The New "to Read" Pile, Reading Plans

Someone mentioned the need for this in another thread and the guild was alert as ever

My pile is quite slender at the moment since there seems to have been a dearth of good new books this last autumn. I have McDevitt's Cauldron and Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind and a note to get the Kage Baker for February's Babbler but thats about it.

For the near future I'm looking out for a paperback release of Canavans Voice of the Gods and possibly Banks' Matter Thats about as far as my plans go, but I anticipate a trip to Forbidden Planet in the near future to invest some birthday money and I may try a new author or two.

Excellent work, nand-Mule!

My reading plan for the year is fairly straightforward. It's built around the Babbler list, for which I've already acquired all of the primary nominated titles except for February's (ordered from my local specialist) and Cyteen II.

This will be supplemented by the following new releases as they appear:

Iain M. Banks - Matter (Feb.)
Alastair Reynolds - House Of Suns (Apr.)
Richard Morgan - A Land Fit For Heroes (Aug.)
Justina Robson - Going Under (Sep.)
Pterry - Nation (?)
- Cyteen II (?)

Also, I'll be trying to get through as many Ian McDonald and Graham Joyce titles that I can find.

That's the SF&F side of things. I'll also be grabbing any new crime/mystery books by Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson, Mark Billingham, Carl Hiaasen, Christopher Brookmyre, Reginald Hill and so forth.

And in the background, trying to make an impact on the Pile itself - those books I've acquired but not read yet based on recommendations from hereabouts or familiarity with an author already. Examples would be Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Donaldson's Fatal Revenant.

But, as any military historian will tell you, no battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

That describes the quality of my reading plans rather well, I think

Plan - making the pile disappear.

Currently reading Heavy time, so of course Hellburner will be next. Then, maybe, Faded sun.

I think I will be rereading either Foreigner or Left hand of darkness (Le Guin) pretty soon as they seems to be the prime contenders in a vote for group read over at The Green Dragon at LT.

Also to be read soon is Powers (LeGuin) and Making Money (Pratchett).

Rimrunners have been somewhere in the mail since like forever, but there are some hopes that it will arrive within weeks now and then of course I'll have to read it.

Contemplating picking up Natural history (Robson) as well. I never managed more than 20 pages when I first tried, but maybe it will sit better next time?

Then I will have to finish Shock Doctrine. Too ghastly to have in too big chunks.

Only time will tell what I will actually end up reading

For light relief I've just added Matthew Reilly's Six Sacred Stones mainly cos I love figuring out his now-get-out-of-that deathtraps!

After the unpleasant chore* that reading Faery in Shadow turned out to be, I finally managed to get a copy of the first "Dirty Pair" novel The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair which arrived in the mail yesterday.

Ever since hearing some months ago that it had finally been translated and released by Dark Horse, I've wanted to read it but had some difficulty getting it - first thru Amazon and then thru Borders. Finally Amazon had it and shipped it so I'm ready for some light reading. I've enjoyed the various Dirty Pair anime and Adam Warren's comics, so it will be interesting to read the first ever appearance of teh DP in any media.

Also have the third volume of Kevin Anderson's "Saga of Seven Suns" on CD waiting at the library which I have to pick up by Tuesday.

I went to collect the Kage Baker book I'd ordered (February's Babbler) this arvo and also came back with copies of Jack McDevitt's Seeker and a gorgeous slipcased hardcover edition of Susanna Clarke's The Ladies Of Grace Adieu, illustrated by Charles Vess.

Along the lines of making reading plans, I think it was you, 'tac, who had recommended someone who you felt wrote the best military SF. Was it David Weber? Where should one start? Others have thoughts on excellent representatives in this category?

Thanks.

Personally,I don't think you can go past the guy who essentially invented the sub-genre.

David Drake returned from Vietnam and started writing the Hammers Slammers series, some of which is based on his own experiences while riding with the Black Horse. For years he seemed to be working alone in that particular part of the ghetto, but recent years have seen people like David Weber and John Ringo have considerable success also (Weber with the Honor Harrington series, which I personally don't care for - I mean space battles in two dimensions only?). Jerry Pournelle also wrote some good stuff in his Falkenberg's Legion sequence.

Drake is an author I like and can recommend. At present he seems to be cycling between space opera and fantasy, and I particularly like his recent fantasies, starting with Lord Of The Isles and featuring an ensemble cast of characters that I found really easy to like and to care for. But he has also written some excellent historical SF (aliens on Earth at the time of Ancient Rome and so on), and he is fond of using real historical conflicts as the background settings for his SF works.

For initial exposure to Drake's military SF, I'd recommend Hammer's Slammers or The Forlorn Hope. Don't start with Redliners.

By remarkable coincidence, I'm heading out to my local specialist bookshop today to collect my ordered copy of this book.

Thanks 'tac. Now it all sounds familiar!

Drake hasn't added to the Slammers 'verse lately, but his "Lieutenant Leary" books are rollicking good reads. The first two or three of the "Legion of the Damned" books by Willian C. Dietz were pretty good, the following ones descending to potboiler level. I happen to like Weber's Honor Harrington books. Another good set of books that is the ultimate "bug hunt" is Steve White's In Death Ground and The Shiva Option, co-authored with Weber.

Thank you, Xheralt-ji.

The more recent the Webers, the sloppier the proofreading and the increasing absence of editing.

The next probably belongs in Tarmin, but I really really object to plunking down hard cash for a book that is not only riddled with typos. but also has parts of sentences and paragraphs misplaced!

Just discovered that local Waterstones is selling Banks' Matter at half-price!

Have added it to the pile together with recent purchases of Scalzi's The Androids Dream and McDevitts Seeker. that should last me through till I start on Ealdwood for the March Babbler

Grabbed a copy yesterday myself - sadly not discounted.

I've added a couple more of Banksy's (without the M ) back catalogue to The Pile today - The Bridge and Canal Dreams. I forgot to mention up-thread that I also plan to attack his non-SF back list this year as I can fit them in, starting with The Wasp Factory.