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Qwertycoatl posted:I've not read it for ages but remember thinking it felt very contrived. A huge sense that Pullman started off with "they can't end up together" then invented a several new rules of how reality works solely to prevent each possible method of them being together. Yeah, almost all the rules exclusively crop up in Amber Spyglass too with some of them explicitly contradicting other previously established ones. The whole 'oh if you live outside your native dimension you get sick and die!' especially feels bizarre if you apply it to some of the earlier reveals about Lyra's parents and seems to undercut the very concept of the Magesterium.
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Apr 12, 2023 16:17
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Qwertycoatl posted:I've not read it for ages but remember thinking it felt very contrived. A huge sense that Pullman started off with "they can't end up together" then invented a several new rules of how reality works solely to prevent each possible method of them being together. Yeah, that whole scene at the end of TAS felt like Pullman brainstorming all the possible solutions readers might come up with and pre-emptively shutting them down, even if it required contradicting earlier books or pulling entirely new, never before hinted at stuff out of thin air. General Battuta posted:I can't remember the exact way it works but I can see how it makes moral sense. If each open door means one specter drifting around eating peoples' souls, then it's pretty hard to justify keeping two doors open instead of one, no matter how much you want to see each other. That's possibly twice as many people getting their souls devoured! And just so you can be happy! IIRC opening doors creates spectres but closing them doesn't destroy them, that has to be done separately. "Opening new doors creates new spectres" was used as the reason why they had to destroy the Knife and couldn't just use it to open and close doors to visit each other on the regular. "Each open door leaks Dust out of the universe" was the argument for closing all of the doors (except the one into the underworld, which is ok for some reason).
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Apr 12, 2023 16:46
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The secret Commonwealth (book 2 of the new series, with Sad Lyra) is actually really good, as is la Belle sausage, and got me started on the whole reread, but it ends on an insane cliffhanger and the third isn't out yet so fingers crossed he sticks the landing.
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Apr 12, 2023 18:36
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ToxicFrog posted:IIRC opening doors creates spectres but closing them doesn't destroy them, that has to be done separately. "Opening new doors creates new spectres" was used as the reason why they had to destroy the Knife and couldn't just use it to open and close doors to visit each other on the regular. "Each open door leaks Dust out of the universe" was the argument for closing all of the doors (except the one into the underworld, which is ok for some reason). The idea there is that by working diligently to increase the amount of sapience in the world by spreading art, science, and general curiosity, they could probably just about manage to balance out the Dust drained by one door, but not two. It's not unlike the idea of using carbon sequestration to balance whatever amount of carbon emissions absolutely can't be eliminated.
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Apr 12, 2023 19:24
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It just seemed quite contrived to me
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Apr 12, 2023 19:37
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I didn’t like that in the first book Lyra’s dad is a child murderer and in the last one he’a kind of a tragic hero
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Apr 12, 2023 20:44
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Artemis by Andy Weir - $4.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y55SB48/
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Apr 12, 2023 22:22
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Megazver posted:He started writing it as a horny story, but then it kinda went in the wholesome direction on its own and instantly got very popular, and he course corrected. I haven't gone back through Royal Road and read the comments, but it wouldn't surprise me if that turned out to be a key factor. That people read it and commented that they liked that it wasn't a creepy, sexualized harem thing.
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Apr 12, 2023 22:43
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put the harem back in coward
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Apr 12, 2023 22:49
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Everyone posted:I haven't gone back through Royal Road and read the comments, but it wouldn't surprise me if that turned out to be a key factor. That people read it and commented that they liked that it wasn't a creepy, sexualized harem thing. He literally says this is the case in some of his author's notes. The story started as a thread on SV before Royal Road and that version has a few really poorly written extended sex scenes that get cut to black in the Royal Road/published version. Though even then it was just married couple sex with Jin and Meiling or the Lord Magistrate and his wife.
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Apr 12, 2023 22:49
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tokenbrownguy posted:put the harem back in coward I am a horny nerd, so I am still Team Throuple Done In A Considerate Manner That Respects The Characters.
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Apr 12, 2023 23:00
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Zore posted:Lord Magistrate and his wife. haha, what. really?
