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Clinton1011 posted:I saw no point in using spoilers for anything from a book over a year old. I used spoilers where I did since it was in reference to something from the reading. I just had somebody in this thread complaining about me not putting spoilers on speculation of an ending of a book that came out in 1996 (Neverwhere).
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May 31, 2013 12:49
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Wade Wilson posted:I just had somebody in this thread complaining about me not putting spoilers on speculation of an ending of a book that came out in 1996 (Neverwhere). Well it was speculation for a book this thread isn't about. If I went into a thread knowing I read all the books the author put out I wouldn't hesitate to read a post, if that post then talked about the ending of a book by another author that I haven't ready yet and planned to read then I might be a bit upset.
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May 31, 2013 14:03
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Clinton1011 posted:Well it was speculation for a book this thread isn't about. If I went into a thread knowing I read all the books the author put out I wouldn't hesitate to read a post, if that post then talked about the ending of a book by another author that I haven't ready yet and planned to read then I might be a bit upset. Snape kills Dumbledore. There's some reasonable expectation that you will run into incidental spoilers in the book barn for books that aren't brand new releases. Let's not get too worked up about it. Rereading the series with an eye towards refreshing myself on what is known about the denarians has been pretty interesting, particularly in light of the bits of skin game spoiled above. For shapechanging supernatural monstrosities they're surprisingly deep. In particular the scene where Nick offers harry associates that will last for his lifetime, and harry tells him to gently caress off stuck with me. It's interesting to think about what would have happened had that meeting come later - perhaps when harry was looking for a way away from Faeries. After all, harry has a highly regimented moral ambiguity, where certain things trump absolutely everything else, and he's never given much weight to the white and black traditional take on things. It should make for interesting tension, as harry tries to hold onto his first impression. Looking forward to it, it's a shame it'll take forever to come out. Also, I am completely indifferent to the steampunk books. I wish they'd grabbed me, hopefully the manuscript itself has teeth where all the hype about it just sounds flat.
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May 31, 2013 14:15
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Anias posted:
Yeah, it's funny; I love the Dresden stuff but I'm completely uninterested in any of Butcher's other works (well, I bought a signed map of the Codex Alera books because I have a small collection of fantasy maps, but even as maps go it's kinda lame). There's just a spark to the Dresden concept that everything else he's done never quite seems to catch.
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May 31, 2013 14:40
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Anias posted:I am completely indifferent to the steampunk books. I wish they'd grabbed me, hopefully the manuscript itself has teeth where all the hype about it just sounds flat. Really? I am honestly more excited about reading this new book than just about anything else that's coming out this year. Edit: The only reason that's true is because Skin Game isn't coming out till next year. why oh WHY fucked around with this message at 14:49 on May 31, 2013 |
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May 31, 2013 14:41
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why oh WHY posted:Really? I am honestly more excited about reading this new book than just about anything else that's coming out this year. "Steampunk" as a setting is ridiculously difficult to do well and most professional writers who try fail horribly. Butcher may surprise me, but the only author I've really seen knock a "Steampunk" type setting out of the park has been China Mieville, and, um, there's a rather large difference in their writing styles. I dunno, maybe Butcher will surprise me but I'm picky about my pseudo-victoriana.
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May 31, 2013 14:50
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Anias posted:Let's not get too worked up about it. I didn't mean to imply I was worked up about it, I was more defending the other person's reaction. Anias posted:Rereading the series with an eye towards refreshing myself on what is known about the denarians has been pretty interesting, I've been contemplating this as well, I just know it's way to early. If I start my re-read now I will be done before June ends then I'll have way to many months to wait for more. With that said I don't think I can hold back, these preview chapters and reawaken my addiction for urban fantasy and I'm finding it hard to finish my current book before switching to something in this genre. I might do a re-read of the Rivers of London series for my fix.
