Acid house for Mr. Biswas.

[hirez]

Sterling on Ballard: fine stuff. In the past, I've singularly failed to get on with Sterling's writing, no matter how hard I struggle. (Apart from 'The hacker crackdown' and 'Heavy weather'. Though that may be down to some geek identification and jazz hat wearing.) On the other hand, it's hard to disagree with the chap when he's being a JGB fan-boy.

Fairly large image offered without much comment.

Of late, I have been lumpenly uninspired, which is a shame. Beware the poor in spirit because they'll suck the life and goodness from you, then mither on entirely unchanged. Spiritual black holes they are, wandering the byways and leaving naught but slug-trails of grimness.

Comments

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm reading a collection of Sterling's short stories at the moment, which I picked up for about 50p secondhand. It's a mixed bag but I've really enjoyed some of them. "Global Head".

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Is that the one that contains a story involing Finnish goths?

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

Not so far, but I've got three stories left to read. The two that stood were the one where the Russians find an alien artifact that should let them win the space race, and one about two drifters that I can't explain without spoiling.

[operon.livejournal.com]

The Difference Engine wasn't bad but in retrospect I can't help feeling Neal Stephenson would have done a better job.

Andrew.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Possibly. The ending would have been worse, mind.

[reddragdiva]

Anyone would have. Oh Ghod. Gibson tired dull "dazzle" with Sterling turgidity.

Sterling is a much better fanboy than writer. I was so pleased that he said The Hacker Crackdown (which is actually really good) cost him at least one novel. GOOD. MORE PLEASE.

[serpentstar.livejournal.com]

I didn't like _The Difference Engine_ at all -- it seemed very obvious it'd been written by two Americans who'd never been to Victorian England at all!

I enjoyed _Involution Ocean_ enormously, though, and _The Artificial Kid_ quite a lot too. Somewhere I have a couple of his more recent books sitting around on the "To Read" shelf. Obviously Mirrorshades is the seminal cyberpunk short story collection too, so he is to be thanked for that. Liking Ballard, though... that's just good taste, innit? Everyone with any sense likes Ballard. Likewise Calvino.

[zotz]

I've recently read Schismatrix Plus, which is a fixup of Schismatrix with all his other Shaper/Mechanist stories, and it's rather good. One or two of the shorts are just excellent.

[quercus.livejournal.com]

"Heavy Weather" was more JCB fan-boy