the age old question of whether or not Jesus knew Kung Fu, I found the sections based on the events described by the Apostles infinitely more fascinating, particularly his take on the reason for Jesus sacrificing himself which was one I had not considered before. The afterword in which Moore explained the reasoning behind his portrayals of the various characters were also very interesting and revealed just how much research had gone into the writing of the book. Of particular note was the fact that he cleared up a few misconceptions about the Bible, such as the fact that at no point does it say Mary Magdalene was a whore and that was why his portrayal of her was based on the ''washing Jesus' feet'' moment.

Hugely entertaining and quite provocative, though it's greatest accomplishment is just being an absurdly silly book.

I also started and finished David Mamet's Bambi Vs. Godzilla: On The Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business which I started at noon and finished a few minutes ago, despite having travelled to Manchester and back in the intervening hours. The book was so terrifyingly addictive and engrossing that I couldn't leave it for more than a minute at any one time without feeling the overwhelming need to read it again.

It is without a doubt one of the best books about the making of movies that I have ever read. Admittedly I've only read a few, but it is definitely up there with William Goldman's books on screenwriting in revealing the difficulty of getting a decent film made in an age where focus groups are considered a vital part of the film-making progress. In fact it may be more revealing than Goldman's work due to Mamet's career as a director, though that's just my opinion.

Taking aim at executives, stars and the very nature of the industry itself, it's scathing, candid and hilarious throughout. The best moments for me being Mamet's examination of the move from plot to premise based comedy films (such as the Ealing films, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World) to premise based films (such as the work of the Farrelly brothers) in recent years, his dissection of Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve and illustrating how it is one of the most perfect scripts ever written and a story about the making of an adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary which illustrated the part that sudden inspiration and unplanned occurences can have in the making of a great film or scene.

It was also very interesting to read Mamet's theories on what makes a great script and what he has found to be the very basics of good writing.

Compulsive and enlightening.

How strange that you posted about Lamb. I was about to post this! WANT.

Last week I read The Fade by Chris Wooding.

Brilliant, as always - imaginative and unique plot, interesting characters, fabulous description. I wasn't so sure about the first person present tense format at first, but I thought it worked very well. Overall, I thought it wasn't as good as The Braided Path or The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, but it's definitely one of my favourite books of his.

I also finished The Gunslinger by Stephen King on Friday. I kept on reading the first couple of chapters, then forgetting to read it for ages, then going back and having to read the first few chapters again anyway to refresh my memory. In the end, I just sat down and read it all in one go on Friday morning.

Once I got into it, I found I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, my library didn't have the second book in so I have to wait.

I finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy the other day and it was deserving of all the praise it has received. A genuinely heartwrenching tale of survival, love and devotion set against the backdrop of a terrifying and paranoiac post-apocalyptic world full of fear, mistrust and awful atrocities being committed by people against each other. Unremittingly bleak though it is, it is also quite redemptive and uplifting and I thought it was just a wonderful story. I really hope the John Hillcoat film version goes ahead, especially if they can get Viggo Mortensen to sign on for it, as is the current rumour.

Knowing I had two long train journeys to get to and from the Leeds Meet, I started and have now got quite far into This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes and, having had no real preconceptions beforehand, I have to say it has been something of a revelation. The story of one man being cut off from the world then trying to re-join it is something which I find very interesting and quite affecting and Homes' elegant prose and storytelling makes it an even more compelling read. Very good and I can't wait to read more.

Ooooh. That would be good. Viggo has exactly the right qualities for that character.

I hadn't heard that yet. Viggo would be great!

It's still just a rumour at this stage, but it's got me think that no one else could play the role, he's just got everything the character needs. Plus, he has got some experience guarding small people and escorting them across tough terrain.

Nature Girl by Carl Hiassen
Hiassen by numbers - a female lead, a villain whose luck just gets worse and worse, eccentrics & nutters, all set in Florida. As entertaining, engrossing and informative as usual.