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taco show posted:I hope they still make these! They turned me into the obscure trivia buff I am today. Yes they do, in quantity.
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Jun 10, 2013 16:38
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Return of the Crimson Guard by Ian C Esslemont. Previously, I had read the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. The world and storylines were created by both writers out of their GURPS RPG experience. Erikson got to print first, and Esslemont has his own stories to tell although loosely linked. I wanted to read more stories set in the world so, I started on Esslemont's stuff, skipping his first book because I heard it was mostly very badly written. Crimson Guard is... not very well written. Some parts display an economy of story-telling that is very good but then it takes an immediate turn for the Ugh. Honestly, I could believe quite easily that this book is a transcription of a campaign they ran years ago, roughly knocked into book format - it suffers from an odd stop/start narrative and characters drop out and in and it is just accepted by everyone present, rather like "Dave couldn't make it to this session but everybody welcome and be nice to Greg, it's his first time gaming". Additionally, I'm not sure this book stands by itself. There are a lot of references to the world it takes place in and I got those references from the Erikson books but if you were reading these first, most of the time there is no explanation of the references. Except when there is a jarring and abrupt change in writing and Esslemont drops an omniscient paragraph in to tell the reader something in clunky as hell ways. He will also play coy with pointless stuff for no reason you can fathom. What is this mysterious mystery? Who cares, not I. I also found that what I was reading was unclear from time to time. I was unsure of who was speaking or I was unsure of what army was doing what to whom. Honestly, overall it struck me as a book in need of a couple more passes and a strong editorial hand to knock it into shape. He has a clear capability to be a very good writer but... this is rather all over the place. Stonewielder by Esslemont again. Oh yeah, that's a pretty drastic improvement. He's still not firing on all thrusters but there is a very marked improvement in things like pacing and characterisation and non-clunky writing. It still happens but rarely and a paragraph at most. To borrow an oft-used term from all these books, this particular one has convergence between Esslemont and Erikson in their writing. There are shared ideas and interests approached different ways - consequences and repercussions and a certain expectation of the reader working to provide their own answers to certain questions. One particular plotline in this - Ivanr's - seemed to me to be a tipping point of epic proportions but that may just be my own opinion of what is happening. It certainly is not explained anywhere in the book, necessarily. There are still flaws - I mostly don't give a poo poo about the characters - Manask a truly hilarious exception - and overall, these books do not gel as well as Erikson's but, hell, keep improving like this and, baby, you got a stew going.
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Jun 10, 2013 20:26
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Return of the Crimson Guard is actually a low point for Esslemont. Stonewielder and Orb Sceptre Throne are both good books. Have you read the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach book?
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Jun 10, 2013 22:18
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I have indeed. The Lees of Laughter's End is one of the funniest things I have ever read, up there with Godzilla's 12-step Program by Joe R Lansdale.
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Jun 10, 2013 22:24
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The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson. HST has been one of my favorite authors from the moment I started reading his stuff, but I've put off reading this one for years. It's definitely different. It's certainly more structured and proper compared to his other work, but it's ironically less consistent without the chaos and absurdity you'll see in something like Fear and Loathing. The main theme I got out of the novel, fear of growing older and stagnating, really appealed to me, I just wish it had been conveyed better. It really stumbles, but it's enjoyable when it catches itself.
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Jun 11, 2013 02:11
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On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. Pretty much exactly what you'd want out of a book about pirates and voodoo. One of my favorites of the year for pure reading enjoyment.
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Jun 11, 2013 14:32
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rejutka posted:Return of the Crimson Guard by Ian C Esslemont. So is Stonewielder about someone who wields stones, or...?
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Jun 11, 2013 15:26
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I first read that as Stonewelder, he who welds stones together. They're probably magic or something.
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Jun 11, 2013 18:30
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Ethnic Hairstyles posted:So is Stonewielder about someone who wields stones, or...? There is a magic stone sword. Honestly, if I kept typing about it for two more sentences, you would know as much about it as I do.
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Jun 11, 2013 22:59
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I just completed a marathon read of the series by Philip Reeve sometimes called The Traction Cities and sometimes the Mortal Engines Sequence. Technically, this is YA PA Sci-Fi with a touch of steam (but logically occurring) I'm no YA though - I'll be hitting the big seven-oh in August, thus I'm in the nearly dead category. I can't recommend this series too highly, I was enthralled. Of course, I read these in publication order but now that Mr. Reeve seems to be done with these, I would suggest you start with the prequels and read your way forward. Fever Crumb, A Web Of Air, Scriveners Moon, Mortal Engines, Predators Gold, Infernal Devices and A Darkling Plain. I'm also, with a friend, doing the audio versions of the Donovan Creed series by John Locke, the most succesful self-published author in history (I think). Very over-the-top spy/assassin/hit-man. Starts with http://www.amazon.com/Lethal-People...l+people+locke. I love the series - just don't take it too seriously and it's a lot of fun.
