I stopped 3/4 of the way through the fourth book in the Dark Tower series, up to the abrupt change from post-apocalyptic techno-Western to a more . . . fancy fantasy land. But that's all I'll say about the I stopped 3/4 of the way through the fourth book in the Dark Tower series, up to the abrupt change from post-apocalyptic techno-Western to a more . . . fancy fantasy land. But that's all I'll say about the Dark Tower.
Gunslinger was a damn fine book, though. Along with the first half of The Stand --> Great, if you like examining the effects of a high-fatality plague hitting the US, the government's reaction especially.
I just finished the majority of On the Beach . . . A very depressing text where everyone just gives up 3/4 of the way through. Making the rest one hell of a slog, unless you're really interested in what character eventually gets between the sheets with who, and such. And if that port is really that delicious!
Level 7 was great, though: Following the last few months of Button Pusher X107 (or some such numeral) from the offensive response level of a large military instillation. Examines the morphing of man into weapon . . . The ending was a bit of coincidence, though. Great little book.
A Canticle for Leibowitz (someone in the forum suggested to stay away from the "second" book, Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman apparently was wrote by this fellow, Miller Jr's son, but . . . the book itself makes no mention of it. A real let down, when you learn the main character isn't the main character at all . . . But a great start, somewhat amusing. Just disappointing.
Blindness (Jose Saramago) despite having awesome-slanting multi-page paragraphs of anti-grammatical text, was a fine read if you want desperation, contagion, and close-quarters' brawling of the sightless!
Dr. Blood Money (Philip K. Dick) was the best semi-post apocalyptic book that I've read, though. About madness, rebuilding of society, and <s>psychos</s>psychics. Still, nothing competes with my grade-school recollection of After the Bomb, polished fine with time and ignorance.
Solaris (Stanistas Lem) involves a psychologist battling his inner demons on a spacestation overlooking a jelly-planet most malicious. Unfortunate that so much time is spent on the planet.
M*A*S*H follows three American surgeons trying to survive the Korean affair and do the best job they can, while only going slightly insane. Just don't let the first 2 chapters bog you down . . . "he said" "he said" "he said" "then he said" . . . oh deity.
2010: Odyssey Two (Arthur C. Clarke), only a few hundred pages in, but it's a fine read . . . Real nice use of language to convey the perils of space-flight and other-world exploration. Along with the glorious politics of Russia vrs. America vrs. China.
The Shipping News (Annie Proulx) follows a bumbling imbecile trying to do best by the poor hand dealt as an obscure journalist for a Newfoundland paper, while trying to keep his family together. (Yeah, a bit of a change from the above, eh?) Still, despite the dramatic topic, the depictions of living in a remote community were well worth it.
Well, this concludes my previous two weeks. Good reading (and stick with the first 3 books of The Dark Tower!)
PSUEDO-EDIT!
Speaking of Poe, read the Highway Man and see if you can't locate a story about a certain delicious cask of fine wine . . .
