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Nuclear Tourist posted:Nostalgia for Infinity is still the best spaceship name I've ever come across.
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Apr 22, 2024 06:42
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C.M. Kruger posted:Europe in Autumn is about a Estonian chef becoming a spy-courier in a "30 minutes in the future" setting where everybody else in Europe, including EURail, decided to do Brexit too, and then only at the very end does it introduce the supernatural stuff. The Europe in Autumn sequence is one of my favourite series and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks a near-future splintered Europe with factions both overtly and covertly in conflict sounds interesting. I wouldn't describe the non-reality stuff as supernatural, personally, it definitely doesn't have a ghosts/horror aspect at all. Don't want to spoil anything though so go read it instead! The standalone fifth book Cold Water came out recently and is also excellent.
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Apr 22, 2024 07:42
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mllaneza posted:Speaking of Le Guin, I can strongly recommend her take on Greek myth/history, she wrote about the life of Lavinia. She never gets a single line in The Aeneid, so now there's this for her. It's an interesting story with strong characterizations, unsurprising for Le Guin. Lavinia’s great. Beautiful writing and strangely, almost eerily postmodern in how Lavinia gets to talk to the ghost/premonition/spirit of Virgil, alone in the woods. Not that they’re in competition (and, like, it’s LeGuin) but I’d set her approach against Circe. There it’s kind of a reversal, what if Circe the mythological character was good, so let’s hit all the big moments of her story and some other myths from the opposite POV. I thought how elderly Odysseus was handled was quite good. With Lavinia, everything is smaller and more domestic, focused on the small rites and everyday details of rural life in (an imagined and almost knowingly too pastoral) Bronze Age Italy. Aeneas and the war pass through and are important drivers of the plot but are hardly less important than Lavinia’s troubled relationship with her mother. You can tell it’s something LeGuin wrote after Tehanu, even if you didn’t know the dates, and it fact it seems to me to be consciously an anti-epic, like an exercise following up on her essay, ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’: https://stillmoving.org/resources/the-carrier-bag-theory-of-fiction Lavinia is her late masterpiece and imo a strong contender for quietly the best thing LeGuin ever wrote.
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Apr 22, 2024 08:15
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What's wrong with Century Rain? I didn't adore it, but the 1950s setting pleased me.
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Apr 22, 2024 08:20
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General Battuta posted:Revelation Space came out in 2000, you really couldn’t count on people having reference work handy. It also inspired Mass Effect as openly as ASOIAF inspired Dragon Age. Which isn’t really relevant but is kind of cool. also this excellent setting riff, read the bailywolf posts for the best ideas but there's other good stuff in there too.
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Apr 22, 2024 08:24
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I've not read it, but Love,Death and Robots did an episode based on Zima Blue and it was one of the episodes that wasn't awful (and maybe in fact good!). Edit: crap, I'm a page behind
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Apr 22, 2024 08:27
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bunch of amazon uk books for 99p at the mo, there's a few that are worth it https://www.amazon.co.uk/Against-Dark-Background-Iain-Banks-ebook/dp/B002TXZSSK - Against a Dark Background - standalone iain banks that's scifi but not Culture https://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Black-Gold-Shadows-Book-ebook/dp/B003GK21XK - Empire in Black and Gold - production-line adrian tchaikovsky series where everyone's got Bug Powers and you're either Apt (can use technology) or Inapt (can't figure out door handles). i enjoyed the series as unchallenging fun; it becomes a rapid sprint up the tech tree by the titualar Empire https://www.amazon.co.uk/Starship-Troopers-Robert-Heinlein-ebook/dp/B003ODIWEG/ - Starship Troopers - I'M DOING MY PART https://www.amazon.co.uk/Left-Hand-Darkness-S-F-MASTERWORKS-ebook/dp/B01NCU4VNT - The Left Hand of Darkness - ursula le guin, so probably worth a look https://www.amazon.co.uk/Revelation-Space-MASTERWORKS-Alastair-Reynolds-ebook/dp/B0049MPHZI - Revelation Space - see previous pages https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saevus-Corax-Deals-Dead-Book-ebook/dp/B0BT1B5DWM - Saevus Corax Deals With The Dead - unknown personally, but people have spoken well of it quite recently so probably worth a try for a quid? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nova-S-F-MASTERWORKS-Samuel-Delany-ebook/dp/B00I2Z5ILQ - Nova - short and sixties, worth a read if you like Delany i remain annoyed at the title field being used for SEO 
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Apr 22, 2024 09:53
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Thanks. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does it all go to the same place? I've only ever bought from US Amazon shop.
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Apr 22, 2024 10:17
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Beachcomber posted:I'm looking for a sci-fi short story. I may have even encountered it here first. "TOOL USE BY THE HUMANS OF DANZHAI COUNTY", by Derek Kunsken
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Apr 22, 2024 12:40
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Whale Vomit posted:Thanks. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does it all go to the same place? I've only ever bought from US Amazon shop. 
