23rd June, 2009
::facepalm::
Lack of jobs and the current recession have left Ohio with a budgetary shortfall of 3.2 billion dollars. Our intrepid Governor, Ted Strickland, has decided that a great way to reduce this deficit is by cutting library funding by 50%. Keep in mind that close to 70% of libraries in Ohio rely solely on state funds to operate and now these funds are in danger of being cut in half with little to no warning (note: libraries have already taken a 20% budget cut this year and Strickland is proposing an additional 30% in cuts). Many libraries simply will not be able to stay open after such a drastic reduction of funds. As John Scalzi puts it, this isn’t a cut, this is an amputation.
Me? I say this plan is brilliant, simply Brilliant. Prevent people of all ages from developing new skills, finding new jobs and expanding their minds. Go ahead and prevent everyone, children and adults, from educating themselves and new jobs will literally flood into Ohio. >.> Great job, Governor. I can’t wait for the 2010 election.
Posted at 5:03 pm | Comments (4)
19th June, 2009
300
It’s summertime which means there’s plenty of timing for reading out back under the ol’ oak tree. Except that we don’t have any oaks, only maples, and I’m not too keen on sitting under the trees when the mated pair of grackles who moved into our backyard this year are overly zealous in protecting their nest. Awk, awk.
Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
A satirical recount of a terrorist cell member’s experience coming to the US and attempting to blend in with middle-class society. Palahniuk uses a peculiar writing style in this book which makes things a little difficult to get into the flow, but he uses it with great success to excoriate the stereotypical American way of life. The book feels a little clunky at times and he also throws in some of his tiresome shock scenes, but probably still worth the read. At a hair over 200 pages, it’s short enough not to be a waste of time if you don’t like it.
3/5 gogs.
House of Chains by Steven Erikson
Continuing to plow through Erikson’s massive Malazan Book of the Fallen series, book four brings back Crokus, Apsalar and Iskaral Pust and introduces some new characters as well. Lots of foreshadowing in this one along with the expected well-written action and plotting. Good stuff.
4/5 gogs.
Posted at 5:20 am | Comments (2)
12th June, 2009
Tres Duendes
The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
Richard Morgan does fantasy. Wait, what? Granted, it is quite the dark fantasy and follows his already established writing style, but make no mistake, this is fantasy to the core and just the first entry in the trilogy he is slated to write.
So how is it? Pretty good. An interesting story line full of moral dilemmas, liberally doused with action sequences. If you like his sci-fi works, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well.
4/5 gogs
City without End by Kay Kenyon
Book three of Kenyon’s Entire and the Rose quartet. The story rolls on and characters begin to get knocked off. Another decent read that builds things into what I hope is an exciting conclusion in book four.
3.8/5 gogs
Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson
Man, there is a lot going on in Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Sure, he breaks things up into more manageable pieces, but after just the third book in this series, I’m thinking I’ll need to reread everything in its entirety to put all the subplots together. Still, he keeps things interesting with believable characters a complex storyline. He also throws in some humor at times for good measure although there are, again, some grim parts in this installment.
3.8/5 gogs
Posted at 5:37 am | Comments (2)
15th May, 2009
Them’s thinking words.
While the title is somewhat misleading, I found this article at The Atlantic to be rather interesting and thought provoking.
Posted at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
17th April, 2009
Long series extended and other sordid tales.
Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson.
Steven Erikson’s sprawling Malazan series is up to its 8th book and, until now, has managed to slip under my radar which is really too bad since this is, so far, a pretty decent read. I like the way that Erikson tells these stories; a huge number of characters are involved in the entire series, yet each book focuses on just a handful, some of which carry over into the next. Compared with Robert Jordan or George R.R. Martin’s epics, I find it much easier to keep track of who is doing what when the tales are written in this style. Not the absolute best out there, but certainly a solid read.
4/5 gogs.
Polity Agent by Neal Asher.
Book four in Asher’s Ian Cormac series, this novel continues to expand upon the mysteries of Jain tech, gives more background on the history of the Polity (as well as the usual well-written, action-driven plots) and is a satisfying read. If you liked the first three Cormac books, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well.
4/5 gogs.
Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell.
No, no, no. A piece of speculative fiction, which the author completely filled with broken English, presumably to give some sort of authenticity to the not-formally-educated characters, was just too difficult to get into. After 3 chapters (and having scanned the rest of the book to see if the language continued, which it does), I had had enough and dropped it into the book return at the library. Sorry, but reading a book with a dialogue that looks like it was lifted from a 1940’s Bugs Bunny cartoon featuring Native Americans (”me like ‘em real good”) just isn’t something I wanted to spend my time on. Skip it.
1/5 gogs.
Posted at 5:18 am | Comments (2)
31st March, 2009
WoT’s Stunning Conclusion - in 3 volumes
Writing machine Brandon Sanderson brings word that the conclusion of The Wheel of Time will be in the neighborhood of 800,000 words and will likely span 3 volumes, to be released over the next three years. Truly, this is the story that will not end.
Still, I’m happy to hear that he’s pounding away at it, although I do hope he doesn’t get burned out/go insane before it is completed.