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May 31, 2013 15:21
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:"Steampunk" as a setting is ridiculously difficult to do well and most professional writers who try fail horribly. Butcher may surprise me, but the only author I've really seen knock a "Steampunk" type setting out of the park has been China Mieville, and, um, there's a rather large difference in their writing styles. I understand your concerns and agree, there really isn't too much in the way of steampunk in the first place and what is there is either not really steampunk or it's just bad (for the most part, there are some exceptions). Which is why I'm excited for Butcher's take on a genre that is so interesting and difficult to write, I feel like he might be able to make good on a genre that needs some good additions to it. Plus even if its not great he tends to learn from his mistakes so at least he will become a better writer from it.
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Jun 1, 2013 01:58
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Dresden is something special, but Butcher is, at the very least, a fairly decent writer outside of that. Alera was good but not spectacular, and I have faith that the Steampunk Files will be at least OK, and like why oh WHY said at worst he becomes a better writer because of it.
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Jun 1, 2013 03:36
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I've never read a steampunk book, I couldn't even name one, but the genre seems like it's so hinged on the visual aesthetic, you'd have to be Tolkien-esque on your environment minutiae to convey the atmosphere appropriately. Maybe I'm wrong though.
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Jun 1, 2013 03:59
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The only Steampunkish thing I've ever liked was The Difference Engine, but I'm totally willing to give Butcher the benefit of the doubt for a couple books.
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Jun 1, 2013 09:40
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Loving Life Partner posted:I've never read a steampunk book, I couldn't even name one, but the genre seems like it's so hinged on the visual aesthetic, you'd have to be Tolkien-esque on your environment minutiae to convey the atmosphere appropriately. Maybe I'm wrong though. Try The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling. The steampunk elements are rooted in this being alternate history, with the major colonial powers of the 19th century forced to relocate themselves to their colonies after an asteroid impact turns much of the northern hemisphere uninhabitable. Plus its a good adventure story all-around.
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Jun 1, 2013 20:09
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The Half-made World has some major steam punk elements too. It's like part western, part steam punk, and part something akin to the Dark Tower series. Weird and highly enjoyable. The Line are badass antagonists.
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Jun 1, 2013 20:15
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why oh WHY posted:I understand your concerns and agree, there really isn't too much in the way of steampunk in the first place and what is there is either not really steampunk or it's just bad (for the most part, there are some exceptions). Which is why I'm excited for Butcher's take on a genre that is so interesting and difficult to write, I feel like he might be able to make good on a genre that needs some good additions to it. Plus even if its not great he tends to learn from his mistakes so at least he will become a better writer from it. I find the idea of Steampunk great in concept, but very difficult to pull off. I am a huge fan of the Harry Dresden series and the fantasy one that Butcher did, but I do hold some reservations on the steam punk side. Fingers crossed and here is hoping, I guess for me the issue becomes what the genre is trying to convey. High Fantasy - Anything can happen. Modern Fantasy - What would our world be like with x. Science Fiction - What would any world be like with x technologies. Steampunk - Mixture of all (very hard to do).
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Jun 2, 2013 04:54
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Loving Life Partner posted:I've never read a steampunk book, I couldn't even name one, but the genre seems like it's so hinged on the visual aesthetic, you'd have to be Tolkien-esque on your environment minutiae to convey the atmosphere appropriately. Maybe I'm wrong though. The only writers I've seen really do steampunk well basically used it as a vehicle to mix magic, marxism, and Dickensian plight-of-the-poor narratives -- i.e., Fair Folk condemned to work in iron foundries so they're all slowly dying from contamination, or Mieville's judges sentencing criminals to have their bodies magically altered in accordance with their crime. The best period Victorian fiction was sharply self-critical; the premier examples are things like the Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four or Wilkie Collin's The Moonstone, both of which are all about the seedy, evil underbelly of British imperialism. Most modern "steampunk" misses that -- instead you get something like, say, Girl Genius, which isn't bad but is basically steampunk as light parody, "technology" as just another kind of "magic." That kind of thing can be fun (heck, I like Girl Genius) but it's not on the same level. The problem is I've never seen Butcher do that kind of light parody and I also haven't seen him do anything with deeper social themes. He might make it work, I guess we'll see.
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Jun 2, 2013 12:10
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:instead you get something like, say, Girl Genius, which isn't bad but is basically steampunk as light parody, "technology" as just another kind of "magic." That kind of thing can be fun (heck, I like Girl Genius) but it's not on the same level. Girl Genius is gaslamp, not steampunk. They actually invented the Gaslamp genre to distinguish what they do from steampunk.