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Jun 11, 2013 23:49
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Finished/read most of The Stranger a few hours ago. I don't exactly feel like I've learned as much from this as I have from, say, Dostoevsky, but, on the flipside, I found it to be an interesting and agreeable text, and in some ways I was very sympathetic towards Meursault. Plus, it read quickly without being artless or (pointlessly) boring, which is nice after The Brothers Karamazov.
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Jun 12, 2013 03:17
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Just finished Wool by Hugh Howey and started the next book in the series, Shift. The plot is along the lines of Fallout 3... almost. Civilization trapped underground to wait out the apocalypse. The focus, however, is entirely underground to the lives of people inside of a 10,000 person bunker (or silo, as it is referred to) tens of generations after the "end." It is taboo to want to go above ground and the highest form of punishment is being sent above ground to clean sensor pods-- and inevitably dying from radiation in the air. Or so the citizens of the silo are led to believe. The story starts slightly melodramatically-- but its written in such great third person limited perspective. You are slowly able to put the pieces together from what one or two characters know that you aren't starved for information, but at the same time you have to do a lot of assembling on your own from details. Its a great page turner, has some limited depth to it, and doesn't follow 15 different story lines like, say, The Stand does. I'm more than halfway through the second one in the series which is as good, if not better. If you're looking for a simpler read with a decent plot, its a good bet. Plus, the entire three books in the trilogy are only $6 each on amazon for kindle. (series goes Wool---> Shift---> Dust)
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Jun 12, 2013 04:18
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Bob A Feet posted:Just finished Wool by Hugh Howey and started the next book in the series, Shift. You can get the first book free on google books if you are reading from an android device. Thats how I got into the series and I ended up devouring the rest of the trilogy in very short order. I kept wanting to read so that I could find out more about what had happened in the past, and where things were going next. I just finished Abbadon's Gate by James SA Corey, and I found it pretty enjoyable for something to pass the time in the bus. There seems to a theme with his books in which more and more crap gets shoveled on the characters heads. At one point I didn't want to read anymore because I could see how bad things were going to get and I was expecting something quite trite would end up fixing everything. Thankfully it wasn't a Peter. F. Hamilton letdown and I am hoping that we might see some more from the universe. As for my next book, I have no idea. I was reading the Spinward Fringe series by Randolph Lalonde and now I have run out of novels in the series. I guess I need to trawl the sci-fi thread and see if anything jumps out at me. Phrosphor fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Jun 12, 2013 |
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Jun 12, 2013 15:40
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Little Brother, Cory Doctorow (2/5): This was such a disappointment. The story was entertaining enough--it's basically a young adult thriller--but the writing is terrible. There is a lot of exposition, especially on technical concepts (e.g. RFID), and I never felt immersed in the world. I was always very aware that I was listening to Doctorow opine on the merits of the technology. This was furthered by the protagonist being the worst kind of wish fulfilling stand-in for the author himself. He is brilliant and capable and oh so courageous in the face of a tyrannical government; he is essentially a totally unbelievable teenager. A Clash of Kings (ASOIAF #2), George R.R. Martin (4/5): I continue to be impressed with this series (though the third installment will need to deviate from the template to really hold my interest). The challenge now is to finish it without having it spoiled by loudmouths who watch the TV version. The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm (3/5): This was recommended to me by a friend who thought it was five stars amazing. It's a blend of philosophy and psychology from the 1950s. If it came out today, and had a slightly different structure, it would probably be labeled "self-help." Personally, I was torn. Fromm makes some truly insightful observations about the nature of love and the failings of modern society. But these are matched in equal number with observations I would expect to be glaringly obvious to anyone who thinks critically about their own behavior. And I could not help but be turned off by dated concepts, namely gender roles and the inherent failings of homosexuality. It's a very quick read, so it's worth checking it out, but it did not live up to the hype. Wyatt fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Nov 17, 2014 |
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Jun 12, 2013 22:22
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Wyatt posted:[ The template changes and the story morphs as you move through the series. Stick with it, it can be frustrating (mostly for those that read it when they came out and had to wait a decade to continue) but it works all in a series. Many question the change in format in four, but I can't wait to get back to it on the re-read I am doing right now. Pay close attention to all of the characters, keep a log if you have to, it will help so much later.
