Reading

Not had much time to hobby recently but I have had a bit of time to read... I recently read for the umpteeth time Against A Dark Background by Iain M Banks, this is by far one of my favourite books and it has a hard sci-fi style and an amazing feeling of age.
I've also read again The Chase and Wilde books by Andy McDermott

If you're after a "summer block buster" type if story with some historical pointers and there is always a car chase, these are great. Also tucked in that picture is a Murakami cover, I've read a few of his books as well and like Banks fiction he takes the normal everyday and slowly de-normalises it and makes it something dark.

I also started reading How Few Remain again but I seem to have misplaced my copy again...
Around these I've read The Masque Of Vile, Scars and Betrayer as well as The Legacy Of Caliban series from 40K, I quite liked Cypher in that one. I feel the need to read some Pratchette soon as well as some more Banks and I might just dig out some Michael Marshall Smith as I've not read those in a while. Till my next book post, keep reading

posted from Bloggeroid

William Gibson Bang On The Money Again

So along side being hugely into 40K I'm also a reader. I've only started reading William Gibson in the last couple of years, the first book I read was his Steampunk book The Difference Engine. Now William Gibson for people of my generation has s certain reputation as almost a prophet, first use of the term cyberspace and many many other concepts that are mundain now. I picked up Zero History last month and just having finished my last Horus Heresy book and Pandorax felt a bit washed out with Space Marines and needed to read something else so I started this. I read the above picture on page 23, I went and checked the publishibg date and this copy was first produced in 2010. Once again Mr. Gibson was bang on the money!

RIP Iain M Banks

It was with a great sadness that I learned on sunday of the passing of Iain M Banks one of my favourite writers. Below are a selction of photos of when I met him and his obituary in The Times on Monday 10th of June.

This was taken back in 2006 at Eastercon where I'd gone to meet some of the guys from the Iain Banks Forum, David Haddock, the one with the beard 3 in from the left had invited TMH down to have a drink with us. He sat and chatted with his fan club for over an hour and bought us all a drink saying it was the least he could do after we'd all given him so much of our money over the years and yes there was a bit of a fight over who got to keep the written order.

I'm not sure where the plushie Cuthul came from.

And these are from the 2nd time I met TMH this was at a signing tour for Surface Detail and for someone that didn't like doing that side of the job he was a great turn, funny sharp and witty, admittedly it was an easy crowd but everyone had a great night and he even accepted my rather wierd request to get the stuffed dog in the photos as I'd asked my youngest if it was okay to take him along and she was at the age when that was a funny idea and not embaressing

And some links to follow to better writers than I am http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/10108884/Iain-Banks.html http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2013/06/iain-banks-with-or-without-m.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22780003 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22838993

Sad News For Me

I'm a massive fan of Iain (M) Banks books, both the Sci-Fi and the fiction and the news this week that he has late stage cancer and is unlikely to see Hogmany this year has left me feeling a little down. I've had a couple of my books signed by TMH over the years and I've always found him to be an overall nice guy when he's been working a room, and the one time, pictured below, while at Eastercon in Glasgow a group of us fan men (not a chance of calling us boys really) actually met TMH he sat with us and chatted away for an hour, bought us all a pint, in his words "the least I can after you've all bought my books", and we had a fight over who got to keep the order he took to the bar. In the photo, from the front, is TMH Iain M Banks, myself, Paul Graham Raven, David Dave H Haddock, and Reg Holbein, our other member present ducked out of site when this was taken and I can't remember his name now, sadly. I always wanted to complete my collection of authors that I really like, and it looks like I'll be getting the chance now, but not in the way I'd of wanted. From the BBC web site