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Jun 2, 2013 13:50
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The thing that makes me hopeful about the steampunk series that Butcher has already shown he can take some very rote elements (Pokemon! Lost Roman Legion! The Zerg! Private Eye Wizard!) and make them interesting.
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Jun 2, 2013 14:37
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I was recently re-reading, and bought the audiobook to, Summer Knight and I loved how it sounded like James Marsters was tickled pink by the scene just after leaving the funeral home, having to summon Toot.
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Jun 7, 2013 23:44
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Thunderfinger posted:I was recently re-reading, and bought the audiobook to, Summer Knight and I loved how it sounded like James Marsters was tickled pink by the scene just after leaving the funeral home, having to summon Toot. One of the best things about the audio books is that Marsters is really enjoying himself all the way through and you can hear it in his voice. Makes things nice.
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Jun 8, 2013 03:56
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Stroth posted:One of the best things about the audio books is that Marsters is really enjoying himself all the way through and you can hear it in his voice. Makes things nice. Except for those four lines in Changes, where it feels like he was literally stabbed in the gut.
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Jun 8, 2013 05:19
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Piell posted:The thing that makes me hopeful about the steampunk series that Butcher has already shown he can take some very rote elements (Pokemon! Lost Roman Legion! The Zerg! Private Eye Wizard!) and make them interesting. That is a good point, I am soured on Steam Punk in general due to how hard it seems to be to craft. However, Butcher has shown he can take horrible ideas and make them work. It will be interesting to see the results.
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Jun 8, 2013 17:44
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Has anyone compiled the four chapters Jim Butcher read? Because I do not want to listen to it.
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Jun 8, 2013 17:59
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I just finished reading the Dresden Files, up through those 4 preview chapters in the space of about a month. Holy poo poo. These just don't let up. And now I have to wait until when for Skin Game? Oh well, it'll give me time to read all those doorstoppers I've had sitting around. Maybe I'll give Alera a chance, it seems like it has an interesting premise. I'm not much of one for lost Roman legion type stuff, but I wasn't much for modern fantasy either.
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Jun 8, 2013 19:22
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Stroth posted:One of the best things about the audio books is that Marsters is really enjoying himself all the way through and you can hear it in his voice. Makes things nice. I listened to the first four and my favorite part is still in Summer Knight where he flubs a line, swears for a bit, then gets right back to it. Is there a place to read the preview chapters or is it only his reading?
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Jun 8, 2013 19:37
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Arcsech posted:I just finished reading the Dresden Files, up through those 4 preview chapters in the space of about a month. Alera is solid. It doesn't have the same spark as dresden, but it's a good solid series that has a few flaws. Basically I thought it was a perfectly fun pleasure read that isn't going to be making any of my personal top ten lists or anything.
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Jun 8, 2013 19:41
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Dr. MonkeyThunder posted:I listened to the first four and my favorite part is still in Summer Knight where he flubs a line, swears for a bit, then gets right back to it. Yeah, I'm thirding a request for a summery of the reading. I just don't usually like listening to readings, unless it's Masters, of course.
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Jun 8, 2013 20:15
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Arcsech posted:I just finished reading the Dresden Files, up through those 4 preview chapters in the space of about a month. I love Alera until about the 4th book or so and after that I started to get a bit disenchanted, but man up until then its great.
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Jun 8, 2013 21:01
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Carrier posted:I love Alera until about the 4th book or so and after that I started to get a bit disenchanted, but man up until then its great. The last half of the last book is pretty great too. It sure wasn't my favorite series ever, or even in my top 10, but it was a fun read with only a couple of dumb bits and I thought those were inevitable given the nature of the story.
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Jun 9, 2013 03:00
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I just got tricked into reading Blood Fae by India Drummond. It was terrible. Avoid it if you see it. It's not so much bad as it is very mediocre and bland. Nothing exciting happens. Or something happens that should be exciting, but isn't. It also has the tried and true "these two characters are in love instantly because 'ancient magic'" formula.