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Jun 12, 2013 23:28
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It's worth noting that Hugh Howey's WOOL is a ground-breaker in that it was self published, self promoted and a gigantic hit. He's also opened up his "universe" to other writers and I've been very happy with this "fan-fic" thats resulted. At Amazon, search term "a Silo story" will bring up the fan-fic, so far all at 99¢ a pop.
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Jun 13, 2013 00:10
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TraderStav posted:The template changes and the story morphs as you move through the series. Stick with it, it can be frustrating (mostly for those that read it when they came out and had to wait a decade to continue) but it works all in a series. Many question the change in format in four, but I can't wait to get back to it on the re-read I am doing right now. Pay close attention to all of the characters, keep a log if you have to, it will help so much later. I gave up after Feast for Crows. I found that I just didn't... care anymore? I think Martin's genius may be lost on me but it feels like he just drones on and on. That's his style, that's fine but it killed it for me.
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Jun 13, 2013 00:43
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rufius posted:I gave up after Feast for Crows. I found that I just didn't... care anymore? I think Martin's genius may be lost on me but it feels like he just drones on and on. That's his style, that's fine but it killed it for me. AFFC is a great bridge book that plays right into the events of aDWD. After reading aDWD I have a lot more respect for AFFC. I did find it hard to listen to it the first time around, and I longed for Roy Dotrice to pick up the narration as the person who did it originally was terrible. Say what you will about GRRM, but it's worth it IMO.
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Jun 13, 2013 00:48
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Wyatt posted:A Clash of Kings (ASOIAF #2), George R.R. Martin: I continue to be impressed with this series (though the third installment will need to deviate from the template to really hold my interest). The challenge now is to finish it without having it spoiled by loudmouths who watch the TV version. By the end of ACoK I was left with the distinct impression I was reading a soap opera rather than a story that went somewhere. I've read 1700 pages, I felt it needed a much bigger payoff than it had.
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Jun 13, 2013 09:46
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Phrosphor posted:As for my next book, I have no idea. I was reading the Spinward Fringe series by Randolph Lalonde and now I have run out of novels in the series. I guess I need to trawl the sci-fi thread and see if anything jumps out at me. That's the first thing that came to mind when you mentioned Spinward Fringe, I've also read that recently and discovered Blindsight not long after. Blindsight is much less space opera and more hard sci-fi and I loved it.
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Jun 13, 2013 14:38
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TraderStav posted:AFFC is a great bridge book that plays right into the events of aDWD. After reading aDWD I have a lot more respect for AFFC. I did find it hard to listen to it the first time around, and I longed for Roy Dotrice to pick up the narration as the person who did it originally was terrible. I don't disagree with you, I just got kind of burnt out. I think in a year or so I'll pick the series back up, perhaps reading A Feast for Crows again and then reading A Dance with Dragons. House Louse posted:By the end of ACoK I was left with the distinct impression I was reading a soap opera rather than a story that went somewhere. I've read 1700 pages, I felt it needed a much bigger payoff than it had. Ya, that's about the sum of it for me as well though I'm a fair bit further in than you.
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Jun 13, 2013 21:21
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Stranger In A Strange Land It started out being an entertaining book and Mike's nativity was really endearing. It raises some interesting points about cultures and religion, but about 3/4 through it became a lecture. Page after page of Heinlein blasting the reader on philosophy and polygamy. I've read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (perhaps one of my favorite books) and Starship Troopers so I'm familiar with his views on government and gender roles, but this seemed like he was really beating the reader over the head with it. The part about how 9/10 times rape is a women's fault was pretty harsh. Like I said, it really had me for the first three quarters but after that I really had to make it a point to sit and read it.
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Jun 13, 2013 23:38
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Beastie posted:Stranger In A Strange Land I grew up reading Heinlein and I find all of his writing that enthralled me to be very stiff and dated now. It was "hip" to read and discuss Stranger in a Strange Land in the 1960s but not so much now. I own an obligatory copy but I doubt I'll ever read it again. I do like his polygamous and contractual relationship concepts. Our current "traditional marriage" system doesn't work all that well but I suspect we're stuck with it for the foreseeable future, drat it.
