Now reading...

[BruceH]

Well, I just reread Norstrillia in a few days and man was it good. I have The Rediscovery of Man and hope to read it soon, I got it for about 20 bucks and i believe it has a handful of stories I've never read (and yes I still have The Best of Cordwainer Smith and a few others in the Best of series from Ballantine, I agree, that's a great series).

Hmmm. . . don't know anything about "Cashier O'Neil". . .the books I mention are three:

Ria, by Felix C. Forrest

Carola, by Felix C. Forrest

Atomsk, by Carmichael Smith

None of them are science fiction, Atomsk is an espionage novel.

I really read science fiction ony infrequently in the nineties and this millenium, rereading mostly Phil K. Dick and occasionally a few others such as Moore, Moorcock and Smith. I'm now in the mood and am reading and rereading Weird Tales-like fantasy and science fiction.

Maybe I should re-read Norstrillia one of these days.

I've heard of Atomsk, not the other two. It's a good bet that if Linebarger didn't use the Cordwainer Smith pseudonym, then Smith fans probably wouldn't dig the book in question.

I read practically no sf between 1985 and 1995, then started to get back into it, mainly with an increased appreciation of good old fashioned pulp and space opera sf, when well done.

[Jazzmoose]

Guess you're living in the wrong place

Yeah, it's been that way for close to three years now...

what's wrong with this?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/094...ASIN=0940642182

You'd think I'd be used to computers by now.

[Jazzmoose]

Now van Vogt is someone I have tried, but just can't get into. Maybe if I'd tried him at a younger age; I can still get around many SF authors' oddities because of that.

[jazzbo]

I like the earliest of Van Vogt and find it extremely interesting reading them now as a not younger person how influential his work was on a whole generation or two of writers. And how deeply paranoid or just plain hard and gnarly a lot of it is.

[BruceH]

Now reading

Same cover as the one I read (back in 8th grade) but I don't think mine said "Ninth big printing" on it.

Poor old van Vogt couldn't write a novel to save his life. Notice how Slan breaks down into 15-25 page segments, like short stories but without any endings, all stitched together in only the loosest way. There's almost no narrative thread at all. Perhaps that's why so many of his novelistic heroes are men who've lost their memory for some reason.

[Jazzmoose]

I like the earliest of Van Vogt and find it extremely interesting reading them now as a not younger person how influential his work was on a whole generation or two of writers. And how deeply paranoid or just plain hard and gnarly a lot of it is.

Maybe I should dig out that copy of The World of Null-A I've got and give it a try again. At least I won't have high expectations to contend with this time around...

[BillF]

Now reading J G Ballard's Cocaine Nights and it's going very well

[jazzbo]

Now reading

Same cover as the one I read (back in 8th grade) but I don't think mine said "Ninth big printing" on it.

Poor old van Vogt couldn't write a novel to save his life. Notice how Slan breaks down into 15-25 page segments, like short stories but without any endings, all stitched together in only the loosest way. There's almost no narrative thread at all. Perhaps that's why so many of his novelistic heroes are men who've lost their memory for some reason.

I'm reading an edition not unlike that you read; mine is the 7th printing,without the "banner" on the cover.

I don't quite agree with your assessment of his novel-writing skills. He is using bi-focal viewpoint here, with the two Slan characters as the narrative point, and their different stories alternating. I don't find it disconcerting or particularly clumsy after the first few transitions.

[sal]

"Midnight's Children" - Salman Rushdie

I'm about a quarter of the way through it and still not too sure what I think about it. Has anyone else read any Rushdie novels?

[Jazzmoose]

Are you kidding? I don't need Cat Stevens on my ass...

[BruceH]

Now reading

Same cover as the one I read (back in 8th grade) but I don't think mine said "Ninth big printing" on it.

Poor old van Vogt couldn't write a novel to save his life. Notice how Slan breaks down into 15-25 page segments, like short stories but without any endings, all stitched together in only the loosest way. There's almost no narrative thread at all. Perhaps that's why so many of his novelistic heroes are men who've lost their memory for some reason.

I'm reading an edition not unlike that you read; mine is the 7th printing,without the "banner" on the cover.

I don't quite agree with your assessment of his novel-writing skills. He is using bi-focal viewpoint here, with the two Slan characters as the narrative point, and their different stories alternating. I don't find it disconcerting or particularly clumsy after the first few transitions.

But as I recall, ALL of his books are exceedingly episodic. At least the ones I read; Slan, both the Null-A books (for my sins), The War With the Rull and a couple others whose names now escape me. Of course, I'm going by memories three decades old and more, but Damon Knight backs me up on this.

Edited September 10, 2008 by BruceH

[jazzbo]

Well to each their very own. I don't remember gushing to myself about his skills, nor do I remember cursing or crumbling up books in frustration. Anyway, I don't think I have problems with his novels. Maybe it's just me.

[BruceH]

I certainly didn't curse, or crumple his books (crumple a book? Heaven forfend!) They had enough interesting moments, striking images, or cool ideas that I obviously kept going with them. (Though the last couple whose names escape me---Quest For the Future? Supermind?---I never finished.) It's just that after a while I concluded that he wasn't one of my favorite science fiction authors. Your mileage, as they say, may indeed vary quite a bit.

[jazzbo]

I don't consider him one of my favorite science fiction writers either. (And I was just joshing about the cursing and crumpling!) And he's not the smoothest writer . . . I appreciate his ideas and concepts more than the writing. But. . . I don't feel that "he couldn't write a novel to save his life."

My mileage does vary. That's okay.

PS: There are three Null-A books.

[Van Basten II]

Not the same edition but the same book.

[B. Clugston]

Now reading

One of my favourites. Earlier van Vogt is inventive and nutty, kind of like of Chewy post. The later books are unintelligible and lose the fun.

Meanwhile, I'm reading Emma by Jane Austen, which is fabulous.

[Free For All]

I just ordered a few things from Daedalus-

The Parisian Jazz Chronicles (Mike Zwerin)

Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake (Kimball/Bolcom)

The Selected Correspondence of Aaron Copland (Crist/Shirley)

[BillF]

Now reading

One of my favourites. Earlier van Vogt is inventive and nutty, kind of like of Chewy post. The later books are unintelligible and lose the fun.

Meanwhile, I'm reading Emma by Jane Austen, which is fabulous.

Glad Jane Austen doesn't post here, all the same. I'll settle for Chewy

[BruceH]

PS: There are three Null-A books.

Guess I didn't have the fortitude to tackle the third one!

[skeith]

"Sing Me Back Home" Ny Times reporter Dana Jennings mixes analysis of his favorite country songs and artists with a recounting of his hillbilly upbringing in, believe it or not, rural New Hampshire.

[jazzbo]

[Tom Storer]

Just started Balzac's "La Comédie Humaine," starting with "Le Père Goriot." I've never read Balzac.

[BillF]

Just started Balzac's "La Comédie Humaine," starting with "Le Père Goriot." I've never read Balzac.

Heavy stuff! Those who had to study it at my school in the 1950s used to call him "balls ache"

[jlhoots]

Roberto Bolano: The Savage Detectives

[Larry Kart]

Rick Perlstein's "Nixonland." Very pertinent to our current electoral dustup. Rick is a very knowledgable jazz fan BTW, as well (so he volunteered a few years back)as an admirer of the work of yours truly, so how bad can he be?