Biscuits and tea with William: November 2011

The Sagan Series (part 8), The Gift of Apollo

Actually makes me tear up a bit!

A Clash Of Kings

by George R.R. Martin

Really awesome, I'm loving this series and my fears about it losing its narrative drive are being blown out of the water if only by the strength of its worldbuilding. I almost don't care if the story never goes anywhere 'meaningful' - it...

The Metropolitan Man

by Alexander Wales

Really enjoyed it. It did an excellent job of showing how creepy Superman's powers really are, and what an ethical minefield he represents.

A Game of Thrones

by George R.R. Martin

Really good read. Possibly a bit long, if you're stretched for time, but I really enjoyed the setting, the characters, the writing, the darkness, and the handling and scarcity of its fantasy elements. On to the next one!

Speaker for the Dead

by Orson Scott Card

According to TV tropes "by Card's admission, Ender's Game was expanded from its short story form just to set up Speaker for the Dead", and I can totally see it, and boy am I glad. This is a really good book. It had a clear, obvious, int...

A Game of Thrones

by George R.R. Martin

Definitely got in to it by the end, a compelling dark political/fantasy mix. I thought it was a poor man's Shogun (James Clavell) for a while, but it pulled through on the political side alone, while also giving its own light sprinkling ...

Blindsight

by Peter Watts

Interesting! Bit heavy on scientific theories, but explored interesting territory. The writing style was not really to my taste, the sort of sentences that you don't know what it's talking about until you're half way through them - suppo...

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The Gift of Apollo