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Jun 14, 2013 18:16
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Boris Starling - Messiah Gruesome (a bit too much so, in my opinion) serial killer thriller with unusual narrative style (took me a while to get used to it) and one of the most  endings I've read.
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Jun 17, 2013 00:46
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Just finished up A Visit From The Goon Squad. It starts a bit slow, but with each chapter the scope of the story broadens and becomes much more interesting. The narrative of each chapter is somewhat different and, if it weren't for all these small connecting elements, almost makes this book feel like a series of short stories. Definitely one of the best books I've read in a while! My only complaint being that SA is not mentioned once despite goon being in the title.
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Jun 17, 2013 01:57
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Just finished Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman and CK should really just stick to essays. I get the whole Nineteen Eighty-Four parallel (small town itself is Big Brother, etc), but it was basically just a bunch of CK essay material unsuccessfully fictionalized.
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Jun 17, 2013 16:21
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I just finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. This books gets a lot of hype so I was somewhat apprehensive going in, however I quickly found that it exceeded everything I'd been told. As a fan of comics, history and someone trying to become a writer I found the comparison of the golem and the act of creating a literary character incredibly interesting and the relationships (not just between people, but between people and ideas) were all intriguing and at points heartbreaking. Definitely the most enjoyable reading experience I've had probably since I read Reamde.
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Jun 19, 2013 14:10
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Michel Houellebecq - H. P. Lovecraft: Against Nature, Against Life. (re-read) An excellent essay about Lovecraft's life and writing and cosmic horror phenomenon mixed with the author's own rants. If the subject matter is of any interest to you, you owe it to yourself to read this one.
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Jun 19, 2013 20:07
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Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris. It was a wonderful read with a really wry and slightly darker sense of humor than his earlier memoirs, which sort of follows thematically with his previous Chipmunk Seeks Squirrel. One interesting thing to note is the inclusion of five dramatic monologues that are meant to act as source material for people needed to perform a written piece. They all share this distinct style he's developed in that they follow pretty loathsome characters who expose, piece by piece, the terribleness of some recent event. So if by the end of the first paragraph you think the character is an rear end, by the end they are revealed to be a monster. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is unfamiliar with his writing, but if you are already a fan then definitely give it a read.
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Jun 21, 2013 09:00
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All five books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. It started off so strong and funny, but I wish the last book was never written. It has a horrible ending, and the ending of book four was perfect. Going to read the unofficial sixth book to give it some closure.
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Jun 22, 2013 16:20
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I just finished Memory Wall, a collection of short stories by Anthony Doerr. He doesn't seem very well known, but one of my English professors at college turned me on to him and I've loved all his works. The theme in that collection is, well, memories. He explores the ideas of what makes us who we are, and how our past shapes who we are now. I would definitely recommend this book if you're into quasi-philosophical fiction. (The Kindle edition is actually on sale for the rest of June, if that's what you're into.) Looking through this and other threads, there seems to be a lot of praise for The Stranger. I remember reading it, long ago in high school. I have a copy of it collecting dust in my bookcase, so I think I'll read through that again next.
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Jun 22, 2013 17:25
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I finished The Human Division last night. It's typical Scalzi, the characters and dialog are excellent and overall it's a good continuation of the Old Man's War series. It's basically "more of the same" and since I'm a big fan of the other novels in the series, that suits me just fine. My biggest criticism is the result of the way it was published. It was original released as a digital serial (a "chapter" each time) and then released as a novel after the last serial was published (I purchased it as a completed novel). I felt that it greatly suffered from this, explanations and descriptions become repetitive when reading it in novel form, even more so for someone who is already familiar with the Old Man's War universe. The ending isn't really an "end" either, even less so then the previous entries in the series. Since another "season" (ugh) has already been announced, I can overlook the fact that the major plot point is left unresolved. I'm glad there will be more Old Man's War and despite the fact I don't like this new approach to publishing it, I will still purchase the next entry in the series. I'll be starting The Lies of Locke Lamora tonight at the recommendation of the sci-fi/fantasy thread, I'm sort of looking forward to a change from all the Space Opera I've been reading lately.
