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The end of Fall of Hyperion is one of the top three places to stop reading Simmons.
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Sep 28, 2017 15:16
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90s Cringe Rock posted:The end of Fall of Hyperion is one of the top three places to stop reading Simmons. Lemme guess 3 - end of fall of hyperion 2 - end of hyperion 1 - before you've ever read anything by simmons
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Sep 28, 2017 16:07
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I didn't stop after Fall of Hyperion, and I really rather regret it. The third one was a decent (ok.. less terrible than 4) read because Endymion is all right. The Huck Finn world-exploration stuff could have been really good but then Simmons fell into some kind of inter-dimensional plane of boring bullshit.
Loutre fucked around with this message at 16:24 on Sep 28, 2017 |
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Sep 28, 2017 16:21
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Loutre posted:inter-dimensional plane of boring bullshit.
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Sep 28, 2017 16:27
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my bony fealty posted:Lemme guess
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Sep 28, 2017 19:30
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90s Cringe Rock posted:The end of Fall of Hyperion is one of the top three places to stop reading Simmons. Yeah, I bombed my way through Fall just so there'd be an end. That book vanished far up its own arse that I've got no desire to go any further.
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Sep 28, 2017 19:50
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I finished up Strange Practices by Vivian Shaw and it was surprisingly good. I was kind of expecting some weird tripe about victorian urban fantasy based on the cover, but it turned out to be a pretty decent (and frankly, awesomely weird) book set in the modern age. Basic premise is the main character is a doctor for supernatural beings in London, and OH poo poo WEIRD THINGS HAPPEN AND OH SNAP THE CITY IS IN DANGER. Honestly though, I really dug the characters moreso than the settings. I'm gonna grab the sequel when it comes out. This one is the first in a new series.
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Sep 28, 2017 20:31
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Xaris posted:Hey now, I liked about 75% of Terror (mostly sans the ending and too long verbage) I'll come clean and admit that I love Hyperion, am ok with Fall, and enjoyed parts of both Endymion books and that I have zero desire to read any more Simmons
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Sep 28, 2017 23:17
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I dunno how much you like the arctic wastelands and overly intricate explanation of all parts of a boats, rations, canning, and all things 1800s arctic exploration related wrapped up as fictional horror with a real non-fiction event, but if it does sound good give it a shot
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Sep 28, 2017 23:48
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Xaris posted:I dunno how much you like the arctic wastelands and overly intricate explanation of all parts of a boats, rations, canning, and all things 1800s arctic exploration related wrapped up as fictional horror with a real non-fiction event, but if it does sound good give it a shot I will say I love all those things in concept and still thought Terror was a bit crap. The horror parts fell extremely flat for me and sometimes felt like they were secondary to Simmons wanting to show off how much research he'd done and how much he loving loves boats. Also the ending is not good at all.
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Sep 29, 2017 00:09
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Xaris posted:I dunno how much you like the arctic wastelands and overly intricate explanation of all parts of a boats, rations, canning, and all things 1800s arctic exploration related wrapped up as fictional horror with a real non-fiction event, but if it does sound good give it a shot I'm hearing BotM candidate how much does it talk about whale sperm
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Sep 29, 2017 00:10
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I'm sort of on a technology detox and only get online every other day or so, and instead I've been either watching Netflix/on Demand or reading a lot. at one point I had 18 books out from the library. IT IS A SICKNESS. it's mostly sci-fi/fantasy, because I get bored by most other genres. impressions, starting from most recently finished: A Borrowed Man, by Gene Wolfe - reasonably fun, but the background and world seemed really hazily sketched, and the plot reveals were disappointing, and the biggest twist was a big old shrug. ALSO, it seemed extrapolated from the 1950s if a writer from the 1950s knew a lot about early 21st century technology. like feminism never happened. Shadow & Claw, by Gene Wolfe - okay, this is the Gene Wolfe I've heard good things about. Borrowed Man was an enormous letdown after reading the first two volumes of The Book of the New Sun. They're impressive, worldbuilding on a vast scale, great prose, great description, and ideas out the rear end. Severian's a really interesting character. Still, weird issues with female characters. The Ship Who Sang, by Anne McCaffrey - Kind of slight, but I really enjoyed it, as a kludge of a few stories with the same main character put together into a makeshift narrative. I've heard some bad things about McCaffrey from a few people, but I would at least heavily recommend this book Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey - This was pretty decent, the main character was enjoyably fierce, but ehhhhh???? I feel no further need to read any Dragonriders of Pern books unless I have a long plane flight or something The Einstein Intersection, by Samuel R. Delany - I couldn't get into this, flat out. The prose was beautiful, I'll give it that much. Is this particularly inaccessible Delany, or is most of his work like this? Six Wakes, by Mur Lafferty - doooooooope. loved it so much I was irritated when I went on wikipedia and found Lafferty hasn't really done any other major novels yet. It does an impressive job of making you sympathize with six tremendously lovely people. Mendoza in Hollywood, by Kage Baker - Everything before the reincarnated version of Mendoza's lover shows up is terrific, with a great sense of place and character, and a long sequence that is just basically a florid, blow-by-blow description of DW Griffith's Intolerance. Baker really only had one big idea, but as far as I've read in two of her novels and a number of short stories, she did that idea very well. I feel like sci-fi fans should be talking about her work more than they do. Downbelow Station, by C. J. Cherryh - well, this sold me on Cherryh, I gotta say. It's thrilling space opera/military adventure, with shifting sides, and military powers always trampling on people, and the people finally going gently caress THIS. The Stars Are Legion - I almost threw up reading this. This is a compliment, actually. Hurley creates a perverse, exceptionally dark and hosed-up setting. When I started it, I thought "only female characters" was neat, but kinda a gimmick, but Hurley makes it absolutely integral, by attaching intense importance in the plot to pregnancy. She does the "amnesiac protagonist" thing so well, other authors should look to this as a model. I liked Six Wakes so much I am craving for more claustrophobic sci-fi mysteries, and also sci-fi where most of the characters are awful people, but reading isn't a grimdark slog.
