Other Books you are currently reading?

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

 

Finished it. Worst of the series, still entertaining.

Started reading the latest Aaronovitch. Extremely disappointed it's only 110-ish pages long. Feels like it would be better suited to another graphic novel adaptation in the first few chapters... Still cost me 12 Euros. Damn rip-off, if you ask me.

 

Finished The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. Both are just pleasant, lightweight SF, with the second novel being particularly sweet.

Now reading Charles Stross' The Nightmare Stacks.

 

Just finished the first book in the Southern Reach trilogy 'Annihilation' by Jeff Vandermeer.

 

Its a bit weird, isn't it!

 

Yeah, I only read it because the film trailer looked interesting and I was wondering what it was all about (not that the book explains much about what was going on).
Not sure if I'll read the remaining 2 books or not, I would like to find out what exactly is happening in Area X, but I'm not entirely sure that the books will answer that question, or if they're worth reading (for the most part nothing really seemed to happen in the first one) so it may be a trip to the internets to get the gist of it all...

 

I've read all three and got all the way to the end, but to be honest I'm still entirely sure what it was about.

Spoiler

you never really get to know what Area X is all about, who or what is behind it.

Not sure how it will translate into a film (especially books 2 & 3), but maybe Alex Garland can spin his magic and try and extract a story out of it all

 

I've read a few books these past couple of weeks;

The Lazaruseffect - Tom Egeland

Well, it's a norwegian book by a norwegian author that I took the effort of translating the title of. It's good though: as are the others in the Bjørn Beltø series by the same author. Kind of Dan Brown-esque, but still; good.

Netherspace - Andrew Lane and Nigel Foster

This was an intersting read, and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Stumbled upon this one when I became aware that it is currently being adapted for a movie. Had to read the book first of course. It is utterly brilliant, and I wholeheartedly agree with one of the sentiments on the cover; "it felt like it was writte specifically for me".

Armada - Ernest Cline

It's pretty much written in the same vein as RPO. It's good.

Now I'm about to start New York 2140 - Kim Stanley Robinson and Red Mars by the same author.

 

A question about choosing between various volumes..... I'm looking to get an H.P. Lovecraft collection, and have only read 'At the Mountains of Madness' so far and wanted a decent choice.

The Necronomicon gets mixed reviews due to the annoying typos and thin pages. ST Joshi means more books, but better quality of presentation. There's also 'The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft' (Knickerbocker Classics) set too by the look of it

@perplekks45, I'm sure I recall you buying HPL stuff in the past...

What say you readers of Cthulhu?

 

You are quite right, my good man. I do have read a little bit of HPL in my time. From what I have at hand quickly I can definitely recommend the following:

If you just want to read the stories: H. P. Lovecraft Omnibus 1 - 3 (Voyager/HarperCollins, ISBN: 978-0-586-06322-4, 978-0-586-06324-8, 978-0-586-06323-1) --- paperbacks, quite cheap, not much to look at. But they have (almost) all the tales, definitely the important ones, though. Definitely my #1 recommendation for getting as much HPL content as possible with the least amount of hassle and money involved.

Possibility #2 for just reading: H. P. Lovecraft - The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Modern Classics, ISBN: 978-0-141-18706-8) --- just one volume, all the important tales, introduction and some annotations by ST Joshi.

Now on to the more decorative stuff:

• The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft (RacePoint Publishing/Knickerbocker Classics, ISBN: 978-1-631060-01-4) --- haven't read it yet, but it should have all the important tales. It does look very nice, but I still have it wrapped in plastic... for exactly that reason.
• Necronomicon (Orion, ISBN: 978-0-575-08156-7) --- yes, the pages are ridiculously thin. Yes, it does have quite a few typos. Yes, it is rather heavy. I would not recommend this edition for reading on the train/bus.
• Eldritch Tales (Orion, ISBN: 978-0-575-09935-7) --- the follow-up to the Necronomicon. The most obscure collection of the lesser known stuff by HPL. Really only interesting for scholars who just have to read everything the great man ever wrote (read: me).
• The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales (Barnes & Noble Omnibus Leatherbound Classics, ISBN: 978-1-4351-6255-6) --- haven't read that one either, liked the cover, the fact it comes with an exclusive artwork/poster and has painted edges (gold). Has all the important tales.
• H. P. Lovecraft - The Complete Fiction (Barnes & Noble, ISBN: 978-1-4351-2296-3) --- beautiful leather-bound book with painted edges (silver). Has all the important tales... again.

Further reading:

• H. P. Lovecraft - A Life (S.T. Joshi, Necronomicon Press, ISBN: 978-0-940884-88-5) --- the definitive biography (until Joshi improved it himself, see below). Way too much detail for the casual reader, but essential reading for HPL fans/fanatics.
• H. P. Lovecraft - I Am Providence 1 & 2 (S.T. Joshi, Hippocampus Press, ISBN: 978-1-61498-051-3 & 978-1-61498-052-0) --- the revised definitive even-better-than-ever-before-and-by-God-even-longer-now-in-two-volumes biography by ST Joshi.
  
• The new annotated H. P. Lovecraft (Leslie S. Klinger, Liveright, ISBN: 978-0-87140-453-4) --- the name says it all. Heavily annotated HPL tales with artwork, illustrations, photos, ....

For the freaks:

• H. P. Lovecraft - A Life (S.T. Joshi, Necronomicon Press, ISBN: 978-0-940884-89-5) --- the hardcover, only 250 copies were printed in 1996, not available anywhere except from collectors for prices no sane person would pay.

Obviously there are more collections and A LOT of further reading (Houellebecq's brilliant, albeit short HPL biography; The Weird Tale by ST Joshi, ...) but that might be a bit too much for this post and better handled via pm.

 

Many thanks fella, that's a good screed to work through.

I have Carl McCoy to blame for my interest in Cthulhu....happy days 30 years ago lost listening to the Fields of the Nephilim.

I have some credit on Amazon to spend on books, so HPL here we come.

 

Enjoy the ride, mate!

 

Not really a book-book, but I'm slowly reading through my dad's Wordt Vervolgd (À Suivre) collection, a monthly comic book magazine. Interesting format, and a lot of very big names in there: Jean Giraud, Tardi, Hugo Pratt, Milo Manara,...

 

Finished the Aaronovitch quite some time ago, didn't manage to change my opinion of it. Have since read a boatload of comics and The Cuckoo's Calling by J. K. .... no, Robert Galbraith. Right now I'm almost half-way through Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King.

 

Finished the King's book, very engaging read if you like Stephen King's way of storytelling.

Also read:

Joe Hill - Strange Weather (interesting short stories/novellas, not 100% sure I like the undertones but overall enjoyable)
Sam Munson - The War Against the Assholes (not sure if its YA stuff, but it was entertaining and different)

Now reading (and almost through already):

Adam Nevill - Banquet for the Damned (absolutely LOVE it!)

 

Recently powered through Artemis by Andy Weir (the guy that wrote The Martian), thoroughly enjoyable.

 

When I saw Artemis I thought it was a (spiritual) successor to Sleeping Giants and Waking Gods by Neuvel...

 

...ooh interest piqued. think they'll be going on my "to read" list...

 

Battletech: decision at thunder rift

 

Get them! Get them NOW! ... they're a real gem, especially the first book.