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Apr 22, 2024 13:56
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Whale Vomit posted:I've not read it, but Love,Death and Robots did an episode based on Zima Blue and it was one of the episodes that wasn't awful (and maybe in fact good!). Love, Death, and Robots is misogynistic garbage. It was apparent early on in season 1, unfortunately for me I didn't turn that poo poo off until the episode with the fox spirit.
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Apr 22, 2024 14:31
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The Sweet Hereafter posted:The Europe in Autumn sequence is one of my favourite series and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks a near-future splintered Europe with factions both overtly and covertly in conflict sounds interesting. I wouldn't describe the non-reality stuff as supernatural, personally, it definitely doesn't have a ghosts/horror aspect at all. Don't want to spoil anything though so go read it instead! The standalone fifth book Cold Water came out recently and is also excellent. These books never seem to get enough love. I really enjoyed the whole series, from the near-future politics to weird para-dimensional stuff. Probably the series that got me back into sci-fi ~ half a dozen years ago.
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Apr 22, 2024 16:42
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Inexplicable Humblebrag posted:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saevus-Corax-Deals-Dead-Book-ebook/dp/B0BT1B5DWM - Saevus Corax Deals With The Dead - unknown personally, but people have spoken well of it quite recently so probably worth a try for a quid? As I said a few pages back after I read it, this is an unreliable bullshitter telling you a bullshit story (while also telling you that he’s an unreliable bullshitter). There’s a similar vibe in other books by the author but it’s been a little clunkier, where eventually you kinda roll your eyes and go “Yeah, yeah, I get it, you’re an unreliable scoundrel sure” but this one idk, pushes through? that and all the sudden you’re enjoying it for it’s own sake as a total bs story. It’s pretty breezy, too, good fun read. thotsky posted:I read my first Kingfisher novella, "What moves the dead" and after a very clear "this is where I might subvert the horror genre for a Star Trek ending" moment near the end I felt gratified that she brought up the possibility of communication, coexistence and Star Trek in the authors notes. It felt pretty Lovecraftian too but then he was also inspired by Poe. I haven’t read her horror but I really love her Paladin series - they’re all basically slice of life romances between mature adults having healthy relationships and they’re all just really fun, refreshing reads. The romantic tension isn’t overdone & drawn out and it always pays off; she’s perfectly happy to give people what they want. They definitely push the horny meter some, but it’s perfectly cromulent horny writing for the genre. Really enjoyable overall. idiotsavant fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Apr 22, 2024 |
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Apr 22, 2024 16:51
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Her horror is also excellent
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Apr 22, 2024 17:10
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Major Ryan posted:These books never seem to get enough love. I really enjoyed the whole series, from the near-future politics to weird para-dimensional stuff. Probably the series that got me back into sci-fi ~ half a dozen years ago. Seems like a neat series. The description reminds me of Ken McLeod's Star Fraction but presumably it takes a much different turn
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Apr 22, 2024 17:23
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idiotsavant posted:I haven’t read her horror but I really love her Paladin series - they’re all basically slice of life romances between mature adults having healthy relationships and they’re all just really fun, refreshing reads. The romantic tension isn’t overdone & drawn out and it always pays off; she’s perfectly happy to give people what they want. They definitely push the horny meter some, but it’s perfectly cromulent horny writing for the genre. Really enjoyable overall. I've only read the one, but I liked how clearly she set everything up and that it all paid off satisfyingly. The constant drip-feed of light-hearted humor sprinkled throughout the book was great too. Uniquely, I felt like the quippyness didn't serve as comic relief during the most horrific parts, but that it took on a kind of nervous energy that underscored the dread. Properly scary but really comfy too. I'll check out the fantasy. I could need a bit of horny in my life this spring. thotsky fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Apr 22, 2024 |
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Apr 22, 2024 17:36
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Parahexavoctal posted:"TOOL USE BY THE HUMANS OF DANZHAI COUNTY", by Derek Kunsken Love that you are answering this two years later.
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Apr 22, 2024 17:42
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Destination: Void by Frank Herbert - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5WPRTMQ/
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Apr 22, 2024 18:28
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ringu0 posted:Destination: Void by Frank Herbert - $1.99 Nearly unreadable imo but sets up a much better book?
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Apr 22, 2024 18:40
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General Battuta posted:Nearly unreadable imo but sets up a much better book? Though also somewhat unreadable.
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Apr 22, 2024 19:04
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The Sweet Hereafter posted:The standalone fifth book Cold Water came out recently and is also excellent. had no idea this existed, thanks for mentioning it.
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Apr 22, 2024 19:06
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Kalman posted:Though also somewhat unreadable. That's just Frank Herbert generally.