3 April 2013 Last updated at 12:31 Iain Banks statement in full Continue reading the main story Related Stories * Author Banks has terminal cancer Scottish author Iain Banks has revealed that he is dying of gall bladder cancer. Here is the full statement which has has been posted on his website. "I am officially Very Poorly. After a couple of surgical procedures, I am gradually recovering from jaundice caused by a blocked bile duct, but that - it turns out - is the least of my problems. "I first thought something might be wrong when I developed a sore back in late January, but put this down to the fact I'd started writing at the beginning of the month and so was crouched over a keyboard all day. When it hadn't gone away by mid-February, I went to my GP, who spotted that I had jaundice. Blood tests, an ultrasound scan and then a CT scan revealed the full extent of the grisly truth by the start of March. "I have cancer. It started in my gall bladder, has infected both lobes of my liver and probably also my pancreas and some lymph nodes, plus one tumour is massed around a group of major blood vessels in the same volume, effectively ruling out any chance of surgery to remove the tumours either in the short or long term. "The bottom line, now, I'm afraid, is that as a late stage gall bladder cancer patient, I'm expected to live for 'several months' and it's extremely unlikely I'll live beyond a year. So it looks like my latest novel, The Quarry, will be my last. "As a result, I've withdrawn from all planned public engagements and I've asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry - but we find ghoulish humour helps). By the time this goes out we'll be married and on a short honeymoon. We intend to spend however much quality time I have left seeing friends and relations and visiting places that have meant a lot to us. Meanwhile my heroic publishers are doing all they can to bring the publication date of my new novel forward by as much as four months, to give me a better chance of being around when it hits the shelves. "There is a possibility that it might be worth undergoing a course of chemotherapy to extend the amount of time available. However that is still something we're balancing the pros and cons of, and anyway it is out of the question until my jaundice has further and significantly, reduced. "Lastly, I'd like to add that from my GP onwards, the professionalism of the medics involved - and the speed with which the resources of the NHS in Scotland have been deployed - has been exemplary, and the standard of care deeply impressive. We're all just sorry the outcome hasn't been more cheerful. "A website is being set up where friends, family and fans can leave messages for me and check on my progress. It should be up and running during this week and a link to it will be here on my official website as soon as it's ready." Iain Banks

With Terry Prattchet ill and Banks not expected to last the year out I'd just like to say I'm a massive fan of Dan Brown, Stephine Mayer and the one who got the monkeys trained to knock out 50 Shades of Grey.

From Dan Abbnets Christmas Blog

I read through all of Dans Blog at Christmas and thought I would share some of the goodness of the forecoming HH books Working Titles;

At the last Horus Heresy planning meeting, us High Lords of Terra realised we were referring to future and forthcoming books in the series by odd, euphemistic nicknames and placeholders. I thought you'd enjoy the list (and they are all, genuinely, going to be HH books... probably... just not with these names):

The Motorway into Bristol.
Twatted By A Bloodthirster.
[rude word I really can't write here on a public blog] Attack.
C*ckblocked
Hammer In The Face.
Bastards Of Evil.
Fungus And Poo.
Traitor To The Traitors.
Wobbly Rum Baba In A Big Pond Of Chaos.
Khorne Worshipping Asshats.
Big Crystal B*ner.

Outcast Dead

Just finished read The Outcast Dead and was really pleased by this book as it's a good 'Seven Samurai' story and it does feature a couple of nods back to the earliest days of 40K with the vision of The Insects Armies that aren't Insects, a subtle nod to one of the founding corners of 40K, Nemesis The Warlock.

From Dan Abbnet's blog

Just logged on on my day off to make a new post and I saw Dan Abbnet had done the first update in ages, so I thought I'd pinch his first paragraph and post it here.











Thursday, December 08, 2011
No Man's Land
Yes, I know it's been a very, very long time since I updated the blog. Forgive me, but I've been a little busy with "Know No Fear", the story of the Battle of Calth. You'll get to read it in the spring.




And a link for the rest of it and his other stuff.

First Apparence?

How did I miss this Contemptor? Added a bigger, if not better, picture. And why are the Iron Hands on the front cover of Fulgrims book, why not the Phonecian himself?

More books what I have reded

Actually thats fairly good as those are in the reverse order!

