All in Fantasy
Marie Brennan's A NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS
This is a work of imagination. The story is clever, the prose is well written, and for this audiobook Kate Reading’s “performance” is impeccable.
Stephen King’s “THE STAND”
Reading the extended edition of Stephen King’s massive novel THE STAND was a reminder of why I never took up reading his books when I was younger: his writing style was flat and uninspiring. Now that I’m older I’ve returned to reading his books and recognize his mastery of two very important fiction elements:
Martin Vaughn-James' THE CAGE
But mysteriously there’s enough recognizable and even semi-linear as narrative here to keep a halfway intelligent or imaginative person interested all the way through.
Dan Simmons' ILIUM
While I would not put this in the same class as my favorites by Stephenson (e.g., Diamond Age) and Vinge (e.g., A Deepness in the Sky) it’s still pretty darn good and I look forward to the sequel.
Peter F. Hamilton's THE TEMPORAL VOID
I love space opera, but I’m probably not going to read Book Number Three in this series.
Peter F. Hamilton's THE DREAMING VOID
It’s over 1,000 years since the events described in Pandora’s Star. Investigator Paula Myo is still around and is tied into the fractious digital overmind that thinks it rules the galaxy. Unfortunately her personality is more cryptic than ever and she contributes little to the story.
Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS
I finished reading Neil Gaiman’s Hugo-winning novel AMERICAN GODS in between shoveling snow and decorating for Christmas. It’s a good but long read.