difference engine

Dave Lebling · 14 May 2008, 23:50 · from 2008-May.txt.gz

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From: dlebling at hyraxes.com (Dave Lebling)
Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 19:50:41 -0400
Subject: (urth) difference engine
In-Reply-To: <A6A0455A-D02A-48C1-89A3-50D7013A9FC1 at speakeasy.net>
References: <821849.49873.qm at web81403.mail.mud.yahoo.com>	<8763thk8tq.fsf at windlord.stanford.edu>	<0AF988B9-CEB1-4B11-88E7-C761425E7265 at gmail.com>
	<A6A0455A-D02A-48C1-89A3-50D7013A9FC1 at speakeasy.net>
Message-ID: <482B7AD1.7050200 at hyraxes.com>

Rob, I grew up in Bethesda and Rockville, MD myself, and attended 
Richard Montgomery High School. I've lived in the Boston area for 
umpty-foo years now though, after being engulfed by MIT and never quite 
getting over it.

I find that many of the authors I really like have been mentioned 
previously. To those who found Crowley a tough read, I suggest trying 
"Engine Summer" as a starter, just as "The Crying of Lot 49" makes a 
good start on Pynchon (I recently reread "Gravity's Rainbow" and am 
working on "Against the Day").

I'm very partial to Bruce Sterling (his short stories are better than 
his novels, as a rule: try "Bicycle Repairman" and "Kalamantan"), 
William Gibson, Michael Swanwick ("The Iron Dragon's Daughter" is 
steam-elf-punk), Charlie Stross ("The Atrocity Archive" and "A Colder 
War" and several others), Ken McLeod ("The Execution Channel" is not his 
best; start with "The Cassini Division"), Iain Banks (I just finished 
"Matter" recently), Ian McDonald ("River of Gods"), Neal Stephenson (I 
am inordinately fond of "The Baroque Trilogy"), John Scalzi, Rudy 
Rucker, and even China Mieville (who seems to be less-than-favored 
locally). I wish Jack Vance were still writing (though I hear he is 
dictating an autobiography, which should be interesting).

My tastes in non-SF fiction are fairly pedestrian: Patrick O'Brian, 
Cormac McCarthy, Carl Hiaasen, Alexander McCall Smith, etc. I 
periodically reread George V. Higgins ("The Friends of Eddie Coyle" is 
one of those nearly perfect novels) and wish he was still around, but I 
console myself with Dennis Lehane.

I love history and have been reading up on my Byzantine and late Roman 
stuff, which is actually pretty useful if you want to reread the New Sun 
books.

-- Dave Lebling, aka Vizcacha

Robert Thornton wrote:
>
> I agree about Schismatrix. It is a great book and his most ambitious 
> work though later books are better written IMHO. As far as his later 
> work, I am a big fan of Distraction but otherwise I'm not very fond of 
> them. I think his short stories are better. Of course I like the older 
> story where my hometown Rockville, Maryland becomes the center of 
> global power thanks to biotech....
>
> As for Difference Engine, I'd agree with the majority view. The ending 
> was interesting but you had to slog through a lot of dreck to get there.
>
> rob t.

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