Starting off with Before and After by Mathew Thomas, a story about Nostrdamus, the end of the world and exploding sheep. I first read this one a years ago and enjoyed greatly, but going back to it now I find it a bit stilted, too many similarlys are used, and his next book, Conspirce Theory was a major let down, I can understand why he only got these 2 books out.

Next up is The Guns of the South a tale about time traveling South African noenazis going back to the American Civil War and suppilling the South with AK47's, the South win the war and thus their independce and then what happens next. A nice side story is the teacher learning that blacks are people too.

Then with have Manifest Destiny, again i first read this collection of short stories many many years ago, I enjoyed the last story in it the most, I';ve not really read it again fully yet, just skimmed it as it was a recent re-buy from ebay.

And lastly with have Dan Abnets Triumff, a tale of sword play and alchemy set in an alternate world, where the British and Spanish Crowns where United with the marriage of Elizabeth the 1st and Phillip of Spain, and they now control Europe and most of the world. Triumff, our hero of sorts, is drawn into a consiprice to destory everything that he holds dear. I really enjoyed this book, and am hoping that Angry Robot let him of more of these and Embedded as well as when given free rein Abnett has an amazing talent.

Embedded

This 1 works 2 ways, firstly I finished off Dan Abnett's Embedded this morning. Very good book, fast paced and well written. And I liked how it ended, well worth reading if you get the chance. Also ordered Dan's sword and alchame book through my local library. Use them or loose them folks.

Part 2 is the Iron Warriors, who are embedded in the XIX Chapter. Finished off my troop section today and started on the Havoc choices. As these where originally painted up with a Nurgul theme I'm giving them a basecoat of matt black, didn't read the label when I bought the pot, which is going to be topped off with a dry brush coat of boltgun metal. Both squads will be finished tomorrow during the Monoco GP. I think I'm going to start another project here and convert the P P P into a varient Baneblade.

Mindless self indulgence

Okay this post has sod all to do with gaming. I'm playing around with my Nokia X2 and found I can actually get onto my blog and I'm seeing if I could post. What the hell while I'm here I've just started reading Embedded by Dan Abnett, which is his own book not a Black Library publication, not got too far but it is looking very good so far, especially like the idea that people can a chip implanted into their head so that they can't swear.

In Britian we have a radio show called Desert Island Disc where a famous person talks about the 8 records they take, the one book and a single luxuray item they can take with them into exile on a Desert Island, this is my Desert Island books instead.

1 I'm a huge Iain M Banks fan as well my favourite book of his so far is Against A Dark Background which tells the story of a woman who is being hunted by a crazy cult, her stalker cousin and his cronies and her own past. Very good story my copy of this book is very very battered I've read it that much.

2my next book is called Star Warts by Patrick Tilley, when I bought this book I read it in 72 hours and I made myself read it that slowly as it was the best book I'd read in a long time. I also get the sneaky feeling that Buffy and Angel creator Josh Weedon read it as well as some elements of the back story are very close to his amazing and brilliant show Firefly.

3 My next book is The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall, a tail of lost love and the hero's decent into madness, there's a video on youtube of Tilda Swinton reading an extract from the book.

4 would have to be Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith, really amazing story about a guy in a fantastical future trying to come to terms with his past.

5 is Good Omens by Terry Prattchet and Neil Gaiman about the end of the world and what happens next.

6 I'd have to say is The 2 George's by Richard Drayfus and Harry Turtledove set in an alternate America that stayed loyal to the British Crown, the story is about the seemingly unconnected crimes, the painting of The 2 George's and the shooting of Richard 'Tricky Dick' Nixon.

Next 2, and I'm bending the rules a little here, 7 would be a box set of Harry Turtledove's Great War Saga which tells the story of an, other, alternate America where the South won the American Civil War and allied itself with France and Britian and what happens when war is declared.

8 is the box set of The Horus Heresy series.

For my luxuray item I'd like to take a boat with crew

failing that a life times supply of Tequila.
And we all know Tequila does this

And of course a girl friday to keep me company on all those long sunny days, Jennifer Connely would be nice.