I tracked down a copy of Ramsey Campbell's Ancient Images due to word-of-mouth about John Carpenter's similarly themed "Cigarette Burns" entry in the Masters of Horror series. Good read, and it's been so long since I first read it that I've essentially forgotten most of the story.
I had a whole section about civic pride.
Mayor ,'Chosen'
We're Literary 2: To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Matt the Bruins fan - Jan 19, 2006 10:03:39 am PST #9830 of 10002
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
Megan E. - Jan 19, 2006 10:13:24 am PST #9831 of 10002
I really liked The Big Over Easy, though it took me a while to get a feel for the world, if you know what I mean.
This is good to know since I got this for xmas.
meara - Jan 19, 2006 3:26:11 pm PST #9832 of 10002
I'm trying to read J. Carey's "Banewreaker" (bought it cause it's in paperback now) but finding it something of a slog--does it get better? I vaguely recall when it first came out y'all had mixed reviews.
Strix - Jan 19, 2006 3:53:46 pm PST #9833 of 10002
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
No. It's AWFUL. And I really like Carey's other stuff.
I was badly disappointed.
JohnSweden - Jan 19, 2006 6:15:18 pm PST #9834 of 10002
I can't even.
I'm such a loser/determined person, I actually slogged through the second book, Godslayer, as well, looking for some resolution. Well, I got some. On an analytical level, I appreciate some of the things she was shooting for, but, it sure wasn't enjoyable in any way. The Kushiel stuff had parts that were rough, but she paid off in style, and you had to shake your head sometimes at how skillful she is. Banewreaker/Godslayer seemed like a big step backwards for her as a writer, like an earlier work that got pulled out of a footlocker. Cruder and more manipulative somehow.
Megan E. - Jan 20, 2006 6:43:05 am PST #9835 of 10002
JohnSweden! How the hell are ya?
sumi - Jan 20, 2006 7:12:58 am PST #9836 of 10002
Art Crawl!!!
More Melusine books coming!!
Volans - Jan 20, 2006 7:22:54 am PST #9837 of 10002
move out and draw fire
I thought Banewreaker couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Parts of the world were original and interesting, and the rest was the gimmick of LOTR from the bad guy's view.
JohnSweden - Jan 20, 2006 7:25:01 pm PST #9838 of 10002
I can't even.
Hi Megan! I'm doing fine, thanks. How are things down your way?
The board just ate this long spleen-venting post I wrote on Banewreaker, but I am unbowed. Yeah, Raq, she does this allusion-y to LoTR thing through both books, holding parts up to the light, shining it through a different lens, blah blah. I appreciated the craft of it, but reading the books just made me feel impatient and cranky. Perhaps someone out in the internets liked it and has a perspective on it that would help me like it more. The thing about linking your sympathy (or at least, your attention) to these monumentally horrible people, then hitching you to their inevitable doom spiral totally bugged, eventually. I wanted to see some way serious elvish ass-rendage, but she bailed on me. The smuggest people win. Bah.
JoeCrow - Jan 21, 2006 5:32:40 pm PST #9839 of 10002
"what's left when you take biology and sociology out of the picture?" "An autistic hermaphodite." -Allyson
Dang it, I was hoping that Banewreaker was gonna be a good anti-Tolkien, so's I could mine it for ideas on how to wrangle my anti-Tolkien outta my head. Guess I'll just hafta use it as a bad example instead.
So, speaking of anti-Tolkien, anybody read Mary Gentle's Grunts? That was a fun one.