Dodeka Pi Day Coming Up in the Spiral Arm!

For those who missed Pi Day on 3/14 be aware that pi in duodecimal notation is

3.184809493#918664573X6211##151551X05729290X7809X492..
(where X is 10 and # is 11 compressed to single digits)

Good Advice

I ran across the following letter on another message board.  I copy it here together with a follow-up but without the fellow's name.

Mark, thought you'd want to know: I just finished Mike Flynn's The January Dancer. Oh my freaking good golly, Mark, it is stunning. I am at an utter loss for words. I didn't think anything could top Eifelheim for emotional impact, but TJD does.

On to Up Jim River!

I cannot find it in me to disagree.  He responds to a comment as follows

I have been telling anyone willing to listen -- and a few who aren't willing -- that Eifelheim is probably on a par with The Lord of the Rings in its originality, depth, and emotional impact. It is simply that good.

The January Dancer is that good too. Besides being rollicking good space opera, its surprise-twist ending makes it rollicking good detective fiction as well. I was simply stunned at the conclusion, repeating to myself, "Why didn't I see that coming? All the ingredients were there!" as I read and re-read the last few pages. It is simply masterful.

This is almost too much.  I said "almost."  Is he wrong?  I might not compare it to LOTR; but neither do I think it sucks rocks.  I can only hope that his hyperbole on January Dancer does not set him up for a let-down on Up Jim River.  Besides, sales really ought to be better, I'm thinking. 

Gratuitous Exsult

My Faithful Reader

OK, one of them.  Made the following comment elsewhere :

In trying to describe The January Dancer (especially the cultural mixing), I once described it as "a combination of Dune, Firefly and The Maltese Falcon, as told by an Irish bard in an Indian restaurant."

Should he consent, I'll put his name to it; but I am ROFLOL. 

It is apt.  I wrote the early version in HS and College, inspired in part by Dune.  And I did have the Maltese Falcon in mind as a background.  Firefly had not been invented yet.