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Apr 12, 2023 23:27
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sebmojo posted:It just seemed quite contrived to me It's definitely pretty convenient that the math works out in exactly the right way to make everyone involved sad, yeah.
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Apr 12, 2023 23:43
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Copernic posted:haha, what. really? Yeah, you know all those weird asides where they have a small scene together and start thinking about how much they love BDSM? In the original they're usually like actively in a session instead of doing something innocuous.
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Apr 13, 2023 01:24
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I started Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor today! I've heard good things about it.
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Apr 13, 2023 01:30
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So I'm reading Fortress in the Eye of Time and - keeping in mind that this is the early 90s - there was a throwaway line that implied that one of the characters is gay, and I can't tell you how happy that kind of thing makes me. It's subtle, one of the guards assigned to guard a pair of notoriously sexy ladies is chosen "because of his own preference" he'll be able to resist their wiles, so to speak - it's one line in thousands, but it made me smile. I dearly love how she would tuck in those little references, or straight up have queer characters in her novels while writing in the 80s and 90s.
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Apr 13, 2023 01:41
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StrixNebulosa posted:So I'm reading Fortress in the Eye of Time and - keeping in mind that this is the early 90s - there was a throwaway line that implied that one of the characters is gay, and I can't tell you how happy that kind of thing makes me. It's subtle, one of the guards assigned to guard a pair of notoriously sexy ladies is chosen "because of his own preference" he'll be able to resist their wiles, so to speak - it's one line in thousands, but it made me smile. I dearly love how she would tuck in those little references, or straight up have queer characters in her novels while writing in the 80s and 90s. I really need to pick up some of Cherryh's works one of these days; Mercedes Lackey was one of my favorite authors during my formative years, and I've heard that her habit of doing similar things (oh Vanyel  ) stems from the former's mentorship of the latter.
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Apr 13, 2023 02:30
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Looking for recommendations for my next books (solo or series). Here's a list of what I've read so far and what I liked / didn't like:
Reflecting on the above I think I like the feelings of adventure and exploration and transformation the most, so I'm looking for stand alone books or series that have this - I appreciate any recommendations you can give!
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Apr 13, 2023 02:47
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I read 3 books by Annalee Newitz: The Future of Another Timeline -Time travel thing in a world where we've had time travel since ancient history, has some heavy abortion rights stuff Autonomous -Some interesting robot philosophy, but I don't remember a whole lot else despite reading it 2 weeks ago The Terraformers -Really liked this one. Extremely long-lived park rangers on a private planet being terraformed by an Evil Capitalist Corporation. Talking mooses! Also a shitload of other talking animals. overall would recommend all 3.
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Apr 13, 2023 02:59
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A GIANT PARSNIP posted:Looking for recommendations for my next books (solo or series). Here's a list of what I've read so far and what I liked / didn't like: Have you read much Jack Vance? He's one of the great science fiction adventure writers. The Demon Princes series is pretty great for cheap thrills but all of his stuff is at least good. His protags are not good people though if that matters. Also lol The Lensman series if you want classic pulp power escalation and transformation Non-Stop by Brian Aldiss is a classic you shouldn't read plot spoilers about because it's pretty famous for it's successive revelations about the world
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Apr 13, 2023 03:04
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dervival posted:I really need to pick up some of Cherryh's works one of these days; Mercedes Lackey was one of my favorite authors during my formative years, and I've heard that her habit of doing similar things (oh Vanyel Cherryh is my favorite author and I love love love love her stuff. Do you want recs or just encouragement to read her? A GIANT PARSNIP, if you want exploration / adventure / transformation, Cherryh's Pride of Chanur is a big ol' space opera about space cats running into a human stowaway and you meet a lot of weird alien cultures through it. Alternatively, read her earlier (and much more brutal) Faded Sun trilogy, which is about a mercenary species' final outpost on a planet getting uhhh run off of it, shall we say, and a human winds up with the survivors and has to adapt to their culture as fast as possible if he wants to survive. It gets WEIRD and has space-bears... and also the regul, who are fuckin' weird, a great take on an alien species that literally can't forget things, ever.
