Reading Rayners

Fiction Rule of Thumb

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:53:34 -0500

[xkcd](http://xkcd.com): [Fiction Rule of Thumb](http://xkcd.com/483/): [![Fiction Rule of Thumb](http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/fiction_rule_of_thumb.png "Except for anything by Lewis Carroll or Tolkien, you get five made-up words per story. I'm looking at you, Anathem.")](http://xkcd.com/483/) Forever will the term 'younglings' make me want to vomit, wherever I happen to find it.

One Step Closer to A Game of Thrones on the Screen

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:47:48 -0500

[Not a Blog][1] [News from HBO][2]: > HBO has just exercised its option, and purchased the television rights to A GAME OF THRONES. > > For those of you who don't know Hollywood, an option gives a production company the right to buy a property (a book, a screenplay, whatever) at a certain agreed-upon price for a certain period of time (a year, six months, whatever). When that time runs out, they can let the option lapse, renew the option, or exercise the option and buy the property. The last is what HBO has just done. > > What they have NOT done is greenlight the project. A GAME OF THRONES remains in development. They're still budgeting, still looking at locations (Spain and the Czech Republic at present, I hear). No decision has been reached, so any celebration would be premature. In Hollywood it is always best not to assume something is going to happen until it actually happens. If anybody is going to give this novel the treatment it deserves, it would be HBO. Here's hoping this keeps making forward progress! [1]: http://grrm.livejournal.com/ [2]: http://grrm.livejournal.com/51779.html

The Name of the Wind in paperback

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:00:00 -0500

[Pat's Fantasy Hotlist](http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/): [THE NAME OF THE WIND is now available in paperback](http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/2008/03/name-of-wind-is-now-available-in.html): > Only the Bookscan numbers are in (it will be a while before we get a full tally), but it looks as though The Name of the Wind has surpassed the sales of both George R. R. Martin's [A Game of Thrones][agot] and Terry Goodkind's [Wizard's First Rule][wfr]. Woah! If it beat out [A Game of Thrones][agot] *and* [Wizard's First Rule][wfr], I am going to have to check this book out. I really enjoyed those two books, especially [A Game of Thrones][agot]. [agot]: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0553381687/?tag=readingrayners-20 [wfr]: http://www.amazon.com/db/0765300273/?tag=readingrayners-20

Arthur C. Clarke has passed away

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:39:17 -0500

According to the Associated Press, [Arthur C. Clarke has passed away](http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ijDA5bgxiHlTvS_r-SSjskS1Tq1wD8VG3BKO4). [HT: [Charles Stross](http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2008/03/rip_arthur_c_clarke.html)]

Last Wish Giveaway!

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:15:00 -0500

Well, somebody *else* is giving away a copy of [The Last Wish][1]. Over at [Pat's Fantasy Hotlist](http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/), there are [four copies of the book available](http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/2008/03/win-copy-of-andrzej-sapkowskis-last.html). I've already sent in my entry! I am really looking forward to [The Last Wish][1] finally being available in the US. I have heard nothing but good things about the series. Thanks to [Orbit Books](http://www.orbitbooks.net/) for [linking to the giveaway](http://www.orbitbooks.net/2008/03/14/the-last-wish/), and for both getting the book to the states and making it available through a fellow blogger! [1]: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316029181/?tag=readingrayners-20

Neil Gaiman's American Gods available for free (for a month)

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:20:00 -0500

From [Neil's Journal](http://journal.neilgaiman.com/) [Kids! Free! Book!](http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/02/kids-free-book.html): > For the next month, your free copy of American Gods is waiting for you at [http://tiny.cc/WRiXE](http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060558123&WT.mc_id=author_AmerGods_FullAccess_022208) > > Feel free to spread the link as widely as possible around the web. If it works, and people read it, then a) we may be able to put up another book and b) sooner or later they'll simply let us give away the book in electronic form.... There is some follow-up discussion of the pros and cons of making a book freely available if you check out the [free book](http://journal.neilgaiman.com/search/label/free%20book) section of [Neil's Journal](http://journal.neilgaiman.com/). There's even a fancy little flash widget you can stuff onto your own sites.

Gaiman on Lovecraft

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

One of my favorite authors talking about another of my favorites.

Damnation Alley

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:30:00 -0500

Nuclear war stinks. It completely screws up the middle of the country and totally makes coast-to-coast travel difficult. That's why the people of Boston need Hell Tanner.

New author for Wheel of Time has been found

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:35:03 -0500

From the [announcement](http://www.tor-forge.com/NewsArticle.aspx?articleId=647): > Tor Books announced today that novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish the final novel in Robert Jordan's bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Robert Jordan, one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th and early 21st centuries, died September 16th after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis. > > The new novel, A Memory of Light, will be the twelfth and final book in the beloved fantasy series which has sold over 14 million copies in North America and over 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers, and for over a decade fans have been eagerly awaiting the final novel that would bring the epic story to its conclusion. Dragonmount was able to [interview Brandon Sanderson](http://www.dragonmount.com/Books/Memory_of_Light/brandon_interview_01.php) before the announcement was made. There are some sample chapters and a free ebook available on his site:

Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:45:00 -0500

One of my favorite authors, one whose books I have unfortunately yet to review here, has announced that he has been diagnosed with a form of early onset Alzheimer's. His Discworld novels are some of my absolute favorites and you really owe it to yourself to try a few of them if you haven't already. I'm roughly only a third of the way through the series myself and each book I have read has been a real treat and often had me laughing out loud. From the announcement, [An Embuggerance](http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html): > I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke". > > We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o) > > > > PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell. I know it's a very human thing to say "Is there anything I can do", but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.

Half Life

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:30:00 -0500

In the future, neurological disorders are running rampant and medical science is unable to keep up. Humanity is on the verge of extinction unless something can be done. Fifty scientists with terminal diseases head out on a mission to Titan, Saturn's largest moon, to study the pre-life chemistry taking place in the hope of finding a clue to stave off the end of man. Naturally, not all of them survive the trip, but that is only just the beginning of the story.

Heir to the Empire

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:30:00 -0500

__Return of the Jedi__ did not, in fact, chronicle the complete end of the Empire. Portions survived and still fight the New Republic. This book tells just that story and is widely attributed with revitalizing interest in the __Star Wars__ expanded universe outside of role playing games. And, I think, with good reason.

A Wizard of Earthsea

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:15:00 -0500

What do you get when you combine a naturally talented young wizard and a wizard school? Here's a hint: it's not another Harry Potter novel.

King Rat

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:30:00 -0500

King Rat was China Mieville's debut novel, and goodness, what a way to start! I was lucky enough to be able to dedicate a good portion of one day to reading this treat (train rides to and from New York) and I absolutely devoured it.

The Anubis Gates

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:30:00 -0500

This was the first real time travel novel I've ever read. I've seen plenty of time travel movies, but haven't read any books. That said, there were a number of time travel cliches in this book, but I suppose that is to be expected. They are cliches for a reason, after all.