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Sep 29, 2017 00:53
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Downbelow Station is loving dense for Cherryh. Also relatively dark. I very strongly recommend Cyteen if you liked it, and maybe the Faded Sun trilogy. Like, I love Cherryh so much, but Cyteen is imo her best work and overlaps well with DS. Edit: also, sold on The Stars Are Legion Double edit: if you want a lowish fantasy book that feels like a nightmare you can't wake up from, read The Pattern Scars. There's a pretty fair chance I will never read it again in my lifetime, but it's amazing. Also the author is now married to Peter Watts, which is ultimately unsurprising. 
Goatse James Bond fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Sep 29, 2017 |
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Sep 29, 2017 00:58
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Just finished up a surprisingly good read. Shift Work by Brock Bloodworth and H. Claire Taylor (author of the Jessica Christ series). I went into it thinking it was going to be as good as a book as you can imagine with an author name like Brock Bloodworth behind it, but honestly, it's a pretty great book. I have a soft spot for fantasy police procedural books, and this one was surprisingly good. The lead character is a human, in a world where they are a minority species. Weres and shapeshifters are seemingly the majority, and there's mention of elves as well. All in all, it really surprised me with how good it was. Also, it's on KU so it's a free read.
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Sep 29, 2017 02:34
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my bony fealty posted:I'll come clean and admit that I love Hyperion, am ok with Fall, and enjoyed parts of both Endymion books Simmons had some lovely opinions about muslims before 9/11, and then 9/11 broke his brain. That being said, most of ilium is entertaining. The exception is the stuff about how Muslims ruined everything, naturally. Don't read olympos.
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Sep 29, 2017 07:20
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andrew smash posted:Simmons had some lovely opinions about muslims before 9/11, and then 9/11 broke his brain. That being said, most of ilium is entertaining. The exception is the stuff about how Muslims ruined everything, naturally. Don't read olympos. Good (well, before it inevitably goes of the rails): Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion Illium (before it goes of the rails) The Terror Carrion Comfort Songs of Kali While we have the muslim killing robots in Olympus, don't we also have the Eternal Jew as well? Good work Simmons, you managed to be islamophobic and antisemitic in the same book. Not that the two things exclude one another though.
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Sep 29, 2017 07:49
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Cardiac posted:Good (well, before it inevitably goes of the rails): I believe that technically, Arabs are Semites, so it's just a consistent, coherent opinion of 'I hate everyone from the Middle East'.
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Sep 29, 2017 08:41
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After that review, I'm definitely gonna get into reading some Cherryh. Are her Future Sci-Fi books better than her Fantasy? I'm really not interested in reading Fantasy right now.
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Sep 29, 2017 12:09
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robotsinmyhead posted:After that review, I'm definitely gonna get into reading some Cherryh. Are her Future Sci-Fi books better than her Fantasy? I'm really not interested in reading Fantasy right now. Yes. While I like her fantasy, her best stuff is her sci-fi. Do Cyteen, the Chanur series, etc for some real good times!
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Sep 29, 2017 12:20
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robotsinmyhead posted:After that review, I'm definitely gonna get into reading some Cherryh. Are her Future Sci-Fi books better than her Fantasy? I'm really not interested in reading Fantasy right now. Yes, they really are. And she's written a lot more of them. Go pick up Cyteen or Downbelow Station if you want some high density space politicking, or the Chanur or Merchanter books for faster-paced stuff. (I generally recommend The Pride of Chanur or Rimrunners as good starting points, but it's all good). That said, after reading posts in this thread raving about it, I'm going to give Fortress in the Eye of Time one more attempt before I write it off for good.
