I’M READING AS FAST AS I CAN: APRIL 2011 EDITION

And now, the book reviews.

JUST FINISHED

The Sixsmiths by J. Marc Schmidt and Jason Franks
Another one of those books I know by way of my LJ friends list, and one that started as a webcomic about an average suburban family with typical family-drama problems (dad laid off, kids have to change schools, etc) who also just happen to be devout Satanists. It’s a twist that could go wrong in so many ways – Addams Family pastiche, cheesy stereotypical Hollywood Satanism schtick – but it works here and is remarkably believable, thanks to Schmidt/Franks playing it deadpan, albeit not without a sense of humor (I smiled at the Jews For Satan booth, for example). Possibly not for everyone, but I got a kick out of it. Recommended.

JUST STARTED

Anathem by Neal Stephenson
I haven’t read Stephenson in a long time, having kept putting off The Baroque Cycle primarily due to weight (hey, 800-page trade paperbacks are heavy and I carry a laptop around all day). Anathem is intimidating on several levels (it’s close to a thousand pages, and it’s about a planet where math is a religion), but so far, Stephenson’s breezy writing style is helping me get into it. On the downside, it will probably keep my “to-read” pile from getting smaller for a few months.

( Inside: Pohl/Kornbluth! Block! Chandler! Wodehouse! Sherlock! And Doc F***ing Savage! )

That’s not science,

This is dF