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Apr 22, 2024 19:09
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:That's just Frank Herbert generally. I say that it's unreadable as someone who *likes* Chapterhouse: Dune.
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Apr 22, 2024 19:25
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I think The Jesus Incident is perfectly readable, just a lot of the stuff you're reading about is quite upsetting! By contrast Destination Void is three or four people standing around arguing about how to invent consciousness from first principles, which I personally got enough of in college dorms. And it's not really bringing anything new to the consciousness table the way Blindsight does, it's just a long bull session.
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Apr 22, 2024 19:33
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Tiny Timbs posted:Seems like a neat series. The description reminds me of Ken McLeod's Star Fraction but presumably it takes a much different turn It commits to it pretty well - it's not like there's a big reveal and that's the book, it does go on from there, indeed, it's really the basis of the whole series. You couldn't imagine they got half way through writing a spy-adjacent thriller and thought, you know what would be really weird if I wrote this in? It's all there from the start.
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Apr 22, 2024 20:27
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The Traitor Baru Cormorant was in the Staff Recommendations section at my local (Vancouver BC) big bookstore chain, which was nice to see. Weirdly the shelf above it was largely anime-inspired cookbooks. I would therefore like to pitch The Traitor Baru Cookbook: Recipes from the Empire of Masks. I recently read and enjoyed The Silverberg Business by Robert Freeman Wexler, which I haven't heard talked about. It's a weird fantasy/noir detective/Western involving fraud committed against Jewish refugees trying to resettle in post-Civil War Texas. It feels a little like if Michael Chabon wrote a Delta Green detective story, or a Southern Reach prequel, though other than the uncanny menaces being vaguely aquatic, there isn't anything directly Lovecraftian about the world. I enjoy noir but don't read much straight mystery/detective fiction, so this was a good find.
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Apr 22, 2024 23:45
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uber_stoat posted:had no idea this existed, thanks for mentioning it. If you've read the other books already you're really going to enjoy it, it touches on a lot of familiar stuff
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Apr 23, 2024 08:11
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Kwathi posted:The Traitor Baru Cormorant was in the Staff Recommendations section at my local (Vancouver BC) big bookstore chain, which was nice to see. Weirdly the shelf above it was largely anime-inspired cookbooks. The Chef de Cuisine Baru Cormorant.
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Apr 23, 2024 11:54
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habeasdorkus posted:The Chef de Cuisine Baru Cormorant. The server Baru Cormorant. The chef Baru Comorant. The manager Baru Cormorant.
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Apr 23, 2024 13:07
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The Sweet Hereafter posted:If you've read the other books already you're really going to enjoy it, it touches on a lot of familiar stuff I read them a while back but I could use a refresher so I'm going to listen to the audiobooks since it turns out they're included with an audible sub.
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Apr 23, 2024 17:22
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Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054LJGWS/ Johannes Cabal the Detective (#2) by Johnathan L Howard - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036S4ASQ/ Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GD46PQZ/ The City We Became (Great Cities #1) by NK Jemisin - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFKQDJM/ The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084FY1NXB/ Life After Life (Todd Family #1) by Kate Atkinson - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TUQ60G/
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Apr 23, 2024 18:03
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Ravus Ursus posted:The server Baru Cormorant. The Sommelier Baru Cormorant.
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Apr 23, 2024 18:26
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garde manger Baru Cormorant
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Apr 23, 2024 18:28
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la trattoria baru cormorant
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Apr 23, 2024 18:57
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Buca di Baru
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Apr 23, 2024 19:17
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The one star yelp reviews of Baru Comorant.
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Apr 23, 2024 19:38
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DACK FAYDEN posted:Buca di Baru
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Apr 23, 2024 19:42
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FPyat posted:What's wrong with Century Rain? I didn't adore it, but the 1950s setting pleased me. I mentioned I read these over like twenty years, and I think I probably read Century Rain nearly 15 years ago, but at the time I read it I remember disliking it quite hard. I actually didn't care for the 1950s setting when I read it (maybe it would appeal to me more now, who knows) but basically none of the stuff that I normally like about a Reynold's novel was in this one for me. All of the "big ideas" didn't interest me, and I have zero recollection of any of the characters, which I can't really say for any of his other books. Even some of his books that I disliked, I can remember some characters. If I re-read this I might feel differently, but a re-read is definitely not going to happen!
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Apr 23, 2024 19:54
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Kestral posted:I bailed on the Silo TV series and tried to read the books instead. Made it to the end of the first book and decided not to continue, since the big reveal at the end was setting up something that the writing wasn’t going to be able to pay off: big Just finished the books, they were fine. Characters never really lived up to the premise, but I liked the ending.
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Apr 23, 2024 22:48
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energy.
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DACK FAYDEN posted:Buca di Baru
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