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Jun 22, 2013 21:43
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Just finished Soldiers Live, the last book of The Black Company. I started the first book about 10 years ago on a whim when my teacher presented me with it. Re-read parts of the series multiple times and finally got through to the end. Still haven't really collected my thoughts. It certainly was a ride. I'm a bit unhappy with how much the story changed from the first to the last book, but I'm still amazed at how similar they are, especially regarding themes. It left me with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. Sure, in a way it's the end of an era, but it still left a lot of threads hanging loose. On the other hand I suppose there would be no way to continue with another book without it just being more of the same. Towards the end it also felt a lot like Cook was just killing off characters because they were getting old and he was running out of time. I'm still of the opinion that the first book is the best I've ever read though. I'm happy to leave the series behind me for a while. I will probably read the first trilogy again in a few years because they are the ones I liked the most, but it will be a while before I make it through all of them again. Next up is either Liminal States or Dread Empire. Foxhound fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Jun 23, 2013 |
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Jun 23, 2013 20:43
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The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord. 2 and a half stars, to be generous. The characters and the romance were okay, but the story was confusing and meandering, with little sense of purpose or progression. It's also barely worthy of the categorisation "science fiction". I've never ever been a fan of telepaths in SF, and that's pretty much all this story offered. There was a tiny bit near the end about time travel, but it was such a miniscule, barely-touched side plot, incorporated in the most head-scratching way. I looked forward to this book when it was announced, based on early reviews and descriptions, but I'm left totally disappointed. I probably won't pick up another Karen Lord book.
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Jun 24, 2013 13:56
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Just got done reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick and I am not ashamed to say its the best book I have ever read. I like the way it was written with a lot of foreshadowing where when the foreshadowed event happens, you realize instantly that he has been leading up to it for awhile and it sort of 'clicks.' Started off really put off by the tiered society and by the whole need to own an animal, even to the point of fake ones. Mostly in that I thought it was weird and that people are weird for liking such Post-apocalyptic stories since they are so depressing (I believe this is the second in the genre. The other one being The Road that I read last year). But then it picked up about a quarter of the way through when Deckard starts going after androids and it just flew by. All in all, I like the book so much I had to try and find goons to post about it and found this thread and had to post. It is a quick read so just read it if you haven't.
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Jun 24, 2013 18:23
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DrewkroDleman posted:Just got done reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick and I am not ashamed to say its the best book I have ever read. After reading the summary on amazon this book sounds cool, just bought it.
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Jun 24, 2013 19:32
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I finally read The Stranger after years and years of it sitting on my shelf. I liked it, but not a lot, and most of my enjoyment of it was derived from the very precise descriptions of the sociopathic main character, although as the second half digressed into more and more obvious philosophical ramblings, I found myself just reading through it to get to the end. The idea that Meursault is less a clever characterization of sociopathy and more a projection of the author and his philosophical dribble is unfortunate. If Meursault was only accidentally a sociopath (and was instead supposed to be a sympathetic vessel for an existential philosopher) then I fear my enjoyment of the book would be quite shattered. Basically, I enjoyed The Stranger as an analogue to American Psycho, and absolutely not as a work of philosophy. I liked the writing style, however. I'd like to read the French original.
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Jun 24, 2013 21:25
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I don't read him as a psychopath at all. He is just extremely honest about how he feels, and doesn't play along with expectations. He wasn't close to his mother, and she was old, so he didn't really feel sad when she died. The shooting was partially a result of the beating of the sun causing him to lose his composure. He doesn't really play society's game, and realises his place in the universe. I think sociopath is a gross oversimplification, but I find your interpretation interesting.
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Jun 25, 2013 03:11
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Yeah, that's the thing - if Camus intended for Meursault to be anything other than vile then I can safely say I disliked the book. I love good literature ( ), and I like Camus's writing style here and the depth he expresses with such simple prose, but my dislike of philosophy basically means that The Stranger has nothing to offer me.It's one of those books everyone should read, I suppose, so I can't say I regret my brief time with it.
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Jun 25, 2013 03:40
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I'm not sure we are meant to either emulate or pursue Meursault's state of being, since the novel's two main goals are not concerned with the humanity of the anti-hero (if indeed there is much humanity in him at all) or with the ramifications of his personality. The whole point is that the universe, like Meursault, is completely indifferent to humanity's existence. Only a narrator already attuned to that wavelength will be able to explain it clearly in a voice that is still recognizable. This is why the first half of the novel is all sensory data, to beat you over the head with the absurdity of existence in a universe that is constantly tearing itself to pieces on all scales. The second half of the novel is about the impossibility of justice in such a universe, so Meursault's viewpoint takes a backseat since Camus didn't need his voice to help make that point. I don't think Camus would have seen Meursault as either protagonist or antagonist, instead something more like a lens through which it is easier to discern the true human condition, perhaps exactly because the enlightened and amoral Meursault is already so far from it.
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Jun 25, 2013 18:01
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