Wednesday Reading

[quarter_to_five]

But first - Person of Interest...we're done, I'm afraid.

Currently Reading

Raising Steam, Terry Pratchett. I kind of have a thing for trains, but a highly judgmental and specific one (I have an exceedingly complex relationship with the works of China Mieville.) I also quite like the other two Moist books. So I want to like this and it's pleasant enough, but it's not exactly great reading either. Everything seems tepid and bloodless. There's no tension, no surprises, no insights, not even a lot of humor. It's all settled into very comfortable grooves with everyone just acting nice and sensible and stuff. There are no relationships, you know?

Lud in the Mist, Hope Mirlees. Extremely charming but I haven't gotten very far yet. I'm curious to see where it goes, it seems like there's a hard, interesting streak there under the cuteness. I'll be disappointed if it's not explored, I suspect.

Recently Finished

Eighty Days, by Matthew Goodman, non-fiction about Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Blisand's race around the world in 1889. Not very interesting and written in an annoyingly cliched, semi-novelized sort of style which is really annoying. Even the underlying events weren't particularly interesting, truth be told, since the whole thing basically went totally smoothly.

Comments

[allochthonous]

Similar feelings on Raising Steam - just no dramatic tension, and I am really uncomfortable with grags=extremist religious (*cough* Muslim *cough*) leaders which was made really explicit in this book. I love Moist and co, but the last couple of DW books haven't really done it for me.

[quarter_to_five]

Me neither - I think I never even finished Thud or Unseen Academicals. I'm trying to remember what the last DW book I really enjoyed was, and I suspect it was one of the YA Tiffany Aching ones. I think they've been suffering from lack of any good villains lately. Everyone just needs a pat on the head and they're good these days. What happened to the complex but utterly scary bad guys DW used to have, like Teatime or the Auditors?

[allochthonous]

I remember quite enjoying Thud, but nothing especially after that. The problem is that heroes like Vimes and Moist are now far too good to be true; they're basically Marty Stus in that they are so badass that they can never put a foot wrong. The only person who can get away with that is Granny Weatherwax, and that's because a) she's bloody well earned it and b) she comes up against some of the best villains in the series. Teatime was pretty good though - when was the last Death/Susan book? Thief of Time?