Joel’s Scattered Thoughts

Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker’s Library shows one lovely geek library. It looks a little flashy to me, but it is still very impressive.

 Stephen King has a column up on   Entertainment Weekly that looks at What a Guy Wants with respect to fiction.  It’s nothing too new or profound, just an argument that action books are to men as romance novels are to women.   In either case, this is reading for entertainment - when you’ve had a rough day and want a book to read pick up a romance novel or an action novel and dream the world away for a few hours. 

I think this is why I like books such as John Ringo’s.  It’s almost embarrassing to read his novels as a lot of them read like Mary Sue (or Gary Stu) stories.  "Oh look, it’s yet another retired military veteran who is a crack shot, can bench-press a small car, does world class physics on the back of an envelope, conveniently acquires a fortune, and saves the world from/despite the wooly-headed liberals."  The attitudes of the "good guys" can be more than a little disturbing if you think about their ramifications in a non-author controlled setting.  Nevertheless his books are fun to read. 

I enjoy reading popularizations of science and ReadWriteWeb has suggestions for 5 Great Science Books to Expand Your Mind. I’ve tried to read Godel, Escher, Bach a couple times, but my copies were the most poorly bound books I’ve encountered. Each of the copies fell apart as I tried to read them which took away from the aesthetics of the experience.

Now Tomlinson gave up the ghost at his house in Berkeley Square,
And a Spirit came to his bedside and gripped him by the hair—
A Spirit gripped him by the hair and carried him far away,
Till he heard as the roar of a rain-fed ford the roar of the Milky Way:
Till he heard the roar of the Milky Way die down and drone and cease,
And they came to the Gate within the Wall where Peter holds the keys.

"Stand up, stand up now, Tomlinson, and answer loud and high
"The good that ye did for the sake of men or ever ye came to die—
"The good that ye did for the sake of men on the little Earth so lone!"
And the naked soul of Tomlinson grew white as the rain-washed bone.
"O I have a friend on Earth," he said, "that was my priest and guide,
"And well would he answer all for me if he were at my side."

—"For that ye strove in neighbour-love it shall be written fair,
"But now ye wait at Heaven’s Gate and not in Berkeley Square:
"Though we called your friend from his bed this night, he could not speak for you,
"For the race is run by one and one and never by two and two."

Then Tomlinson looked up and down, and little gain was there,
For the naked stars grinned overhead, and he saw that his soul was bare.

The Wind that blows between the Worlds, it cut him like a knife,
And Tomlinson took up the tale and spoke of his good in life.
"O this I have read in a book," he said, "and that was told to me,
"And this I have thought that another man thought of a Prince in Muscovy."
The good souls flocked like homing doves and bade him clear the path,
And Peter twirled the jangling Keys in weariness and wrath.

"Ye have read, ye have heard, ye have thought," he said, "and the tale is yet to run:
"By the worth of the body that once ye had, give answer—what ha’ ye done?"
Then Tomlinson looked back and forth, and little good it bore,
For the darkness stayed at his shoulder-blade and Heaven’s Gate before:—
"O this I have felt, and this I have guessed, and this I heard men say,
"And this they wrote that another man wrote of a carl in Norroway."

"Ye have read, ye have felt, ye have guessed, good lack! Ye have hampered Heaven’s Gate;
"There’s little room between the stars in idleness to prate!
"For none may reach by hired speech of neighbour, priest, and kin
"Through borrowed deed to God’s good meed that lies so fair within;
"Get hence, get hence to the Lord of Wrong, for thy doom has yet to run,
"And . . . the faith that ye share with Berkeley Square uphold you, Tomlinson!"

The Spirit gripped him by the hair, and sun by sun they fell
Till they came to the belt of Naughty Stars that rim the mouth of Hell.
The first are red with pride and wrath, the next are white with pain,
But the third are black with clinkered sin that cannot burn again.
They may hold their path, they may leave their path, with never a soul to mark:
They may burn or freeze, but they must not cease in the Scorn of the Outer Dark.

The Wind that blows between the Worlds, it nipped him to the bone,
And he yearned to the flare of Hell-gate there as the light of his own hearth-stone.
The Devil he sat behind the bars, where the desperate legions drew,
But he caught the hasting Tomlinson and would not let him through.

"Wot ye the price of good pit-coal that I must pay?" said he,
"That ye rank yoursel’ so fit for Hell and ask no leave of me?

"I am all o’er-sib to Adam’s breed that ye should give me scorn,
"For I strove with God for your First Father the day that he was born.
"Sit down, sit down upon the slag, and answer loud and high
"The harm that ye did to the Sons of Men or ever you came to die."