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Sep 29, 2017 15:56
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ToxicFrog posted:Yes, they really are. And she's written a lot more of them. I think I worded my post poorly, but thanks. My local library seemingly has all her Fantasy novels, sometimes in duplicate, and like 1 of her Sci-Fi so I'm gonna do some Amazoning for those soon. Thanks!
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Sep 29, 2017 16:29
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ToxicFrog posted:Yes, they really are. And she's written a lot more of them. Fortress starts out slow. Get through the beginning and it'll pick up into all the things people love about her books.
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Sep 29, 2017 17:27
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NoneMoreNegative posted:Posted elsewhere, but does anyone have any recommends / avoids from the latest Humble Bundle scifi bookstravaganza..? I adore the Yukikaze books but that's partly because I adore the OVA and mentally replace the planes depicted in the books with the OVA designs.
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Sep 29, 2017 18:48
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Kalman posted:Fortress starts out slow. Get through the beginning and it'll pick up into all the things people love about her books. Yeah, now that I'm at the point where Tristen arrives at court and is actually interacting with people and stuff is happening I'm really enjoying it. It took me a while to figure out why parts of it felt so familiar, though: it's the prototype for Tabini-aiji's court at Shejidan! There are obvious analogues for Bren, Tabini, and Banichi, and some recurring similar or even identical speech patterns, although I haven't spotted Ilisidi yet and that makes me nervous. It felt a lot more cozy and comfortable once that clicked.
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Oct 3, 2017 11:29
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so I am taking a bit of a break from the tasting menu but you guys should really read Blackwater by Michael McDowell
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Oct 3, 2017 16:00
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Mel Mudkiper posted:so I am taking a bit of a break from the tasting menu but you guys should really read Blackwater by Michael McDowell I just read The Elementals by McDowell and enjoyed it. Is Blackwater sort of horror as well?
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Oct 3, 2017 16:06
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MockingQuantum posted:I just read The Elementals by McDowell and enjoyed it. Is Blackwater sort of horror as well? Its like 90% faulkner 10% monsters
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Oct 3, 2017 16:15
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Its like 90% faulkner 10% monsters Horror novel? Good? Accessible? Trying to find a good October BOTM still
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Oct 3, 2017 16:20
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Horror novel? Good? Accessible? I recommended it in the BOTM thread two days ago!! EDIT: The Amulet or The Elementals might be a better pick though since they are shorter and easier to find
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Oct 3, 2017 16:30
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Mel Mudkiper posted:so I am taking a bit of a break from the tasting menu but you guys should really read Blackwater by Michael McDowell Ooooh, yes. Seconded.
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Oct 3, 2017 21:54
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Horror novel? Good? Accessible? It's a 6-volume series that's basically one of those Southern Gothic family sagas, with added kinda-Lovecraftian-Deep-Ones-except-rivers-I-guess. Innsmouth-on-the-Mississippi if Lovecraft had been a Southern writer and not an atrocious racist? http://www.trashfiction.co.uk/blackwater.html
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Oct 3, 2017 22:01
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Runcible Cat posted:It's a 6-volume series that's basically one of those Southern Gothic family sagas, with added kinda-Lovecraftian-Deep-Ones-except-rivers-I-guess. Innsmouth-on-the-Mississippi if Lovecraft had been a Southern writer and not an atrocious racist? They literally yesterday released a compilation of all six books together
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Oct 3, 2017 22:15
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And by "they" he means Valancourt Books.
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Oct 3, 2017 22:29
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Ornamented Death posted:And by "they" he means Valancourt Books. There's now a Kindle version up on US Amazon too.
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Oct 3, 2017 22:44
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ToxicFrog posted:Yeah, now that I'm at the point where Tristen arrives at court and is actually interacting with people and stuff is happening I'm really enjoying it. You won't notice Ilisidi unless she actively wants you to. 
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Oct 4, 2017 00:57
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MockingQuantum posted:There's now a Kindle version up on US Amazon too. link?
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Oct 4, 2017 01:13
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I had a hell of a time getting it to show up in the search, at least on the first page. Finally found it when I searched for Nathan Ballingrud... who did the introduction. https://www.amazon.com/Blackwater-C...than+ballingrud
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Oct 4, 2017 01:24
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Mel Mudkiper posted:They literally yesterday released a compilation of all six books together Huh drat, I guess it's mainstream now. :sneers: (Seriously, read it everyone, it's awesome.)
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Oct 4, 2017 07:11
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This looks really cool, impulsebought. Been looking for some good neo-Lovecraftiana for ages, even if it's apparently not too high on the supernatural elements.
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Oct 4, 2017 11:08
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Its the BOTM now If I don't see you fuckers in that thread I am gonna come back in here swinging fists
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Oct 4, 2017 14:00
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