...Because I always read ten books at once

[mllelaurel]

Thoughts on the various things I'm currently reading.

The Secret Country, by Pamela Dean

I love the premise: kids inventing an elaborate fantasy world in their games, then stumbling into that world, which proves all too real, warts and all. Yes, I know, many, many people have done it, but it happens to be one of my pet tropes.

Unfortunately, the book so far has mostly been told from the point of view of the wettest blanket among the group. I can understand being clumsy and scared of things, but Laura is such a damn killjoy I'm getting frustrated. I'm hoping this is just Dean leaving ample room for character growth.

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Sky Coyote, by Kage Baker

I read In the Garden of Iden over vacation (thanks to Tor providing a free copy of the e-book) and enjoyed it a great deal. As soon as I got back, I picked up this sequel from the library. So far, it doesn't disappoint. Joseph is a great, snarky narrator and we're getting to see more of the Company's dark side.

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Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones

This one I'm not reading for the plot but rather for the two main characters hanging our, creating a story about their superhero alter egos and generally having a grand ol' geeky time. There's such joy in these parts, and they remind me a great deal of myself and my friends.

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Widdershins, by Charles de Lint

Sadly, I couldn't renew this one and am thus stuck at a quarter into the book, while I wait for the interlibrary loan to deliver it again. So far, I'm reading with trepidation: it's customary to be meaner to one's protagonist in sequels than you were in the original. But how is de Lint going to top the sheer 'Owwww' of The Onion Girl. Preemptive cringing time! I'm also looking forward to actually getting to know Geordie. I've found him likable in the previous stuff I've read, but a bit of a cypher.

Comments

[captainecchi.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I love Kage Baker. Do keep reading the series; it just gets better and better (and weirder and weirder, but yeah). I also love her one fantasy novel, The Anvil of World, which is best termed "springpunk."

[mllelaurel.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I discovered her! I'm assuming all the Company books are to be read in order? What about the short story collections?

What's 'springpunk'? It sounds intriguing.

[captainecchi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Company novels are best read in publication order. Next is Graveyard Game, then The Life of the World to Come, and then.... uh... that's as far as I've read, honestly. Need to catch up. I read Black Projects, White Knights, which is one of the story collections, before I read The Graveyard Game. Parts of it (the Alec Checkerfield stories) are repeated in Life, for reasons that become readily apparent.

Man, I love Joseph.

Matt and I call it "springpunk" because it's a fantasy world where a lot of the technology runs on springs. For example, the plot of the book is kicked off when the main character is hired to run a spring-propelled caravan. It also involves demons, half demons, quarter demons, elves, false beards, and a lot of people named Smith.

[captainecchi.livejournal.com]

Er, wait, you just finished Sky Coyote... sorry, next is Mendoza in Hollywood. Definitely don't skip that one, even if Mendoza's Disastrous Love Life bores you to tears, or Graveyard Game won't make any sense to you.

(I would mind Mendoza's Disastrous Love Life more if it wasn't such an integral part of the plot, as you'll see in later books).

[mllelaurel.livejournal.com]

I've actually just started Sky Coyote. I like posting first impressions. Mendoza's disastrous love life hasn't really bothered me yet, as she was sardonic and amoral enough in Iden to make up for it. How much worse does it get?

[mllelaurel.livejournal.com]

*makes notes to self* Thanks!

Joseph is awesome! He's got a great narrator voice and a real sense of fun, which is important. Sure, he takes his job seriously, but sense of humor is a must.

That's awesome and hilarious! I think I need to read this book as well now.