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I think I just liked the boarding school fantasy aspect, and also that video game about his psychological issues that he kept playing. The zero gravity sports stuff was cool, too. The part where he beats up bullies so badly that he accidentally kills them was kind of unpleasant to me, and not why I liked it as a teenager. I guess there's a few different ways Ender's Game would appeal to younger readers. I remember liking Ender's Shadow as well, even though Bean's personality shift whenever he was in a scene from the original book was very noticeable. Re: West of Eden, they're not even dinosaurs, they're mosasaurs. And I think only the females are sapient or something? I don't remember, it's been a while since I've read it. And there might have been something about LCDs made out of frogs. (Edit: I looked it up, and the males are sapient; their society is just extremely matriarchal) Shwoo fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Feb 12, 2022 |
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Feb 12, 2022 02:09
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I had already read it before we had to for school and I found it amusing that a story about gene-engineered children being grown to use as tactics officers was even considered. I had an English teacher who tried to be allowed to let us read the 43rd War in class, which I haven't reread since but iirc was basically the same concept of the psychological brutality of being a child soldier, but because it was about infantry I guess it was too brutal for the faculty. I'm pretty sure Uno has the same direct body count as Ender, and it's a less gruesome scene than beating someone to death. But it's been 15 years since I read either, so.
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Feb 12, 2022 02:15
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The only Wright book I read part of is “Count to a Trillion” and it was so bad I gave up. Also... his author photo looks exactly like the kind of guy you would expect him to be from reading his books. Speaking of crazy authors, this podcast episode featuring comedy legend Andy Daly as L Ron Hubbard and reading some of Hubbard’s actual unpublished writing is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard. https://thedeadauthorspodcast.libsyn.com/chapter-45-part-1-l-ron-hubbard-featuring-andrew-daly
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Feb 12, 2022 03:29
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Finished Book Burners by Max Gladstone, Mur Lafferty, Margaret Dunlap, and Brian Francis Slattery. Pretty good, it was recommend in thread as a monster of the week style of narrative and it definitely lived up to that. Coming from way too much milporn, I appreciated the economy of the action scenes and the variety of resolutions to the adventures. The episodic nature is fun and if I didn't read the cover I never would've guessed there was multiple authors writing the individual episodes. I think the cast is a little bland, but I suppose that's the downside of needing pretty blank archetypes to share across the authors. 4/5. Also finished The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg, another in-thread rec. I was disappointed. The plot was on rails, the MC sorta embarrassing, and the entire middle part of the book was essentially a dream sequence about a recently introduced character. There also wasn't a lot of cool paper magic--which I thought was sort of the point. Add in a what seemed to me as a little male gazey, breasted boobily style writing and you get a kind of a meh package. 2/5, wouldn't recommend.
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Feb 12, 2022 06:05
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quantumfoam posted:Neal Asher: He's the UK's version of Jack Chalker. Nah. Nobody's loving the weird aliens.
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Feb 12, 2022 08:42
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tokenbrownguy posted:
I was so upset by this book when I read it a few years ago because it had been so hyped in various places online, lol. The core romance being one between a young 20-something and her decade+ older mentor/teacher was bad enough, but he's not even a character in the bulk of the story and she literally just falls in love with him through memories. I'm also usually put off by women being pitted against each other as romantic rivals and felt the MC had more emotional response to the evil-hot ex-wife than the bland man she's going to end up with. Like, by the end of the book I was just reading her as a closeted woman who was so close to having some kind of revelation just so I could finish it. quote:Ceony turned around to face Lira, whose dark hair fell in perfect, lush waves Ladies is it gay to find your """love interest's""" ex wife hot even as she's trying to kill you.
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Feb 12, 2022 14:51
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Runcible Cat posted:Nah. Nobody's loving the weird aliens. Seems unrealistic to me.
