Merchant Clansmen

[Brand Nar Gath]

Finished the latest edition of Charles Stross' Latest Merchant Prince's series,  Setting up a transdimensional war between dimension hopping traders against the US government, the medievel aristocracy of their own world, and an unidentified third party... took me 2 days which is fairly typical for this series.  super good pulp with a sprinkling of hard science and lots of guns.

[Brand Nar Gath]

so having finished that, I am on to 'The Omnivore's Dilemma,' about where our our general food supply comes from (mostly oil and corn).... non-fiction, but if you wanted you could pretend that it was fictional....

[Náriël Telemnar]

so having finished that, I am on to 'The Omnivore's Dilemma,' about where our our general food supply comes from (mostly oil and corn).... non-fiction, but if you wanted you could pretend that it was fictional....

Sounds scary. How are you liking "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell"?

[Brand Nar Gath]

Uh, good, I will finish reading it this week...  what time am I coming over, and what is your lunch order?

[Náriël Telemnar]

Uh, good, I will finish reading it this week...

I'm just hassling you. Nobody that I have lent the book to or recommended it has finished it. I wonder if Brad has.

[Eddie Chang]

Uh, good, I will finish reading it this week...

I'm just hassling you. Nobody that I have lent the book to or recommended it has finished it. I wonder if Brad has.

Is it worth finishing?

It seems like it could be interesting, but I'm usually reluctant to pick up books in the 1,000 to 1,200 page range. (For some reason, though, 700-800 pages isn't that daunting.)

Perhaps it's because I'm shallow and/or impatient. But I've also had some scalding experiences where I spent weeks wrestling with weighty tomes that ultimately suffocated under their flabby prose and held little payoff.

[Náriël Telemnar]

Is it worth finishing?

It finishes much much better than it starts. I found it to be a very engaging book. I loved the two main characters and how you get to know one a like him despite his flaws until you meet the other and then you start to wonder why you like the first guy so much before. Plus, the villain in story is subtle and creepy.

The world that Clarke creates is richly detailed and melds this fake magical british history with the real world we are familiar with from early 19th century literature. The whole book has copious footnotes referring to famous figures in the history of british magic. It is very nicely done.

After 900 pages I was ready for more and had to read it again.

[Eddie Chang]

Is it worth finishing?

It finishes much much better than it starts. I found it to be a very engaging book. I loved the two main characters and how you get to know one a like him despite his flaws until you meet the other and then you start to wonder why you like the first guy so much before. Plus, the villain in story is subtle and creepy.

The world that Clarke creates is richly detailed and melds this fake magical british history with the real world we are familiar with from early 19th century literature. The whole book has copious footnotes referring to famous figures in the history of british magic. It is very nicely done.

After 900 pages I was ready for more and had to read it again.

Sounds fun. I'll put it in the queue.

But it may be a while before i get to it.

Still gotta finish the Viriconium books and China Mieville's "The Scar" before I start something new. And that collection of the original Robert E. Howard Conan short stories I just bought looks too fun to pass up. 

[? the Iq]

]I'm just hassling you. Nobody that I have lent the book to or recommended it has finished it. I wonder if Brad has.

Haven't yet, but I am 750 pp. or so into it.  Completely likeable characters, plenty of subplots--I'm really digging it.  I don't know why Paul based Mr. Woodhope on the character Christopher Drawlight, however.

[Náriël Telemnar]

I don't know why Paul based Mr. Woodhope on the character Christopher Drawlight, however.

Drawlight is such a great character...I may have to base my next character on him.

[Dav'l]

I finished "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel."  It was a very satisfying read, and as I was telling Paul last Wed., I look forward to re-reading it sometime down the road. 

[Loken]

I have it, in a box somewhere, I'll have to read it when I finally finish unpacking.  I'm gonna turn the largest garage closet into a walk-in library closet of sorts.

BTW was there a free book cataloging piece of software that scans the barcodes, or is that something one has to buy?