And Tomlinson looked up and up, and saw against the night
The belly of a tortured star blood-red in Hell-Mouth light;
And Tomlinson looked down and down, and saw beneath his feet
The frontlet of a tortured star milk-white in Hell-Mouth heat.
"O I had a love on earth," said he, "that kissed me to my fall;
"And if ye would call my love to me I know she would answer all."

—"All that ye did in love forbid it shall be written fair,
"But now ye wait at Hell-Mouth Gate and not in Berkeley Square:
"Though we whistled your love from her bed to-night, I trow she would not run,
"For the sin that ye do by two and two ye must pay for one by one!"
The Wind that blows between the Worlds, it cut him like a knife,
And Tomlinson took up the tale and spoke of his sins in life:—

"Once I ha’ laughed at the power of Love and twice at the grip of the Grave,
"And thrice I ha’ patted my God on the head that men might call me brave."
The Devil he blew on a brandered soul and laid it aside to cool:—
"Do ye think I would waste my good pit-coal on the hide of a brain-sick fool?
"I see no worth in the hobnail mirth or the jolthead jest ye did
"That I should waken my gentlemen that are sleeping three on a grid."

Then Tomlinson looked back and forth, and there was little grace,
For Hell-Gate filled the houseless soul with the Fear of Naked Space.
"Nay, this I ha’ heard," quo’ Tomlinson, "and this was noised abroad,
"And this I ha’ got from a Belgian book on the word of a dead French lord."
—"Ye ha’ heard, ye ha’ read, ye ha’ got, good lack! and the tale begins afresh—
"Have ye sinned one sin for the pride o’ the eye or the sinful lust of the flesh?"

Then Tomlinson he gripped the bars and yammered, "Let me in—
"For I mind that I borrowed my neighbour’s wife to sin the deadly sin."
The Devil he grinned behind the bars, and banked the fires high:
"Did ye read of that sin in a book?" said he; and Tomlinson said, "Ay!"
The Devil he blew upon his nails, and the little devils ran,
And he said: "Go husk this whimpering thief that comes in the guise of a man:
"Winnow him out ‘twixt star and star, and sieve his proper worth:
"There’s sore decline in Adam’s line if this be spawn of Earth."

Empusa’s crew, so naked-new they may not face the fire,
But weep that they bin too small to sin to the height of their desire,
Over the coal they chased the Soul, and racked it all abroad,
As children rifle a caddis-case or the raven’s foolish hoard.
And back they came with the tattered Thing, as children after play,
And they said: "The soul that he got from God he has bartered clean away.

"We have threshed a stook of print and book, and winnowed a chattering wind,
"And many a soul wherefrom he stole, but his we cannot find.
"We have handled him, we have dandled him, we have seared him to the bone,
"And, Sire, if tooth and nail show truth he has no soul of his own."

The Devil he bowed his head to his breast and rumbled deep and low:—
"I’m all o’er-sib to Adam’s breed that I should bid him go.
"Yet close we lie, and deep we lie, and if I gave him place,
"My gentlemen that are so proud would flout me to my face;
"They’d call my house a common stews and me a careless host,
"And—I would not anger my gentlemen for the sake of a shiftless ghost."

The Devil he looked at the mangled Soul that prayed to feel the flame,
And he thought of Holy Charity, but he thought of his own good name:—
"Now ye could haste my coal to waste, and sit ye down to fry.
"Did ye think of that theft for yourself?" said he; and Tomlinson said, "Ay!"

The Devil he blew an outward breath, for his heart was free from care:—
"Ye have scarce the soul of a louse," he said, "but the roots of sin are there,
"And for that sin should ye come in were I the lord alone,
"But sinful pride has rule inside—ay, mightier than my own.
"Honour and Wit, fore-damned they sit, to each his Priest and Whore;
"Nay, scarce I dare myself go there, and you they’d torture sore.

"Ye are neither spirit nor spirk," he said; "ye are neither book nor brute—
"Go, get ye back to the flesh again for the sake of Man’s repute.
"I’m all o’er-sib to Adam’s breed that I should mock your pain,
"But look that ye win to a worthier sin ere ye come back again.
"Get hence, the hearse is at your door—the grim black stallions wait—
"They bear your clay to place to-day. Speed, lest ye come too late!
"Go back to Earth with lip unsealed—go back with open eye,
"And carry my word to the Sons of Men or ever ye come to die:
"That the sin they do by two and two they must pay for one by one,
"And . . . the God you took from a printed book be with you, Tomlinson!"

– Rudyard Kipling

One of Baen’s most popular authors accidentally uploaded a draft of version of his entire forthcoming novel to a promotional site. Storm from the Shadows-OOPSIE .

