Re: Reading lists
I wrote: I've always heard good things about Octavia Butler but have never gotten around to reading anything she has written. Where's a good place to start? (As if my to read stack wasn't tall enough already ;-) Julia replied: I'll say _Wild Seed_. It's a stand-alone. Most of her other novels are 1 in a series. If you start with something that's part of a series and don't quite like it, someone will tell you you need to really read the next 1, or 2, or N to really appreciate it. :) Thanks, Julia! Reggie Bautista Second Line Maru _ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Toys (was: Reading lists)
--- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip And the cousins I saw the most often growing up were actually second cousins, and they didn't have very many toys at all that I remember (but the youngest was at least 3 years older than I was), but they were really good at finding stuff outside to play with, and the oldest once made a swing for my sister and myself, out of a board and a length of rope, and tied it to a tree limb, and that was *really* cool. So, as far as my cousins went, the ones with the least stuff (especially the least Barbie stuff) seemed to have the most fun. (But they had more dogs than any of the rest of my cousins, and a better place for riding bikes, and a beach very close to their house, where they could get into wet seaweed fights) A teacher friend and I have discussed how it seems that many children today have to be entertained instead of making up their own toys/stories/games, and how scheduled/regimented their days seem in comparison to ours-of-then. Marbles, colored pencils, pebbles from the beach all 'stood in' for whatever we needed for the game-of-the-day: jungle animals, soldiers, spaceships. Tree-shadow meant forest, direct sunlight was prairie, fences were mountains or rivers (except when one had *real* forest with boulders and creeks to play in!)... Maybe it was more a case of making do with what we had, because certainly having a genuine leather bullwhip that your grandfather had shown you how to crack! made playing Round-Up or Tarzan much more fun. :D Debbi who never had 'Barbie envy,' but did covet a richer friend's model horse 'herd'... ;) __ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Julia Thompson I also avoid the Barbie aisle in the toy department. (And yes, I intend to continue this when my daughter is 5, and she will live a life deprived of Barbie, and she'll just have to *deal*, the way I did, and I don't think it hurt me in the long run.) I have known a number of parents who said this. It is a difficult task you have set yourself! I wish you more success than most of these parents had. :-) Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Julia Thompson wrote: I also avoid the Barbie aisle in the toy department. (And yes, I intend to continue this when my daughter is 5, and she will live a life deprived of Barbie, and she'll just have to *deal*, the way I did, and I don't think it hurt me in the long run.) I never paid much attention to Barbie issues, but I suddenly realize I have a daughter now who will likely one day be wanting a host of Barbie dolls, Barbie beach houses, Barbie Corvettes, etc. So I'm curious, why do you wish to deprive your daughter of all things Barbie? I take it your parents didn't let you have Barbie dolls, either? Were you traumatized at the time? -bryon _ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Ray Ludenia wrote: Julia Thompson I also avoid the Barbie aisle in the toy department. (And yes, I intend to continue this when my daughter is 5, and she will live a life deprived of Barbie, and she'll just have to *deal*, the way I did, and I don't think it hurt me in the long run.) I have known a number of parents who said this. It is a difficult task you have set yourself! I wish you more success than most of these parents had. :-) My mother managed it. Dan is of the same opinion regarding Barbie dolls. It'll be a little tough around some of the relatives (one of Dan's cousins wife in particular) but we'll do our best. My mother won't be a problem; getting the point across to Dan's mother may not so easy. We'll see. Julia whose mother refused to support a doll in a lifestyle that she couldn't afford for herself ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Bryon Daly asked: So I'm curious, why do you wish to deprive your daughter of all things Barbie? Barbie is a white-supremacist doll :-) Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Bryon Daly wrote: Julia Thompson wrote: I also avoid the Barbie aisle in the toy department. (And yes, I intend to continue this when my daughter is 5, and she will live a life deprived of Barbie, and she'll just have to *deal*, the way I did, and I don't think it hurt me in the long run.) I never paid much attention to Barbie issues, but I suddenly realize I have a daughter now who will likely one day be wanting a host of Barbie dolls, Barbie beach houses, Barbie Corvettes, etc. So I'm curious, why do you wish to deprive your daughter of all things Barbie? I take it your parents didn't let you have Barbie dolls, either? Were you traumatized at the time? Not badly. I ended up playing with Barbie dolls at other girls' houses, and ended up thinking that it was stupid to have a whole ton of Barbie stuff by the time I was 7 or 8. One of my cousins had a bunch of Barbie stuff before she was 4. My mother, while visiting, looked at the catalog my aunt had for Barbie stuff; my cousin had over $20 worth of clothing, etc. for her Barbie, and this was around 1965. And my cousin wasn't getting $20 worth of enjoyment out of the stuff, or appreciating it. That was when my mom decided to eschew Barbie. (That cousin is a few years older than I.) Another household with cousins of mine included a couple of girls, and they didn't have very much in the way of Barbie stuff, if any, and they seemed quite content with what they *did* have, which included a furnished dollhouse with a doll family and electric lights that worked (that someone, maybe their grandfather, had built for them). (These cousins were a little closer to me in age, but still older than I was.) And the cousins I saw the most often growing up were actually second cousins, and they didn't have very many toys at all that I remember (but the youngest was at least 3 years older than I was), but they were really good at finding stuff outside to play with, and the oldest once made a swing for my sister and myself, out of a board and a length of rope, and tied it to a tree limb, and that was *really* cool. So, as far as my cousins went, the ones with the least stuff (especially the least Barbie stuff) seemed to have the most fun. (But they had more dogs than any of the rest of my cousins, and a better place for riding bikes, and a beach very close to their house, where they could get into wet seaweed fights) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Julia Thompson wrote: My mother, while visiting, looked at the catalog my aunt had for Barbie stuff; my cousin had over $20 worth of clothing, etc. for her Barbie, and this was around 1965. My daughter's Army of Barbies was bought when I could get them by US$1.99; now they are ten times that and br currency is 1/3 its value, so no more Barbies. Alberto Monteiro the near-bankrupt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Reading lists.
