June 9, 200917 yr Well, Neuromancer is considered by many to be his best, though I'll let catscratch speak to the "...multi-layered surrealistic and almost psychedelic narrative", as I'm not sure I understand nor necessarily agree with that statement. thats what enticed me, and made me think of M. John Harrison, or Gene Wolfe. I love Gene Wolfe.
June 9, 200917 yr Well if you didn't like Pattern Recognition then Gibson probably isn't for you. Neuromancer is his most popular book but it's a very adolescent book really and he's done better since then. Pattern Recognition is probably the most polished example of his style. I also like (some of) his short stories. I do like Gene Wolfe. "Fifth Head of Cerebrus" and the "Book of the New Sun" series were great, and "The Wizard Knight" series and "Pirate Freedom" were quite decent. As far as surrealist SF goes I would recommend Michael Swanwick's "Stations of the Tide." This is the only Swanwick book I really liked so far, though I'm a huge fan of his short stories (esp. "The Dog Said Bow-wow"). He's a much better short story writer than a novelist IMO, but Stations of the Tide is an exception.
June 9, 200917 yr I don't know that Pattern Recognition is necessarily the best Gibson book to start with, even though I liked it so much. What about The Difference Engine? That was my favorite work by him (although in that case, it wasn't him alone) before Pattern Recognition. Or what about the first bridge book, Virtual Light? I really like Dogfight, a short story of his, but I don't know how to tell you to read that alone, out of context. He's worth reading, he's just not my favorite of the genre.
June 9, 200917 yr thats what enticed me, and made me think of M. John Harrison, or Gene Wolfe. I love Gene Wolfe. Ha. I just put this on reserve at the library the other day and will also be buying as soon as it comes out in softcover.
July 5, 200916 yr [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Balkans-Constantinople-Communism-Dennis-Hupchick/dp/1403964173/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246764808&sr=8-9]Amazon.com: The Balkans: From Constantinople to Communism: Dennis P. Hupchick: Books[/ame]
July 7, 200916 yr A Shameful Act -- Taner Akcam. Not an easy read. Dense, emotionally jarring, and contentious. I enjoy.
July 7, 200916 yr Have you read the 40 Days of Musa dagh? I am half Armenian... the stories my grandparents have of their parents are pretty gut wrenching. Edit: This looks like an interesting book I will put it on my list. Quite a variance in the Amazon reviews. You notice any bias in the author's writing? Finished Deadeye Dick by Vonnegut last night - not one of his best but still good in that Vonnegut way.
July 7, 200916 yr Have you read the 40 Days of Musa dagh? I am half Armenian... the stories my grandparents have of their parents are pretty gut wrenching. Edit: This looks like an interesting book I will put it on my list. Quite a variance in the Amazon reviews. You notice any bias in the author's writing? This is kind of the definitive work in the subject, so far as I understand. I imagine there is variance -- 70 million people rely on him being a liar. I don't notice any bias 200 pages in. He does say that it was a calculated genocide, though, and it was consciously implemented by the Young Turks, Ataturk included. That's pretty damning stuff. Akcam is not Armenian, himself. He's Turkish, in exile. I'd really recommend it. Any discussion on the subject from here forward will pertain to this book.
July 9, 200916 yr Hey I'm famous!!!! http://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_022.pdf Page 17 "I'm the "at a friend's house with an SME 309 fitted...." dude However, the rabid enthusiasm for the 1200 out in the world of internet forums has kept my interest piqued. The Sound HiFi mods described here were brought to my attention by a good friend on the MartinLogan forum (an SME owner) who had just heard the modded table at a friend’s house with an SME 309 arm fitted. “Dude, you need to get this mod in for review. You won’t believe how great the SL-1200 sounds with this arm and a good cartridge.”
July 9, 200916 yr What kind of armboard do you use for that arm Pete? I use the armboard from the UK outfit mentioned in the article Soundhifi.com
July 18, 200916 yr Finally got around to listening to the Harry Potter series. As for actually reading, I'm starting on Beautiful Mind.
July 18, 200916 yr I needed to take a break from the Armenian genocide and focus on a genocide a little closer to home. A little quirky, sure, but good fun. "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters" is apparently in the works.
July 18, 200916 yr Started a new book the other night. Field Marshal Sir William Slim - Defeat into Victory
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