What are you reading and book reviews

[Pumpkinstew]

Originally Posted by Takhisis

Finished Twilight Excellent series of books

I read the first two and thought they were brilliant. Stuffed full of ideas and invention. Glad to hear Twilight Watch is up to standard as it's on my Christmas list.
A fourth novel - Final Watch should be out soon. Anton goes to Scotland.

I read through the first two of Bernard Cornwell's Alfred books recently - The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman. Very good. Not quite as good as the Warlord trilogy but better than the slightly disappointing Grail series.
They are set in dark age Britain and tell the story of Uhtred Uhtredson a Northumbrian raised by Danish invaders before changinging sides and joining Alfred the Greats Saxons.
I'd have gone straight into the third book but found I had the fourth on my shelf

Instead I read Deep Aproach to Garbadale by Iain Banks. An excellent book which is laugh out loud funny in places and also quite moving. If you know Banks' work well though the final revelation may not be so surprising.

After that was Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. This was a cunning blend of noir detective story and cyberpunk set in world where the human consciousness can be saved, stored, transferred and downloaded into another body or 'sleeve'. The sex and violence are vividly described, lurid even, making this something of a guilty enjoyment. The mystery is logically and intelligently plotted though, even if there are elements of deus ex machina in a few of the heroes narrow escapes. Should go down well with and Gibson, Asher or Reynolds fans.

I'm now reading another Bernard Cornwell book called Rebel. It's an older one set in the American civil war and revolves around a yankee fighting for a confederate surrogate father figure (something of a recurring theme for BC). I'm finding it slow going so far.

[semi-pro waster]

Originally Posted by Dymetrie

Brave New World is definitely worth a read

Well I took your advice and read it. I enjoyed the book and it largely lives up to its impressive reputation. However because of the dystopian setting it is almost inevitable to compare it to 1984, which, perhaps due to the fact it was written later, I feel is the better and more complete book (and to the tune of several hundred pages it should be). History so far appears to fit with Orwell's vision of the future more than Huxley's although there is of course time for that to change.

[Tak]

Originally Posted by Takhisis

Have just started the first of the 3 new Torchwood books "Pack Animals"

I've finished all 3 of the new torchwood books and enjoyed them all Have re-started the discworlds again as I needed something easy

[Garp]

Finished Deathstalker, read the first Darkwood novel by the same author (hmm).

[semi-pro waster]

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown was my most recent book, it's reasonably entertaining in an undemanding way although I fear he tries rather too hard to put a 'twist' in his books (admittedly I've only read this one and The Da Vinci code) at the expense of a more plausible storyline. I doubt I'd bother to read it again, however from my very superficial knowledge it does seem like he does his research well which is pleasing.

[Garp]

Urban Shaman CE Murphy

Interesting start. Not my usual type of reading, but it's okay. Heroine works as a mechanic at a Police Station, from an airplane window she sees a woman in danger running down a street, and the guy out to kill her. Rushes to the rescue from the airport, and in the process discovers she is a Shaman, of both Celtic and Cherokee descent, and it's up to her to stop an ancient Celtic god of Death from running wild over the world, whilst having to learn how to use her powers too.

[semi-pro waster]

Gangster by John Mooney. The story about John Gilligan, at one point considered the most dangerous man in Ireland, it is mainly about his ordering the murder of the journalist Veronica Guerin. Very interesting story although it seems a tremendous surprise that he ever rose to the top of his profession given the portrayal in the book.

I've read a fair few more books in between the one above and this one but they were mostly just non-descript thrillers to pass the time travelling or such like so barely worth the time describing.

[BBx]

Originally Posted by Takhisis

Finished Twilight Excellent series of books

Can I borrow..? Pleassseee

BB x

[Tak]

Originally Posted by Jingle Belle

Can I borrow..? Pleassseee

BB x

That was Twilight as in The Twilight Watch not Twilight as in the one which goes with the film you've just watched.

Not read anything new recently - haven't been in the mood to, just working my way through discworld again (finished Eric last night)

[Garp]

Rattled through Total Recall at a great ate of knots. Oh dear, I guess time has matured my taste or something. Reading it again for the first time in a long time (having caught the start of the film on TV the other day) I can't help but feel the book really was just a week long task, if that, for Piers Anthony. Seems very much like he was just going through the motions.