May 2022 Reading Thread.

[tobl]

Stanislaw Lem "Solaris"
A bit disappointing. Early on I thought it was a real breath of fresh air, but I was bored for much of the second half. I saw the Tarkovsky film years ago - I was probably disappointed by that too (unlike "Stalker" which I thought was brilliant).

I agree it's a different kind of story, but it's a great book. There are two versions of the movies but the book is better. Some say it's the opposite of heinlein stranger in a strange land which i sort of see it but don't agree

 

[magpie Asylum]

Currently I'm doing a deep dive into old Sci Fi. Jack London's short stories, and some of the pulp work from the 40s and 50s. The thing I have found interesting is they all talk about the same things we do. Most of it is an exploration of the human condition and how we would react to new things.

 

[Danny McG]

Dean Wesley Smith - The tenth planet (Book 1 of a trilogy)

The Tenth Planet (The Tenth Planet, book 1) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith

The Tenth Planet (The Tenth Planet, book 1) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith - book cover, description.

www.fantasticfiction.com

Edit: I'm getting a Pern vibe here...the red star passes!

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm currently reading Storyland. A New Mythology of Britain, by Amy Jeffs.
This book is one of our book group choices.


What are reading this month?

@Hugh This was a brilliant read, all about the different myths from just after the creation up till the Norman invasion. About the giants that created Stonehenge, white and red dragons, King Arthur and all that surrounds it. Apparently there is going to be a sequel in October.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Thomas Halliday, Otherlands.
- excellent so far.

 

[worldofmutes]

Starting strong with Jo Graham’s Hand of Isis (2009). The author chose to overshadow Cleopatra’s divine splendor with one of her handmaidens. Altogether, cheaply written with a sprinkling of philosophy that I can appreciate. Not a bad book, but I’d rather Cleopatra be a little more empowering, after all, she was the queen!

Ancient Egypt was truly a fascinating culture, domesticating cats, preserving the remains of their dead, empresses. They shaped our lives, our spirits, our history (ofc), our superstition, our planet, our cosmos. Everything about Egypt fascinates me. I have a few books about druids, but they’re actually about Rome.

I like to think of very nurturing people as druids. People who nurture the earth, and pass on their wisdoms to the young. Like my father. When I say „I’m going to p*** off some druids tonight.” I’m talking about hippies.

 

[Elentarri]

I read part of Beowulf in HS, but now I'm reading the whole thing in a new translation.

Which translation are you currently reading?
There's a "new" Beowulf translation out by Maria Dahvana Headley - for the "modern" reader. I read it and listened to the audiobook (uninspired and bland) beginning of the month. Lets just say it's an acquired taste.

 

[Anne Martin]

Which translation are you currently reading?
There's a "new" Beowulf translation out by Maria Dahvana Headley - for the "modern" reader. I read it and listened to the audiobook (uninspired and bland) beginning of the month. Lets just say it's an acquired taste.

That's the one. It was slow going until a friend suggested I imagined Seth Meyers reading it. Now it seems to make much more sense and flows more naturally.

 

[Hugh]

@Hugh This was a brilliant read, all about the different myths from just after the creation up till the Norman invasion. About the giants that created Stonehenge, white and red dragons, King Arthur and all that surrounds it. Apparently there is going to be a sequel in October.

Many thanks for your thoughts. It may take me some months but I'll now definitely get round to reading it.

 

[Quokka]

Stanislaw Lem "Solaris"
A bit disappointing. Early on I thought it was a real breath of fresh air, but I was bored for much of the second half. I saw the Tarkovsky film years ago - I was probably disappointed by that too (unlike "Stalker" which I thought was brilliant).

Bill Morgan "The Beats Abroad: a Global Guide to the Beat Generation."
A guide to various places/countries lived in or visited by Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kerouac and others. Easy reading and interesting if you follow these writers. Better than expected.

Have you read Roadside Picnic (Arkady and Boris Strugatsky) which Stalker was very loosely based off?

I enjoyed some of the imagery and moments in Solaris but do remember struggling as well, Roadside on the other hand is a very easy read, nothing outstanding maybe but I enjoyed it.

 

[Hugh]

Have you read Roadside Picnic (Arkady and Boris Strugatsky) which Stalker was very loosely based off?

I enjoyed some of the imagery and moments in Solaris but do remember struggling as well, Roadside on the other hand is a very easy read, nothing outstanding maybe but I enjoyed it.

Many thanks indeed for the recommendation: I will definitely read this. Even if it has only a slight resemblance to Stalker, I will still be really interested.

 

[Rodders]

Is the game Stalker also based on Roadside Picnic, Quokka?

 

[Dave Vicks]

Anyone like the Novel COSMOPOLIS by Delilo?

 

[Bick]

I finished another Thomas Hardy re-read (Return of the Native), which I enjoyed (again) and then read a few SF short stories. Less impressed with Heinlein’s All you Zombies- than many, I think. I enjoyed Call Me Joe, though.

Just started We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson.

 

[Danny McG]

I like to think of very nurturing people as druids. People who nurture the earth, and pass on their wisdoms to the young. Like my father

@worldofmutes
Your dad is a druid?

 

[Dave Vicks]

Reading Roger Zelazny poems.

 

[Parson]

Much to my surprise I finished Alien Hunters by Daniel Arens and my opinion remains unchanged. This should have been at most a graphic novel, perhaps a comic book. It had whiffs of The Fantastic Four and/or Guardians of the Galaxy written all over it. Not my cup of tea, but mildly entertaining.

 

[Quokka]

Is the game Stalker also based on Roadside Picnic, Quokka?

I haven't played it but it certainly is, it's an interesting world they created. I've always loved the people study/flee from the unknown genre and there are some interesting twists on the typical alien stories that I won't get into for fear of spoilers.

 

[Rodders]

Roadside Picnic is one of those books that i've been meaning to read for a while. My cult leader, Moid recommended it.

 

[The Big Peat]

Just finished a book on Tolkien and Howard that was very interesting in places but didn't really do anything with it other than saying how the critics didn't get them.

I'm now trying to find Lavondyss as fast as possible, as I'm really enjoying it but am impatient and the prose drags, and might try and fit in Smith of Wootton Major while I'm at it.