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The American Dream, A Retread: May Books
Jun. 14th, 2004 08:26 pmThis has been moldering for almost half of June; I'm just going to post what I've got. Only one cut, for length and frank discussion of stuff that happens in the third book of a trilogy. So you might call it a spoiler.
( Mars trilogy (Kim Stanley Robinson): Nice, meaty... reread. )
Random comment: was skimming Cyteen last night and came across a quote: "The interests of all humans are interlocked . . . and politics is no more than a temporal expression of social mechanics." KSR draws optimistic social systems; Cherryh likes to play with the places where the system breaks down. I would love to see both of them on a panel discussing political systems in SF.
American Gods (Neil Gaiman): Reread. Archetypes, coin tricks, and other deceptions. Gaiman's style is distinctive, and I'm still not sure if I like it or not. But I keep reading his books, which must count for something.
Two-Bit Heroes (Doris Egan): Reread. Theodora and Ran Cormallon's sort-of honeymoon is derailed when they're swept up by a band of outlaws in the Northwest Sector of Ivory, the only planet where magic is known to work. The Ivory trilogy (The Gate of Ivory, Two-Bit Heroes, and Guilt-Edged Ivory) is comfort reading for me. Easy prose, vivid characterization, scattered literary references, and occasional use of magic to remind the reader that yes, this is an sf/f novel. Two-Bit Heroes features adaptation to the bandit life, calculated application of the Robin Hood myth, and some very effective "yes, it's all fun and games until they stick your head in a noose" moments. Doris Egan (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tightropegirl) hasn't written any fiction in about a decade, being employed in Hollywood and having (apparently) no time for it, but if she ever does I may have to add an author to my "buy on sight" list.
Digital Photography for Dummies (Julie Adair King): Not a reread. Buying and using your first digital camera, with trial image processing software and suggestions on how to use it. I already had the camera, so I skimmed to the "using it" section, and have enough experience with photoshop that a lot of the post-production stuff was review, but the "point and shoot" sections were written in a clear and entertaining style. I'm only getting around to trying the shareware CD today (6/14), since I suspect there's at least one addictive, expensive program in there, which I don't need.
( Mars trilogy (Kim Stanley Robinson): Nice, meaty... reread. )
Random comment: was skimming Cyteen last night and came across a quote: "The interests of all humans are interlocked . . . and politics is no more than a temporal expression of social mechanics." KSR draws optimistic social systems; Cherryh likes to play with the places where the system breaks down. I would love to see both of them on a panel discussing political systems in SF.
American Gods (Neil Gaiman): Reread. Archetypes, coin tricks, and other deceptions. Gaiman's style is distinctive, and I'm still not sure if I like it or not. But I keep reading his books, which must count for something.
Two-Bit Heroes (Doris Egan): Reread. Theodora and Ran Cormallon's sort-of honeymoon is derailed when they're swept up by a band of outlaws in the Northwest Sector of Ivory, the only planet where magic is known to work. The Ivory trilogy (The Gate of Ivory, Two-Bit Heroes, and Guilt-Edged Ivory) is comfort reading for me. Easy prose, vivid characterization, scattered literary references, and occasional use of magic to remind the reader that yes, this is an sf/f novel. Two-Bit Heroes features adaptation to the bandit life, calculated application of the Robin Hood myth, and some very effective "yes, it's all fun and games until they stick your head in a noose" moments. Doris Egan (
tightropegirl) hasn't written any fiction in about a decade, being employed in Hollywood and having (apparently) no time for it, but if she ever does I may have to add an author to my "buy on sight" list.Digital Photography for Dummies (Julie Adair King): Not a reread. Buying and using your first digital camera, with trial image processing software and suggestions on how to use it. I already had the camera, so I skimmed to the "using it" section, and have enough experience with photoshop that a lot of the post-production stuff was review, but the "point and shoot" sections were written in a clear and entertaining style. I'm only getting around to trying the shareware CD today (6/14), since I suspect there's at least one addictive, expensive program in there, which I don't need.