And still more.

Dorothy Dunnett: And particularly the Lymond Chronicles and the House of Niccolo series. I enjoyed these books quite a bit, once upon a time. Dunnett’s research is amazing, and she has a real knack for bringing the past to life. But I’ve also gotten tired of not really knowing what on earth is going on for books on end; plus, she’s guilty of what I call “character abuse”: she seems to be constitutionally unable to let her characters be happy for any length of time—unless she’s planning on pulling the rug out from under them. They just can’t win. (Kathryn Kurtz did the same thing in her later books, which is one reason why I don’t read her anymore.)

On the other hand, I’m keeping Dunnett’s King Hereafter, which is a neat retelling of the story of Macbeth. Good stuff…and not interminable.

Bernard Cornwell: I got the first five of Cornwell’s Sharpe’s Rifles books quite a while ago now, at about the same time as I read Dunnett. There are additional books in the series, and many other books by the same author, but I’ve never felt moved to read any of them, nor to re-read the ones I have. Out they go!

Ted Sturgeon: Some years back, when I was buying books in job lots, I got the first five volumes of Sturgeon’s complete works, mostly on the strength of two stories: “Killdozer” and “The Microcosmic God.” As I read them, I found that I really liked those two stories; his earlier stuff was nothing special, and his later stuff, where he started getting more experimental, I didn’t like. Consequently, I’m keeping the two volumes with the stories I like, and I’m getting rid of the other three.

Two more bags….