From: Alberto Monteiro [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Bryon Daly asked: So I'm curious, why do you wish to deprive your daughter of all things Barbie? Barbie is a white-supremacist doll :-) My daughter's army of Barbie includes quite a few multi-cultural Barbies. Nita has made a point of trying to get them. I really hate to think of the amount of money we've spent on Barbie's for Laura. Argh! - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists
Halupovich Ilana wrote: Joan Vinge - there is another book about Sparks and Moon - World's End. I read and liked Psion and Catspaw and I read somewhere that there is another book in those series called Psiren, but I was unable to find it. _World's End_ goes between _Snow Queen_ and _Summer Queen_. Not as epic as the other two, but still reasonably good. Killashandra series - there are Killashandra, Crystal Singer and Crystal Line, but I don't remember the exact order, anyway, I saw them all in one book couple of years ago. If it were all one book and a paperback at that, that would be a reasonable price for the lot of them. :) (Crystal Singer was the first book I bought myself that I paid more than $2.50 for -- it was $2.95.) And speaking of several books in one - Did anybody read Octavia Butler Lilith's Brood ? Isn't that the Xenogenesis Trilogy, starting with _Dawn_, then _Imago_, then _Adulthood Rites_? I bought the individual books in paperback awhile back, enjoyed them all, and got the compilation for my sister for Christmas one year. She really liked it. (Once I got her to actually read a Butler novel, she was all over them. It's not very easy to get her to read science fiction as opposed to fantasy) I've liked everything by Butler that I've read. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Bryon Daly wrote: I never paid much attention to Barbie issues, but I suddenly realize I have a daughter now who will likely one day be wanting a host of Barbie dolls, Barbie beach houses, Barbie Corvettes, etc. So I'm curious, why do you wish to deprive your daughter of all things Barbie? I take it your parents didn't let you have Barbie dolls, either? Were you traumatized at the time? I had a mother-in-law who volunteered at a charity thrift shop, so she got first pick of all the stuff coming in. We had quite a collection of bits and pieces, most of which have now been donated back to the charity shop. Still have a really cool campervan and a jeep in the play room, but they'll soon be passed on to my niece. (My oldest daughter is 20 and my youngest daughter 13, so Barbie's are behind us now). Cheers Russell C. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
rob wrote: I expect that I will keep repeating myself on this subject occasionally, until I get a reality check that will tell me if I am alone in believing John C Wright, author of The Golden Age and The Phoenix Exultant is the hottest new author since Brin hit the scene. Tom replied: I'm a big fan of Alastair Reynolds (Revelation Space, Chasm City, Redemption Ark) and Charles Stross. The Golden Age is okay, but didn't excite me as much as it obviously did to you. I have a stack of books on my desk right now. The book on top is what I'm currently reading, _The Dosadi Experiment_ by Frank Herbert. Under that are the next books I'm planning on reading. The first two are _The Golden Age_ and _Revelation Space_. I guess I'm a little behind... Reggie Bautista So Many Books, So Little Time Maru _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
(My oldest daughter is 20 and my youngest daughter 13, so Barbie's are behind us now). They're into Malibu Stacy now?;) (Either that or they're buying real clothing for themselves, which is even more expensive. g) Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Russell C. wrote: (My oldest daughter is 20 and my youngest daughter 13, so Barbie's are behind us now). My wife is 28 and she still buy Barbie dolls periodically, usually the collector Barbies. Her other vice, of course, is Legos. Reggie Bautista Legomaniac Maru _ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: (My oldest daughter is 20 and my youngest daughter 13, so Barbie's are behind us now). They're into Malibu Stacy now?;) (Either that or they're buying real clothing for themselves, which is even more expensive. g) That's nothing - one of them is looking at wedding dresses! Aaagh... Now I wish it was wedding Barbie... Cheers Russell C. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
I wrote: I guess I'm a little behind... Erik replied: Better to be a little behind than a big ass! Big ass, smart ass, it's all good... :-) Reggie Bautista Baby Got Back Maru _ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
- Original Message - From: Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 6:43 PM Subject: Re: Reading lists. On Mon, Jul 14, 2003 at 06:20:42PM -0500, Reggie Bautista wrote: I guess I'm a little behind... Better to be a little behind than a big ass! Aint this just the perfect opening for a schoolyard free for all? G xponent The Nadir Of Wit Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Reggie Bautista wrote: My wife is 28 and she still buy Barbie dolls periodically, usually the collector Barbies. Her other vice, of course, is Legos. Repeat after me : Lego is not a vice. Lego is not a vice. Lego is not a vice. (It is, after all, a constructive hobby) (And e-Bay has transformed Lego collecting and building) Cheers Russell C. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
I wrote: My wife is 28 and she still buy Barbie dolls periodically, usually the collector Barbies. Her other vice, of course, is Legos. Russell replied: Repeat after me : Lego is not a vice. Lego is not a vice. Lego is not a vice. (It is, after all, a constructive hobby) Playing with Legos is certainly not a vice. Buying them in bulk, on the other hand... Actually, to my wife's credit, she usually only buys them when the go on clearance. But to paraphrase the old saying (because I don't remember it verbatim), she's saving us so much money she's going to bankrupt us if she isn't careful :-) (And e-Bay has transformed Lego collecting and building) Anita has mostly stayed away from e-Bay, but our friend Mike has gotten some pretty good deals on Legos there. Have you done much Lego buying or selling on e-Bay, Russell? Reggie Bautista _ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Reggie Bautista wrote: Russell C. wrote: (My oldest daughter is 20 and my youngest daughter 13, so Barbie's are behind us now). My wife is 28 and she still buy Barbie dolls periodically, usually the collector Barbies. Her other vice, of course, is Legos. An adult collecting Barbies is very different from a little girl being given them. Legos are a *vice*? Oh, dear I thought they were a wholesome sort of toy! (Our big vice is SF/fantasy art. Still need to get the stuff we bought at AggieCon in March to the framer) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists
Ilana wrote: And speaking of several books in one - Did anybody read Octavia Butler Lilith's Brood ? Julia replied: Isn't that the Xenogenesis Trilogy, starting with _Dawn_, then _Imago_, then _Adulthood Rites_? I bought the individual books in paperback awhile back, enjoyed them all, and got the compilation for my sister for Christmas one year. She really liked it. (Once I got her to actually read a Butler novel, she was all over them. It's not very easy to get her to read science fiction as opposed to fantasy) I've liked everything by Butler that I've read. I've always heard good things about Octavia Butler but have never gotten around to reading anything she has written. Where's a good place to start? (As if my to read stack wasn't tall enough already ;-) Reggie Bautista _ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
