Bookses, preciousss. Yesss, bookses....

Tonight I read a most excellent book - Naomi Novik's Temeraire. Officially it's supposed to be on sale tomorrow - release date 03/01/05 from Voyager - but I was in Hodges Figgis in Dublin today, and thought to try my luck...

Apparently they've been selling it since the beginning of last week. I was informed by the very helpful counterperson who got it from the New Books section for me, after I failed to find it in SF/Fantasy, that they've sold five copies already. Mine makes six, so I suppose Ms Novik might be doing very well, indeed.

The book deserves it. The Napoleonic Wars, with dragons. Period dialogue worthy of the name. Reminiscent, somewhat, of the handful of Patrick O'Brian Aubrey and Maturin novels I've read, but much more readable (I found O'Brian a hard writer to read because of his prose style, despite otherwise excellent books).

The Napoleonic Wars. With dragons.

I will write more about this when I am coherent. Suffice to say that it is eminently praiseworthy, and comes in a pleasant cover, as well (the cover art is absolutely beautiful).

I'm given to understand that it will be out later in the year in the US, under the title His Majesty's Dragon. So let me just say;

Hah! Hah! I tell you! You don't know what you're missing!

::clutches book:: ::loves book:: ::gloats::

Preciousss. It's ours, preciousss. Ours!

*mine all mine*


/unnatural gloating.

Since it's usually the other way around, perhaps the gloating isn't so unnatural after all...

Bookses, preciousss. Yesss, bookses....

Tonight I read a most excellent book - Naomi Novik's Temeraire. Officially it's supposed to be on sale tomorrow - release date 03/01/05 from Voyager - but I was in Hodges Figgis in Dublin today, and thought to try my luck...

Apparently they've been selling it since the beginning of last week. I was informed by the very helpful counterperson who got it from the New Books section for me, after I failed to find it in SF/Fantasy, that they've sold five copies already. Mine makes six, so I suppose Ms Novik might be doing very well, indeed.

The book deserves it. The Napoleonic Wars, with dragons. Period dialogue worthy of the name. Reminiscent, somewhat, of the handful of Patrick O'Brian Aubrey and Maturin novels I've read, but much more readable (I found O'Brian a hard writer to read because of his prose style, despite otherwise excellent books).

The Napoleonic Wars. With dragons.

I will write more about this when I am coherent. Suffice to say that it is eminently praiseworthy, and comes in a pleasant cover, as well (the cover art is absolutely beautiful).

I'm given to understand that it will be out later in the year in the US, under the title His Majesty's Dragon. So let me just say;

Hah! Hah! I tell you! You don't know what you're missing!

::clutches book:: ::loves book:: ::gloats::

Preciousss. It's ours, preciousss. Ours!

*mine all mine*


/unnatural gloating.

Since it's usually the other way around, perhaps the gloating isn't so unnatural after all...

Occassional Demons

So. Today I have been head-mugged by a story that insists on representing itself as a short (I am mistrustful. I suspect it lies). This evening shall be given over to convincing it to front up and tell me what it wants: I suspect all will be clear in a few thousand words or so.

I have also made some very minor progress on Dreamdark. It continues to simmer - while the characters sulk - in the back of my head, taking up valuable space that should really be being used for my French assignment.

2000 words of literary/philosophical criticism to be done by Monday.

::stabs:: ::hates:: ::procrastinates::

Other projects are starting to pop up again, too, and other characters have been jumping up and down and waving and threatening from their perches in my backbrain.

Let's see... there's the (former) assassin and (current) pilot; the hunted former war hero/war criminal (which he is depends on who you ask); the privateer; the courtesan-assassin-spy; the necromancer; yet another assassin; another war hero/criminal; a thief-spy; a disgraced nobleman who has a sword with a mind of its own; a revolutionary or two; a smuggler or three; a dead politician's daughter; a pilot or five (yes, more pilots); a politician or six; and maybe a couple of Prophesised Saviour/Destroyers thrown in for good measure.

Now, if only I could write them all without having to do the, y'know, actual work of writing, I'd be very happy indeed. *g*

( Goals for the first third of 2006: )

Anyone else have goals? *g*

Occassional Demons

So. Today I have been head-mugged by a story that insists on representing itself as a short (I am mistrustful. I suspect it lies). This evening shall be given over to convincing it to front up and tell me what it wants: I suspect all will be clear in a few thousand words or so.

I have also made some very minor progress on Dreamdark. It continues to simmer - while the characters sulk - in the back of my head, taking up valuable space that should really be being used for my French assignment.

2000 words of literary/philosophical criticism to be done by Monday.

::stabs:: ::hates:: ::procrastinates::

Other projects are starting to pop up again, too, and other characters have been jumping up and down and waving and threatening from their perches in my backbrain.

Let's see... there's the (former) assassin and (current) pilot; the hunted former war hero/war criminal (which he is depends on who you ask); the privateer; the courtesan-assassin-spy; the necromancer; yet another assassin; another war hero/criminal; a thief-spy; a disgraced nobleman who has a sword with a mind of its own; a revolutionary or two; a smuggler or three; a dead politician's daughter; a pilot or five (yes, more pilots); a politician or six; and maybe a couple of Prophesised Saviour/Destroyers thrown in for good measure.

Now, if only I could write them all without having to do the, y'know, actual work of writing, I'd be very happy indeed. *g*

( Goals for the first third of 2006: )

Anyone else have goals? *g*

Something's on the move

I have written on the short story as far as it is willing to go with me tonight, I fear. 896 words. Now all I need is some plot, a wee bit of theme and a smattering of vision, and it might just become something. ::shoves story back down to back of mind to simmer some more::

It is doing the untitled thing to me... though it might well already have a title: "Shadow on the Gulfs" is the one that's swimming around in my head at the minute. I'm usually crap at titles, so that may change... Maybe.

Much weirdness in this story. Also, why are all my characters either: a) assassins; b) violent war-type people; c) criminal; d) insane or badly traumatised; e) all of the above; or f) boring? Not that I'm, you know, worried about the answer or anything.

Something's on the move

I have written on the short story as far as it is willing to go with me tonight, I fear. 896 words. Now all I need is some plot, a wee bit of theme and a smattering of vision, and it might just become something. ::shoves story back down to back of mind to simmer some more::

It is doing the untitled thing to me... though it might well already have a title: "Shadow on the Gulfs" is the one that's swimming around in my head at the minute. I'm usually crap at titles, so that may change... Maybe.

Much weirdness in this story. Also, why are all my characters either: a) assassins; b) violent war-type people; c) criminal; d) insane or badly traumatised; e) all of the above; or f) boring? Not that I'm, you know, worried about the answer or anything.