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Jedit posted:Only the one in the background, I thought? The one in the foreground is Jasper, who being Havnorian has dark hair but light skin. No, only the Kargs are white-skinned. quote:Jasper took Ged to sit with a heavyset fellow called Vetch, who said nothing much but shovelled in his food with a will. He had the accent of the East Reach, and was very dark of skin, not red-brown like Ged and Jasper and most folk of the Archipelago, but black-brown. I guess that's meant to be Vetch in the background...
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Aug 20, 2023 21:04
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AnimeIsTrash posted:I found that the first book is a bit of slog but it picks up a little under halfway through the book. I think books 2-3 are way more fun. i re-read BotNS recently, something i hadn't done for about 10 years. still great but i think i like the Wizard Knight better
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Aug 20, 2023 22:47
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ulmont posted:Do Ile-Rien first; Raksura hits a number of similar themes to murderbot. I've only read Element of Fire and Death of the Necromancer - is the Fall of Ile-Rien any good?
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Aug 20, 2023 22:50
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AnimeIsTrash posted:
First persons really
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Aug 20, 2023 22:50
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branedotorg posted:i re-read BotNS recently, something i hadn't done for about 10 years. I find wolfe almost unreadable once you get past his 80s stuff (botns, soldier of mist/arete, Cerberus), just a bunch of tedious people explaining the plot to each other, though I appreciate this does not put me in the mainstream of wolfe-enjoyers
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Aug 20, 2023 23:03
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RestingB1tchFace posted:'The Year's Best Science Fiction' anthologies compiled by Gardner Dozios.....these any good? Ebay is littered with copies for a few dollars a piece. They were the short science fiction collection of record for 35 years. Dozois had his blind spots but generally included a wide range of stories and never got too hidebound about his preferences.
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Aug 20, 2023 23:49
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Runcible Cat posted:No, only the Kargs are white-skinned. It is. It's the scene where Jasper challenges Sparrowhawk. Getting back to the other point, though: I thought that Serret was white but not Kargish?
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Aug 21, 2023 00:06
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branedotorg posted:I've only read Element of Fire and Death of the Necromancer - is the Fall of Ile-Rien any good? Yes.
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Aug 21, 2023 00:07
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Fool's Assassin (Fitz and the Fool #1) by Robin Hobb - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBQUF8S/ Johannes Cabal the Necromancer (#1) by Jonathan L Howard - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DOSBL6/ Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ARHAAZ6/ YA
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Aug 21, 2023 00:22
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Ravus Ursus posted:I've just finished Project Hail Mary and it felt very much like the Martian but different science. Is Artemis more of the same? Old but Andy Weir has a special place for me so I wanted to respond : No, Artemis is pretty different and actually my favorite. The Martian and PHM are fundamentally just wacky science times and/or that one scene from Apollo 13, over and over, with enough of a plot to connect them organically but not so much you have to wait for for more *~*<*SpAaaCE SciΣnce*>*~* for very long. Artemis is an actual novel with characters and themes and poo poo, that has a couple of cool space sequences and the whole thing takes place on a moon base. It’s not super deep, but he’s got decent prose when he isn’t doing lol monkey cheez internet humor. But he got a lot of poo poo for that (and some for the protagonist being a black woman), which is why he went significantly more back to form for PHM. I like ‘em all, but I really wish he’d do more original stuff. I want him and Peter Watts to team up and give me the absolute densest hard sci-fi known to humanity. Also thank loving god Everyone is gone. That guy has been Your Creepy Uncle-ing about the place for loving years.
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Aug 21, 2023 01:08
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DACK FAYDEN posted:My parents' basement is also littered with copies (I think I literally had all thirty-five of the ones edited by him before his death, might not have bought the last few in physical form) if that counts as a relevant endorsement. I think pound for pound there wasn't a better anthology series out there for "what got published this year" even if they did have some whiffs in both directions. Sweet. Seems like most reviews here are positive.
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Aug 21, 2023 01:24
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Xiahou Dun posted:Old but Andy Weir has a special place for me so I wanted to respond : Dope. As soon as a wrap up Steel Frame I'll dig into Artemis. Thanks.