I love the way Baen is handling this. So many companies would track down the fans who download the draft and threaten to sue them into oblivion if they said anything about it. Instead Baen is turning this into an extra round of promotion and offering those who missed it a chance to catch up with those lucky enough to have download the draft copy.

Once again, Baen shows how ebooks can be done right.

Strange Horizons has an insightful article about Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. I find that Discworld is my ideal comfort reading. There’s enough depth there to give me things to reflect upon, but it’s presented in such a way that even the follies of human nature are a reason for hope.

The Hugo Awards were given out recently.  These are some of the most famous awards for science fiction authors.  As an avid reader of science fiction they really don’t matter to me.  If anything a Hugo Award is a negative factor when I’m choosing a book by an author I don’t know.  I’ve read a lot of the Hugo winners, both in collections from the early years and by picking up stories with "HUGO AWARD WINNER" splashed all over its blurbs.  There are some Hugo Award Winners that I have enjoyed reading, but the majority of them hold little appeal.  In a number of cases it has felt as though the author was writing for other authors or for critics and not for readers (or at least not for readers like me). 

As a sample, here are the Hugo Award winners for best novel that I’ve enjoyed enough to think that they deserved recognition. 

• Forever Peace 1998
• The Diamond Age 1996
• Mirror Dance 1995
• Barrayar 1992
• The Vor Game 1991
• Ender’s Game 1986
• The Forever War 1976
• The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress 1967
• Starship Troopers 1960

There are actually more of them than I’d thought.  There are another four or five that I’d say were worth reading even if they were nothing special.  Of the 40ish novels that have received a Hugo, I’d estimate that I’ve read or tried to read about 30.  On the bright side, if a novel is a Hugo winner I can usually know if I’ll enjoy it within a couple of pages.

So Many Books has a post on The Modus Operandi of Avid Readers.  This quote in particular lined up with my experiences:

We have so much information in our heads that we have accumulated over years and years of successful reading experiences that in comparison to new or infrequent readers we are more likely to have a good experience with books. The good experience acts as a reward and encourages us to read even more. Conversely, a bad experience makes us less likely to want to read more. But avid readers have a wealth of good experiences to draw on to encourage continued reading. New or infrequent readers get discouraged.

I’ve chatted with Jaimie many times about this.  The old saw is "Never judge a book by its cover."  Particularly when reading science fiction and fantasy I can and do judge a book by its cover.  Just looking at the layout of the cover can tell me with a reasonable degree of accuracy that I will not like this book.  It’s very hard for me to quantify the criteria I use because I don’t have an artistic vocabulary, but I know that the choice of image, the predominant colors, the art style, and the font used for the title all play a part. 

A quick look at the cover can tell me that there’s a decent chance I’ll enjoy this book, or that I might like it if I’m in the right mood, or that I probably won’t like at all. 

Covers matter when I’m thinking of picking up a new author.  They don’t matter as much when it’s an author I already know.  They can serve as a warning that the author is trying something different and the book should be approached with caution.  Authors I know get the benefit of the doubt, whereas new ones get filtered quickly.

I need a better filtering mechanism.  I’ve tried to find a book reviewer whose reviews would help me find books I would have otherwise missed.  All the reviewers I’ve read have consistently praised books that I loathed and panned books I’ve loved.  Unfortunately they’ve also praised books I enjoy and panned ones I don’t, so I can’t even use them as a NOT filter.  I don’t expect a reviewer’s taste to match mine exactly, but I do want at least 80% overlap before I begin to value their reviews. 

How can I find books that match my taste?

I read Touch of Evil by C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp a few weeks back and was surprised to find that I didn’t include a review. I received this book free in digital form from Tor’s Watch the Skies.

This book reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The story is solid and well told. There are definite romance elements but they don’t overwhelm the story. Kate Reilly, the heroine, is a likable character and her actions and choices make sense in the context of the story.

The story starts with an old enemy of Kate’s resurfacing. As the story goes on, you discover what her enemy wants and why. The world is built throughout the story without any massive infodumps. As with many of these kinds of stories, Kate fights the monsters that are out there. In her world, it seems to be public knowledge that there are supernatural beasties out there - they’re not as common as in Anita Blake’s but they’re not hidden as in Buffy’s.

This was a good read and I’m looking formward to tracking down more of these author’s stories.

I recently finished reading In The Midnight Hour by Patti O’Shea. I received this book free in digital form from Tor’s Watch the Skies.

I have a soft spot for paranormal romances and this is a good one. This book pulled me in very quickly and kept on moving. Lately a lot of the books I’ve been reading have been suffering from lag: the story starts, then peters out, then resumes right at the end to encourage you to buy the sequel. This book does not do that - the action starts and keeps on moving the whole way through.

