What are you reading?

[Corporal Hicks]

The warship Trouble Dog was built and bred for calculating violence, yet following a brutal war, she finds herself disgusted by conflict and her role in a possible war crime. Seeking to atone, she joins the House of Reclamation, an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. But, stripped of her weaponry and emptied of her officers, she struggles in the new role she's chosen for herself. When a ship goes missing in a disputed system, Trouble Dog and her new crew of misfits and loners, captained by Sal Konstanz, an ex-captain of a medical frigate who once fought against Trouble Dog, are assigned to investigate and save whoever they can.

Meanwhile, light years away, intelligence officer Ashton Childe is tasked with locating and saving the poet, Ona Sudak, who was aboard the missing ship, whatever the cost. In order to do this, he must reach out to the only person he considers a friend, even if he s not sure she can be trusted. What Childe doesn't know is that Sudak is not the person she appears to be.

Quickly, what appears to be a straightforward rescue mission turns into something far more dangerous, as Trouble Dog, Konstanz and Childe, find themselves at the centre of a potential new conflict that could engulf not just mankind but the entire galaxy.

If she is to survive and save her crew, Trouble Dog is going to have to remember how to fight.

Picked up on a whim last month after I came across an article about the next book's cover art and they were calling this thing amazing. I finished it off last night. I had been struggling to get into it but it eventually picked up to the point where I was just turning pages.

It was first person - which I'm not a huge fan of - but it also flicked between different characters in the 1st person perspective which I didn't really like. Had a nice pace to it, short chapters kept it moving but it took time to really get moving. Some interesting ideas around the guilt of the ship and ship AI but I don't think I'm bothered with continuing.

[Hudson]

The warship Trouble Dog was built and bred for calculating violence, yet following a brutal war, she finds herself disgusted by conflict and her role in a possible war crime. Seeking to atone, she joins the House of Reclamation, an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. But, stripped of her weaponry and emptied of her officers, she struggles in the new role she's chosen for herself. When a ship goes missing in a disputed system, Trouble Dog and her new crew of misfits and loners, captained by Sal Konstanz, an ex-captain of a medical frigate who once fought against Trouble Dog, are assigned to investigate and save whoever they can.

Meanwhile, light years away, intelligence officer Ashton Childe is tasked with locating and saving the poet, Ona Sudak, who was aboard the missing ship, whatever the cost. In order to do this, he must reach out to the only person he considers a friend, even if he s not sure she can be trusted. What Childe doesn't know is that Sudak is not the person she appears to be.

Quickly, what appears to be a straightforward rescue mission turns into something far more dangerous, as Trouble Dog, Konstanz and Childe, find themselves at the centre of a potential new conflict that could engulf not just mankind but the entire galaxy.

If she is to survive and save her crew, Trouble Dog is going to have to remember how to fight.

Picked up on a whim last month after I came across an article about the next book's cover art and they were calling this thing amazing. I finished it off last night. I had been struggling to get into it but it eventually picked up to the point where I was just turning pages.

It was first person - which I'm not a huge fan of - but it also flicked between different characters in the 1st person perspective which I didn't really like. Had a nice pace to it, short chapters kept it moving but it took time to really get moving. Some interesting ideas around the guilt of the ship and ship AI but I don't think I'm bothered with continuing.

I think a good example of multiple first person narrators working successfully is The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. The way they interact with each other and misunderstand what each other say or intend (although the reader is in on it) is pretty entertaining.

[Wweyland]

Finished The Predator novelization. Basically was glad that it was over.

[Ingwar]

I admire you. In my opinion life's too short to read such "masterpieces".

[Huggs]

Finished The Predator novelization. Basically was glad that it was over.

Unbelievably, I still haven't read it, and I've had the damn thing for like 6 weeks. I guess the negative aspects of the film have me in no hurry.

[Wweyland]

I admire you. In my opinion life's too short to read such "masterpieces".

I really enjoyed the prequel novel. Was hoping for a continuation of that.
Reading Aliens: Music Of The Spears now, a bit on the fence about it but starting to like it more and more.

[Corporal Hicks]

I haven't read that for some time but it's a story I remember loving because it was so different!

[Huggs]

I admire you. In my opinion life's too short to read such "masterpieces".

I really enjoyed the prequel novel. Was hoping for a continuation of that.
Reading Aliens: Music Of The Spears now, a bit on the fence about it but starting to like it more and more.

It gets a lot of flack, but I loved it. Just read it for the third time a few months ago.

[Wweyland]

I admire you. In my opinion life's too short to read such "masterpieces".

I really enjoyed the prequel novel. Was hoping for a continuation of that.
Reading Aliens: Music Of The Spears now, a bit on the fence about it but starting to like it more and more.

It gets a lot of flack, but I loved it. Just read it for the third time a few months ago.

Finished Music Of The Spears. It was certainly one of the most unique Alien novels and I mostly enjoyed it.
It actually reminded me of the Cold Forge with getting into the heads of the characters a lot.

[razeak]

I'm working on book 3 of the Rage War. I'm also reading the Aliens 30th Anniversary hardcover. Winter is when I can catch up the most on reading, but I still rarely have enough time. I coach wrestling from November through the last day of March. Football is August through November. My kids stopped playing baseball so March through July was free this year. It was amazing to have free time.

[Wweyland]

Read Predator: Prey To The Heavens which basically got no reaction from me. A rather empty story.
Also started on AvP: Hunters Planet. Would like to know what the deal is with the Hunters Planet and War discontinuity issue.

[Corporal Hicks]

Also started on AvP: Hunters Planet. Would like to know what the deal is with the Hunters Planet and War discontinuity issue.

I'm curious about the "alternate" sequel angle too. I don't think I've ever seen it spoken about.

I'm currently reading AvP War. I'd re-read the original AvP in prep for our next podcast but found I kept reading through Omnibus #1.

[HuDaFuK]

Would like to know what the deal is with the Hunters Planet and War discontinuity issue.

Made all the more strange by the fact Hunters Planet was the only original story Bantam put out - all their other Alien/Predator books were comic adaptations.

[Wweyland]

My Hunters Planet has a disclaimer that it is based on the "Dark Horse graphic story by Randy Stradley" but I guess they mean the AvP series in general and not a specific comic.

I also just finished Berserker the novel, which was great. Some of the character stuff and the soldiers pondering on their deaths and later accepting it was really good.  While Jess was black in both the comic and novel, he was suddenly "whitewashed" in the War comic. Nice mess.

[Huggs]

About to start my second read-through of "A Night To Remember" by Walter Lord.

One of my favorites.