Reading

Every time I finish a book lately I realize just how much I miss consuming books like I used to. A book would last me a few days at the most before I was on to the next. And it was a constant stream -- I always had another book on deck so I could just keep reading. That voracious intake has slowed due to any number of things but mostly I get an hour or two in the evening to dedicate to solitary pursuits like reading or gaming. A commute by transit helps a bit because it gives me a little over two hours to concentrate on reading (and ignore the other smelly commuters).

And it was on the bus, that I finished George Mann's Victorian steampunk "The Immorality Engine." Good read, with little in the way of substantial character development but high on the "things exploding messily" scale. I liked it and it goes out of it's way to set things up for the next book. What stays with me are the descriptions of the automatons, the slanted world that rides a boundary of occult, real history, and steampunk clockwork, and the way Mann rolled out the story. Would I recommend it? It's summer reading through and through. That's not a bad thing! I enjoy these kind of pulp stories where things explode messily, usually via some kind of fantastical machine/contraption. For example, there are steam-powered mech-like vehicles included! I think Mann needs to get an illustrator on-board to provide some art for the inside of the book. Or possibly turn the whole thing into a graphic novel.

Next up: Will Ferguson's "Spanish Fly"

Couple of books

I’m finding that with my commute I finally have more time to read and/or play games. But I’m all outta books and I feel substantially up-to-date when it comes to my 3DS games. So, I grabbed a couple of books from the library during my lunch hour.

The first is “Spanish Fly” by Will Ferguson, one of my favourite authors. “Spanish Fly” seems like it will be a prequel of sorts to Ferguson’s first novel “Happiness” (or “Generica” in some markets). It features a young Jack McGreary, who was responsible for the self help book that nearly brought about the end of human civilization in “Happiness” years later. It seems strange to me that no where on the cover or inside flap is there reference to “Happiness.” The idea of fleshing out the backstory of a somewhat minor character of one story, even if he does play a pivotal role, in a standalone novel has a certain appeal to me. While “Happiness” offers a snapshot of the McGreary character and what motivates him to write his self-help book, I always got the feeling there was much more to this crazy dude in the desert.

The next is a basically a guilty pleasure. It’s a steampunk novel by George Mann called “The Immorality Engine” – A Newbury & Hobbes Investigation. I read the first book – Affinity Bridge – a couple years ago and enjoyed it for its pulp sensibility, characters, and altered-history premise, but I kind of forgot about the series. I haven’t read the second book so I hope it doesn’t become an obstacle to enjoying the story.

I saw a copy of the Walking Dead novel “Rise of the Governor” on the new arrivals shelf but three books is probably pushing it.