reading (catching up)

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted my reading reviews! In short: For the Asimov's, Philip Brewer's "Watch Bees" interested me the most. It was an interesting idea for a future. I think "The Grapes of Wrath" deserves the classic designation. Although a focused social justice novel, it showed some innovative prose techniques. One chapter puts a lot of the beat novels to shame at what later became their own game. Other chapters use other tricks and techniques. Christopher Moore's "Fool" wasn't the usual Moore fun, a bit self indulgent. I think he missed the mark on the English humor he was trying to channel. I enjoyed "Prelude to Foundation". I was amazed to see how Isaac brought the robot novels and the foundation novels together in one big history. It was a bit of a stretch, but the fact he managed at all, separate series written decades before, was astounding. I liked Mort, except it feels like Pratchett painted himself in a corner and had to use an old fashioned wooden deus ex machina to get out, a la King (Stephen that is). Not that Pratchett can't unpaint himself occasionally, but in this book he didn't take the time to do it. I'm fond of the Tiffany Aching books and "Hat Full of Sky" is no exception. I like the morals of the story and the sheeps.

26. Asimov's August 2011
27. John Steinbeck "The Grapes of Wrath"
28. Christopher Moore "Fool"
29. Isaac Asimov "Prelude to Foundation"
29. Terry Pratchett "Mort"
30. Terry Pratchett "A Hat Full of Sky"