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There's always this "Halo novel ranking video" which i found quite funny even having never played it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEWEdIcx1DI
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Jan 8, 2022 18:56
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Solaris by Stanislaw Lem - $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q21MVAI/
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Jan 8, 2022 20:44
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Nomnom Cookie posted:i recommend everyone read the entire hyperion series just to experience the work and the author going off the rails simultaneously If you don't have the time for four books, Ilium/Olympos is the same experience, and you only have to get through a couple chapters before it gets medication-level crazy.
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Jan 8, 2022 22:37
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Mr. Nemo posted:There's always this "Halo novel ranking video" which i found quite funny even having never played it. Thank you for posting this, I enjoyed it a great deal
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Jan 9, 2022 00:10
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Nomnom Cookie posted:i recommend everyone read the entire hyperion series just to experience the work and the author going off the rails simultaneously It's been years since I read them, but as I recall, the first two are great, the third one is still pretty fun, the fourth one is a hugely bloated and very weird indulgence in the Western obsession with Tibet that was all the rage in the 1990s and ends on something which is supposed to be sweet and nice but which is actually horrifying and probably only seems sweet and nice if you're Catholic. (Also a weird age gap relationship in that one too, I think?)
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Jan 9, 2022 03:44
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freebooter posted:something which is supposed to be sweet and nice but which is actually horrifying and probably only seems sweet and nice if you're Catholic. What's this now?
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Jan 9, 2022 04:08
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freebooter posted:It's been years since I read them, but as I recall, the first two are great, the third one is still pretty fun, the fourth one is a hugely bloated and very weird indulgence in the Western obsession with Tibet that was all the rage in the 1990s and ends on something which is supposed to be sweet and nice but which is actually horrifying and probably only seems sweet and nice if you're Catholic. (Also a weird age gap relationship in that one too, I think?) around the point it's revealed that the cruciform is a parasitic construct that demons are using to enslave humanity is i think when it becomes super obvious that these are not books for christians to like. i mean theyre still allowed to like it but the whole fourth book is coated in a thick layer of "the problem is organized religion", almost to the point of the golden compass and yes theres an age gap, a big one, but she can see the future which is basically the same thing as being 18 so its fine. its cool dont be a narc
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Jan 9, 2022 05:29
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i do still think the point in the golden compass where the god is feeble and senile and literally dies when exposed to light takes my all time prize for least subtle metaphor though
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Jan 9, 2022 05:36
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HopperUK posted:What's this now? At the end of the book the two main characters who are in love know - due to time travel or something - that they are only going to have two years together on some paradise planet before she gets tortured to death by the Church (I think?) and they're fine with it because when you're in love two years can last forever, or something. And that's the end of the book and it's meant to be a happy ending. And she's like 18 or 20. But she's also a Christ allegory which I guess is part of being okay with it? I was in my late teens when I read it and was like "wtf no way could I possibly be cool with that, every second of every day of that two years would be spent working on a solution to wriggle out of it"
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Jan 9, 2022 13:04
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freebooter posted:At the end of the book the two main characters who are in love know - due to time travel or something - that they are only going to have two years together on some paradise planet before she gets tortured to death by the Church (I think?) and they're fine with it because when you're in love two years can last forever, or something. And that's the end of the book and it's meant to be a happy ending. And she's like 18 or 20. But she's also a Christ allegory which I guess is part of being okay with it? I was in my late teens when I read it and was like "wtf no way could I possibly be cool with that, every second of every day of that two years would be spent working on a solution to wriggle out of it" All right. I'm Catholic and I just had no idea what you were getting at. Still don't really but I think I'd need the full context, it'd depend how it's written if she is meant to actually be Christ come again or something.
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Jan 9, 2022 13:14
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HopperUK posted:All right. I'm Catholic and I just had no idea what you were getting at. Still don't really but I think I'd need the full context, it'd depend how it's written if she is meant to actually be Christ come again or something. Actually, it’s about her adult lover trying to make Christ come again
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Jan 9, 2022 14:14
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HopperUK posted:All right. I'm Catholic and I just had no idea what you were getting at. Still don't really but I think I'd need the full context, it'd depend how it's written if she is meant to actually be Christ come again or something. Oh I haven't read it in like 10+ years so I may be misremembering stuff about it, but the book as a whole is stuffed to the gills with Space Catholics and I definitely remember her being some kind of prophesied messiah. (I didn't mean to imply that Catholics love getting tortured and killed!)
