May 2018 reading thread

[Hugh]

I

I liked Hide Me Among The Graves, I thought it was maybe the best of his post-Declare novels, I think the Victorian setting maybe suits him better than setting a book in the modern day. I wouldn't say it's necessarily radically different to his previous work so if you've read plenty of his books in the past you probably know roughly what to expect.

I've also read An Epitaph in Rust. I'd say it probably felt more like a Philip K. Dick story than a Tim Powers story. I think Powers was still learning his trade at the point he wrote it and it's not up to the quality of his later work.

You've reminded me I do need to read Dinner at Deviant's Palace at some point, I think it is the only one of his novels I haven't read yet.

Many thanks. You’ve given me some impetus for “Hide Me Among the Graves”. I’ll definitely get round to it now before too long. I think what has been becalming me may have been that I did not want to read a straight sequel to “The Stress of Her Regard” (which I liked, just felt daunted by a sequel of more of the same). Then I’m sure I’ll read “An Epitaph in Rust” out of the interest in watching him find his feet.

It’s been a good few years since I read “Dinner at Deviant’s Palace” so there’s room for me to feel embarrassed by my recommendation, but I’ve read it two, maybe three times. I thought it was unusual, and much better than/ different from what I remember of the blurb on the back of the book.

Edit: I’ve just read your review of “Hide Me Among the Graves” and see that you preferred it to “The Stress of Her Regard” , and had some of the same reservations when starting it. This is also encouraging.

 

[HareBrain]

Hide Me Among the Graves is in the local library, so I might give that ago next. I read the first few pages of Dinner at Deviant's Palace online, and wasn't taken with it. Plus there's Declare and Last Call both due a re-read. @Hugh, I don't think you've mentioned Last Call. What did you think?

In between, still reading (aloud) South Country by Edward Thomas. Beautiful, but not much sense of direction.

 

[Hugh]

Hide Me Among the Graves is in the local library, so I might give that ago next. I read the first few pages of Dinner at Deviant's Palace online, and wasn't taken with it. Plus there's Declare and Last Call both due a re-read. @Hugh, I don't think you've mentioned Last Call. What did you think?

I don't have it to hand to remind myself. ( Still some boxes unpacked in garage from moving ten years ago). I found it strange but memorable. As @williamjm said above, I think he's better with the atmosphere of a historical setting. There's something very empty and unsatisfying, as I remember it, about his California series. I may be unfair here as it's been years, but the term "emotionally dissociated" comes to mind. "Last Call" is the first of those three books and the best. I think it definitely worth reading for the unusual plot. Trouble is, I'm a fan, so i used to read all his books until I ground to a halt (as above). If you haven't read "Anubis Gates" that's a must, even if you take a look and decide it's not for you.

 

[HareBrain]

If you haven't read "Anubis Gates" that's a must, even if you take a look and decide it's not for you.

I have read Anubis Gates but wasn't that moved by it -- I remember only one startling idea/image (the magician whose gravity was affected by the moon rather than the earth, and who lived inside a sphere for that reason) but that's it. I've read Last Call twice and it's one of my all-time favourite books. Declare is almost up there with it (and some of the imagination/ideas are even better) but it's a bit too sprawling.

 

[williamjm]

I don't have it to hand to remind myself. ( Still some boxes unpacked in garage from moving ten years ago). I found it strange but memorable. As @williamjm said above, I think he's better with the atmosphere of a historical setting. There's something very empty and unsatisfying, as I remember it, about his California series. I may be unfair here as it's been years, but the term "emotionally dissociated" comes to mind. "Last Call" is the first of those three books and the best. I think it definitely worth reading for the unusual plot.

I think Last Call is the best of his contemporary novels, I'd probably put it up alongside The Anubis Gates and Declare among his best books.

 

[Hugh]

Excellent! @HareBrain and @williamjm ! We may have our individual favourites, but we are all admirers of the remarkable Tim Powers.

I'm sure this interchange has galvanised me to get back into reading those I haven't read: first "Hide Me..." then the two other recent ones that have been mentioned (Medusa's and Three Days). The thing is, even when I've felt frustrated by him, he's still set me off on interesting trains of thought. After The Anubis Gates and up to Declare, I bought them pretty much as they came out. Hmmm I see Declare came out in 2001 so it's actually a while since I've read him. Doesn't seem that long.

 

[Bick]

In case you are unaware, the last two 'books' in the series were published one chapter at a time before being published as complete books and, in my opinion, it shows badly. They felt to me very disjointed and episodic. Actually I should say it rather than they, as I only read The Human Division and I found that so bad (for other reasons as well) that I never picked up the last one - The End of All Things. Very disappointing.

That's useful to know, thanks Vertigo. I'm really enjoying Ghost Brigades, but will see how I go after the first three in the series.

 

[williamjm]

Speaking of Powers, I see he has a new novel out in August called Alternate Routes which seems to be back in modern-day California again.

I've just started reading Roger Zelazny's short story collection The Last Defender Of Camelot. I've read the first four stories today, I thought For A Breath I Tarry was the highlight so far.