George wrote: BTW, Mr. Vinge has come up with two brilliant and frightening concepts, being Bobbled and being Focused. That's just how I usually describe a couple of concepts from John Cramer's _Einstein's Bridge_. The concepts are Reading and Writing but they don't exactly mean what you think they will. _Einstein's Bridge_ starts out really pulpy, but about halfway through, the book takes a *serious* left turn and becomes a whole different story than what you thought you were going to be reading. After that point, it becomes hard SF with interesting things happening with genetics and a fascinating alternate interpretation of quantum physics called the Transactional Interpretation (TI). The original paper on this interpretation was written by Cramer and published in Reviews of Modern Physics, and is available online at: http://mist.npl.washington.edu/ti/ Does anybody on the list have an opinion on TI as opposed to the standard Copenhagen Interpretation? Reggie Bautista _ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists
Reggie Bautista wrote: I've always heard good things about Octavia Butler but have never gotten around to reading anything she has written. Where's a good place to start? (As if my to read stack wasn't tall enough already ;-) I'll say _Wild Seed_. It's a stand-alone. Most of her other novels are 1 in a series. If you start with something that's part of a series and don't quite like it, someone will tell you you need to really read the next 1, or 2, or N to really appreciate it. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
At 10:53 AM 7/12/03 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: I read all the Killashandra books, Are there more than two? and I thought they were OK (then again, I read the first one in junior high and the second in high school, just to give you an idea of my *emotional* age when I most enjoyed them), but I don't go back to them. I read them and found the SF ideas interesting, but admittedly did not read them for the romance. --Ronn! :) I always knew that I would see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed that I would see the last. --Dr. Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 10:53 AM 7/12/03 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: I read all the Killashandra books, Are there more than two? Three. Crystal Singer, Killashandra, Crystal Line. I think the publication dates were something like 1981, 1985 or so, 1992. and I thought they were OK (then again, I read the first one in junior high and the second in high school, just to give you an idea of my *emotional* age when I most enjoyed them), but I don't go back to them. I read them and found the SF ideas interesting, but admittedly did not read them for the romance. I liked the stuff with the crystal itself. All the interpersonal stuff holds little interest for me now, though, so I haven't been going back to them. (Pern has more complicated politics *shown* to the reader, which makes for more interesting reading.) You want more romance/adventure, a little less SF, try _Restoree_ by McCaffrey. If you're not interested in those, then skip it. :) Julia who wouldn't recommend the Power books co-authored with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Julia Thompson wrote: Julia who wouldn't recommend the Power books co-authored with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough Whoops, that one got out before I finished the thought. Should have been who wouldn't recommend the Power books co-authored with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough to this group in general Amazing what happens when you jump up from the computer to deal with a minor crisis, and then come back and don't realize until a fraction of a second after you hit send that you meant to add just a bit more Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
I expect that I will keep repeating myself on this subject occasionally, until I get a reality check that will tell me if I am alone in believing John C Wright, author of The Golden Age and The Phoenix Exultant is the hottest new author since Brin hit the scene. When I first read Startide Rising I was struck and amazed by the alieness of his aliens. In Wrights books I am similarly struck by the alieness of his far future human descendents. Some of the territory has been previously covered by other writers, but Wright manages to make all things new and expands upon subjects with surprising insight. I don't usually research writers I've found, but Wright is a special case for me and the results of the search produced some interesting results. From an interview with John C Wright: http://www.sfsite.com/05a/jcw127.htm I went to St. John's College in Annapolis, which is the home of the Great Books program. There are no tests and no grades at that school, and no lecture classes. There is never a time when the student is not allowed to speak. There are no secondary texts; we do not read some blowhard second-guessing what the geniuses of history thought; we read the geniuses in the original. We read the Great Books of Western Literature in chronological order, from Homer and Aristotle, through Hobbes and Shakespeare, Newton and Pascal, to Freud and the Federalist Papers. By graduation, the student knows Greek and Latin grammar, logic, and rhetoric, geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music. I can tell you what such an education does for you. You are like a man with a memory in a land of amnesiacs. All the sophomoric ideas presently being preached from the pulpits of the pundits, all the clever policies of clever politicians: it has all been done before. All their errors were refuted long, long ago. Aristotle debunked Marx two thousand years before Marx put pen to paper. The Twentieth Century A.D. might have been spared a great deal of grief and bloodshed, had she remembered the Fifth Century B.C. And: First, it is pusillanimous to write of small things when one can write of great. The abyss of time holds wonders too large to fit inside one small world, or the narrow confines of one cramped century. Science Fiction is meant to tell us traveler's tales of places and aeons men cannot reach, but imagination can. Second, it was a challenge I saw too few authors these days attempting to face. If one is going to write about the future, it might as well be the farthest future that can be dreamed. I am a space opera writer. Perhaps I am the last of my kind. I like large themes, thunder, fury, and wonder. Why blow up a city when you can blow up a world? Why launch a starship one kilometer long, when you can launch a super-starship a thousand kilometers long? Why build space armor out of carbon-steel when you can built it out of adamantium? And here is the first chapter of The Golden Age: http://www.sff.net/people/john-c-wright/golden-age-chapter-one.html xponent Post-Singularity Adventure Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
I expect that I will keep repeating myself on this subject occasionally, until I get a reality check that will tell me if I am alone in believing John C Wright, author of The Golden Age and The Phoenix Exultant is the hottest new author since Brin hit the scene. I'm a big fan of Alastair Reynolds (Revelation Space, Chasm City, Redemption Ark) and Charles Stross. The Golden Age is okay, but didn't excite me as much as it obviously did to you. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
- Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2003 2:30 PM Subject: Re: Reading lists. I expect that I will keep repeating myself on this subject occasionally, until I get a reality check that will tell me if I am alone in believing John C Wright, author of The Golden Age and The Phoenix Exultant is the hottest new author since Brin hit the scene. I'm a big fan of Alastair Reynolds (Revelation Space, Chasm City, Redemption Ark) and Charles Stross. I'm a big fan of Stross also. Reynolds is really good and I like his books alot, but I didn't find them as invigorating or original as Wright. The Golden Age is okay, but didn't excite me as much as it obviously did to you. Thanks for the honest opinion Tom! Not what I had hoped for obviously, but greatly appreciated in any case. Hey Nick! I would be greatly interested in a [Books] tag for the headers. Would this be worthwhile if there is some interest from others? I suspect it might bring more participation from the lurking set. xponent Questions And Answers Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
--- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: --- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Debbi, if you're following this thread, McCaffrey has written some non-SF stuff, some of it about women who ride horses. Try _Ring of Fear_ or _The Lady_, unless you absolutely can't stand romances. :) snip But *romance novels*?!! With heaving bosoms and manly pillars, straining bodices and breeches moulded to his calves? Not me! ;) grin Maybe I should have used looks innocently at the ceiling rather than ;) ... I _have_ read a few of those... There are novels that aren't like the formulated Harlequin romances, but are still romances rather than some other sort of novel. The formulaic ones found in the Romance Novels section, usually with way more pink on the cover than anyone should really want, hold no interest for me, but ones that are reasonable novels in their own right but have that romantic slant to them are OK at times. (At times.) serious I do enjoy historical romances that are well-researched, with an interesting story to tell (and not some jaded variation on poor girl-who-is-hated-by-all-other-women-because-she's-ravishingly-beautiful becomes governess/milkmaid/cook for rich man, and then they fall into/on the bed/hay/table). But if the story doesn't have characters I care about, decent approximations of people with conflicting goals, warts and genuine humor, like you I have no interest in it. And don't get me started on the pink thing! ;) Debbi What If The Yellowstone Wolfpacks Were Group Sentients Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Deborah Harrell wrote: serious I do enjoy historical romances that are well-researched, with an interesting story to tell (and not some jaded variation on poor girl-who-is-hated-by-all-other-women-because-she's-ravishingly-beautiful becomes governess/milkmaid/cook for rich man, and then they fall into/on the bed/hay/table). But if the story doesn't have characters I care about, decent approximations of people with conflicting goals, warts and genuine humor, like you I have no interest in it. Yes. I like historical romances, or novels where there's a lot more going on than just the romance. Anything where the primary purpose is to peddle a formulaic pre-packaged easy-to-read thing is crap, IMO. And don't get me started on the pink thing! ;) If a book's cover has too much pink, I generally avoid it. I also avoid the Barbie aisle in the toy department. (And yes, I intend to continue this when my daughter is 5, and she will live a life deprived of Barbie, and she'll just have to *deal*, the way I did, and I don't think it hurt me in the long run.) Debbi What If The Yellowstone Wolfpacks Were Group Sentients Maru Well, that would be interesting! :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
I Deborah Harrell wrote: serious I do enjoy historical romances that are well-researched, with an interesting story to tell (and not some jaded variation on poor girl-who-is-hated-by-all-other-women-because-she's-ravishingly-beautiful becomes governess/milkmaid/cook for rich man, and then they fall into/on the bed/hay/table). Hoonish females, not having human type mammary equipment, will not read romances that deal with heaving bosoms. Heaving bosuns, however, will become a subgenera of the hoonish romance novel. William Taylor -- bed/hay/table? You left out sloop/skiff/yardarm ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists
Joan Vinge - there is another book about Sparks and Moon - World's End. I read and liked Psion and Catspaw and I read somewhere that there is another book in those series called Psiren, but I was unable to find it. Killashandra series - there are Killashandra, Crystal Singer and Crystal Line, but I don't remember the exact order, anyway, I saw them all in one book couple of years ago. And speaking of several books in one - Did anybody read Octavia Butler Lilith's Brood ? NR Artemis Fowl - OK, but definitely YA. Just got e-mail from Amazon.uk - my Well of Lost Plots is on it's way! :-) Ilana ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
--- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip Debbi, if you're following this thread, McCaffrey has written some non-SF stuff, some of it about women who ride horses. Try _Ring of Fear_ or _The Lady_, unless you absolutely can't stand romances. :) I may have read _The Lady_...pony called Blister? But *romance novels*?!! With heaving bosoms and manly pillars, straining bodices and breeches moulded to his calves? Not me! ;) Agree with your comment on the Killeshandra series - not something I'd waste time reading another book of. But I really like the epic Dragonflight/Dragonquest/The White Dragon trilogy, and the Harper Hall triplet is good fun. Joan D. Vinge's 'Psiteen' (?sp?) series looked at a future world in a gritty, cool way (think this was aimed at a younger readership, though). Debbi Not Enough Time For To Read! Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
From: Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] I know that this list was originally started as a list dedicated to discussion of specific authors and their books, so I thought I would bring up a topic that is closer to being actually on topic in the little time that I have to compose email today (at least part of the reason that I haven't replied to other threads). One of the main reasons I joined the list was for the book discussions and to find out what other were/are reading. On the topic of _/_ by Greg Bear, I may start another thread later about that book, but I wanted to ask, for those who have read more of Greg Bear's books if _/_ represented a One of Greg Bear's better books, was on par with most of his books, or were his other books superior? ... If some people would care to recommend some other Greg Bear books, that would be appreciated. The only Bear stuff I do not really care for is his short stories(only a couple that I recall liking.). And I have not read his Star Wars novel. I read _slant_ out of order, but the series is only very loosely tied together. I would say it is above par, but I like almost all of Bear. My favorites are _Darwin's Radio_, _Moving Mars_, and _Eon_. And read _The Forge of God_, the ending haunted me for months. (I would read _Eon_, _Eternity_ and _Legacy_ series in order.) Looking back at my list of read books I also flagged Songs of Earth and Power, which is a combined version of his two fantasy novels. Jim _ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
I would like to thank everyone who chimed in on this tread for the book suggestions. I will look for many of those on my next trip to the book store. For now, after I've finished _Expendable_ I will probably start reading _The Hobbit_. I want to read that book and all of the _Lord of the Rings_ books before the final movie comes out, and it occured to me that that is just a few months away. Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much... the wheel, New York, wars, and so on, whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins believed themselves to be more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons. - Douglas Adams ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Deborah Harrell wrote: --- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip Debbi, if you're following this thread, McCaffrey has written some non-SF stuff, some of it about women who ride horses. Try _Ring of Fear_ or _The Lady_, unless you absolutely can't stand romances. :) I may have read _The Lady_...pony called Blister? I think so. It's been a little while, and I was somewhat sleep-deprived. (That was one novel I worked my way through during the 1AM breastfeeding sessions) But *romance novels*?!! With heaving bosoms and manly pillars, straining bodices and breeches moulded to his calves? Not me! ;) There are novels that aren't like the formulated Harlequin romances, but are still romances rather than some other sort of novel. The formulaic ones found in the Romance Novels section, usually with way more pink on the cover than anyone should really want, hold no interest for me, but ones that are reasonable novels in their own right but have that romantic slant to them are OK at times. (At times.) Agree with your comment on the Killeshandra series - not something I'd waste time reading another book of. But I really like the epic Dragonflight/Dragonquest/The White Dragon trilogy, and the Harper Hall triplet is good fun. I read all the Killashandra books, and I thought they were OK (then again, I read the first one in junior high and the second in high school, just to give you an idea of my *emotional* age when I most enjoyed them), but I don't go back to them. I go back to the Pern books now and again. Joan D. Vinge's 'Psiteen' (?sp?) series looked at a future world in a gritty, cool way (think this was aimed at a younger readership, though). Haven't read any of those. I've read a couple of her other novels, and enjoyed them. But for a Vinge, give me Vernor. :) I finished _Across Realtime_ last weekend, and boy, that was a really good read. I recommended it to Dan, as well -- I think he'd really like it. The first VV novel I ever read was _The Witling_, which was a neat twist on a fantasy universe. If you're looking for something not too complicated or long, but still intelligent, that's a good one. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Michael Harney wrote: snip . . . I will probably start reading _The Hobbit_. I want to read that book and all of the _Lord of the Rings_ books before the final movie comes out, and it occured to me that that is just a few months away. And none too soon. George A ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Julia Thompson wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: snip Joan D. Vinge's 'Psiteen' (?sp?) series looked at a future world in a gritty, cool way (think this was aimed at a younger readership, though). Haven't read any of those. I've read a couple of her other novels, and enjoyed them. Her TheSnow Queen (1981 Hugo) and The Summer Queen novels are great; though both are long, the investment in time is well spent. But for a Vinge, give me Vernor. :) I finished _Across Realtime_ last weekend, and boy, that was a really good read. I recommended it to Dan, as well -- I think he'd really like it. A few years back, when I made it a life quest to read and collect all the major award winners, I picked up Venor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep. That book nearly turned me off reading anything by him. At the time I could imagine how it won the 1993 Hugo (actually it tied with Connie Willis' Doomsday Book (a very, very good read)). Of course a few years later his A Deepness in the Sky was nominated for the 2000 Hugo, so I read to read it. I started it grudgingly but to my surprise, it is excellent. It did win the 2000 Hugo. So at that point, Mr. Vinge was a toss up. I then read the two novels in Across Realtime (The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime) and the pendulum has swung clearly INTO Mr. Vinge's camp; excellent reads. I will have to re-read A Fire Upon the Deep. I must qualify my initial dislike of A Fire Upon the Deep with this: the wolf packs that became more or less intelligent dependent upon the number of wolves in the pack and their proximity to each other is very, very interesting. It was the rest of the book that had me wondering what the heck was going on. BTW, Mr. Vinge has come up with two brilliant and frightening concepts, being Bobbled and being Focused. George A ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
On Sunday, July 13, 2003, at 01:42 am, G. D. Akin wrote: Michael Harney wrote: snip . . . I will probably start reading _The Hobbit_. I want to read that book and all of the _Lord of the Rings_ books before the final movie comes out, and it occured to me that that is just a few months away. And none too soon. The extended edition DVD of part II must be out soon then. Part I extended was excellent. -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ 'The true sausage buff will sooner or later want his own meat grinder.' -- Jack Schmidling ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
For the Harry Potter books, I like the UK cover art better, at least judging from Order Of The Phoenix. And I regret the dumbing down of the book 1 title in the US by changing Philosopher's Stone to Sorceror's Stone. Me too. I have purchased all 5 books from amazon.co.uk because I preferred the cover art on the Bloomsbury editions. The binding on some wasn't all that good (esp. Goblet of Fire), but Order of the Phoenix apppears to be much better manufactured. Although it is true that sorceror's stone means absolutely nothing, esp. if you know anything at all about alchemy, I wonder how many young readers in the UK got the association either until it was explained in the book? -- Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Robert Seeberger wrote: Gardner is a quite good journeyman writer. Expendable is pretty good, but its sequels are even more fun. I read this recently and enjoyed it. Care to give the titles of the sequels??? Regards, Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Someone wrote: For the Harry Potter books, I like the UK cover art better, at least judging from Order Of The Phoenix. And I regret the dumbing down of the book 1 title in the US by changing Philosopher's Stone to Sorceror's Stone. Tom Beck replied: Me too. I have purchased all 5 books from amazon.co.uk because I preferred the cover art on the Bloomsbury editions. The binding on some wasn't all that good (esp. Goblet of Fire), but Order of the Phoenix apppears to be much better manufactured. My wife and I have the paperback Bloomsbury editions, purchased for us at Heathrow during a layover by my wife's maternal grandmother who works in Spain. We didn't want to wait for the 5th one to come out in paperback, though, so we ordered the hardback from amazon.co.uk. It came a week before they said it would (I didn't order it until the day after it was released), and was less expensive than the American edition from amazon.com, shipping included. I'm very happy with the service I received from them. And now that I've discovered how to change the region on my DVD player, I plan to order the British versions of the first two movies. I think I've posted this before, but just in case... Almost every brand and model of DVD player has special codes that allow you to change regions. Just go to: http://www.regionfreedvd.net/players.html Select your player from the dropdown box and click View Methods. Reggie Bautista _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Bryon wrote: For the Harry Potter books, I like the UK cover art better, at least judging from Order Of The Phoenix. Yeah, it's a lot better for *all* of them. And I regret the dumbing down of the book 1 title in the US by changing Philosopher's Stone to Sorceror's Stone. There are some web sites out there that list all of the changes between the original British and US editions. For the most part it's a word here, a phrase there, typically 15 to 30 changes per book, things like revising changed to studying. One book (_Prisoner of Azkaban_, I think) has one instance where a passage of three or four sentences was completely rewritten and the ideas from the sentences re-ordered. I'll see if I can find that link, if anyone is interested. I much prefer reading the Harry Potter books in their original English :-) and any words a typical American might not understand are pretty easy to figure out from context. The suits at the American publishing company just think that all Americans are idiots. Rowling has said in interviews that she regrets agreeing to the changes, but from what I understand she is now contractually obligated through the entire series to allow the American publisher to make any changes they feel would make the books easier for an American to understand. Reggie Bautista _ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Andrew Crystall wrote: Not really a direct reply, but I'm currently reading _The Mote Arround Mucheson's Eye_ (yes, the sequel to _A Mote in god's Eye_) In the US its known as The Gripping Hand. Not quite as good as Mote (which, IMHO, belongs in the top 10 ever). In fact, I didn't like it much the first time around--better the second read about a year later when I read the two back to back. George A ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Andrew Crystall wrote: Not really a direct reply, but I'm currently reading _The Mote Arround Mucheson's Eye_ (yes, the sequel to _A Mote in god's Eye_) George Akin replied: In the US its known as The Gripping Hand. Not quite