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Aug 21, 2023 01:41
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Xiahou Dun posted:Old but Andy Weir has a special place for me so I wanted to respond : I listened to the 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back series on Artemis and it just made the entire book sound beyond insufferable. That said, it WAS two middle aged guys who hate internet humor discussing the work of a third middle aged guy who practically sweats internet humor, so biases abound, I suppose. Nth'ing the cheers for Everyone getting banned. I honestly don't know why I took them off my ignore list but they've been a sketchy gently caress since they showed up on SA. Metis of the Hallway posted:Tombs of Atuan is absolutely killer. Read that book as a preteen girl and it embedded itself in my psyche. Due a reread soon, I think. I remember reading Tombs of Ataun in like the span of an afternoon/evening one summer about a decade after first reading A Wizard of Earthsea. So it was very atmosphere appropriate that the real creepy poo poo in the book started happening as the sun was going down and then all hell broke loose right after it got pitch black outside. The build up to and eventual reveal of Ged is fantastic.
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Aug 21, 2023 02:31
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Remulak posted:His other novels are also on sale, buying them all will be one of the best, and most depressing, not-quite-$6 you can spend. I've said it before, but I got The Brothers Grossbart on release, thought it was great, and only noticed by checking the author's picture that I went to high school with the guy. ...He didn't seem like a writer then (but we weren't really close).
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Aug 21, 2023 03:11
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artemis was pretty bad imo. it had legit 'straight white guy writing a gay brown woman poorly' energy that people sometimes complain about and i couldn't make it more than a few chapters in. coming out with hail mary afterward felt like a pretty obvious 'please, more of the martian and less of... whatever that was' from his publisher.
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Aug 21, 2023 04:20
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Horizon Burning posted:artemis was pretty bad imo. it had legit 'straight white guy writing a gay brown woman poorly' energy that people sometimes complain about and i couldn't make it more than a few chapters in. coming out with hail mary afterward felt like a pretty obvious 'please, more of the martian and less of... whatever that was' from his publisher. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Sclazi has a similar current of "white guy in his 50s trying to write multicultural gender diverse characters in their 20s" and just misses the mark entirely to the point where it's got a terminal case of Marvel Movie Dialog-itis and I couldn't even finish it because I wound up hating the way every character talked.
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Aug 21, 2023 04:58
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Xiahou Dun posted:Old but Andy Weir has a special place for me so I wanted to respond : Yeah as per my previous post, Artemis is the only one I've read, but it seemed to have more plot than my understanding of the other novels. It's light, has a good vibe of competent-but-flawed protagonist making good in a gritty setting, and definitely worth reading. IIRC the protagonist was Saudi Arabian, not black. Did he get poo poo for that?
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Aug 21, 2023 05:33
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I missed this a couple pages back, but I always heard it as Laurel Wurts. Otherwise, I might not have read her. Thanks for clearing that up, everyone.
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Aug 21, 2023 08:25
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Jedit posted:It is. It's the scene where Jasper challenges Sparrowhawk.  Ask Le Guin, not me. (But be careful of shadows trying to sneak through when you do.)Partial albinism? Side effect of too much Terrenon exposure? An earlier Arha who managed to escape? Though from a quick leaf through it looks like Osskilians are generally paler, presumably they're an exception to the "most". But still, everyone in the cover scene should be darker. It's annoying, because the same artist's Tombs cover would be an absolutely perfect Sparrowhawk if he wasn't so... white: 
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Aug 21, 2023 10:02
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my turn to post things that are on sale Season of Skulls: A Novel in the World of the Laundry Files $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9KWWHPV/ (I do wish he'd get back to Bob but I did enjoy the first two of this trilogy so hopefully this one is also good) Vita Nostra: A Novel $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076ZHKVQP (someone here said this was good so for two bucks I'm going in blind)
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Aug 21, 2023 11:01
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DACK FAYDEN posted:Vita Nostra: A Novel $1.99 i loved the poo poo out of this book, absolutely gorgeous. the sequel I found uninspiring but still a decent read.
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Aug 21, 2023 11:08
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neongrey posted:i loved the poo poo out of this book, absolutely gorgeous. the sequel I found uninspiring but still a decent read. It's a good book and I enjoyed the sequel. Sergey Dyachenko died just after completing it, sadly - well, I say "sadly", he was in his late 70s - but he made a deathbed wish for Marina to complete the trilogy.
