Picking the Next Trilogy to read - THE EVOLUTIONARY VOID by Peter F. Hamilton

MostlyFiction Book Reviews - THE EVOLUTIONARY VOID by Peter F. Hamilton:

"Hamilton’s imagination and the scope of his Commonwealth Universe is the best I’ve read so far, and that includes Asimov’s Foundation series and Brin’s Uplift War. I’m just sorry the story is over. I hope he writes more stories in this incredible universe. I feel like I just lost a best friend now that it’s over. The Void trilogy could not possibly be told in fewer pages (each volume is more than 640 pages). They are well worth the investment."

The Void Trilogy has shown up everywhere good sci-fi is discussed on the net. I don't know if I should start with the Void Trilogy (Dreaming, Temporal, Evolutionary) or the Commonwealth Saga (Misspent Youth, Pandora, Judas)

The Wertzone: Misspent Youth by Peter F. Hamilton:

"Overall, not his best work and at times rather dull, but the scene-setting for The Commonwealth Saga makes Misspent Youth (***) worth reading."

And of course the first trilogy sets the scene for the second trilogy. Its decisions like these that keep some books in the middle of the pile.

Also, I'll take shopping for books by reading reviews and following links over walking the aisles of a bookstore any day.

‘Predator: South China Sea’ – Jeff Vandermeer's mainstream adventure

Graeme's Fantasy Book Review: ‘Predator: South China Sea’ – Jeff Vandermeer (Dark Horse Books):

"That made it all the more surprising then when I found out that he had written a ‘Predator’ tie-in novel a couple of years ago (yep, it can sometimes take me far too long to catch up on things). I was of course immediately curious to find out what Vandermeer made of the leap from the gloriously weird settings of ‘Finch’ and ‘City of Saints and Madmen’ to a setting that’s undeniably more commercial and mainstream. As things turned out, it was a leap made with some aplomb but also with the help of an anchor placed firmly in the weird stuff..."

Some light reading from an unusual source. I read City of Saints and Madmen and find it hard to believe that Vandermeer would write something like this. First off, an artist still has to eat, and second, I think he probably had fun playing with the standard format thriller. I'll read it if I can get my hands on it.

The Book Bench: Remembering Updike: The Gospel According to John : The New Yorker

The Book Bench: Remembering Updike: The Gospel According to John : The New Yorker: "My rules, shaped intaglio-fashion by youthful traumas at the receiving end of critical opinion, were and are:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give enough direct quotation—at least one extended passage—of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy précis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.…

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it’s his and not yours?"John Updike published his first book review

Ahem… Two farts does not a flatulence problem make. � Three Pound Brain