as good as Mote (which, IMHO, belongs in the top 10 ever). For some reason, whenever people ask me for my favorite books, I always forget _Mote_. It really is an excellent story. Reggie Bautista _ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Michael Harney wrote: I know that this list was originally started as a list dedicated to discussion of specific authors and their books, so I thought I would bring up a topic that is closer to being actually on topic in the little time that I have to compose email today (at least part of the reason that I haven't replied to other threads). I have been reading more than usual recently. Mostly because the air conditioner I have in my room sucks, so leaving my computer on all day makes the room intollerably hot on days when the air conditioner is not working the way it should. It started with reading _Dragonseye_ by Anne McCaffrey (one of the Pern novels). That was followed by reading _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ by Phillip K. Dick. After that I read _/_ by Greg Bear. I am currently reading _Expendable_ by James Alan Gardner. I wanted to ask those who have read some/many of the Pern novels a question. I have only read _Dragonseye_ and _The Dolphins of Pern_. The question I have is: Are the events in some of the other pern books more epic? Let me elaborate for clarity. I liked the books, but I found them to be a little lacking in the end because there never seems to be any grand, exciting events in the stories. No major climax to the story. Are the other Pern novels similar, or are there better ones? I haven't read much of Anne McCaffrey; nothing of Pern, but I did read Dinosaur Planet which I'd rate as average. I have a friend who highly recommends her Ship Who ... series and maybe someday I'll read some, but I have of them none in the queue. On the topic of _/_ by Greg Bear, I may start another thread later about that book, but I wanted to ask, for those who have read more of Greg Bear's books if _/_ represented a One of Greg Bear's better books, was on par with most of his books, or were his other books superior? I ask because I quite liked that novel. It was a bit like pushing a heavy item on wheels. It was a little hard to start reading (mostly because the events at the begining are so disjointed), but once momentum was built up (and events started to tie together), it was difficult to stop reading it. If some people would care to recommend some other Greg Bear books, that would be appreciated. I like Greg Bear a lot, but his books can run hot and cold for me. Queen of Angels and / were okay, tepid. Moving Mars (Nebula 1994) is very good and in a list of 10 or so Mars books I'd recomend if you're interested. Vitals was okay, very confusing to me; not sure I understood the ending. Eon and sequels fell into the typical sequel spiral, first very good then the two others, while okay, weren't as good. I could say the same for The Forge of God and Anvil of the Stars; the first very good and the sequel just not as satisfying. Blood Music (Hugo novella 1984), Darwin's Radio (Nebula 2000) and Darwin's Children are all first rate. Dinosaur Summer is pretty good fun. George A ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
- Original Message - From: Ray Ludenia [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: BRIN L [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 8:30 AM Subject: Re: Reading lists. Robert Seeberger wrote: Gardner is a quite good journeyman writer. Expendable is pretty good, but its sequels are even more fun. I read this recently and enjoyed it. Care to give the titles of the sequels??? No problemo! Expendable Commitment Hour (mildly interesting, mostly dealing with Spark Lords) Vigilant Hunted Ascending Trapped Basic premise: Humans are allowed to travel interstellar space by the mysterious and all powerful League Of Peoples, but if you are responsible for the death of another sentient, the moment you cross over into interstellar space you drop dead. The Space Navy is filled with corruption and is involved in all sorts of skullduggery. People with even minor physical imperfections are considered expendable. There are planets out there populated by descendents of modified human stock, colonies created by aliens thousands of years before humans achieved spaceflight. There is a planet of no return. This could have all been pulpy hackwork, but is actually pulled off intelligently and with good humor. xponent Oh Shit! Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
G. D. Akin wrote: I haven't read much of Anne McCaffrey; nothing of Pern, but I did read Dinosaur Planet which I'd rate as average. I have a friend who highly recommends her Ship Who ... series and maybe someday I'll read some, but I have of them none in the queue. I found the Dinosaur Planet books to be the most disappointing ones of hers that I've read, just to offer my opinion. You might like _Decision at Doona_. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Reading lists.
I know that this list was originally started as a list dedicated to discussion of specific authors and their books, so I thought I would bring up a topic that is closer to being actually on topic in the little time that I have to compose email today (at least part of the reason that I haven't replied to other threads). I have been reading more than usual recently. Mostly because the air conditioner I have in my room sucks, so leaving my computer on all day makes the room intollerably hot on days when the air conditioner is not working the way it should. It started with reading _Dragonseye_ by Anne McCaffrey (one of the Pern novels). That was followed by reading _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ by Phillip K. Dick. After that I read _/_ by Greg Bear. I am currently reading _Expendable_ by James Alan Gardner. I wanted to ask those who have read some/many of the Pern novels a question. I have only read _Dragonseye_ and _The Dolphins of Pern_. The question I have is: Are the events in some of the other pern books more epic? Let me elaborate for clarity. I liked the books, but I found them to be a little lacking in the end because there never seems to be any grand, exciting events in the stories. No major climax to the story. Are the other Pern novels similar, or are there better ones? On the topic of _/_ by Greg Bear, I may start another thread later about that book, but I wanted to ask, for those who have read more of Greg Bear's books if _/_ represented a One of Greg Bear's better books, was on par with most of his books, or were his other books superior? I ask because I quite liked that novel. It was a bit like pushing a heavy item on wheels. It was a little hard to start reading (mostly because the events at the begining are so disjointed), but once momentum was built up (and events started to tie together), it was difficult to stop reading it. If some people would care to recommend some other Greg Bear books, that would be appreciated. Reading _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ was interesting and painful. Worth reading once in my opinion, but it is a book I probably won't read again. Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much... the wheel, New York, wars, and so on, whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins believed themselves to be more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons. - Douglas Adams ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Michael Harney wrote: I know that this list was originally started as a list dedicated to discussion of specific authors and their books, so I thought I would bring up a topic that is closer to being actually on topic in the little time that I have to compose email today (at least part of the reason that I haven't replied to other threads). I have been reading more than usual recently. Mostly because the air conditioner I have in my room sucks, so leaving my computer on all day makes the room intollerably hot on days when the air conditioner is not working the way it should. It started with reading _Dragonseye_ by Anne McCaffrey (one of the Pern novels). That was followed by reading _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ by Phillip K. Dick. After that I read _/_ by Greg Bear. I am currently reading _Expendable_ by James Alan Gardner. I wanted to ask those who have read some/many of the Pern novels a question. I have only read _Dragonseye_ and _The Dolphins of Pern_. The question I have is: Are the events in some of the other pern books more epic? Let me elaborate for clarity. I liked the books, but I found them to be a little lacking in the end because there never seems to be any grand, exciting events in the stories. No major climax to the story. Are the other Pern novels similar, or are there better ones? _Dragonflight_, the first one written, has some grand, exciting events. _Dragonsdawn_ is more exciting, as well. _Moreta_ at least has a much greater sense of urgency than either of the two you've read. Let's see if I can remember order of publication: Dragonflight Dragonquest The White Dragon Moreta Dragonsdawn Nerilka's Story OK, I'm losing it now, and I'm not sure that Nerilka's Story was published before Dragonsdawn. (I know I read it *after*, and I was seizing McCaffrey books as soon as they came out in paperback for awhile there) There are a number that follow, including the two you read. There was also the Harper Hall Trilogy, starting with _Dragonsong_, followed by _Dragonsinger_ and concluding with _Dragondrums_. They're on an easier reading level, not terribly epic, but about characters I enjoyed reading about. Then again, I read the first one for the first time at age 10, and read _Dragonsinger_ repeatedly when I was in junior high, so take that into consideration. (At least they're quicker reads, so if you're somewhat disappointed, you won't have invested as much time in them.) You might like _The Ship Who Sang_, which is by McCaffrey, but not a Pern book. Or _Decision on Doona_ (same). Reading _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ was interesting and painful. Worth reading once in my opinion, but it is a book I probably won't read again. The movie that was based on it, Blade Runner, is worth watching. Painful in different ways. (I won't say not as painful, but it's a very good movie, IMO.) That's all I have to say about that right now. :) Julia p.s. if you can get it from your library, you might be interested in _Speed of Dark_ by Elizabeth Moon. It'll be out in paperback sometime early next year, I think. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
On Thu, Jul 10, 2003 at 11:20:29AM -0600, Michael Harney wrote: On the topic of _/_ by Greg Bear, I may start another thread later about that book, but I wanted to ask, for those who have read more of Greg Bear's books if _/_ represented a One of Greg Bear's better books, was on par with most of his books, or were his other books superior? I'd say par. Are you aware that _Slash_ was a (loose) sequel to _Queen of Angels_? I'd recommend _Moving Mars_ and _Blood Music_ as his best novels. Another good one is _Eon_. He also has a less-SciFi'ish (fantasy) book, _Songs of Earth and Power_ that was pretty good. -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Not really a direct reply, but I'm currently reading _The Mote Arround Mucheson's Eye_ (yes, the sequel to _A Mote in god's Eye_) and _Shadow Puppets_ (OSC - third in the _Shadow_ saga) Andy Dawn Falcon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
From: Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] I wanted to ask those who have read some/many of the Pern novels a question. I have only read _Dragonseye_ and _The Dolphins of Pern_. The question I have is: Are the events in some of the other pern books more epic? Let me elaborate for clarity. I liked the books, but I found them to be a little lacking in the end because there never seems to be any grand, exciting events in the stories. No major climax to the story. Are the other Pern novels similar, or are there better ones? I never read any of the Pern books, so I can't comment on this. On the topic of _/_ by Greg Bear, I may start another thread later about that book, but I wanted to ask, for those who have read more of Greg Bear's books if _/_ represented a One of Greg Bear's better books, was on par with most of his books, or were his other books superior? I ask because I quite liked that novel. It was a bit like pushing a heavy item on wheels. It was a little hard to start reading (mostly because the events at the begining are so disjointed), but once momentum was built up (and events started to tie together), it was difficult to stop reading it. If some people would care to recommend some other Greg Bear books, that would be appreciated. I haven't read (or even heard of) _/_ (or does this mean Slant, which I also haven't read?), but I mostly liked the Greg Bear books I have read: Blood Music, Forge of God, Anvil of Stars: these all had some interesting concepts and I enjoyed them a lot. Heads - short, so-so. IIRC, shares a bit of the same concept at the end as Blood Music. Eternity - I read this when it came out and enjoyed it, but by the time the sequel came out, I had lost entirely all memory of what this book was about. I have zero recall of its story. It just didn't catch my imagination, I guess. _ The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
From: Andrew Crystall [EMAIL PROTECTED] _The Mote Arround Mucheson's Eye_ (yes, the sequel to _A Mote in god's Eye_) Hmmm. I thought the sequel to The Mote In God's Eye was The Gripping Hand. Perhaps they titled the book differently in Europe? _ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
From: Bryon Daly [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] On the topic of _/_ by Greg Bear, I may start another thread later about that book, but I wanted to ask, for those who have read more of Greg Bear's books if _/_ represented a One of Greg Bear's better books, was on par with most of his books, or were his other books superior? I ask because I quite liked that novel. It was a bit like pushing a heavy item on wheels. It was a little hard to start reading (mostly because the events at the begining are so disjointed), but once momentum was built up (and events started to tie together), it was difficult to stop reading it. If some people would care to recommend some other Greg Bear books, that would be appreciated. I haven't read (or even heard of) _/_ (or does this mean Slant, which I also haven't read?), but I mostly liked the Greg Bear books I have read: Blood Music, Forge of God, Anvil of Stars: these all had some interesting concepts and I enjoyed them a lot. Heads - short, so-so. IIRC, shares a bit of the same concept at the end as Blood Music. Eternity - I read this when it came out and enjoyed it, but by the time the sequel came out, I had lost entirely all memory of what this book was about. I have zero recall of its story. It just didn't catch my imagination, I guess. Yes, _/_ is also called _Slant_. Thanks for the recommendations. Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much... the wheel, New York, wars, and so on, whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins believed themselves to be more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons. - Douglas Adams ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
