It's been too long since my first Elric book, Elric of Melnibone, which I read about 14 years ago. I'd been meaning to keep reading, I even own just about every iteration you can find of the series and still only based on that one book read.
I had a blast with this one though it was much weirder than I recall. At the same time, that's part of the mystery and fun of reading these books. Moorcock does not lack for imagination.
Sailor on the Seas of Fate is essentially three adventures smashed into one book so it's technically even shorter than the already short book. Characterization of any character but Elric is minimal, but Elric is such a rich character that's largely not too much of a problem (though I wouldn't mind some more).
I like exploring the multiverse and it's fun to see that the multiverse isn't a new concept (as I tend to start to think), it's a really cool concept that's been used for years. I will try to make it less than 14 years for the Weird of the White Wolf.
Wow, where did the time go. I had all these plans at one point to at least put up crappy reviews and I haven't even been able to accomplish that much. What does that make me now...not that we need to go there...
Anyway, here are some deals I found. I'll work on some reviews soon, totally. yeah, everyone believes that.
[$0.99] Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins - Great YA book, will review soon.
[$0.99] The Eternal Champion (EC Sequence #1) by Michael Moorcock
[$0.99] Poison (Tales from the Kingdomes #1) by Sarah Pinborough
[$1.99] Sailing to Sarantium (Sarantine Mosaic #1) by Guy Gavriel Kay
[$1.99] On the Run by Gordon R. Dickson
[$1.99] Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
[$1.99] A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
[$1.99] Three (Duskwalker #1) by Jay Posey
[$1.99] Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
[$1.99] Hot Lead Cold Iron (Mick Oberon #1) by Ari Marmell
Hello and welcome to issue #12 of my Weekly Roundup. I like to have a schedule for reading, reviewing and blogging. But as one of my colleagues told me: A plan is just a plan.... So much wisdom in six words. I could not finish reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. Or can one of you my dear readers explain to me how to read with closed eyes? Corollary I could not write and post my review on Friday as planned. Fortunately I had one more review up my sleeve. On Thursday my wife and I could not go to gym in the evening because she has had migraine. So we postponed sport to Friday. With gym on Friday we had to postpone cinema... Beside this I started work on three days two hours earlier... Don't get me wrong. I don't want to complain. I just wanted to demonstrate the relationship between a plan and reality. But there is one very positive sign: More sunshine and it is getting warmer. Enjoy reading....
German proverbs, sayings and idioms Spring Tiredness . . . Sleep
Books
Tor reissues the Runestaff series by Michael Moorcock. I faintly remember that I read some Elric of Melnibone novels in the 70's. Since then I never touched again a Michael Moorcock novel. Several days ago I read a review of The Juwel in the Skull (reissued January 2010) [US][UK] over at SFFWORLD.COM. And I must say I have been intrigued. Originally released in 1967 it is like a time travel in fantasy. The second book in the series The Mad Dog's Amulet [US][UK] will be released in March 2010. And now have a look at the new cover and the blurb:
"Dorian Hawkmoon, the last Duke of Koln, swore to destroy the Dark Empire of Granbretan. But after his defeat and capture at the hands of the vast forces of the Empire. Hawkmoon becomes a puppet co-opted by his arch nemesis to infiltrate the last stronghold of rebellion against Granbretan, the small but powerful city of Kamarang. He's been implanted with a black jewel, through whose power the Dark Empire can control his every decision. But in the city of Kamarang, Hawkmoon discovers the power inside him to overcome any control, and his vengeance against the Dark Empire is filled with an unrelenting fury."
I'm sure I will get these books sooner or later.....
My list of science fiction books is growing. My latest discovery is the Jump 225 by David Louis Edelman. And I have to "blame" Mark Chitty and his review of Infoquake (originally released in 2006) [US][UK] for it. He got me with following part of his review:
"To put it in simple terms, Infoquake is not your normal science fiction novel. It doesn't deal with an action hero, it doesn't focus on a threat to the world, there are no aliens or AI's. Infoquake is a science fiction story about business. Doesn't that sound interesting? Well, it is. In fact it's one of the most entertaining novels I've read. The story is interesting, the characters are likable and easy to read and the writing is aimed perfectly - there isn't much about Infoquake that I didn't like."
Yes, I ordered the reprint in advance. And yes, I will buy Multireal and Geosynchron too. This is the new cover and the blurb:
"Natch is a master of biologics, the programming of the human body. He's clawed and scraped his way to the top of the biologics market using little more than his wits. Now his sudden notoriety has brought him to the attention of Margaret Surina, the owner of a mysterious new technology called MultiReal. Only by enlisting Natch's devious mind can Margaret keep MultiReal out of the hands of High Executive Len Borda and his ruthless armies. To fend off the intricate net of enemies closing in around him, Natch and his apprentices must accomplish the impossible. They must understand this strange new technology, run through the product development cycle, and prepare MultiReal for release to the public - all in three days. Meanwhile, hanging over everything is the spectre of the infoquake, a lethal burst of energy that's disrupting the biologic networks and threatening to send the world crashing back into the Dark Ages."
Blogosphere
I follow the Tor/Forge's Blog. One of the things I like are the "dry" release overview post. You get either covers combined with links or lists of title and authors. I like to discover the mentioned books on my own. Have a look at March 16th releases. And if you want more look at the releases of the next three months. I wanted to present you some of the books in detail but as I explained in my introduction. A plan is just a plan. But I hope to catch up soon.
Bathroom What did you think when you read this heading on a scfi-fi and fantasy blog? Maybe a post about the history of bathrooms? Far from it! Did you know that Americans spend over 30 minutes each day in bathroom.And unbelievable but true men spend more time than women.[Source] I'm no American but I also spend some time in bathroom every day -often with a book. But there are a lot more opportunities what you can do in the bathroom. Did you ever think of bathroom art? What's about toilet paper origami or towel origami? You can by books about it. Curious? Then please read Maybe your time would better be spent elsewhere.... Post includes book recommendations and pictures. Have fun.
Movies
With all the upcoming 3D movies we should not forget all these great movies and short movies from the last century. There are gems which are even older than I am and which I still like to watch. When I was a child we have had black and white TV. But I was happy every time when they showed something by Walt Disney. Nowadays you go to YouTube and watch the short movies in color. Today I like to show you one of the Disney's classics. Unbelievable that this amazing piece of work is 77 years old. The content is timeless. I can tell you when you watch The Three Little Pigs and you enjoy it as much as I did, then you are still young maybe not physically but mental. Now watch and don't forget to sing together with the little Pigs: "Who is afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"
Quotes With the change of weather - it is getting warmer - I feel flabby and weary. It is like a kind of spring tiredness. I thought sleep quotes would be a great idea. Good night...
"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.” Leonardo da Vinci, Italian engineer, painter, & sculptor (1452 - 1519)
"Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.” Anthony Burgess, British composer & novelist (1917 - 1993)
"People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one.” Leo J. Burke
"I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books.” Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine novelist & poet (1899 - 1986)
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