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Jun 9, 2013 08:51
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The first couple of chapters for the next book are usually in the paperback release which isn't until September, but here's my summary. Entirely from memory though so might have forgotten something. SERIOUS NEXT BOOK SPOILERS FOLLOW Mab has intercepted, blocked, or modified all of Harry's attempts to contact Molly and his other friends from Demonreach, as well as blocked them from physically coming to the island. The headaches have gotten a lot worse, he can't leave the island at all without succumbing to unbearable pain. Mab shows up, tells Harry to do a job for her or she will leave him stranded on the island where he will die in 3 days from the parasite. The job is working for Nicodemus to retrieve something out of a vault, repaying an old debt of Mabs. The vault in question is the(an?) Underworld that belongs to the Greek god Hades. Harry is super pissed and think Mab is out of her mind for working with Nicodemus until she impatiently explains that of course Nicodemus will try to murder him, Mab just expects him to outwit and outmaneuver him. Also Harry gets to bring one ally with him on the job. Other things, Harry has gotten into parkour, there is a britishy British man locked up in Demonreach, the manifestation of Demonreach now has a first name of Alfred, Mab gives Harry an earring that will keep the parasite in check for the duration of the job. If Harry completes the job successfully Mab personally guaranteed him surviving parasites removal.
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Jun 9, 2013 09:49
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THF13 posted:The first couple of chapters for the next book are usually in the paperback release which isn't until September, but here's my summary. Entirely from memory though so might have forgotten something. The first name thing... Please tell me Harry gave him it?
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Jun 9, 2013 10:42
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Masonity posted:The first name thing... Please tell me Harry gave him it?
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Jun 9, 2013 11:31
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THF13 posted:
Well then, Does he look like this ? 
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Jun 9, 2013 21:07
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Hm. I just had a thought. We're all assuming that Demonreach was talking about Molly when he told Harry to ASK GRASSHOPPER about what to do about the Parasite, but what if Demonreach was actually talking about hairworms and saying that Dresden was basically hosed?
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Jun 13, 2013 19:24
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Wade Wilson posted:Hm. I just had a thought. That's kind of brilliant, and I hope it's true (because seeing Harry beat the impossible is the best part of a Dresden novel!), but historically, how often has Demonreach spoken broken English / not noticed that the person who is psychically linked to it is misunderstanding its communicative goal? Or, I guess, has Butcher known anything about science / stuff in the real world?
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Jun 14, 2013 09:02
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SolTerrasa posted:That's kind of brilliant, and I hope it's true (because seeing Harry beat the impossible is the best part of a Dresden novel!), but historically, how often has Demonreach spoken broken English / not noticed that the person who is psychically linked to it is misunderstanding its communicative goal? Or, I guess, has Butcher known anything about science / stuff in the real world? Well, you did have that manifestation of Demonreach in the graveyard as the, well, Demon that Dresden spoke with. Though I don't recall the details of their conversations at the time, Demonreach wasn't particularly forthcoming when it came to making himself clearly understood. Dresden didn't "get it" until nearly the end of the book, as usual, anyway.
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Jun 14, 2013 12:27
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So there's going to be a fan-made Dresden Files movie soon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXex3DwkRpc And Butcher has posted that he can't wait to see it. Aw Lawd.
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Jun 15, 2013 17:22
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pseudonordic posted:So there's going to be a fan-made Dresden Files movie soon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXex3DwkRpc i think anyone who thinks Evanescence is the perfect soundtrack for the Dresden Files may have lost the plot at some point.
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Jun 15, 2013 17:49
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Stroth posted:i think anyone who thinks Evanescence is the perfect soundtrack for the Dresden Files may have lost the plot at some point. Not that I'm defending the song (it's terrible), but it is the kind of thing Harry would probably listen to. See also: the band referenced in the beginning of Cold Days.
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Jun 16, 2013 03:33
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See, this is why there should never be a Dresden movie. This way we can just pretend Harry has the same metal musical tastes as the Winchester boys, the way it was meant to be. Now someone pass me the Bad Company LP.
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Jun 16, 2013 05:55
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