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Feb 12, 2022 16:20
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Mercury Hat posted:I was so upset by this book when I read it a few years ago because it had been so hyped in various places online, lol. The core romance being one between a young 20-something and her decade+ older mentor/teacher was bad enough, but he's not even a character in the bulk of the story and she literally just falls in love with him through memories. I'm also usually put off by women being pitted against each other as romantic rivals and felt the MC had more emotional response to the evil-hot ex-wife than the bland man she's going to end up with. Like, by the end of the book I was just reading her as a closeted woman who was so close to having some kind of revelation just so I could finish it. Yeah, I think you articulate what I was picking up on the creep-o-meter a little better. Here's a list of qualities of the main character: - Brave - Loyal - Clever Here's the strongest impressions I got from the older love interest - steampunk coat - messy - can't cook - hot goth ex-wife
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Feb 13, 2022 01:31
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Finished GRRM’s Dying of the Light, it’s pretty much how I remembered it - a short, lonely story set on a cold lonely planet. A rogue planet, Worlorn, briefly passed close enough to a star system (a red giant surrounded by six yellow stars, called the Wheel of Fire) to be thawed out, terraformed, and host a festival, before it continues on it’s way back out into the dark between galaxies. There’s a bunch of unique cities constructed for the festival, each representing a single planet/culture, and there’s a bunch of cool lore in the appendix about the cities and cultures. So naturally, the story takes place after the festival is long over and the planet virtually abandoned. Story-wise, a guy travels to the planet to see his ex, hoping for a joyous reunion, only to find her sort-of married to this guy from a complex martial culture. Instead of asking “oh why did you ask me to come here then”, he just rolls with it and fourth-wheels around for a couple chapters. Recommended if you’re into people brooding on dying planets, long walks through dusty abandoned cities, and meditations on the significance of names, both given and chosen.
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Feb 13, 2022 03:45
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tokenbrownguy posted:Yeah, I think you articulate what I was picking up on the creep-o-meter a little better. so he's Dr Orpheus who can't cook. sounds pretty cool tbh
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Feb 13, 2022 05:49
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Another Dirty Dish posted:Finished GRRM’s Dying of the Light, it’s pretty much how I remembered it - a short, lonely story set on a cold lonely planet. A rogue planet, Worlorn, briefly passed close enough to a star system (a red giant surrounded by six yellow stars, called the Wheel of Fire) to be thawed out, terraformed, and host a festival, before it continues on it’s way back out into the dark between galaxies. There’s a bunch of unique cities constructed for the festival, each representing a single planet/culture, and there’s a bunch of cool lore in the appendix about the cities and cultures. So naturally, the story takes place after the festival is long over and the planet virtually abandoned. Story-wise, a guy travels to the planet to see his ex, hoping for a joyous reunion, only to find her sort-of married to this guy from a complex martial culture. Instead of asking “oh why did you ask me to come here then”, he just rolls with it and fourth-wheels around for a couple chapters. this sounds really loving good but... grrm
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Feb 13, 2022 06:05
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It looks like Diane Duane's personal ebook store replaced all the kind-of-sorry ePub files they previously had with some new ones that are much better quality, so I bought them all again. No regrets! It looks like she put all her ebooks on sale for the duration of the pandemic, a promise which she's held firm on even as the pandemic stretches out to "forever". I respect that.
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Feb 13, 2022 06:20
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Evil Fluffy posted:Traitor Son series was pretty good. I really enjoyed it although it does drag a little in the third book. I like masters and mages, his other series more but TS fits the request better
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Feb 13, 2022 09:02
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tokenbrownguy posted:Finished Book Burners by Max Gladstone, Mur Lafferty, Margaret Dunlap, and Brian Francis Slattery. Pretty good, it was recommend in thread as a monster of the week style of narrative and it definitely lived up to that. Coming from way too much milporn, I appreciated the economy of the action scenes and the variety of resolutions to the adventures. The episodic nature is fun and if I didn't read the cover I never would've guessed there was multiple authors writing the individual episodes. I think the cast is a little bland, but I suppose that's the downside of needing pretty blank archetypes to share across the authors. I enjoyed it more, growing up reading le Carre et al, it's cold war with magic users too.
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Feb 13, 2022 09:05
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moonmazed posted:this sounds really loving good but... grrm In the grrm dark future of the 41st Millennium, there is still no publication date for The Winds of Winter.
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Feb 13, 2022 10:35
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Rand Brittain posted:It looks like Diane Duane's personal ebook store replaced all the kind-of-sorry ePub files they previously had with some new ones that are much better quality, so I bought them all again. No regrets! What was wrong with the old ones?
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Feb 13, 2022 13:56
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Rand Brittain posted:It looks like Diane Duane's personal ebook store replaced all the kind-of-sorry ePub files they previously had with some new ones that are much better quality, so I bought them all again. No regrets! She honestly seems like a fine person, I keep meaning to reread sywtbaw.
