Monday March 31 2008
| Posted by Jonathan | 04:11:pm
I was talking with CHARLES on the weekend. Up to that point I was focussed on short stories and such, happy with all that I had to read. Suddenly I’m intimately aware that there are piles of novels too. He was trying to decide whether to read the new Neal Stephenson, the new Paul McAuley, or one of handful of others. I need to read novels!!!
A quick public thank you to Nicola Pitt at Orbit. I need to drop her a private thanks for the present she just sent, but herewith a public one. You’re wonderful.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:30 pm
The Golden Age of Science Fiction isn’t necessarily twelve. Although the field has tilted toward Fantasy in the last few years, there is still tons of good SF to read.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I don’t believe in golden ages, really, but I do agree that there’s far more worthwhile stuff to read than anyone has the time to actually look at. I’d also say the ’tilt’ toward Fantasy isn’t so much the last few years, as the last thirty years.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:46 pm
There’s a new Neal Stephenson? First I’ve heard of this. Hmm, Amazon says it’s called “Anathem” and will be 928 pages long. Sigh, it would appear he hasn’t gotten over his telephone book fetish yet.
I wonder if this is a continuation of the Baroque series or a stand-alone? I’ll read a 928 pg. stand-alone, but not if it’s a part of a frickin’ series of telephone books like the Baroque thing that requires me to read them all to get anywhere. Pity, life is just too short to spend reading Stephenson’s work anymore …
March 31st, 2008 at 8:53 pm
It’s described as a space opera. CHARLES sez it’s under 1,000 manuscript pages, so it should be around 650pp in hardcover with a bit of luck. It’s a stand-alone.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Excellent. Thanks for that info Jonathan, sounds like it’ll be worth buying then.