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Jan 9, 2022 23:15
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Just really getting into Glen Cook's Dreams of Steel and Goddamn The Lady is loving brutal. Its really loving good. I've got the follow up omnibus. I strongly recommend these books look for the Tor Omnibuses they collect all 3 of the first 3 novels and then there are 3 more ominbuses. They're well worth the investment as they collect 2 to 3 novels for one low price.
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Jan 10, 2022 01:26
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freebooter posted:Oh I haven't read it in like 10+ years so I may be misremembering stuff about it, but the book as a whole is stuffed to the gills with Space Catholics and I definitely remember her being some kind of prophesied messiah. (I didn't mean to imply that Catholics love getting tortured and killed!) Plenty of her followers thought she was, but she continued to reject the title. The Space Pope wanted her dead because she would bring an end to the church's ability to control the people via the cruciform if they drank her blood.
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Jan 10, 2022 01:46
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Mister Kingdom posted:Plenty of her followers thought she was, but she continued to reject the title. The Space Pope wanted her dead because she would bring an end to the church's ability to control the people via the cruciform if they drank her blood. But note too that the substance in her blood that makes her a messianic figure was the same stuff in actual historical (for the novels) Jesus Christ's blood.
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Jan 10, 2022 01:53
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Marshal Radisic posted:I suppose that last one explains why he has stories that just replay historical events in allohistorical settings, like with In the Presence of Mine Enemies where he has a victorious Third Reich that holds western Eurasia, North America, and Africa in its thrall undergo an internal collapse in the 2010s that basically replicates the collapse of the USSR under Gorbachev. (I confess I am divided on Jake Featherston as the Confederate answer to Hitler in the "Southern Victory" books. On the one hand, I can totally buy that the culture of the Confederacy would be an ideal incubator for a racist dramatic genius of Hitler's sort. On the other hand it still feels like such an obvious move, give the defeated nation a racist dictator to set up your American front for WW2. I will give Turtledove some credit for not making Featherston as weird as Hitler actually was.) Turtledove is a weird case where back in the mid 1990's he was honest enough on the internet to say that despite his background as a historian, he is primarily a fiction writer, and that his stories are written for entertainment value first, any kind of historical accuracy or consistency in them across books/stories is merely accidental. (source: SF-LOVERS and the GEnie forums circa May 1994) Which is ironic because Turtledove is one of the most boring mil-fiction writers I've encountered who churns out endless regurgitations on historic US Civil War/World War 2 battles reset to happen in different historical periods and regions instead of going wild with things like "What if Edgar Allen Poe didn't drop out of West Point and instead was a commanding officer in the Mexican-American War?" or "What if the War of 1812 got escalated into a 100 year early War to end all Wars?", etc.
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Jan 10, 2022 02:58
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quantumfoam posted:Turtledove is a weird case where back in the mid 1990's he was honest enough on the internet to say that despite his background as a historian, he is primarily a fiction writer, and that his stories are written for entertainment value first, any kind of historical accuracy or consistency in them across books/stories is merely accidental. (source: SF-LOVERS and the GEnie forums circa May 1994) ... Wasn't War of 1812 US portion of Napoleonic Wars, which were... kinda a big deal?
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Jan 10, 2022 04:30
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The war of 1812 was a wet fart which means the napoleonic wars were basically a nothingburger and not worth spending any time on. Why yes, my history class was taught in an American public school
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Jan 10, 2022 04:54
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drat I hate when a book you're reading ends on a killer cliffhanger and you know you're not going to find out what happens for like 2 more books because the author has decided to take a break and do something different with the next few books.
