It’s been a little while since I’ve talked about what I’ve been reading. As you can see below, I have once again waded into Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Universe with Interesting Times. Reading any of his Discworld novels has always been a breath of fresh air regardless of what I have been reading. He masterfully condenses events that could fill chapters into mere pages and manages to do so with prose that is often insightful, always witty, and intimidating. I say intimidating because it’s almost hard to believe that the man could write that well, that quickly, and still keep the cart firmly planted in the realm of humor. He puts on a clinic in voice that any author can appreciate if not be profoundly jealous of. I have avoided losing myself in his universe partly because I don’t like reading too much from one mind all at once, partly because his voice is so good it can muddle my own, and partly because I would one day like to be eighty, sitting on a beach with my wife, and still reading Discworld novels that I have never read before.
My reading list has had a small rash of fantasy which is atypical. I enjoy fantasy but some of the tropes can be tiresome. However, if you are looking for fantasy like A Song of Ice and Fire or Lord of the Rings then The Magician by Raymond E. Feist is worth a read. Despite a mad king, a thieves guild, and secret plots it still manages to be more hopeful than many of its contemporaries. I was lucky enough to snag a first edition but later editions broke this into two books: The Magician: Apprentice and The Magician: Master. If you are going to read one, you really should read the other too in my humble opinion.
The last book I want to talk about is that one that’s been on my list forever. Galaxy Outlaws is the perfect commute book, but with its Audible version coming in at just over 80 hours, it is set to last me for quite some time. It’s not one story but a whole mess of them all with the same entertaining characters. It’s sci-fi, it’s fantasy, it’s everything that you want from a ragtag band of lovable space outlaws… and a wizard. The story length of these missions is great too. The stories just move and it’s wonderful. I will likely talk more of it in the future, just wanted to do a little raving now.
Last and final note from the bramble of a blog, I’m not sure what I am going to do about the second short story this month. I’m exploring my options, but everything is out in the wind right now and my time is up. On the plus side, some good news should be on the horizon.
Currently reading/listening to:
Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
A Heritage of Stars by Clifford D. Simak
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
Galaxy Outlaws: The Complete Black Ocean Mobius Missions by J. S. Morin