Posted at 5:15 am | Comment (0)
6th March, 2009
Save Room for Seconds
Three books today, each of which is second in a storyline, each with different merits and detraction.
The Voyage of the Sable Keech by Neal Asher.
I rather liked Asher’s first Spatterjay book, The Skinner. Some good storytelling and memorable characters made for an enjoyable read. The Voyage of the Sable Keech takes place shortly after the events of The Skinner wrapped up and many of the characters from the original make an appearance here. Sadly, the book comes off as a badly written movie sequel. Yes, some of the original cast are still here, but their roles seem tired and strained. Asher even brings in a hooder from Line of Polity to add to the mayhem, but it’s not enough to save this sinking ship of a novel.
2.5/5 gogs.
A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon.
The second of, I think, a four-book series, Kenyon takes us back to the Entire with a plot to stop the Tarigs from destroying the Rose. Decent, but not a lot happens in this book. A couple of loose ends are taken care of and a couple of new arcs open up, but not much else. Thankfully, Kenyon’s skill at writing kept me interested enough to want to continue with the series, if barely.
3/5 gogs.
Wings of Wrath by C. S. Friedman
Friedman’s dark tale continues as we learn more about the history of the Wrath and the Souleaters. In classic Friedman style, plenty of twists and turns keep things interesting and cast doubt on what is “good” and “evil”. Looking forward to the final book.
4/5 gogs.
Posted at 5:54 am | Comments (2)
27th February, 2009
Rothfuss speaks
Very much related to my earlier post on eagerly anticipated yet much-delayed novels, Patrick Rothfuss of The Name of the Wind fame offers his 2 cents and confirms that The Wise Man’s Fear has been delayed. Again. Sure, it makes me a bit stabby, but at least he’s being upfront and honest about the whole thing.
BTW, while the subject is sucky (though I’m pretty sure most anyone who’s been paying attention to his blog knew it was coming), there is some comedy gold hidden within. A well written, thoughtful post from Pat.
Posted at 5:46 am | Comment (0)
25th February, 2009
GRRM speaks
So, George R. R. Martin posted his thoughts on all the haters out there who are griping about the much-delayed A Dance with Dragons. John Scalzi and Charlie Stross chime in as well.
In a nutshell: Creating something this in-depth and enjoyable isn’t easy; ADwD will be done when it’s done. Sucks, yeah I know, but he’s got a very valid point.
Posted at 5:48 am | Comments (5)
11th February, 2009
Lost and Found
William Gibson gives us some insight on found emoticons from the first two decades of the 21st century. An instant classic.
Third row, fifth square from left, is the emotion you feel on dreaming you are Hitler (but somehow innocent, as though Hitler were an Etsy crafter who works, very tentatively, in felt).
Posted at 5:19 am | Comment (0)
27th January, 2009
Today’s Disturbing Mental Image
Don’t say you weren’t warned.
…suckling from Rupert Murdoch’s withered, reactionary grandpa teats…
Brought to you by Scalzi. ::shudder::
Posted at 5:15 am | Comment (0)
21st January, 2009
PBO
I hadn’t realized how much a couple of words could change things, but when I heard “President Obama” on a newscast this morning, I actually cracked a grin.
Posted at 5:33 am | Comments (2)
20th January, 2009
About Fucking Time
Finally. Finally, Bush is out of the White House. In eight short years (although they seemed like an eternity), he managed to alienate us from the rest of the world, destroy the environment and the economy and rip the Bill of Rights and the Constitution to shreds. Heckuva job, Dubya. Now get the hell off this planet, or at least spend your remaining days clearing brush on your ranch in Texas. Jerk.
I listened to the inauguration address on the radio and felt he was pretty honest, for a politician. The general gist I took from it is: 1) There is a lot broken. 2) Now is not the time for blame, we need to move forward. 3) We have a lot of work to do but we will fix things. Like I said, pretty straightforward and fairly honest, and yet I felt he stated things in a positive manner. I really hope he can help show us the way to building a better country.
Posted at 8:27 pm | Comments (3)
15th January, 2009
Asher
For completeness, I’ve read some more of Neal Asher’s short stories and novellas. I also got a couple more full-length novels of his for Christmas. I do this for you, people, not me. No, it’s not a habit. It’s cool. I feel… nevermind.
Africa Zero by Neal Asher.
Look, everyone is allowed a bad day, right? There are some interesting ideas on the future of humanity, population control and the roles that technology plays for both tucked inside, but after all is said and done, we should probably just bury this and never speak of it again.
2/5 gogs
The Engineer Reconditioned by Neal Asher.
A compilation of short stories, most of them previously published in obscure sci-fi zines. Some of it was pretty damn entertaining. Some take place in the Polity universe (these are definitely worth checking out), some don’t. Some just suck. I’d say 3.8/5 gogs for the good stuff, 1/5 gogs for the crappy ones.
Posted at 5:40 am | Comment (0)
12th January, 2009
‘Phones
The earbuds that ship with iPods really suck in both form and function. The rest of it, I’m pretty happy with. But those earbuds. Man, they’re just plain bad. That is all.
Posted at 5:54 am | Comment (0)