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Apr 13, 2023 03:14
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sebmojo posted:The secret Commonwealth (book 2 of the new series, with Sad Lyra) is actually really good, as is la Belle sausage, and got me started on the whole reread, but it ends on an insane cliffhanger and the third isn't out yet so fingers crossed he sticks the landing. I dunno why but I got such Rey and Kylo Ren vibes from Lyra and the guy who's name I forgot, lets look it up, Olivier Bonneville. So I sure hope that whole thing ends up better than Rise of Skywalker. I was also extremely frustrated as a child by the end of Amber Spyglass. I respect a book predominately read by children that has such a downer ending, it can't all be sunshine and rainbows, and hey how many pre-teen romances would even last? It would almost be creepy if they got to adulthood and were still in a relationship, so definitely not worth jeopardizing the world for. But it was painful to read. Maybe a bit contrived, but seems like a common problem of fantasy series that haven't all been written in one go and the author is developing the rules of the world as the series gets into more elaborate territory. She who must not be named had the same issues. I respect how Joe Abercrombie has always written out at least first drafts of all his trilogies before publication of the first. Though by his latest, Age of Madness, it seemed he was running out of ways to both deliver a climactic ending and avoid giving a true comeuppance to his villain who's continued existence and power is kind of necessary for that series to work.
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Apr 13, 2023 03:43
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dervival posted:I really need to pick up some of Cherryh's works one of these days; Mercedes Lackey was one of my favorite authors during my formative years, and I've heard that her habit of doing similar things (oh Vanyel Cherryh is amazing, one of my favorite authors. Morgaine trilogy is a great starting point, as is the pride of chanur. Cyteen is lots of peoples favorite but does take her mild fetish with describing people successfully planning and conducting meetings to a slightly absurd level.
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Apr 13, 2023 04:05
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Lol snap strix
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Apr 13, 2023 04:06
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StrixNebulosa posted:Cherryh is my favorite author and I love love love love her stuff. Do you want recs or just encouragement to read her? sebmojo posted:Cherryh is amazing, one of my favorite authors. Morgaine trilogy is a great starting point, as is the pride of chanur. Cyteen is lots of peoples favorite but does take her mild fetish with describing people successfully planning and conducting meetings to a slightly absurd level. I'd greatly appreciate recommendations, yes! I was already planning on heading in to my local bookstore tomorrow and it looks like they have a copy of Pride of Chanur in stock, so I'll have to pick that up as well; I can see why Cyteen is a common favorite, though "successful meetings" might be a bit too unbelievable of a power fantasy at this point, haha. Thank you for the recs! dervival fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Apr 13, 2023 |
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Apr 13, 2023 04:09
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Pride is a standalone then there is a very intricate trilogy that was written as a single book and is excellent, then another standalone (also good). The paladin is a good standalone though some people find old horny mentor guy a little too horny. Serpents reach is also a good standalone.
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Apr 13, 2023 04:52
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sebmojo posted:The paladin is a good standalone though some people find old horny mentor guy a little too horny. That probably won't be an issue given my dear old mum decided in all her wisdom to introduce me to Piers Anthony at the ripe age of 8 and my standards have been warped ever since 
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Apr 13, 2023 04:58
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StrixNebulosa posted:So I'm reading Fortress in the Eye of Time and - keeping in mind that this is the early 90s - there was a throwaway line that implied that one of the characters is gay, and I can't tell you how happy that kind of thing makes me. It's subtle, one of the guards assigned to guard a pair of notoriously sexy ladies is chosen "because of his own preference" he'll be able to resist their wiles, so to speak - it's one line in thousands, but it made me smile. I dearly love how she would tuck in those little references, or straight up have queer characters in her novels while writing in the 80s and 90s. Cherryh is, herself, married to another woman, so would necessarily be aware that queer people exist.
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Apr 13, 2023 05:24
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dervival posted:That probably won't be an issue given my dear old mum decided in all her wisdom to introduce me to Piers Anthony at the ripe age of 8 and my standards have been warped ever since I read an absolute shitload of piers anthony as a kid and the dude was still way too fuckin horny for a 16 year old girl. He is theoretically forty, though the timeline seems a bit hinky to me for that. He's notably much hornier for a teen girl than the male leads in Tamora Pierce books.
