What books are you reading right now?

I had always wanted to get around to them, never did until I had just moved to Israel, was desperate for English language reading material, and found the collection of them in a used bookstore. I read through the while thing, because I had nothing else to read, but it was an incredibly disappointing experience. I had heard so many great things about it, but it turned out to blow (IMO). Shallowly written characters, often predictable, not very engagingly written.

I was much happier afterward when I found the first few books of Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series, and the first few books of Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series, though they both also had their flaws, the latter especially. Still, both were infinitely more enjoyable than Zelazny.

 

Yeah. I never really cared for most of the classic New Wave writers, except for Philip K. Dick, and unless you want to count Robert Heinlein's later career as a move into New Wave. I have no problem with experimentation, but I have never seen why art should be valued merely for its novelty. In the case of fiction, I want well-written characters, good plot arc, and compelling language. All of which, IMO, seem to often be in short supply in New Wave works. Sometimes in newer movements, too, although I have other problems with them.

I think you can move in experimental directions and still come out with tight, compelling, well-crafted work. A lot of the giants of 60s, 70s, and 80s sci-fi and fantasy did just that: they moved away from the classic, hard-science oriented robots-and-flying-saucers sci-fi of the 40s and 50s, and went to a lot of different places. Larry Niven did that, Robert Silverberg, Heinlein absolutely, and various others-- Frank Herbert was maybe the best of them. I would be hard pressed to think of any set of works that more perfectly embodies the acme of excellent experimental science fiction than Dune.

So seeing that it is so possible, I have to conclude that the New Wave authors were more interested in novelty than in creating truly great fiction.

 

The third book of Stephen King's Dark Tower series: The Waste Lands

 

Prayers For Rain, by Dennis LeHanne.

 

I haven't read Zelasny's stuff.... I'll check it out asap.

As for Elric of Melnibone, I liked that the Lord Jagged in the Dancers at the End of Time series is a cross over, or connector to the Eternal Champion as a Lord of Chaos. Those Eternal Champion books were hard to keep straight in my mind, with all the incarnations of Elric, Prince Corum, Oswald Bastable, Jerry Cornelius etc etc.

It may be worth reading through again. My oldest son's name is Eric, but when he was a toddler, I often called him Elric.

 

Oh, dude.... It's like you're speaking another language to me....

 

Brainweb, by Doug Richards. Seems pretty entertaining, thus far.

 

Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before.

I'm 80 pages into it, not sure if I'm going to continue, or add it to the Perhaps-I'll-Try-Again-Someday stack. Eco's focused writing can be difficult reading, his rambling writing can be extremely taxing. TIOTDB (1994) reminds me of Joseph Heller's Picture This (1988), a book that also had me asking, "What is the purpose of this book? Should I spend/waste the time reading it?".

If an author wants to share their views on philosophy, science, historical events, etc., let them write it in the form of essays, not "novels" that go everywhere and nowhere.

 

Haven't read that one, but I absolutely adored The Name of the Rose, and very much enjoyed Foucault's Pendulum. I like his discursive style, with all its quirky tangents. It reminds me of Talmud.

 

I've read three other Eco novels. I consider TNOTR the most focused, a very good read, with FP being more discursive, but a great read for those who like math puzzles. If you like quirky tangents, try The Prague Cemetery.

I have Baudlino, but will probably never read it. From what the reviews posted on the net, even Eco fans have a hard time working through it. And I've read a few bits here and there.

Eco is Italian, and uses a lot of Italian history in his novels, at least the three that I've read. Some knowledge of it, and/or handy resources for research, is helpful.

 

I liked the first 5 books of Zelazny's Amber series. The back 5 were not that great. I've only read that series, I need to read more of his work. I've read Changeling by Zelazny and enjoyed it. I tend to lean more fantasy than sci-fi.

I just finished two urban fantasy series (Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne) and that got my fluffy book itch out of my system. I'm working on the Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan. Seems like a good read so far.

 

This Immortal is one of my favorites.

 

I love those both so much!!! But I confess that I don't think the Dresden Files are so fluffy. At least not after the first couple of books. The series is probably my favorite current/presently-being-written fantasy fiction.

 

I *LOVE* the Dresden Files. The only reason I put it in the fluffy category is that from an outside prospective (which he meta-mentions in Dead Beat I think) everything he does is beyond silly/crazy/epic.

Look at any of the funniest/best things Dresden has done in the books. Take my favorite scene in which he

rides a undead T-Rex named Sue to do battle with a necromancer in the middle of Downtown Chicago while a medical examiner plays polka music to keep it alive.

Is it awesome to read? Fuck yes. Does it sound fluffy? God yes.

Anyone who hasn't read the series will that looks under that spoiler tag will say, "What did I just read?". Now, if they love fantasy and pop culture, they will pick the books up. Then speed read all of them because THEY ARE LIKE CRACK.

Then again, our definitions of the word "fluffy" maybe different. I'm still going to read the Dresden Files, but I don't put it in the same category as LOTR/GoT.

 

Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before.

I'm going to rephrase an earlier comment in quotation marks:

Some of Eco's writing "goes everywhere and end ups nowhere." TIOTDB is a great example.

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I'm currently reading Rhinestone Cowboy An Autobiography by Glen Cambell with Tom Carter. It's interesting but really nothing fantastic so far. Many people--even those who know that GC was an accomplished studio musician before his success as a solo recording artist--would be amazed at who he played with and the hit records on which he played. For example, Frank Sinatra's recording of Strangers In The Night (they did several takes, but decided to use the first one).

 

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson. What a weird and dark novel, overall a good read.

It has a few holes in it, namely the death of a potential witness, and the ending was disappointing (there's no way in hell a prosecutor and LEOs would allow that, much less attempt it).