On 10 Jul 2003 at 13:55, Bryon Daly wrote: From: Andrew Crystall [EMAIL PROTECTED] _The Mote Arround Mucheson's Eye_ (yes, the sequel to _A Mote in god's Eye_) Hmmm. I thought the sequel to The Mote In God's Eye was The Gripping Hand. Perhaps they titled the book differently in Europe? Yep (just checked Amazon). Go figure, I think I prefer the European title :P It's...well. It's no _A Mote in god's Eye_. Still a good read, though. Andy Dawn Falcon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Erik wrote: I'd recommend _Moving Mars_ and _Blood Music_ as his best novels. I haven't read _Moving Mars_, but I agree that _Blood Music_ is one of Bear's best. In fact, right now it's my favorite novel by any of the Killer B's. Reggie Bautista _ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Julia wrote: Let's see if I can remember order of publication: Dragonflight Dragonquest The White Dragon Moreta Dragonsdawn Nerilka's Story I think _Nerilka's Story was before Dragonsdawn, and at least two of the HarperHall books were before The White Dragon if I'm not mistaken... The first three on Julia's list make a great trilogy about a colony left alone that has lost much of it's knowledge and is just starting the process of rediscovery. Those three are my favorites from the Pern books, along with _Dragonsdawn_ which tells the story of the founding of the colony. Reggie Bautista _ The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Michael Harney wrote: I wanted to ask those who have read some/many of the Pern novels a question. I have only read _Dragonseye_ and _The Dolphins of Pern_. The question I have is: Are the events in some of the other pern books more epic? Let me elaborate for clarity. I liked the books, but I found them to be a little lacking in the end because there never seems to be any grand, exciting events in the stories. No major climax to the story. Are the other Pern novels similar, or are there better ones? I thought _Dragonseye_ was one of the weaker Pern novels, and _Dolphins_ was mostly to clean up loose ends left over from _All the Weyrs of Pern_. _All the Weyrs_ is definitely epic, though. The Pern stories take place over a lot of different time periods. If you want to read a more-or-less chronologically straight-through story with an epic ending, read _Dragonflight_, Dragonquest_, _The White Dragon_, _Renegades of Pern_ (which goes back to the time of _Dragonflight_ and then skips through the intervening years to just past the end of _The White Dragon_), and then _All the Weyrs of Pern_. Many Pern fans consider those the core Pern story told over 5 books, and everything else is just filling in the history and backstory. IIRC, _Dragonseye_ takes place several hundred years before the core books. For the history and backstory books, I'd start with _Dragonsdawn_ which covers the original colonization of Pern and the Harperhall trilogy which Julia mentioned (_Dragonsong_, _Dragonsinger_, and _Dragondrums_), which covers the same time period as the first three core books but from the perspective of a couple of characters who are student Harpers (and as a musician, I think these three books are great). Reggie Bautista YMMV Maru _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
On 10 Jul 2003 at 14:47, Reggie Bautista wrote: Michael Harney wrote: I wanted to ask those who have read some/many of the Pern novels a question. I have only read _Dragonseye_ and _The Dolphins of Pern_. The question I have is: Are the events in some of the other pern books more epic? Let me elaborate for clarity. I liked the books, but I found them to be a little lacking in the end because there never seems to be any grand, exciting events in the stories. No major climax to the story. Are the other Pern novels similar, or are there better ones? I thought _Dragonseye_ was one of the weaker Pern novels That has another name in Europe as well, can't remember what it is tho. Andy Dawn Falcon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Andrew Crystall wrote: On 10 Jul 2003 at 14:47, Reggie Bautista wrote: Michael Harney wrote: I wanted to ask those who have read some/many of the Pern novels a question. I have only read _Dragonseye_ and _The Dolphins of Pern_. The question I have is: Are the events in some of the other pern books more epic? Let me elaborate for clarity. I liked the books, but I found them to be a little lacking in the end because there never seems to be any grand, exciting events in the stories. No major climax to the story. Are the other Pern novels similar, or are there better ones? I thought _Dragonseye_ was one of the weaker Pern novels That has another name in Europe as well, can't remember what it is tho. Hm, I went to amazon.co.uk, and they do list _Dragonseye_. But they also list _Red Star Rising_, which could also be the same novel under a different title. Except they *don't* list _Chronicles of Pern: First Fall_, so that's a more likely candidate for that one. Been awhile since I read either, and between the babies inside me and the toddler in the house, I'm somewhat scatterbrained. :) Debbi, if you're following this thread, McCaffrey has written some non-SF stuff, some of it about women who ride horses. Try _Ring of Fear_ or _The Lady_, unless you absolutely can't stand romances. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
- Original Message - From: Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Brin-L [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2003 12:20 PM Subject: Reading lists. I know that this list was originally started as a list dedicated to discussion of specific authors and their books, so I thought I would bring up a topic that is closer to being actually on topic in the little time that I have to compose email today (at least part of the reason that I haven't replied to other threads). I have been reading more than usual recently. Mostly because the air conditioner I have in my room sucks, so leaving my computer on all day makes the room intollerably hot on days when the air conditioner is not working the way it should. It started with reading _Dragonseye_ by Anne McCaffrey (one of the Pern novels). That was followed by reading _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ by Phillip K. Dick. After that I read _/_ by Greg Bear. I am currently reading _Expendable_ by James Alan Gardner. Gardner is a quite good journeyman writer. Expendable is pretty good, but its sequels are even more fun. xponent Read Them All Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
On 10 Jul 2003 at 18:01, Julia Thompson wrote: Andrew Crystall wrote: On 10 Jul 2003 at 14:47, Reggie Bautista wrote: Michael Harney wrote: I wanted to ask those who have read some/many of the Pern novels a question. I have only read _Dragonseye_ and _The Dolphins of Pern_. The question I have is: Are the events in some of the other pern books more epic? Let me elaborate for clarity. I liked the books, but I found them to be a little lacking in the end because there never seems to be any grand, exciting events in the stories. No major climax to the story. Are the other Pern novels similar, or are there better ones? I thought _Dragonseye_ was one of the weaker Pern novels That has another name in Europe as well, can't remember what it is tho. Hm, I went to amazon.co.uk, and they do list _Dragonseye_. But they also list _Red Star Rising_, which could also be the same novel under a different title. Except they *don't* list _Chronicles of Pern: First Fall_, so that's a more likely candidate for that one. Been awhile since I read either, and between the babies inside me and the toddler in the house, I'm somewhat scatterbrained. :) Aha yes, the European name for _Dragonseye_ is _Red Star Rising_. I prefer the European name, again (heh). Then again, most UK printing's cover art tends to be well...not as good. Andy Dawn Falcon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
Erik Reuter wrote: On Thu, Jul 10, 2003 at 11:20:29AM -0600, Michael Harney wrote: On the topic of _/_ by Greg Bear, I may start another thread later about that book, but I wanted to ask, for those who have read more of Greg Bear's books if _/_ represented a One of Greg Bear's better books, was on par with most of his books, or were his other books superior? I'd say par. Are you aware that _Slash_ was a (loose) sequel to _Queen of Angels_? I'd recommend _Moving Mars_ and _Blood Music_ as his best novels. Another good one is _Eon_. He also has a less-SciFi'ish (fantasy) book, _Songs of Earth and Power_ that was pretty good. I've read Vitals*, Darwin's Radio, Blood Music, Moving Mars, Dinosaur Summer and the Forge of God (Queen of Angels and / are in the queue). I would recommend all of them. Doug *Just finished last week and have been intending to post a comment or two about it. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Reading lists.
From: Andrew Crystall [EMAIL PROTECTED] Aha yes, the European name for _Dragonseye_ is _Red Star Rising_. I prefer the European name, again (heh). Then again, most UK printing's cover art tends to be well...not as good. For the Harry Potter books, I like the UK cover art better, at least judging from Order Of The Phoenix. And I regret the dumbing down of the book 1 title in the US by changing Philosopher's Stone to Sorceror's Stone. -bryon _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
