SFWA recently announced the preliminary ballot for the 2003 Nebular Awards and posted a list of the nominated titles.
I've only read two of the nominated books: Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold (not my favorite Miles Vorkorsigan book, but nice) and Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon (excellent beyond words!). Joe bought Jack McDevitt's Chindi, so I'll try to make room for it in my reading schedule. China Mieville's The Scar is on the list, but dare I admit that the one book of his I tried to read I found rather inaccessible and dull? So, in spite of the many books I read last year, with so many nominated titles completely unknown to me I'm feeling strangely under-read. I'm guessing that a good number of these books came out in hardcover, which is why I haven't heard of them. Hardcover books are just too expensive for me to buy on a regular basis. I have a few coveted authors that I'll buy in HC, but most just have to wait a year for the paperback. Then, unfortunately, I will have probably forgotten about the book, and the sale is lost. Well, for the authors' sake, I hope people like me are less numerous than people who prefer HC.
Which Mieville did you start with? King Rat or Perdido Street Station?
I highly recommend Alex Irvine's A Scattering of Jades - available in mass market paperback. Especially if you need a Tim Powers-style secret history fix.
Posted by: Steven Kaye | January 11, 2004 at 05:44 PM
Hi Steven. Long time no see.
Perdido Street Station. I wanted to skim my copy and see if I could remember in more detail why I didn't like it, but I can't seem to find it right now. So all I have is a hazy recollection of it failing to grab my attention and an initial perception of "dull and pretentious. " It may have had too much "dark angst" for my tastes.
Powers is a bit hit-or-miss with me, but the misses are infrequent. I really enjoyed The Annubis Gates, Last Call, and Expiration Date, and I think Declare is a first-rate and may be my favorite Tim Powers book. I'll take a look at Irvine's "Jades".
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