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Feb 13, 2022 14:01
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Should You Want To Buy A World, the sequel to How Much For Just The Planet i know i know
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Feb 13, 2022 17:09
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moonmazed posted:this sounds really loving good but... grrm
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Feb 13, 2022 17:30
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anilEhilated posted:He used to write good stuff before ASoIaF. Tuf Voyaging is quite a trip.
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Feb 13, 2022 17:33
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I believe he was good but can't get over his stupid sounding titles. Tuf Voyaging? Sandkings? Cmon grum
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Feb 13, 2022 17:39
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silvergoose posted:Tuf Voyaging is quite a trip. Fevre Dream is an excellent piece of work.
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Feb 13, 2022 18:20
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Jedit posted:Fevre Dream is an excellent piece of work. I liked The Armageddon Rag, even if it's dripping with boomer Gosh Weren't The 60s The Awesomest Time Ever nostalgia.
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Feb 13, 2022 18:44
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anilEhilated posted:He used to write
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Feb 13, 2022 18:58
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Feb 13, 2022 19:00
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Hah. But yeah back when I was new to ASoIaF I read all of grrms back catalogue and enjoyed it, except for wild cards. I read one wild cards book, it was okay but I didn’t feel like getting further into it.
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Feb 13, 2022 23:54
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Tuf Voyaging is a good title, you cowards
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Feb 13, 2022 23:55
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PupsOfWar posted:Tuf Voyaging is a good title, you cowards Agreed. Also honestly I quite enjoyed it, weird pastiche of an egotistical scientist fixing world problems in sometimes less than ethical ways.
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Feb 14, 2022 01:44
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Can't read that title without thinking of Tuck Everlasting.
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Feb 14, 2022 02:45
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anilEhilated posted:He used to write good stuff before ASoIaF. I remember really liking his Anthology books, Dreamsongs Vol. 1 and 2
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Feb 14, 2022 03:01
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so im listening to the audiobook of annihilation, and i cant tell if it's the narrator or the text itself that i find sort of blasé. does the trilogy improve? should i dump the audiobook and switch to paper? tia
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Feb 14, 2022 07:25
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SEX HAVER 40000 posted:so im listening to the audiobook of annihilation, and i cant tell if it's the narrator or the text itself that i find sort of blasé. does the trilogy improve? should i dump the audiobook and switch to paper? tia I mean I loved it as an audiobook so maybe it's just not for you. The narrator's voice being detached is definitely intentional.
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Feb 14, 2022 08:24
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branedotorg posted:Glad you liked it. Max Gladstone, apart from his own rather good craft sequence has another shared universe series called the witch who came in from the cold - I think it's roughly the same group as book burners. I'll put it on my list. Thanks.
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Feb 14, 2022 11:36
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anilEhilated posted:He used to write good stuff before ASoIaF. Especially really kickass, concise and to the point short stories.
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Feb 14, 2022 12:11
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Finished up Duke's Brand (sequel to Tavern), and I gotta admit, I'm liking this guy's writing but there's some errors in the book that just show he needs a better editor, if he has one at all. All in all I think this is the first fantasy book, if not just book? that has an autistic? lead. He's not written as disabled or as a super power like they tend to do in movies, but just as a semi regular dude. Interesting to see "behind the scenes" of how the thought process works. I would read Tavern before though. Otherwise you are going to be a lil lost in the story. I'd still recommend it, errors and all.
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Feb 14, 2022 12:26
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StrixNebulosa posted:I’m repulsed and excited to read this at the same time. It sounds completely up its own rear end in a top hat. Parker knows his protagonist is nutso though
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Feb 14, 2022 13:49
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Jedit posted:Fevre Dream is an excellent piece of work. It wasn't my favorite book ever and I don't go around recommending it, but I did find it an interesting approach to the genre, especially for when it was written. Only GRRM I've read and was enough to satisfy my curiosity for his writing style.
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Feb 14, 2022 14:26
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SEX HAVER 40000 posted:so im listening to the audiobook of annihilation, and i cant tell if it's the narrator or the text itself that i find sort of blasé. does the trilogy improve? should i dump the audiobook and switch to paper? tia It's definitely distant and weirdly formal on purpose. I dunno if that's what you're reacting to or something else. I love the trilogy and probably like each book better than the previous one.
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Feb 14, 2022 15:09
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https://twitter.com/aptshadow/status/1493280830881472520?s=20
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Feb 14, 2022 18:50
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spellmonger is... pretty horny
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Feb 14, 2022 18:51
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