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Aug 21, 2023 11:49
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Yeah as per my previous post, Artemis is the only one I've read, but it seemed to have more plot than my understanding of the other novels. It's light, has a good vibe of competent-but-flawed protagonist making good in a gritty setting, and definitely worth reading. i think the poo poo he got was more about how his female protagonist had the voice, sense of humor and general tone of a teenage boy (or an awkward guy writing what he thinks a tough, middle-eastern young woman might sound like)
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Aug 21, 2023 11:53
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Horizon Burning posted:artemis was pretty bad imo. it had legit 'straight white guy writing a gay brown woman poorly' energy that people sometimes complain about and i couldn't make it more than a few chapters in. coming out with hail mary afterward felt like a pretty obvious 'please, more of the martian and less of... whatever that was' from his publisher. Whoever compared it to "oh I guess I have to get off Twitter for an hour and poo poo out a manuscript for this book contract" Scalzi was dead on.
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Aug 21, 2023 12:08
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I was not ready to tackle Obsidian: Awakening so insteadKKKLIP ART posted:I just finished Chu's The Art of Prophecy and really enjoyed it. It is a nice spin on the chosen one storyline that pops up a lot in literature. and will be continuing the rest of the series. Features 4 main view point characters: the mentor (grumpy one armed old woman who can beat pretty much anyone's rear end, A++++ I love her); the prophesied hero (trope pleasantly subverted); somebody very high up from the opposing side, and a psychopathic murder happy assassin. I had nitpicks with the prose because I'm in editing mode but nobody's here for Chu's prose because we all picked it up for a wuxia fix.
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Aug 21, 2023 13:02
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Kestral posted:It’s really a shame, because it’s a good book and people who want what it’s offering will really enjoy it! It’s just got criminally inaccurate marketing. Hopefully it finds its audience. Extremely agreed. I finished it because it was good, even if it didn't ever really catch me. Leng posted:I was not ready to tackle Obsidian: Awakening so instead I read the sample and didn't quite feel it either. Does it pick up or change noticeably after the first 10% or so? Danhenge fucked around with this message at 13:21 on Aug 21, 2023 |
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Aug 21, 2023 13:16
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JTDistortion posted:I just finished up The Archive Undying. While the last part does have a bit more of the sort of action you are looking for, in the end it's a book about people dealing with all the various traumas caused by the collapse of a particular god-like AI. Giant robots are part of this but never the real focus. You just sold this book to me faster than the marketing did, wow. Gimme gimme!
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Aug 21, 2023 13:23
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Danhenge posted:I read the sample and didn't quite feel it either. Does it pick up or change noticeably after the first 10% or so? The psychopathic murder happy assassin doesn't show up until Act II. The Amazon sample ends halfway through Ch 5 and I will say that two things I expected from the set up in the sample chapters were subverted in the first act. Book didn't hit any particular emotional highs for me nor did I feel the compulsive need to binge it but it was a nice read I could pick up and put down easily which was good because I'm in a very distracted frame of mind lately so for $1.99 it's alright.
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Aug 21, 2023 14:08
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DACK FAYDEN posted:
I enjoyed it more than the second book of the series but not as much as the first. It was fun.
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Aug 21, 2023 14:30
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I did it, started Lathe of Heaven last night and am psyched its about a topic--the creative power of imagination--I've been thinking a lot about lately!
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Aug 21, 2023 14:55
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Thinkin about that enzyme-bonded concrete
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Aug 21, 2023 18:09
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Bilirubin posted:I did it, started Lathe of Heaven last night and am psyched its about a topic--the creative power of imagination--I've been thinking a lot about lately! if anyone less talented had written it, it probably would have been the best thing they ever wrote but instead it's just another LeGuin
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Aug 21, 2023 18:42
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The October Country by Ray Bradbury - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C4TJACE/ Jade City (Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRCBRX8/ Tsalmoth (Vlad Taltos #16) by Steven Brust - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XL5FXZ3/ The Broken Crown (Sun Sword #1) by Michelle West - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AFR4CK2/
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Aug 21, 2023 23:22
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General Battuta posted:Thinkin about that enzyme-bonded concrete With your neural nanonics, no doubt.
