That earns a minimum of ten points in some circles
Thanks for the support everyone (both here and in reps). After four and a bit years in AW and three and a half thousand posts, it's not happened to me before.
It was past my bedtime (after dozing off mid-evening) and I've now slept and got up again. I do stand by what I said - I'm currently reading an SF novel which is up for the BSFA Award which is way overlong and that's not the only reason why I'm. Not. Getting.On.With.It. (Is there a gritted-teeth smiley?)
I'll name and shame - it's Adam Roberts's
By Light Alone. I'll vent about it in the "What Are You Reading?" thread when I get a moment. I've got China Miéville's
Embassytown up next, and even a fan of his (who fancies the pants off him) told me his writing can get self-indulgent.
I've read one other novel by both writers - Roberts's
Yellow Blue Tibia and Miéville's
The City & The City - when both were up for the 2010 BSFA (Miéville won). Both novels I found not uninteresting but failed to blow me away and wore out their welcome for me. I remember comments that
City was a "short" Miéville novel - it's still 103,000 words.
Anyway, back to much procrastinated-against review and the dayjob in three hours' time. Sleep well, American branch of the Cantina, and hope the Antipodean chapter is having a good evening.