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Jan 10, 2022 05:34
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Hollismason posted:drat I hate when a book you're reading ends on a killer cliffhanger and you know you're not going to find out what happens for like 2 more books because the author has decided to take a break and do something different with the next few books. I've had that happen then you realize the book was published in like 1995 and the author died in 2014 or something. I think metaplanetary did that. Edit: oops they're still alive. Was thinking about when gravity fails by George Alec Effinger. Sibling of TB fucked around with this message at 06:54 on Jan 10, 2022 |
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Jan 10, 2022 06:47
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Somewhat similarly, lotta books written before I was born that I falsly believe were wrote in the last 5 or so years which is a weird mind gently caress to me. Culture books through me for a loop.
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Jan 10, 2022 07:05
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Hollismason posted:Just really getting into Glen Cook's Dreams of Steel and Goddamn The Lady is loving brutal. Its really loving good. I've got the follow up omnibus. I strongly recommend these books look for the Tor Omnibuses they collect all 3 of the first 3 novels and then there are 3 more ominbuses. They're well worth the investment as they collect 2 to 3 novels for one low price. Homegirl does not gently caress around. She knows full well that evil sorcerer queens who pull punches end up enslaved as Taken. She's not going out like that while she still has a single tool left in her bag of tricks. Remember, by Commonweal standards, she overperformed in tenure as an evil sorcerer queen. Twice. I'm sorry, I'll stop.
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Jan 10, 2022 07:44
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Sibling of TB posted:I've had that happen then you realize the book was published in like 1995 and the author died in 2014 or something. I think metaplanetary did that. those are some good rear end books. at least they're all standalone, mostly.
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Jan 10, 2022 11:32
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https://www.tor.com/2022/01/10/five-obscure-but-interesting-publishing-experiments/quote:I feel utter dread and foreboding whenever an author announces their intention to emulate Heinlein. This guy gets it.
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Jan 10, 2022 15:09
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Black Company chat is making me think that maybe this year is the year to reread it, and probably Darkwar.
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Jan 10, 2022 16:50
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ToxicFrog posted:Black Company chat is making me think that maybe this year is the year to reread it, and probably Darkwar. They're really good. I'm now on The Silver Spike which means I've still got 4 more books to go to find out exactly what happens after Dreams of Steel which is a bit frustrating, but I still like them. I'm thinking of skipping Silver Spike and reading it last so that I can finish the storylines of Dream of Steel because I know Silver Spike has nothing to do with the cliffhanger from Dreams of Steel.
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Jan 10, 2022 17:09
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ToxicFrog posted:Black Company chat is making me think that maybe this year is the year to reread it, and probably Darkwar. I'm reading Darkwar now and I'm profoundly concerned that Marika hasn't realized that Kubrin is the Warlock.
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Jan 10, 2022 17:29
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Sibling of TB posted:I've had that happen then you realize the book was published in like 1995 and the author died in 2014 or something. I think metaplanetary did that. The guy has cliffhanger in his name. That's on you.
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Jan 10, 2022 18:07
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StrixNebulosa posted:https://www.tor.com/2022/01/10/five-obscure-but-interesting-publishing-experiments/ I think it's specifically imitating Heinlein's Juveniles. Stross did fine with late Heinlein. Varley did well with the adult Heinlein inspired 9 worlds and horribly when he targeted the kids books, and Barnes' take on those books was a trainwreck..
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Jan 10, 2022 18:22
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I grew up loving Heinlein as a teen , but I don't know how much I would like Robert Heinlein as an adult. I was obsessed with Heinlein though when I was 10 to 14 I read everything he wrote. He really informed young me of a lot of ideas and stuff. So I have a fondness for Heinlein.
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Jan 10, 2022 18:31
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IMO YA stuff like citizen of the galaxy and the star beast are fantastic books that hold up. I will never be reading or commenting on his adult novels.
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Jan 10, 2022 19:31
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Danhenge posted:I'm reading Darkwar now and I'm profoundly concerned Fixed for my reading experience. Darkwar rules but man it can be stressful to read. Marika no don't do it, don't you realize what kind of narrative you're in?!