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Aug 22, 2023 00:39
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I'm back looking for more fantasy suggestions. I have a hard time explaining why I like or dislike books, I often don't even really know myself. But I'll just list some books at the end I really liked, and ones that frustrated me and do my best. I definitely prefer a series of some sort because it takes me a bit to get invested and I hate when a book ends. I'd say I really just need to find the book interesting. I like books with really good interesting characters. Or if not that, just a really interesting plot or world is good too! I just feel like a lot of books don't do any of it particularly good. Also needs to be available as an audiobook since this is for listening at work. Some books I've read lately that I don't really want to continue(although if someone says they get better I might give it a shot again) The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campagins #1) It wasn't an awful read or anything but I found it not very compelling. I don't think the world was fleshed out too much and the plot was really basic. I was pretty boring in the first half, then some fantasy stuff happened in the second half. It was a little more interesting at first, but just didn't feel fleshed out at all. The characters were just merely okay, nothing really set them apart too much. The main Colonel guy was alright, I liked him. I don't really have a big desire to read the next book, but might if I can't think of anything better. I'll rate it a generous 3/5. The Promise of Blood (Powdermage #1) I don't have a thing for flintlock fantasy, the last book just made me immediately think of this one. Kind of the same gripe as The Thousand Names. I'd say it was a bit better though. That Adam guy was a neat character, but the world just doesn't feel captivating. The way they handled the crazy thing at the end was lame after building up to it. Holy crap they summoned a god! What the crap, oh I guess this guy is a pretty good musket shooter and can like, make the ball go fast and far with his ball magic, he can just shoot the god. technically, I know that's not the resolution of the whole series, but meh. The characters were alright, but not really that interesting. As I mentioned earlier I need either the characters, the plot or the world to be gripping! 3/5 Crown of Stars #1 I don't remember the first book name. It's been a while but I remember a lot of infodump type stuff, especially in regard to the religion. This isn't always a bad thing in general if what you are infodumping is in regard to something interesting going on, but it was dreadfully boring. The narrator for the audiobook also grated a bit which didn't help. I didn't finish, I think I made it maybe halfway? So I won't rate this one. The Belgariad #1 It's been a really long time since I tried reading this but I'm listing it because it's a prime example of what I don't like. It's a very basic "safe" saturday morning cartoon type story, or it came off that way to me. Basic story, PG rated feel, bad at making me feel like there's any stakes to care about. I remember the main kid in the story got kidnapped by the bad guy, but I didn't care because I knew nothing really bad or messed up was going to happen. Just had to wait on the rescue. I don't necessarily have to have an ultra grimdark book or anything, but I prefer a more adult feel I guess. Also gently caress the Eddings. 0/5 author. I could probably think up more stuff I didn't like, but I'm going to move it on to some recent reads I really liked, and I know there's probably more similar stuff out there! The First Law, all books loving excellent. A good example about how as long as something in the book is really good, I'll like it. The world building wasn't all that impressive, at least at first. And the plots weren't super crazy. But the characters, and their interactions and all the stuff they had going on was so good. Each character felt unique. I don't really need to explain it, I know most of you have read this and understand what I mean. 5/5. The Second Apocalypse Okay okay, I know goons hate this series and for good reason. It's creepy as gently caress with sexual violence, but I'm mentioning because the other stuff is good. He really built up a hosed up and interesting world that made me keep reading this hosed up poo poo. I still actually have the last book to finish, but legit had to take a break because these books are so hosed up it was affecting my anxiety, first time that's happened from books/shows/whatever. That's not really why I liked them, but because of said hosed up poo poo, there was always something interesting going on that I just had to see what happened. The prose was difficult at times though, I had no idea what the hell happened in that part with the Nonman Mansion. I'll rate it 4/5 if we ignore the big problems with the sex poo poo. Also I'm glad I pirated these books. And don't read them unless you are cool with demon boners being described in detail. The Tide Child I think this is my gold standard for character driven fantasy, probably even better than Hobb. It was so good. The world was unique and interesting, I loved the arcs most of the characters went through. The Gullaime was a good example of interesting stuff I mention. The author did a good job writing to make it feel truly alien, while allowing for empathy. Most authors just would have wrote another character that happened to be a birdman. Hag's Tits I can't wait until I forget most of it to listen to it again. The Tide Lords This was a good example of a "hosed up" series that wasn't actually a hosed up experience to read. It's a book about powerful god like assholes and they were all written in a compelling manner. A lot of times in books, for instance The Thousand Names, when there is a bully, they are just there to serve as a bully. That one guy who picked up Winter, I believe it was Davis just straight up wanted to kill her, but it