[title under construction]

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We've all been pretty busy the last couple of days - I'm at least pretending to be reading Bonehunters by Steven Erikson (it's a great book, but demands a lot of attention - just like a spoiled child in a way), Trin had some personal stuff going on, BlindMan is trying hard to put his students through history class without failing (in any great numbers at least) and Madwand is doing what he...I have no idea what he's doing to be honest (fiddling with World of Warcraft I suspect :). But I've stayed in touch with the rest of the blogosphere and I've found a lot of interesting things going on...

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I've stumbled upon Elena's blog Austin's Tales quite accidentally, but I really liked her witty and self assured (a bit egocentric too) blog description/introduction so I'm posting it as "Quote of the day" (week? month?). Here goes:

"I am a twenty-something with a motivation deficiency and a tendency to meander around a while before getting to the point. I have a high tolerance for alcohol and a low tolerance for stupidity. My only real ambition is to become a genius. That is, to be considered to have a "degree of mental superiority that enables its possessor to live acceptably upon his admirers, and without blame be unbrokenly drunk." The auspice under which I aspire to such heights of glory is writing fantasy/sci-fi novels. And, I suppose, convincing people to pay to read them. Hence the living acceptably upon my admirers. This blog is a chronicle of my struggles with artistic endeavors of both the short and the long variety, and also--more so?--the random interesting tidbits that catch the attention of a girl with an NQ (nerd quotient) of 180. So sit back, pop a cold-coldie or a Caucasion, or whatever your beverage of preference may be, and prepare to have your mind blown in the most elegant and only occasionally sexual of ways..."

Eye Candy Cover? Yes, I found another great one - pt.V, if anyone keeps count...I've bought John Scalzi's much lauded Old Man's War (Goodreads) a couple of weeks ago and while I still haven't got around to reading it, I found a beautiful cover of the book's 2007 hardcover edition by Subterranean Press >

Other interesting stuff I've found "littering" the blogosphere...

James at Speculative Horizons wrote an excellent article debating why you should read George R.R. Martin and while I think that one should be living on the Moon for the past couple of years (a decade or so at least) for not having at least tried to read any of the Martin's works, but I still believe that James' homage to the author is well worth reading! And because I'm tackling the sixth Malazan novel at the moment, I was thrilled to read his review of Night of Knives, the debut effort by Ian C. Esslemont, the co-creator of the Malazan universe. His second book - Return of the Crimson Guard, is scheduled for a release on 14.August in the UK as a hardcover and on the 23.September in the US market as a paperback.

Adventures in Reading reviewed A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon, book two of The Entire And The Rose, one of this year's sf highlights. He also pointed out to me a short story by Elizabeth Bear - Your Collar, with one of the most intriguing premises in my experience:

"A minotaur is freed from the labyrinth at Crete. This is not a beast, but a thinking creature which honors his commitments though Asterion cannot speak. Asterion is brought to England, to a Queen, and from that moment, knowing the legends of minotaurs, we (as readers) expect the story to go in one of two directions. Elizabeth Bear chooses another path. “Your Collar” is one of the best of all of Bear’s short fiction. The story is thoughtful, moving, intelligent, and surprising." (via Adventure's in Reading)

Another title that piqued my interest lately is Stephen Hunt's sophomore effort - The Kingdom Beyond The Waves, which is fabled for its vivid world-building with a classic Victorian/steampunk milieu. You can read great reviews by Robert (Fantasy Book Critic) and Liviu (Future and Past). They seem to have collaborated on another interesting title - House of Suns by Alastair Reynold; here is Robert's review...and on to Liviu's review here.

But the book that I'm most interested in hearing more about (and reading it) is Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. It garnered a few stellar reviews by some of the most renowned sites: SFSignal (5 star review), Rob from SFFWorld has been talking world about the book as was Robert from Fantasy Book Critic...and what is most important about this title is - that it is absolutely FREE. Go, download!

Since Little Brother is technically a YA title, maybe you are interested in some other "Young Adult SF/F Books That Adults Will Like, Too". (via SFSignal)

Audrey Sofa from Fantasy Magazine wrote an article about why she hates STEAMPUNK. Here's an excerpt:

Congratulations. You’re part of the next big thing. Take a taste of that, savor it, lick it and suck it down and swallow it. Because, in a couple of figurative seconds, it’s going to be gone. And the taste that follows is going to be bitter.

CNN interviewed the grand-master of science fiction - Iain M Banks. (via Locus Online)

Adam from The Wertzone wrote two great reviews lately - the first review is about Hyperion, that I deem as one of the greatest sf books ever written, and the second one talks about Paul Kearney's This Forsaken Earth, book two of the Sea Beggars.

Larry from OF Blog of The Fallen wrote a review about Scott Bakker's forthcoming technothriller novel Neuropath in his own special way.

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There is more, but I had to cull the selection a bit. I hope you enjoy the links.