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Jan 10, 2022 19:51
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Hollismason posted:I grew up loving Heinlein as a teen , but I don't know how much I would like Robert Heinlein as an adult. I was obsessed with Heinlein though when I was 10 to 14 I read everything he wrote. He really informed young me of a lot of ideas and stuff. So I have a fondness for Heinlein. Reminds me this piece from an interview with one of my favorite manga artists Moto Hagio: Thorn: I also became interested in sci-fi in junior high school, and I particularly liked Robert Heinlein. But then in high school, I began to understand Heinlein’s political perspective, and I got to the point where I couldn’t read him any more. [Laughter.] Hagio: There is that about Heinlein. It’s when you have no idea what he’s talking about that you can enjoy him the most. [Laughs.]
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Jan 10, 2022 19:53
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The point of that part of the article where the failure was trying to replicate what the 1950s juveniles were instead of replicating what would be successful with (then) modern young readers is sound and is a thing that gets repeated again and again, causing publishing houses to chase after what turned out to be actually popular after the fact. Has any of the big 5 publishers bought some of those web serial sites yet? (I agree with the Heinlein bashing despite having read far too many of his books when I was younger even if I never bought his political views)
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Jan 10, 2022 20:02
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Hollismason posted:I grew up loving Heinlein as a teen , but I don't know how much I would like Robert Heinlein as an adult. I was obsessed with Heinlein though when I was 10 to 14 I read everything he wrote. He really informed young me of a lot of ideas and stuff. So I have a fondness for Heinlein. I didn't read Heinlein until I was an adult and it's.. it's *real* bad if you do it that way. Like some of the worst books I've read bad. Almost Piers Anthony levels of bad. And I have fond memories of Piers Anthony because I was given several of his books as a young reader.
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Jan 10, 2022 20:20
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Captain Monkey posted:I didn't read Heinlein until I was an adult and it's.. it's *real* bad if you do it that way. Like some of the worst books I've read bad. Almost Piers Anthony levels of bad. And I have fond memories of Piers Anthony because I was given several of his books as a young reader. I think some of his stuff holds up if you view it as "this is a book aimed at challenging and expanding the minds of white teenage boys in the 1950s and 1960s". There's certainly a lot of awful Heinlein, and virtually nothing he did well that Le Guin didn't do better, but I'm not sure if we'd have The Dispossessed if Heinlein hadn't written The Moon is a Harsh Mistress first. quote:Like most writers, we could be contentious and factional beyond belief, but there was a generous spirit and a lot of good shoptalk at the early meetings of the S.F.W.A. There were the expectably enormous male egos, and also some fiercely conservative opinions, which I hadn’t expected among people who were supposed to be looking forward, not back. On a banquet night in Berkeley once, when somebody jogged my arm and my beer went straight down the back of Mrs. Robert Heinlein’s dress, I slunk away into the crowd. I felt it would be unwise to identify myself. Mr. Heinlein was already extremely upset about the Communists at the university. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/06/04/the-golden-age-5
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Jan 10, 2022 20:38
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I think some of his stuff holds up if you view it as "this is a book aimed at challenging and expanding the minds of white teenage boys in the 1950s and 1960s". Sure, absolutely. I'm just speaking from the perspective as a guy born in the 80's reading him in the mid-to-late 00's. Stranger in a Strange Land is one of the worst books I've ever read, and it has the worst Mary Sues this side of a fanfic archive. I realize this opinion is not shared by all.
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Jan 10, 2022 20:42
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I think some of his stuff holds up if you view it as "this is a book aimed at challenging and expanding the minds of white teenage boys in the 1950s and 1960s". lol quote:The editors said that they’d still like to publish “Nine Lives,” Virginia told me, but that their readers would be frightened if they saw a female byline on a story, so they asked if they could use the initials, instead of my first name.
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Jan 10, 2022 20:46
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Captain Monkey posted:Sure, absolutely. I'm just speaking from the perspective as a guy born in the 80's reading him in the mid-to-late 00's. i really dislike this book i read moon is a harsh mistress about 10 years ago and still enjoyed it. the marriage stuff is definitely weird, but the moon is a hosed up place, and humans are capable of all manner of weird social and romantic relationships. and i have fond memories of double star and the puppet masters, they're definitely written in the 50s though.
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Jan 10, 2022 20:56
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my book club finished stranger in a strange land last month. needless to say, group panned it pretty badly. god that ending loving sucked.
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Jan 10, 2022 21:18
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