 

[Hugh]

I've just started reading Roger Zelazny's short story collection The Last Defender Of Camelot. I've read the first four stories today, I thought For A Breath I Tarry was the highlight so far.

Now I really liked this collection. I also liked the introduction where he explains the process he went through in working out why his stories were being rejected: in large part due to giving too much information.

 

[Toby Frost]

I've just finished A Month In The Country by J. L. Carr. This is a short, very low-key novel in which an old man looks back at the period when he helped renovate a church mural while recovering from shell shock. It's quite a gentle, pleasant story, but it captures the sadness of not saying things to people when you have the chance. It didn't shock me greatly, but I think I will remember it for a long while.

 

[Randy M.]

Excellent! @HareBrain and @williamjm ! We may have our individual favourites, but we are all admirers of the remarkable Tim Powers.

I'm sure this interchange has galvanised me to get back into reading those I haven't read: first "Hide Me..." then the two other recent ones that have been mentioned (Medusa's and Three Days). The thing is, even when I've felt frustrated by him, he's still set me off on interesting trains of thought. After The Anubis Gates and up to Declare, I bought them pretty much as they came out. Hmmm I see Declare came out in 2001 so it's actually a while since I've read him. Doesn't seem that long.

Just to note that late last year Baen put out his collected short fiction, Down and Out in Purgatory. It looks to combine The Bible Repairman and Other Stories and Strange Itineraries and add some other stories, as well.


Randy M.

 

[nixie]

King of Ashes: Raymond E Feist.

Has anyone seen the grey hard back editions of Abercrombies First Law series in Waterstones? As well they didn't have the full set or I'd be living on toast till end of month.

 

[Hugh]

Just to note that late last year Baen put out his collected short fiction, Down and Out in Purgatory. It looks to combine The Bible Repairman and Other Stories and Strange Itineraries and add some other stories, as well.


Randy M.

Many thanks. I will order.

 

[hitmouse]

I've just finished A Month In The Country by J. L. Carr. This is a short, very low-key novel in which an old man looks back at the period when he helped renovate a church mural while recovering from shell shock. It's quite a gentle, pleasant story, but it captures the sadness of not saying things to people when you have the chance. It didn't shock me greatly, but I think I will remember it for a long while.

There is a decent 1980s movie of this starring Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth, before they got really famous.

 

[Extollager]

Finishing up another Phyllis Paul story, about which I expect to write at the thread on this obscure author. It's called Rox Hall Illuminated, and it's interesting, but I don't like it a lot.

 

[williamjm]

Now I really liked this collection. I also liked the introduction where he explains the process he went through in working out why his stories were being rejected: in large part due to giving too much information.

I think I must have a different edition, in the one I'm reading the introduction is by Robert Silverberg.

 

[Danny McG]

This weekend I'm getting into "Masters of the Maze" by Avram Davidson.

I read this about halfway through many years ago (I think I had to return the book!) and now I can finally finish it.

Good conception and I'm enjoying it so far.

 

[Hugh]

I think I must have a different edition, in the one I'm reading the introduction is by Robert Silverberg.

The edition I have is: Roger Zelazny "The Last Defender of Camelot", 1986 Sphere paperback, fifteen stories, each one introduced by Zelazny. This is the UK reprint of the USA 1980 Pocket Books edition. It does contain "For a Breath I Tarry", but this is the eighth listed story.
I can't find my edition on Amazon: the ISBN number simply brings up what I presume is your edition. One of the reviews of (?) your edition says:
"The first thing to be noted about this book is that it is *not* a reprint of the 1980 collection released under the same name, which featured Zelazny's own selection and commentary of his favourite uncollected stories. This is a new anthology of his best work, chosen by friend and fellow-SF author Robert Silverberg, and featuring a substantially different lineup from the previous volume."

Given the difference between the collections, you'd think a different title would have made sense...

 

[williamjm]

The edition I have is: Roger Zelazny "The Last Defender of Camelot", 1986 Sphere paperback, fifteen stories, each one introduced by Zelazny. This is the UK reprint of the USA 1980 Pocket Books edition. It does contain "For a Breath I Tarry", but this is the eighth listed story.
I can't find my edition on Amazon: the ISBN number simply brings up what I presume is your edition. One of the reviews of (?) your edition says:
"The first thing to be noted about this book is that it is *not* a reprint of the 1980 collection released under the same name, which featured Zelazny's own selection and commentary of his favourite uncollected stories. This is a new anthology of his best work, chosen by friend and fellow-SF author Robert Silverberg, and featuring a substantially different lineup from the previous volume."

Given the difference between the collections, you'd think a different title would have made sense...

It does seem a bit odd they reused the title - it's not as if there is a shortage of potential titles they could have used for it. It's a pity this one doesn't have the introductions by Zelazny.

 

[Danny McG]

This afternoon I'm setting off with Bloom by Wil McCarthy.
A creepy scifi about out of control "grey goo" nanotech overrunning the Earth and survivors huddled out in orbit around Jupiter