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Apr 13, 2023 12:19
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A GIANT PARSNIP posted:Looking for recommendations for my next books (solo or series). Here's a list of what I've read so far and what I liked / didn't like: I haven't read Record of a Spaceborn Few, but Some Desperate Glory has just been released and is about
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Apr 13, 2023 13:12
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https://twitter.com/agraybee/status/1646520204963487744 Yeah, Brandon Sanderson
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Apr 13, 2023 15:34
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Sally Forth posted:I haven't read Record of a Spaceborn Few, but Some Desperate Glory has just been released and is about I just finished this up after buying it on Tuesday and really enjoyed it!
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Apr 13, 2023 15:41
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zoux posted:https://twitter.com/agraybee/status/1646520204963487744 it's lazy worldbuilding if you don't show the coal powerplant, and grimdark misery porn if you do
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Apr 13, 2023 15:42
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Zore posted:Yeah, you know all those weird asides where they have a small scene together and start thinking about how much they love BDSM? In the original they're usually like actively in a session instead of doing something innocuous. And that session probably read like a goofy "50 Shades" knockoff. Another character I really like is Xiulan and how she doesn't have (or want) an SO. Xiulan is extremely attractive (and busty) so she's had to deal with male gaze BS and propositioning since she was 12 or so.
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Apr 13, 2023 16:42
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zoux posted:https://twitter.com/agraybee/status/1646520204963487744 This is why I enjoy series like Mieville's Bas Lag or Commonweal. There's magical technology with actual consideration of the socio-economic implications of that.
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Apr 13, 2023 16:58
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Is it possible for a writer to get WORSE as their career continues? Because, for whatever reason, even with the Baenisms (all the loving weird poo poo about Islam and monarchy and how you can't trust elected politicians or UNELECTED BUREAUCRATS) the first two books of the Dahak Trilogy by David Weber are way, way better than anything in the Honor Harrington Series, and make Safehold look like bad YA fiction. Edit: it's also weird to have a Weber protag who isn't Honor Harrington or Robot Honor Harrington, but instead a "Weird looking gangly dude with a beak nose and big ears"
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Apr 13, 2023 17:11
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Glen Cook got dramatically worse with time. Fritz Leiber kinda just ran out of steam as time went on. I'm sure there are others but I can't think of them off the top of my head.
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Apr 13, 2023 17:21
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I suspect writers getting better with time is more often the exception than the rule. Most writers do their best work in their first few books (see, e.g., Scalzi). Other writers peak then decline (Heinlein), or write one pinnacle work and never quite manage to reclaim that height again (Peter S. Beagle). Look at Gaiman. His first few works were brilliant (Sandman, Neverwhere, Stardust) but he's rarely even approached those heights in his later career, and when he has, it's been with works he initially blocked out when he was much younger but didn't finish till more recently (Graveyard Book). I think it's just the natural aging process. Being a good creative writer is difficult. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 17:26 on Apr 13, 2023 |
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Apr 13, 2023 17:23
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Clark Nova posted:it's lazy worldbuilding if you don't show the coal powerplant, and grimdark misery porn if you do or you can boil some water or boil some water there are other ways to get it but no turns out everyone mostly boils water and what do they do with it, that threatens to bring a nation's electricity network to its knees every time a the big sports game takes a break? they use the electricity to boil some water
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Apr 13, 2023 17:57
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Terrible Opinions posted:Glen Cook got dramatically worse with time. Fritz Leiber kinda just ran out of steam as time went on. I'm sure there are others but I can't think of them off the top of my head. In Leiber's case, alcoholism and depression probably contributed. Or take Alfred Bester, who wrote two great novels in the 50s and three increasingly crappy ones in the 80s ... but he was also progressively losing his eyesight, among other health issues, while he wrote the latter three. Clark Nova posted:it's lazy worldbuilding if you don't show the coal powerplant, and grimdark misery porn if you do This kinda reminds me of a very short story (possibly by Isaac Asimov?) where scientists manage to bring a time traveler back from the future, and he's happy to describe all the technological marvels future people enjoy ... but he's just an average guy and has no idea how any of it actually works. Selachian fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Apr 13, 2023 |
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Apr 13, 2023 18:01
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