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Post by karswell on Dec 29, 2010 15:47:21 GMT 1
Every forum should have one of these threads right? So, in an effort to spark off a bit more activity on here I thought I'd kick this one off.
I'm just about finished Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving. He's long been one of my favourite authors and wrote one of my favourite books A Prayer For Owen Meany. I've enjoyed it, but found it sa little meandering and self-indulgent but was so well written I didn't mind. Nowhere near as good as Owen Meany - or even Hotel New Hampshire - but a good read nonetheless.
Next up will be The House of Canted Steps by Gary Fry.
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Post by Jason Whittle on Dec 29, 2010 20:57:21 GMT 1
I am trying to read The Burning Man by Mark Chadbourn, but am really struggling with it after ploughing through an extremely dry 8 pages of intensive non-stop information dumping. Has anybody else read this, and if so is it worth persevering with?
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Post by benedictjjones on Dec 30, 2010 2:06:11 GMT 1
got a pile for christmas so have just finished: 'donkey punch' ray banks and 'savage night' alan guthrie and am currently reading 'shame the devil' george pelecanos - next up is 'pretty little dead things' - mcmahon
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Post by benedictjjones on Jan 2, 2011 17:31:27 GMT 1
finished 'pretty little dead thngs' and joe r lansdales 'savage season' next up is 'Pop 1280' by Jim Thompson
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uath
Full Member
Posts: 134
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Post by uath on Jan 3, 2011 14:06:17 GMT 1
The Innswich Horror, by Edward Lee. Here, the splatter-punk king writes a loving tribute to Lovecraft's Shadow Over Innsmouth.
I'm back on a Lovecraft pastiche mode. I hate to say it, but sometimes I like the Lovecraft pastiches better than the actual Lovecraft. I have two more to go after this:
Eternal Lovecraft
Cthulu's Dark Cults
Both are short story collections. Neither has anything actually written by Lovecraft. As far as the Master goes, I found a bargain book in Barnes and Noble (Huge American book chain) that has every story Lovecraft wrote in one edition. It was only $7. I bought it for my daughter. I would like to go back and get another one for my son, and another one for myself.
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Post by benedictjjones on Jan 3, 2011 20:28:22 GMT 1
^does that edition have the ones he wrote with other people in it? got a collectin of themcalled 'the loved dead' and it's great
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Post by Ross Warren on Jan 4, 2011 18:10:49 GMT 1
Currently on Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding and starting The Whisperers by John Connlly, which I won in hardback from BS Magazine, and that will complete my chronological reading of the Charlie Parker series.
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Post by benedictjjones on Jan 4, 2011 20:58:33 GMT 1
just started on 'boston noir' the Lehane (mystic river, gone baby gone etc.)story was brilliant
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Post by karswell on Jan 19, 2011 18:39:47 GMT 1
Finished The House of Canted Steps yesterday.
Oh dear...
No problems with the plot which - whilst not particularly original - was entertaining enough but it has to be one of the worst written books I've ever read. The Black Static review mentions how many sentences begin "Indeed..." and indeed this is true but another I noticed was how many times he uses the phrase "the better to..." in the middle of his sentences. It's all a bit sloppy and they both really started to grate after a while. He uses inappropriate words frequently too and some of his sentences are so convoluted they beggar belief - making something simple really complicated. It was a struggle to read and - whilst Fry shouldn't have written such bad prose in the first place, his editor certainly should have picked up on this stuff.
Very disappointed.
Anyway, have moved onto Gary McMahon's Dirty Prayers and am expecting great things...
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Post by Ross Warren on Jan 19, 2011 20:32:05 GMT 1
^ That's very suprising as I've always been very impressed with his short fiction.
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Post by benedictjjones on Jan 24, 2011 13:13:54 GMT 1
read 'the spies of the balkans' - alan furst over the weekend, great stuff. the fourth of his I have read in his loose 'night soldiers' series. brilliant characterisation and a plot that draws you in. pay day at the end of the week so looking forward to stocking up on new books!
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Post by Ross Warren on Jan 27, 2011 21:54:58 GMT 1
Reading an ARC of Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar from Angry Robot. Nice bit of steampunk, probably be right up Ben's street
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Post by karswell on Jan 28, 2011 11:42:08 GMT 1
Just finished Gary McMahon's Dirty Prayers - another stunning compilation. Stand out story was Smother. The Beautiful Red up next...
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Post by Ross Warren on Jan 28, 2011 21:29:44 GMT 1
^ Have you got his Spectral Press chapbook?
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Post by karswell on Jan 29, 2011 11:03:00 GMT 1
^ Sure do - thought it was brilliant. Posted my thoughts on the Spectral Press website. (Always good to make contacts in the publishing world..!)
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