The base story actually resembles a classic fairy tale. Ryne, a magical troubleshooter, discovers a man under a curse, Deke. She tries to free him from the curse and discovers it’s going to be a lot more complicated than she’d first thought. The story is solid and the romance is woven in beautifully.

I just finished reading Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright.   I received this book free in digital form from Tor’s Watch the Skies. 

Quick spoiler-free summary - five orphan teenagers at a special school discover that they’re not who they’ve been told they are.  Their teachers are not who they appear to be.  As the book progresses the teenagers begin to unravel their identities as well as their teachers’. 

This book largely failed to impress me.  This is not due to any particular failing of the story.  The problem is mostly that it’s book one of a trilogy.  By the end of the book, little is resolved.  I had some idea of who’s who, but not really any idea of why it mattered.  I would recommend that you read this when you have the whole trilogy in front of you - if things get wrapped up nicely it’s probably worth reading.  It seems to me that there is little satisfaction to be gained from reading this one book at a time. 

The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments - Boing Boing looks absolutely fascinating. Too bad I’m not likely to get it or use it. There are too many things I’m mildly interested in, but lack the will to pursue.

The Bountiful Container: Gardening in Small Spaces looks like a book that might be of interest to my inlaws. Now to actually remember to get it when birthdays/Christmas comes around.

This post: Will the Novel Die? (David Louis Edelman) seemed to tie into Cringely’s latest post. More or less it’s not a matter of the novel dying or of people not reading, it’s that with the move to electronic reading there are fewer and fewer reasons to use the medium of the novel for storytelling.

I recently finished reading Robert Charles Wilson’s Spin. I received this book as one of Tor’s free promotional ebooks. This is near future science fiction. I would classify it as Big Idea science fiction - the Big Idea is the core of the book.

The premise is that at some point a few years from now, the Earth is wrapped in a bubble by mysterious aliens. Time inside the bubble passes much more slowly than time in the outside universe so that seconds on Earth are years or decades for the rest of the universe. This bubble is the the Spin. The story follows a narrator whose name eludes me and two siblings as they each react to the Spin over the course of their lives.

The previous sentence sums up my problem with this book. The ideas are grand and sweeping, but I found myself totally lacking in empathy for the characters. I can’t remember the narrator’s name. I’d be hard pressed to tell you much about any of the characters or what exactly they did. I reached the end of this book more or less thinking “So what?” This book is a beautiful setup for a sequel of some kind, but I really don’t care.

I would not recommend this book to anyone. There are better stories out there for science fiction and better speculations out there for science fact.

I just finished reading Mistborn - The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. I received a free copy of this via Tor’s Watch The Skies. I was very pleased with this book and I’m looking forward to reading the next two books.

A group of magically talented characters gather together to pull off a slave rebellion in a world that’s been controlled by the Lord Ruler for a thousand years. “There’s always another secret.”

The main characters are Vin and Kelsier. Vin starts off the book as a street urchin and grows throughout the book. Kelsier is the leader of the group and serves as Vin’s guide to the world. Both are very likable characters and act consistently with their characters. There are several twists in the book, but they are the kinds of twists that further develop characters, not the kinds that destroy them.

The world it describes is different from the usual fantasy fare - there is only one definitely non-human race shown and it’s on the periphery. The magic described is also different - it revolves around using the powers of various metals and seems to be logically developed. This book reminded me a lot of Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word. Both worlds have a unique magic system and a very rich world.

I’ve been thinking of doing some book reviews. I read a lot of books, but I’m terrible at keeping track of the books I’ve read. Some books will leave a lasting impression, but I only have a a vague recollection of most books. I’m hoping that reviewing the books I read will sharpen my recollections and possibly point the way towards more books.

What should be in a book review?
Raven’s Reviews: How to Review
How to Review
How to Write a Book Review
Prewriting Questions for Book, Movie, or Play Reviews

My Own Kind of Freedom: A Firefly Novel by Steven Brust — The Dream Café might be worth reading. Mind you I have a stack of books that I’m going to read Real Soon Now. This one’s in digital format so it at least has a fighting chance. For some reason I find it easier to read books online than as physical books.

I’ve often considered reading comic books. One of my cousins had a Batman anthology that I read whenever I went over there. I enjoyed reading the box of comics my grandma kept from when my uncles were growing up. The big problem for me is that comics don’t give a lot of bang for the buck - I can read a comic book cover to cover in a very short time. However, reading Interviewing Leather by Eric Burns makes me want to go out and buy a stack of superhero comics. I realize that it is a novelette and not a comic book, but Eric’s writing shows me why superhero comics exist. If you enjoy that story, Eric has a bunch more up on that site that are definitely worth reading.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14

Albert Ellis looks like he might have some interesting stuff to read - we’ll see if ever I can get a login for the local library’s catalogue.