never really fleshed out why. But in Tide Lords, I was always eager to learn more, and the book wasn't greedy about exposition and explaining why the characters are the way they are. I'll stop there, but some other of my favorites were the Kings of Paradise(Ash and Sand) series, Long Price Quartet(another excellent character driven series!), Dagger and the Coin. I also technically like Sanderson's stuff too, maybe not quite as much as some people though. He's basically just a good world builder. It's been a long time since I read through Wheel of Time(made it to book 6 or so). I remember it having some interesting stuff, but there's a lot of junk to get through. If a book is going to be long and drawn out, that's not always bad but needs to again, be interesting. I liked how there was always something going on in the first 3 books of The Second Apocalypse series. Like for instance while the Holy War was taking long to actually get underway, the little inclusion of The Vulgar Holy War was good. It made it feel like the world was alive with a lot of stuff going on. A hosed up world, if I forgot to mention how hosed up it is. Don't read it. Sorry for the long drawn out post, but I have untreated ADHD and can not articulate my thoughts for poo poo but hopefully that gives people an idea of the stuff I like. Really, I just like when there are interesting things going on. I like good characters and seeing how they interact with the world and seeing how things affect other things. Multiple POVs are great. I also dislike action for the sake of action. If it's action because something developed and it's a consequence, then it's good. If that makes sense. I hate long battles when there's no point. I loved Abercrombies The Heroes even though the whole book is basically just one 2 or 3 day battle. Drunk Driver Dad fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Aug 22, 2023 |
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Aug 22, 2023 01:54
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Ravus Ursus posted:Also, about 1/4 into Steel Frame. I forgot how much jargon crunchy sci Fi heaps on you. Beyond that it's pretty good. It requires slightly closer reading that the power reading most casual SFF asks of you, and I'm digging it. StrixNebulosa posted:Almost a decade ago, wow, as a teenager I bought [Melusine] from amazon because it was a fantasy novel with queer characters. I then proceeded to bounce off of it because I couldn't handle the dark content matter - the main character is addicted to an illegal substance, and some rear end in a top hat takes advantage of that to make him do really bad things. I couldn't get much further than that, and years later I don't really want to try again. When I found out that TGE was written by the same person I was completely floored.
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Aug 22, 2023 03:09
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Hm, it's almost as if writers make deliberate decisions in the tone of their writing, rather than just producing some sort of inalterable hash function of their innermost soul.
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Aug 22, 2023 03:11
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Hey, I also just read The Thousand Names and pretty much agree with your assessment. I thought the setting was ultimately kind of flat and about 2/3rds of the way through I realized I just didn’t care about what was happening with any of the characters. A bummer, because I was actually pretty engaged at the beginning, but sometimes that’s just how it goes. If I were going on a scale out of 10, I’d give it a 5. A recent read that wasn’t like that though was Legends and Lattes. Now, I personally wouldn’t have nominated it for a Hugo, but I thought it was cute and cozy and kinda made me feel the same way shows like Ted Lasso and Schitt’s Creek make me feel. Just flawed but good people (with a couple exceptions) working together and helping each other become better versions of themselves, all while creating a coffee shop in a clearly DnD-inspired setting. Not mind-blowing or anything but highly pleasant. Probably a 7 or 7.5 out of 10. Since you brought up First Law and loving it (which I do as well), have you read any KJ Parker? I finished Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City not too long ago and that blew me away, much the same way First Law did. It’s not grimdark the way Abercrombie’s stuff is but it’s a really well written war story and the character telling the story (it’s in 1st person) is exceptionally well written, with a unique voice and wit that oozes off the page. 10/10 for me. Cpt. Mahatma Gandhi fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Aug 22, 2023 |
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Aug 22, 2023 03:12
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Cpt. Mahatma Gandhi posted:Since you brought up First Law and loving it (which I do as well), have you read any KJ Parker? I finished Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City not too long ago and that blew me away, much the same way First Law did. It’s not grimdark the way Abercrombie’s stuff is but it’s a really well written war story and the character telling the story (it’s in 1st person) is exceptionally well written, with a unique voice and wit that oozes off the page. 10/10 for me. It's also venomously cynical, also in the same vein as First Law. Very good book, would recommend to fans of Abercrombie.
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Aug 22, 2023 03:16
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General Battuta posted:Hm, it's almost as if writers make deliberate decisions in the tone of their writing, rather than just producing some sort of inalterable hash function of their innermost soul. Some writers can and do. Many do not. It's one of those differentiation wotsits I reckon.
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Aug 22, 2023 03:26
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